Content Marketers: Being Asked to Do More with… More?

B2B marketing departments are busier than ever. We’re constantly hearing from content marketers who’ve been given more budget along with the charge to hit the accelerator immediately. But in a crowded digital marketplace, the last thing you can afford to do is hurriedly throw things at the wall and hope some of it sticks. Bigger budgets come with bigger responsibilities to track real results. If you’re among the many marketers being asked to do more, and for once, with more, how can you make the most of it and create B2B content that delivers?

Here are six ways to maximize the effectiveness of your content and execute campaigns that accelerate your business.

1. To win at one-to-many, you’ve still got to nail one-to-one

A good B2B content marketing strategy amplifies your message. By sharing great content across multiple channels, you’re getting your voice in front of many readers, viewers or listeners. But the content itself must still be written from a one-to-one perspective to stand out and hit home.

In other words, resist the temptation to weigh a single piece of content down with all of your marketing goals. Rather than trying to be all things to all people, pick an audience and focus on one niche topic that is of particular interest to them. Having trouble prioritizing? That may be better news than you think. More priorities mean more relevant content. Map it out and lead your audience from one topic to the next.

2. Use your data, or someone else’s

Supporting your story with numbers is a surefire way to generate interest – especially if it’s your own unique data. Short on stats? Don’t walk away from this strategy just yet. Put a fresh spin on industry data – whether that’s your industry or one that you serve. Better yet, aggregate related stats across key industries to package up your own unique data set.

Then take that data and visualize it. Even a simple pie chart can be the hook you need to get the reader’s attention. Keep it by providing smart, relevant analysis of the data you’re highlighting and tie it back to your story.

3. Stay focused on one key CTA

You’re already under pressure to create a constant flow of content at what feels like an ever-increasing pace, so it’s more important than ever to ensure each piece serves a clear purpose. Just as it’s essential to write for one reader, your purpose must be centered on the one thing you want your audience to do upon reading your content. Not 10 things, just one.

If we’re honest, we can admit that this is almost always easier said than done, given the multiple and often competing objectives in any enterprise organization. But stay disciplined. Sticking with one call to action for each piece of content makes it much easier to measure success, and to create or refine content to drive future results.

4. Break up your biggest assets and spread them everywhere

If you’ve been running a content marketing program for long, chances are you have a handful of core content pieces that comprise the cornerstone of your program. This may include original research presented in a white paper, a robust client case study, or a playbook of some kind. You know how heavy a lift each of these assets was to create, which is why you want to squeeze every ounce of value out of them.

You can do this by deconstructing your most robust pieces of content into dozens of smaller assets that can be used across every channel you have. Even if your core assets have been around for a while, you can put a fresh spin on them with a new intro in a blog post, a fresh set of social posts or a new email nurture campaign that releases the asset in chapters or segments.

5. Double down on current successes

Look at your existing content and pull out the highest performers to get even more out of their success. You can do this in several ways. The fastest and easiest is to simply re-promote high performing content as long as it’s still timely and relevant. Re-share it on social, add it to your next enewsletter or email nurture campaign, or move it to the top of your blog roll. Fast and easy.

You can also spend a little more time to amplify 2-3 top performing pieces by highlighting them together. For example, create a new blog post, article or email that ties the content together and links to each individual piece. If time and resources allow, you can also extend high-performing content either by updating it with new data or insights, or following the successful formula for another (possibly related) topic.

If you’re unsure what exactly made a particular piece of content successful, consider what attributes your most successful content has in common. Are there particular topics that consistently win the day? Do you have a knack for connecting with trending news or storylines? Do you have overwhelming responses in a particular paid or owned channel? Look for trends and build on them.

6. Look outside of your organization for expertise

Regardless of what industry you serve, it’s likely that you’re struggling to retain and hire right now. This is a major challenge for everyone. Your internal team can only do so much, and burning them out now is not a long-term strategy for success. Instead look toward outsourced resources who have expertise in your industry and are set up to plug in and scale as needed. This takes a load off your team, and can deliver fresh industry perspective and best practices, including new insights on your brand and product positioning.

Now is the time to make the most of your budget and shore up any gaps in your B2B content strategy. Regularly rolling out content that performs will help your team accelerate into the fourth quarter as 2022 budgets are being formulated.  Don’t miss this opportunity to secure tangible returns on your company’s content marketing investment.

Seeking a partner? We’re here for you. The Fletcher Group provides deep industry expertise in a number of B2B markets. We craft smart, impactful B2B content that cuts through the noise, reaches target audiences and supports your business goals at every stage of the sales funnel. Get in touch and learn how we can take your B2B content marketing game to the next level.