Amid all of the marketing buzzwords of the past several years, “content” is the loudest of them all. Companies of all stripes have launched blogs, newsletters, and even proprietary reports to market themselves. Data from one survey of 1,500 companies showed that 84% of companies, including B2B, B2C, marketing agencies, and non-profit organisations have a content marketing strategy.

The quality of these programmes varies, however. There’s a big difference between creating content and writing informative, insightful copy. The former is easier – and more prominent –than the latter, but only one of them leads to sales opportunities and builds brands.

The sheer volume of content on the internet makes it hard for you to stand out, particularly if what you publish isn’t exceptional and strategic. Of that 84% of respondents that said their companies have a content marketing strategy, only half said it’s working. Content needs to be intentionally put together and – most importantly – of high quality. Quality content is, first and foremost, meaningful and informative, but it must also be optimised for search.

With content playing such a pivotal role in today’s marketing mix, how can it be that so many companies get it wrong? What are successful businesses doing differently?

The key is understanding the nuts and bolts of building a content strategy. In particular, you need to know what it’s supposed to accomplished and how. Outstanding copywriting and content creation are crucial.

How content became king

In past years, stalwart publications and media outlets were the main sources of information for businesses and consumers. However, with the rise of user-generated content, the ease of self-publishing, and the ubiquity of social media, businesses now have an opportunity to speak directly to customers. Buyers can get information straight from company experts who understand their challenges and who have a detailed understanding of the technologies and solutions on offer.

This open playing field gives you the means to provide your own content and information without limitations. B2B customers are looking for this niche, proprietary information to help them succeed in their objectives and ultimately grow their enterprises. Businesses that rise to the occasion and provide valuable content gain name recognition and ultimately lead conversion.

But this only works if the quality of what’s written is engaging and informative enough. Many people can write a sentence, but few can use them to push the right buttons.

Well-written content is, of course, vital. However, even the best-penned pieces can only do so much if they aren’t tailored with search engine optimisation (SEO) in mind. Search engines don’t discriminate among B2B, B2C, or DTC-targeted content, so businesses have to be intentional with their topics, anticipating search queries so the correct audience will see it.

CBC blog link: The 5 deadly sins of international B2B social media marketing

What quality content looks like

So, it’s clear that not all content is created equal. But there is more to consider, and simply posting content, good or not, isn’t enough; you also need to be strategic.

In a nutshell, robust content marketing strategies include these key components:

  • Quality writing: Strong, authoritative writing by subject matter experts that offers valuable, original information (rather than a sales pitch)
  • Audience insights: Deep understanding of audience’s business, market, challenges, and goals, before a single word is written
  • SEO: Copy tailored to specific search questions that is optimised for keywords and length
  • Volume and consistency: Carefully thought-through posting schedule, maintained by content experts
  • A sense of purpose: Content should be relevant to specific points in a potential customer’s buying journey and help guide them to the next step
  • Good UX: Easy-to-read user experience that draws people in and keeps them engaged

It’s also important to consider data and analytics. Good content is informed by analytics, including page views, entries and exits, demographics, scroll depth, and more. Businesses with effective strategies have a content-specific suite of tools to analyse the effectiveness of their content and evolve it accordingly.

On top of these best practices, it’s worth noting that getting content right also has an element of alchemy. Algorithms change often and without warning, and audience interests and visitor behaviour may change, too. So staying nimble is an important component of an effective content strategy – strong content strategists are both proactive and reactive.

In fact, one survey suggests that an overwhelming majority of businesses with content strategies changed them during the pandemic – and nearly all of those who did so reported better results.

Getting content right – and wrong

Along with understanding the mechanics of what makes a good content strategy, the content itself needs to be strong and compelling – that’s what we mean by quality. Ultimately, quality gives readers confidence in your brand, makes them eager to engage with your content, and gives them a reason to return to your blog.

Expert writers are key to quality. Therefore, successful content marketing programmes are helmed by professional writers and content strategists, particularly when using multiple channels (e.g. email campaigns, blogs, white papers, and website copy).

CBC blog link: New ways to build trust in your B2B brand

Content dos and don’ts

If you are developing a content marketing programme, there are a few must-haves – as well as some pitfalls to steer clear of. We’ve identified several good (and not so good) practices we’ve helped our clients spot.

Strong content marketing programmes DOS:

  • Create informative, well-written, thorough copy
  • Use SEO-friendly copywriting (keyword use)
  • Develop a deep understanding of site visitor and search user behaviour
  • Understand the audience – their business, industry, needs and challenges, as well as vocabulary, and reading habits (e.g. news sites, industry journals, etc.)
  • Get better results when executed by experienced professionals

Strong content marketing programmes DON’TS:

  • Expect campaign results on a beer budget (right-size your expectations)
  • Assume it will work overnight (good content marketing strategies take time to reap rewards)
  • Do too much – or too little (pick a realistic cadence)
  • Bite off more than you can chew (avoid unrealistic output expectations)
  • Be afraid of paid promotion (consider accelerating your efforts through search and social ads)
  • Making B2B content simpler and better

The most important takeaway? Content strategy needs to be deliberate, intentionally built from the ground up. It’s not worth investing in words, just for the sake of saying you’re on the content marketing train.

Above all, quality rules – which means hiring expert writers who know both the subject matter and content strategy. It’s not a shortcoming if your business can’t do it on its own – if anything, recognising your pain point and addressing it will put your business ahead of the content marketing curve. It simply means you need to bring in experts who can help design, scale, and execute your content strategy.

That’s where CBC comes in: we’re content experts with broad experience in engaging and influencing the desired audience. So instead of inventing a new strategy, understanding the complexities of SEO, and becoming an award-winning writer, you can rely on those who already know how.

Reach out to Ralph Krøyer, Managing Director of CBC, with a call (+45 35 25 01 75) or email him directly at rk@cbc.dk.