Lucky 13 – it’s the average number of content marketing tactics used by B2B companies.[1]
Our Atlanta-based firm, offers market research, brand strategy and content creation. Our team has consulting and handled work for over 500 brands. It's why a senior content manager at a category-leading B2B brand recently asked our team for a POV on content creation. More specifically, which type of content to use and when.
As the graph below, “B2B Content Marketing Tactic Usage,” shows, the average number of marketing tactics used by B2B companies is a whopping 13!
Based on the number 13’s association with fear, it’s not surprising to the team at C.E.K. & Partners that this chart feels overwhelming to so many leaders responsible for the content creation process and identifying which type to use! So if you need help with make those decisions, read on.
Source: Content Marketing Institute
So Which Type of Content Should I Use and When?
Source: Eccolo Research Study
As the above graph from Eccolo Research shows, it’s best to understand the customer journey allowing the right content to be served up at the right time across the B2B sales cycle.
Here are a few takeaways from the above graph; of course, depending on your objectives their usefulness could vary with your content creation:
Blogs and infographics are most valued by buyers early in the pre-sales phase
White papers are most valued in the pre-sales and initial sales phase (when buyers are attempting to understand a problem and potential solutions)
Case studies and detailed tech guides are most useful in the mid- and final sales phases when buyers are finalizing selection and seeking expertise from a company
We’d amend the above list to include recommendations based on our experience:
Video be used throughout the sales cycle, starting with an introductory “About Us” company video to creating customer success story videos supporting the middle of the sales cycle
Buyers want to continue to receive content after a sale is completed
Need help deciding whether or not to use an infographic?
We love infographics, and so do most people since they are 30 times more likely to be read over text-based articles. Infographics provide great snackable bites for use within social channels, emails/newsletters, white papers and presentations.
Need help deciding whether or not to use an infographic? Ask yourself, is there compelling data? If so, would a visualization of data make it more compelling and simplify the data?
How to Produce Content to Support 13 Tactics? Repurpose It!
Develop content that can be repurposed across the different tactics. At C.E.K. & Partners, brands engage us services that support white paper development -- market research, content creation services, and creative design -- also known as long-form content, meaning it’s likely approaching or exceeding 3,000 words.
If you create one piece of long-form content such as a market research findings report or a white paper, it can be repurposed into at least 8 other types of content
- saving you time and money with creating new content.
When thinking about the content creation process, a white paper could be repurposed into at least 8 other types of content:
600- to 1000-word article
press release
a newsletter or email blast
blog series
key note speech
social media posts
infographic / graphics
60- to 90-second SME video
webinar
web site copy
podcast talking points
On the contrary, shorter form content creation such as a series of related social media posts or blogs could be repurposed into longer content such as a white paper, an article or an ebook, depending on the topic.
What is your content creation process? What are your challenges? Do you need content creation services to support social media posts or finding the bigger story that could be developed into snackable content bites? What content do you have that could be repurposed to support a current strategy?
About C.E.K. & Partners
C.E.K. & Partners is an Atlanta-based B2B agency offering market research, brand strategy and content creation services. Our writing lab supports content creation for digital marketing such as the development of white papers, articles, case studies, websites, solution sheets, infographics, articles, key note speeches, blogs, social media posts and more. We work for leading fintechs and payment processors, healthcare organizations, and purpose-driven brands.
Need insights to write about? Our research lab designs custom quantitative and qualitative market research studies.
Ready to elevate your company’s communication? Contact us today for a free consultation – Carolyn Kopf p:404.345.6447 or carolyn@cekpartners.com
B2B content creation agency. B2B Atlanta based market research.
[1]2016 B@B Content Marketing Trends, Content Marketing Institute