Blogs are a staple for many businesses, but B2B blogs can be a tough nut to crack at times. In this #ContentChat with Kapost’s Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) we focus on common issues with B2B blogs, and how to ensure you set your content strategy off on the right foot.
Q1: Is blogging still a valuable strategy for #B2B companies to reach their customers and prospects?
Blogging is still incredibly important in the B2B world, and blogs provide multiple opportunities to build brand awareness, generate and nurture leads, and improve your customer experience.
A1: Although it’s not as easy to build a following through a blog today as it was a decade ago when it didn’t seem everyone had a blog, a blog is still a very powerful way for many businesses to engage with clients + prospects. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) October 22, 2018
A1: If you expect to build digital awareness, you need a blog to rank and guide educational interactions. Anecdotal evidence: the @Kapost blog is our largest driver of organic traffic and a huge contributor to open opps. #ContentChat https://t.co/2AeWBEAIye
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A1: I would think it would be even more important for those brands or websites that are static in nature. Great way to use to build awareness and have content that is constantly changing #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) October 22, 2018
A1: Absolutely! We definitely believe in blogging as a valuable strategy, not only to grab the awareness and interest of prospects, but it’s also a great way to become a trusted resource center for your industry’s relevant topics. #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) October 22, 2018
A1. ABSOLUTELY! Blogging is still a huge traffic and revenue driver for #B2B companies. It helps with SEO, thought leadership and lead generation. #ContentChat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) October 22, 2018
A1 #contentchat blogging is a way to answer your audience intent in a very valuable manner by sharing your deep know of your industry to educate, inform, inspire and support your prospects and customers in making the right choice for their businesses.
— Bruce Deschamps (@brucedesch) October 22, 2018
A1 #ContentChat – absolutely blogging is still valuable for B2B companies, and following up on below, our still-young https://t.co/T8jVE6vs8J blog caught up to its 10yo sister site https://t.co/TcFfJGM29g‘s traffic numbers within a year of launch. https://t.co/GAXq7nUHIh
— Laura Pevehouse (@LPVhouse) October 22, 2018
The fact that blogging allows you to put your company’s brand personality and corporate values front and center is so helpful as more #B2B decisions-makers are making purchases based on culture fit. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) October 22, 2018
That said, blogs must have a purpose and overarching strategy that each post points toward.
A1. This is a good question, and it depends on the purpose of the B2B blog. Is it just inbound marketing? That might not be a good use of time. Is it educating future customers? That’s good — it can accelerate the sales cycle. Does it build your brand? That’s ideal! #ContentChat https://t.co/IxSQpF15Jq
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) October 22, 2018
A1 I think some blogging is dead, or should be. There are enough generic, evergreen “advice” posts out there. Instead of just CONTENT, what are your posts adding to the CONVERSATION? #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) October 22, 2018
I think the idea of having a viral blog based on one run-away blog post is dead though. Blogs are no longer the Internet equivalent of a novelty act. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) October 22, 2018
Q2: What is the primary reason B2B blogs are not successful, and how can we overcome that issue?
Blogs miss the mark when they lose sight of their audience, their needs at various stages of the engagement or buying cycles, and the meaningful content that can help meet those needs.
A2 (Pt.1): Cause of blog death: thinking your blog is exclusively TOFU and just meant to drive traffic, not meaningful engagements with decision makers in the target buying group #ContentChat https://t.co/SFkPcAEkSE
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A2 (Pt. 2): Symptoms: Thinking going viral is success, content that self-promotes rather than educates, poorly understood readers, awkward conversations with sales about why there are no engaged accounts/MQLs #ContentChat https://t.co/SFkPcAEkSE
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A2: The ones that are not successful are the ones that are mainly fluff & don’t add real value to what I’m looking for. It can’t be a recap of your services on your website. Needs to show value, knowledge, expertise and show you have services that address my problems #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) October 22, 2018
A2 #contentchat lack of audience knowledge, no defined goals, conte planning & creation are the top 3 bottlenecks I have witnessed in my career, but these are not the only ones.
— Bruce Deschamps (@brucedesch) October 22, 2018
A2: Some reasons why blogging doesn’t deliver:
1. Generic content/ lack of personalization
2. Self-promotion (think self-centered people)
3. Content doesn’t address customer concerns or solve their problem #contentchat #blogging— Masooma // Content Writer (@inkandcopy) October 22, 2018
Other times, blogs feel like just another box to check, without the appropriate planning and resources available.
A2. The worst #B2B blogs are the ones that only exist because someone in the company said “we should have a blog.” The best ones are the ones that exist because someone asked “how can we connect with customers?” #ContentChat https://t.co/DcQUhREiya
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) October 22, 2018
Agreed. This can sometimes be due to having blog “goals” such as “publish 3x weekly” without the resources—like writers, a content strategy, editorial calendar, etc.—to make sure that content is high-quality. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) October 22, 2018
Q3: Everyone in the organization thinks they have a great idea for a blog post. How can I be respectful of and responsive to topic pitches and keep the blog attracting viewers?
This enthusiasm from your team should not be taken for granted, and you can help coach individuals to tweak topics to better align with content that your audience needs. This could take the form of in-person meetings, or a blog guidelines document that team members review before submitting ideas.
A3: Collaboration is a great way to keep enthusiasm going. I spend a lot of time guiding people on direction with blog articles helping them understand what people are searching for. I also like to send out calls for writers internally on topics I know are hot! hi! #ContentChat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) October 22, 2018
A3: Count your blessing—that’s a huge indicator of buy-in! Treat it as so. Use an idea queue (could just be a Google survey) with guidelines about your audience and their priorities—contributors will be receptive to feedback when provided with all the info initially #ContentChat https://t.co/EQ3ORm6rVP
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A3: By having clear goals and objectives of your blog…what is it there for and who is the target audience. if their idea fits the goals, then go for it, if not, share the goals so they can revise their idea #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) October 22, 2018
A3. Is there a mission statement for the blog? Do your coworkers understand the mission of the blog? Sometimes just having a few qualifying questions helps keep off topic ideas out. Like, “How does this educate the audience?” #ContentChat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) October 22, 2018
A3: All too familiar with this one. The key for me is education. The more you can show people what works and doesn’t + why, the better your content gets. If you lose a few to the push back, you only lost the bad blogs. #contentchat
— Paul Young (@youngp2) October 22, 2018
A3. Center their ideas for posts around customer needs. The focus should be on creating content tht helps d audience and should subsequently appeal them. Maybe prepare a checklist to keep such customer-centric pointers in mind and then proceed wth presenting ideas. #contentchat
— Masooma // Content Writer (@inkandcopy) October 22, 2018
Q4: How do I determine the right topic mix for a #B2B #blog?
It all comes down to your audience and their needs. Blogs can answer questions, provide how-tos, delve into industry topics/trends, share company updates, etc., as long as your audience needs are at the forefront of each post.
A4 #contentchat by mapping it to your audience needs. Again you content needs to provide value, so you have to identify which topics your audience is craving, what answers they need or which challenges they are trying to solve.
— Bruce Deschamps (@brucedesch) October 22, 2018
A4: Blogs can be a great way to answer critical questions your customers are asking deeper than you can do on your service or product pages. Helping them solve their problems and ALWAYS having a CTA that helps guide them to your solution is a good split. #ContentChat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) October 22, 2018
A4b: That said, I believe there is a place for new product announcements on your blog if you are, again, helping customers solve their problems with it. Make sure it’s short, sweet and relevant. Make sure you’re addressing what’s in it for them. #ContentChat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) October 22, 2018
A4. Understand the buyer journey! The topics that interest someone who doesn’t even know they have an issue are very different than the topics that interest people who are actively evaluating vendors. #ContentChat https://t.co/Gfg4laK3e7
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) October 22, 2018
If you’re stuck in a rut, listen to your audience about what they want to see. This can be through user feedback, conversations with your sales team, or tracking KPIs to determine what content is being most used.
A4: Striking the right balance of variety and consistency can be tricky—listen to your audience. Whether that means doing user testing with actual readers, or tracking metrics to compare by topic, always keep your blog open to adjustment based on reader feedback. #ContentChat https://t.co/GBkKNmpP0l
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A4: It is good to talk to your call center or look at your customer feedback to see the items or questions that either keep coming up or are big sticking topics to your customers #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) October 22, 2018
Q5: What does #B2B blog success look like? Are there any benchmarks to help me determine how we’re doing?
While specific success metrics need to be defined on a case-by-case basis, your content should largely be measured against sales.
A5 (Pt. 1): TOFU metrics, GTFO. Success is creating opportunities and conversations with sales. Yes, pay attention to your traffic, but also track sales shares, visits and subscriptions within key accounts, and blogs that led to a won deal. #ContentChat https://t.co/HRWuZ2UgLJ
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A5 (Pt. 2): In terms of your GA/GTM metrics: Don’t be fooled into thinking success looks the same for every blog. A short launch blog with an eBook announcement can have a low time on page, but be successful with a low bounce rate to boot. #ContentChat https://t.co/HRWuZ2UgLJ
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A5: In B2B using your blog as an SEO feeder to product pages can be productive. Also, mid-funnel trust building as people research you can work. Also, blogs can help sales close deals via validation (“I know what I’m talking about”) #ContentChat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) October 22, 2018
A5: This is going to vary by business. The success is defined by the up-front KPIs that you have for the blog and each article. Is it to drive calls and conversions? The success shouldn’t be to keep someone internally happy just because you have a blog #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) October 22, 2018
A5. Well, it depends on the business and the goals behind the content. But one metric that helps us is email subs and free trials from blogs. Those are really strong indicators that our content is moving us towards business goals. #ContentChat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) October 22, 2018
Q6: Should we consider inviting guest bloggers to blog? What are the pros and cons?
First warning: Don’t enlist guest bloggers solely as a way to save time or money, because the time investment can be equal to or more than that with in-house writers.
A6a: If you are looking at guest bloggers as “free content” don’t do it! External bloggers need as much editing and support (and sometimes more so) than your in-house writers. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) October 22, 2018
A6: I want to say yes but I’ve had mixed results. Unless it’s a big name it’s not as successful as I would have thought. I typically get the same impact if I do an interview with someone and it’s typically much less back and forth for approvals #contentchat
— Paul Young (@youngp2) October 22, 2018
Second warning: Do your diligence of ensuring the guest is a credible voice for your audience, their personal brand aligns with your corporate values, and that their motive in contributing is genuine.
A6: There are a couple of things to consider when considering guest bloggers:
* Are they considered experts in their field?
* Are they focused on spreading industry knowledge?
* Do they have an audience you want to connect with?
* Have they written before? #ContentChat— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) October 22, 2018
Best way to fiend off writers who aren’t going to provide value: Tell them straight up they can’t use a link to any of their content within the blog. If they’re in it for the wrong reasons, they won’t reach out again. #ContentChat
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A6. Diversity in voice and opinion are great and if the writer is from a credible site and is a thought leadership, it can benefit to reach their audience. But be wary of people who’s message or mission don’t fit with your company #contentchat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) October 22, 2018
If you’re OK on the above, guests writers can be a great way to lend credibility to your messages and bring a fresh perspective in for your audience.
A6: Pros: Diverse (yet on-brand) opinions lend credibility to your message. Plus, your team didn’t have to write it! Resourcing win.
Con: A self-promoting guest blogger. Protect your audience and only serve up educational and valuable content. #ContentChat https://t.co/xB4L2HECE7
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A6b However, having guest bloggers can bring your customers unique expertise and perspectives while helping your company build relationships with industry experts you’d like to work more with in the future. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) October 22, 2018
Just ensure you give them guidelines to follow and have an appropriate balance between guest content and company content.
A6: If you invite guest bloggers, use care. You need to have guidelines – and make sure all guest contributors follow them. #contentchat
— Michelle Garrett (@PRisUs) October 22, 2018
A6 Maybe. Remember: It’s YOUR blog. So you don’t want to dilute your brand voice by inviting too many guest writers. #contentchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) October 22, 2018
Q7: We struggle with getting content approved. How do you set up a blog content process that ensures you keep up a regular publishing cadence?
The key to a healthy content cadence is proper planning. Have an editorial calendar in place, and ensure you have multiple pieces in development at a time.
A7: Always have a B2B Blog backup plan. Make sure you’re not nurturing one piece of content, you’re nurturing three. Make sure that you’ve got a library to pull from and in progress at all time. #ContentChat
— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) October 22, 2018
A7: There are so many things that go into publishing. Deciding on topics and keyword targets well ahead of time helps, having an editorial calendar that include draft due dates, etc, helps enormously! #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) October 22, 2018
A7: Like with any asset that has content, it needs to have a planned content calendar with topics, agenda, goals and KPIs #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger 🐝✌️the7️⃣ (@B2the7) October 22, 2018
A7. Editorial calendars can be extremely helpful for this, especially if it’s clearly assigned. We use Asana for ours and it’s great! #ContentChat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) October 22, 2018
Keep your team focused with regular meetings to discuss all upcoming content. If any team members are notoriously behind on deadlines, a little hand-holding goes a long way.
A7: If you have one final reviewer who is a constant bottleneck, but a meeting on their calendar and walk in with hard copies of the content for review and a pen. And sit there and wait while they review. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) October 22, 2018
A7: Keep workflows updated and visible to all, so people are accountable to missed deadlines. We have a weekly workflow review of upcoming content to call out any blockers, which inspires (shames) everyone to stay on top of things. #ContentChat https://t.co/QrhCfjT4Jh
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
When in doubt, the old “fake deadline” trick is a safe bet. (Sorry Diane, your secret is not so safe anymore.)
A7: by faking deadlines. Same with approval of quotes by clients. I give fake deadlines to make sure I get everything on time 😊 I hope not too many will read this 😂 #ContentChat
— Diane Gaillard 🆙 (@DianeGaillard1) October 22, 2018
Q8: What are some great #B2B blogs to read for inspiration and ideas we can put to use in our own blogs?
There’s a multitude of great options for inspiration and ideas!
A8: My top blogs (other than the one I manage, bc self promotion and stuff): @Kissmetrics, @MarketingProfs, @CMIContent . And, pro tip: all your competitor’s blogs. Keep a pulse on what they’re talking about, and make sure your blog is more valuable. #ContentChat https://t.co/c0bvoGdiIh
— Aubrey Harper (@Aubrey__Harper) October 22, 2018
A8 @HubSpot, @hootsuite, @contently, @CMIContent, @SMExaminer are great sources for learning. #contentchat
— Bruce Deschamps (@brucedesch) October 22, 2018
I read all of those and would add @TrackMaven @orbiteers @BuzzSumo, and @@SproutSocial + @Meltwater (disclosure: I blog for them) #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Content Strategy (@SFerika) October 22, 2018
A8 Best business blogs:
Of the top of my head: @HubSpot, @CMIContent, and the @buffer blog #contentchat
— Masooma // Content Writer (@inkandcopy) October 22, 2018
In the spirit of self-promotion, we also volunteer as tribute! I recommend giving us a read😉 #contentchat
— Brafton (@Brafton) October 22, 2018
A8. Big fan of @HubSpot blog and @SMExaminer #ContentChat
— MeetEdgar (@MeetEdgar) October 22, 2018
A8b. Another really great blog to follow is @oliveandco. I haven’t met anyone there personally, but I feel like I know them because their blog and social media have a strong, friendly, helpful, insightful voice. #ContentChat https://t.co/YmKr7zkH5q
— David Simanoff (@dsimanoff) October 22, 2018
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