Content marketing means delivering useful information to your audience, and since the target readers of a B2B and B2C firm are different as night and day, content marketing strategies differ greatly, as well.
The content that B2C firms produce appeals to a large target market and banks on emotional triggers. Articles and social media posts are highly personal, discussing individual consequences and how products make a person’s life more convenient or fashionable. B2B marketing, on the other hand, borders on the impersonal; it contains more value-driven recommendations and discusses organization-wide consequences.
As such, content marketing for financial institutions shouldn’t rest on best practices crafted for B2C businesses. The B2B reader is difficult to capture — B2C strategies might fall short of nurturing these leads.
As a digital marketing agency for accountants, ScalingYou stresses the importance of B2B-specific strategies that make content marketing work for your firm.
What Makes B2B Content Marketing Different from B2C
Three crucial factors differentiate content marketing for B2B and B2C firms.
The Buying Cycle
Buying cycles for B2B cover a longer period than B2C. B2C customers give in to impulse buys and make decisions based on what they feel in that moment.
In contrast, your customers — that is, decision-makers within the organization — must define pain points, compare your cost-effectiveness against competitors, and seek approval from the upper management. All this could take anywhere between 6-12 months. The journey from awareness to consideration to decision is significantly longer.
As such, your content marketing is hard at work to maintain their interest and gradually convince them to convert. There should be no gap in content production, so as to ensure the decision-maker that you are still in the game.
The Size of the Target Market
Unlike a B2C target market, which is large and has several audience segments, a B2B firm has a small, focused target market. Strategies are tailored to the niche. The subject matter is heavily curated, and the articles employ a jargon.
Take financial advisors, for instance. Your content marketing concentrates on a relatively small target market, which means your content should be tailored to their needs, whether those are about insurance, investments, or retirement plans. The audience of your B2B firm expects expertise.
Moreover, there’s little room for tangential or general think pieces. Your content calendar should zero in on, for example, how restaurants can maximize tax cuts, how freelancers could pay quarterly taxes, or how outsourcing auditing can reduce the business costs of a trucking company.
The Intent of the Target Reader
The decisions of the B2B reader is driven by logic, while the B2C reader decides on account of their emotion. Unlike end-users, decision-makers always consider the collective consequence of a purchase. As such, a B2B buyer finds the most cost-effective solution in the market. Budget and ROI are huge considerations.
B2B content marketing, therefore, explores the value-added aspect of the service, as well as the ROI it promises. Moreover, B2B content discusses the value of the possible relationship between the buyer and the vendor.
In the case of financial professionals, the content should highlight how the relationship is a breeze — communication will be easy, financial jargon will be demystified, and the decision-makers’ concerns will be immediately addressed.
B2B content marketing strategies, when executed properly, puts your firm ahead of your competition. You can achieve two major goals:
- Brand Authority. You establish your firm as an expert in a niche (taxation for freelancers, auditing for food and beverage, managerial accounting for fashion retail, etc.). You become an authority which decision makers can consult for complex, industry-specific problems.
- Practical Solutions. You help potential clients find solutions for their financial issues. As mentioned earlier, B2B decision makers are looking for actionable insight — something that has organizational-wide consequences. By helping them figure out their problems, your firm becomes their preferred consultant.
So, what is the right way to do B2B content marketing for financial professionals?
Best Practices in B2B Content Marketing
At its core, excellent B2B content marketing rests on three factors:
- Relevance – The subjects of the blog articles, case studies, white papers, social media posts, and downloadable resources should be relevant to your target readers. Every piece of content is purposeful, created with the goal of solving a specific accounting problem.
- Quality – All pieces of content should be well-written and engaging. They deliver actionable insights from you, the financial experts, in a way that non-experts will understand. Articles feature cold, hard data; clear examples; photos or videos; and recommendations on what the reader should do next.
- Frequency – Fresh content is a necessity, not a plus. Not only does it show readers that you’re active, but it also showcases the breadth of your expertise. Moreover, search engines favor sites that always publish fresh content, increasing their chances of ranking.
To achieve these three, here are some best practices in B2B content marketing:
Sell/Tell a Story
Although B2B readers respond more to logical reasons, they’re not altogether devoid of emotions. They can still be moved by stories, like how your firm will ultimately make their lives easier and save them money.
Illustrate that, for example, outsourcing their accounting can reduce human error, save them resources, and enable them to continue creating a positive impact on their community. If you’re targeting executives, demonstrate how airtight auditing enables them to keep the company afloat and sustain their employees.
Formulate a Niche-Driven Strategy
B2B businesses need help with a number of financial areas. Though it’s tempting to cover everything (and consequently capture any and all types of readers), it’s better to stay in your niche. A carefully targeted niche allows you to capture high-quality leads, or decision-makers who are highly likely to work with your business.
A specialization defines your firm and differentiates you from your competitors. All your content should stem from your niche. So if you offer taxation services for lifestyle brands, keep your blog entries within that wheelhouse.
Generate Content Ideas Regularly
B2B businesses need help with a number of financial areas. Though it’s tempting to cover everything (and consequently capture any and all types of readers), it’s better to stay in your niche. A carefully targeted niche allows you to capture high-quality leads, or decision-makers who are highly likely to work with your business.
A specialization defines your firm and differentiates you from your competitors. All your content should stem from your niche. So if you offer taxation services for lifestyle brands, keep your blog entries within that wheelhouse.
Generate Content Ideas Regularly
In your early content calendars, you’ll be brimming with fresh ideas. However, ideas run dry at some point, and it will be difficult to stay within your specialization. You might resort to tangential topics just so you have something new to publish.
Don‘t fall into the mistake of posting irrelevant articles just to fill up your calendar. To come up with new but relevant ideas, you can look into these areas:
- Trends – Your readers contend with changing trends (customer behaviors, shopping preferences, etc.). Explore the financial repercussions of these changes and how your firm can help them keep up with the times.
- Social Media – Look into what decision-makers are talking about on social media. There are many social media listening tools available online.
- The Legal Landscape – Changes in financial laws have a profound impact on businesses. Stay on top of these amendments and discuss their impact on your readers’ organizations.
Build a Solid B2B Content Strategy
The stakes are high in a B2B content marketing campaign, so your content calendar deserves comprehensive research and careful execution. A solid B2B campaign will land you loyal clients and reach long-term business success.
Let’s draft a solid B2B strategy for your financial firm. Schedule a free consultation with ScalingYou today.