Mike Templeman: Are B2B Businesses Having a Hard Time Succeeding with Content Marketing?

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Content marketing is a concept that can sometimes get glossed over in certain areas when your company’s main goal is looking for quick sales. When you look at content marketing from all sides, you see a selling side, then there’s a business value side that B2B businesses are frequently overlooking. In this regard, far too many B2B business aren’t focusing on the extended value of their products in their content marketing.

With proof of this happening in a recent Forrester Report study, what can your own B2B business do to improve your content marketing so you build long-term customer relationships?

Retaining Customers with How Products Help Them Long-Term

A huge missing piece in this content marketing realm is in B2B businesses focusing more on how their products work in the immediate term for a customer rather than long-term. There has to be more attention played on stories from customers and studies showing how another business can benefit buying from you in the future.

It’s easy to overlook this when the top priority from a B2B business’s perspective is to sell now rather than look ahead. Having foresight on how long you might be able to keep these customers can give you added security on having loyal business customers for decades to come.

Showing Definitive Proof of How Valuable Your Products Are

While it does take extra effort to validate case studies and testimonials, it’s an area the above study shows B2B businesses are truly lacking in. No doubt it’s because of the time and effort involved. But the investment put into it through a marketing team can more than pay off over the long haul. Business customers are going to want to know that your products are superior to your competition. Ultimately, when you have scientific data and significant testimonials to back this up, you can capture those customers to a point where they stay loyal.

Nurturing Relationships

It might sound strange that B2B businesses aren’t taking the time to nurture business relationships. The study shows a major lack in this department, even if many are using social media to capture customers. It’s there where you can start to build relationships through Twitter hashtag searches and starting social media conversations that develop over time.

There may be a tendency to just close a deal and move on to the next business customer. Stop and think, though, about the long-term relationships you could have with other businesses and how their continued loyalty can keep you in business down the road. These are the issues your own B2B business needs to think about and develop through your marketing team.