Your B2B content drives your site — either moving leads toward a designated goal — or, if your content fails to resonate, to a holding pattern or dead-end. source <> http://www.bizbilla.com/articles/How-to-Create-B2B-Content-That-Drives-Leads-1649.html

1. How To Create B2B Content That
Drives Leads?
Your B2B content drives your site — either
moving leads toward a designated goal —
or, if your content fails to resonate, to a
holidng pattern or dead-end. Most likely, if
you don’t have many leads, there’s a
disconnect somewhere in your content.
Ready to discover how to create content
that effectively captures leads and drives
them down your sales funnel? Read on….

2. Let’s stop for a moment and appreciate
how powerful content is. Content
Marketing Institute recently conducted a
study that showed that 88% of marketers
use content marketing as part of their
marketing strategy. Companies using
content marketing in their marketing
strategy saw conversion rates a whopping
six times higher than their competitors.
Well-crafted and quality content is
obviously at the root of success for many
B2B companies.
Build a Buyer Persona
Who is your audience? An idea or concept
stored in your mind is no replacement for
hard, cold nuggets on paper. To get a
concrete idea of who your desired
audience is, answer these questions:

3. What is your audience or audiences’ pain
points?
What does your audience want to learn to
up their performance or their company’s?
What sites and social networks does your
audiece frequent to find content?
What kinds of content are liked and shared
on these sites?
What will their needs be at each stage of
the sales funnel?
Once you know who your target audience
is, it’s much easier to create content. You’ll
discover that your audience will segment
into particular sectors based on your
answers to the questions.

4. Write down your answers so that your
whole team is on the same page, and your
content remains cohesive.
Tell Stories That Build Your Value
Your B2B content should never be left to
chance. Approach each piece of content
with a dedicated strategy. What do you
want the content to do? Do you want to
help someone just starting out? Provide
more advanced information? How can
your content educate someone to take the
next step and become a lead? Answering
those questions will guide you on what
type of content to create — a checklist for
someone just starting out, a whitepaper or
someone further along.

5. How does your own story or company’s
story add credibility? You’ve no doubt
read about someone who survived
tremendous odds to make it.
Check out social media star Jeff Bullas’
story here. I’m sure you’ll agree with me
that it’s compelling.
Now, you may very well not have the
rags-to-riches story Jeff has. No problem.
Everyone has their own passion and story.
You just have to dig a little. What are you
or your company offering that will make
someone sit up and take notice?
Don’t forget the stories of your happy
customers. Nothing is quite as powerful as
a delighted customer singing your praises.
Ask your satisfied customers for
testimonials. Create case studies weaving
in quotes from a client. Sprinkle these

6. throughout your site and reference them in
your B2B blog posts. This stands as social
proof of your trustworthiness.
Collaborate with Influencers
Your audience likely won’t trust you
overnight. You’re definitely on your way,
but in the meantime it helps to piggyback
on someone else’s reputation. We’re
talking influencers: someone with a
veritable brand among your audience.
Influencers ease the journey from passive
browser to engaged lead. They reassure a
prospect that they’re not giving their
contact information to just another
company — they’re giving it to someone
who is recommended by Joe Influencer,
whom they trust.

7. Pay Careful Attention to Your Brand
People aren’t drawn to a company —
they’re drawn to a person. Your brand
needs authority, credibility and
personality. Prospects won’t stick around
and become leads unless they feel an
attachment to your company.
Demonstrate your thought leadership by
providing educational,
non-self-promotional content. This doesn’t
happen overnight. Spitting out a blog post
or two or even three isn’t going to get you
far. You need a content marketing strategy
focused around specific topics and issues
your audience cares about. If you’re not
sure what type of content will appeal to
prospects, don’t be afraid to ask them. Start
recording what questions you get asked
time and again.

8. And start blogging about the answers. Do
some undercover work scoping out what
competitors are writing about. Don’t just
copy but look for gaps or ways to enhance
what they’re doing.
Demonstrate Value
Nothing speaks clearer than numbers and
data. Use this factual information to prove
the value of your product or service. How
many people have used your product or
service? Are sales doubling? Use the
answers to those question as proof points.
Use customer testimonials to buttress your
points. Has using your product or service
caused a customer to get five times more
leads or an ROI of 100 percent? What other
numbers and facts can you use to enhance
your credibility?

9. Maybe you have phenomenal customer
retention rates. Whatever proof you have,
use it.
Answer Common Sales Questions
You no doubt receive multiple questions
regarding your products or services — but
imagine how many people never think to
ask a question. Reach the silent majority
by publishing helpful and thorough
answers, either in a checklist or on the
FAQ section of your site.
Include Relevant Calls to Action in Each
Post
Your B2B blog is a powerful tool to capture
the interest of readers — but without clear
calls-to-action, these posts are nothing but
dead ends.

10. Use calls to action to entice people to the
next step or follow you in social media or
subscribe to your blog. Don’t create
one-night stands but ongoing
relationships.
Steer Readers Toward Your Marketing
Craft some key posts that relate to your
products and services, and use these to
gently steer your audience towards your
marketing pages. You can use a few
well-placed links that guide your visitors
down your sales funnel.
Gate Your Valuable Content
Have you recently published an eBook
with valuable, industry-leading
information? Maybe you have the results
of a recent survey that provides insights
into your industry.

11. Gate it! It’s valuable information that
others will want, and will easily exchange
their contact information to get it.
Your B2B content is an important part of
your marketing strategy. Don’t let it be an
afterthought. Create content that not only
captures the interest of readers, but
motivates them to become invested leads.