7 B2B Content Marketing Examples to Inspire Your Strategy
Content marketing is a powerful way to attract and engage your target audience, build trust and credibility, and generate leads and sales. But how do you create content that stands out from the crowd and delivers results? In this article, we’ll show you seven B2B content marketing examples from different industries and explain what makes them effective.
HubSpot: The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Trends in 2021
HubSpot is a leading provider of software for marketing, sales, and customer service. One of their most popular content pieces is The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Trends in 2021, which covers the latest developments and best practices in digital marketing. This guide is a comprehensive resource that offers valuable insights, data, and tips for marketers who want to stay ahead of the curve. It also showcases HubSpot’s expertise and authority in the field and drives traffic to their website and products.
Shopify: How to Start an Online Store
Shopify is a platform that enables anyone to create and run an online store. One of their most successful content pieces is How to Start an Online Store, which is a step-by-step guide that covers everything from choosing a niche and product to setting up a website and marketing your store. This guide is a helpful and practical tool that helps potential customers overcome the challenges and fears of starting an online business. It also demonstrates Shopify’s features and benefits and encourages readers to sign up for a free trial.
Slack: The Future Forum
Slack is a collaboration tool that helps teams communicate and work together more efficiently. One of their most innovative content initiatives is The Future Forum, which is a research and community platform that explores the future of work. The Future Forum publishes original research reports, hosts live events and webinars, and facilitates discussions among leaders and experts on topics such as remote work, diversity and inclusion, and employee engagement. This initiative is a way for Slack to position itself as a thought leader and a partner for businesses that want to adapt and thrive in the changing world of work.
Mailchimp: Mailchimp Presents
Mailchimp is an email marketing service that helps small businesses grow their audience and revenue. One of their most creative content projects is Mailchimp Presents, which is a collection of original shows, podcasts, and films that feature stories of entrepreneurship, creativity, and resilience. Mailchimp Presents is a way for Mailchimp to entertain and inspire their customers and prospects, as well as showcase their brand personality and values. It also helps them reach new audiences and generate brand awareness through various channels and platforms.
Salesforce: State of Sales
Salesforce is a cloud-based software company that offers solutions for sales, service, marketing, and more. One of their most influential content pieces is State of Sales, which is a global research report that reveals the trends, challenges, and opportunities for sales professionals in the digital era. State of Sales is a valuable source of information and guidance for sales leaders and practitioners who want to improve their performance and results. It also highlights Salesforce’s data capabilities and solutions and drives demand for their offerings.
Canva: Design School
Canva is a graphic design tool that makes it easy for anyone to create stunning visuals. One of their most engaging content assets is Design School, which is an online learning platform that teaches users how to design anything from logos and flyers to presentations and videos. Design School is a fun and interactive way for Canva to educate and empower their users, as well as showcase their product features and functionalities. It also helps them build loyalty and retention among their customers and increase referrals and word-of-mouth.
Zendesk: Relate
Zendesk is a customer service software that helps businesses provide better support to their customers. One of their most distinctive content ventures is Relate, which is an online magazine that explores the relationships between businesses and customers, as well as among people in general. Relate covers topics such as customer experience, empathy, culture, diversity, and more. It also features stories from real customers who use Zendesk to solve their problems. Relate is a way for Zendesk to humanize their brand and connect with their audience on an emotional level.
These are just some of the B2B content marketing examples that can inspire you to create your own content strategy. The key takeaways are:
- Create content that provides value, solves problems, or answers questions for your audience.
- Create content that showcases your expertise, authority, or thought leadership in your industry or niche.
- Create content that demonstrates your product or service features, benefits, or use cases.
- Create content that reflects your brand personality, voice, or values.
- Create content that appeals to your audience’s emotions, interests, or aspirations.\
B2B Content Marketing Examples: How to Increase Demand in 2023
B2B content marketing is a strategic approach to creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience of business buyers. The goal is to ultimately drive profitable customer action.
In this post, we will look at two examples of B2B content marketing that show how to increase or decrease global demand in this industry. We will also provide some trustworthy references as hyperlinks for further reading.
Example 1: Hootsuite for Social Media Content Marketing
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that helps businesses manage their online presence across multiple channels. Hootsuite uses content marketing to educate and inspire its audience on how to use social media effectively for business growth.
One of the ways Hootsuite does this is by creating and publishing original research reports on social media trends and best practices. For example, in 2020, Hootsuite released its annual Social Trends Report, which surveyed over 11,000 marketers and analyzed data from over 200 million social media posts.
The report revealed insights on how the pandemic changed social media behavior, how to align social media goals with business outcomes, and how to optimize social media budgets and resources. The report also included actionable tips and case studies from leading brands like Spotify, Adobe, and Unilever.
Hootsuite promoted the report on its website, blog, email newsletter, social media channels, and webinars. The report generated over 100,000 downloads, 15,000 webinar registrations, and 1,500 leads in the first month of launch. It also increased Hootsuite’s brand awareness, thought leadership, and website traffic.
By creating valuable and relevant content that addresses the pain points and needs of its audience, Hootsuite was able to increase the global demand for its social media management platform.
Example 2: Trello for Teams: Accessible and Readable Content
Trello is a project management tool that helps teams collaborate and organize their work. Trello uses content marketing to showcase how its tool can help teams work better together.
One of the ways Trello does this is by creating and publishing blog posts that cover topics such as productivity, teamwork, remote work, and culture. For example, in 2020, Trello published a blog post titled “How To Embrace Remote Work”, which shared tips and best practices on how to transition to working from home.
The blog post was written in a clear and conversational tone, using simple language and short sentences. It also used visuals such as screenshots, gifs, and videos to illustrate how Trello can help remote teams communicate and collaborate effectively.
The blog post was shared on Trello’s website, email newsletter, social media channels, and online communities. The blog post attracted over 200,000 views, 4,000 shares, and 500 comments in the first month of publication. It also increased Trello’s brand awareness, user engagement, and sign-ups.
By creating accessible and readable content that appeals to a wide audience of team workers, Trello was able to increase the global demand for its project management tool.
Reference:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301224579
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2014/09/19/what-is-content-marketing/
https://www.hootsuite.com/resources/social-trends-report
https://blog.trello.com/remote-work-guide
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/marketing-trends
https://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-start-an-online-store
https://mailchimp.com/presents/
https://www.salesforce.com/research/state-of-sales/
https://designschool.canva.com/
https://relate.zendesk.com/
