Are you looking for a B2B content marketing agency? Then you’re in the right place! I’m going to break this blog post down into sections which should cover the basics of what you need to know about business to business marketing and help you decide if it’s right for you and your business.
So, without further ado, here are the sections we will be covering.
- Will content marketing fit my business?
- Can I do this myself?
- How do I choose an agency? (If you need one!)
- What will this agency do for me?
Will content marketing fit my business?
B2B content marketing doesn’t work for everyone. It goes without saying that you need to sell to other companies for this to be effective. In order to answer this question, you need to ask yourself another.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a method of marketing yourself through text, video, images, or social media.
Have you heard of the phrase ‘content is king?’ Content used to be a way to set yourself apart from the competition. Unfortunately, everyone and their dogs are partaking in B2B content marketing strategies which leaves you in a position where you need to participate simply to keep up.
So, what does content marketing do? It educates the audience in what you do, how you are different, and why they should choose you over your competitors. It also improves your brand recognition and reputation. After all, if you are taking the time to market yourself professionally, you must care about your business and you must be knowledgeable enough to explain how it works. This blog is the perfect example of that.
Content marketing also provides higher conversion rates than any other method. 6 times higher to be exact.
If your competition is marketing through this method and you would like more customers then yes; content marketing is absolutely for you.
Can I do this myself?
If you are articulate, understand SEO and social media, and have then time then yes.
If you choose to carry out your own content marketing you will need to be diligent. Set aside half a day each month to plan your strategy for the next 30 days; then set aside another half a day a week (at least) to write all your content, update your social media, and if you can; optimise your website. If you have video editing skills even better! What are you still reading for? We have plenty of blogs with hints and tips for how to market yourself so do take a read to help prepare.
I can’t commit to this. How do I choose an agency?
Check out the work they have done before. Ask for a portfolio from them and make sure there are several case studies available for you to look at. Anyone can get lucky once or twice. You need to see a consistent pattern of high quality work. Furthermore, every item of content should be:
- Opinionated or informative. Content that is bland and sits on the fence is boring. No one is going to read it and no one is going to care. If the company cannot afford to be opinionated, they can afford to be knowledgeable. Did this agency provide value? Did the content impart wisdom, showing the reader they are trustworthy in their field?
- Authentic. Did the content team capture the tone of the client? Any copywriter worth their salt should be able to make their writing sound exactly like the company tone.
- Well written. It goes without saying that B2B content marketing needs to be of an excellent standard. The author is representing a company, its brand, and its values. There’s no room for errors.
- Formula Free. Everyone has a style, but a good content team should be adaptable. We want to see variation.
Think about the style your company want to emulate and ask to see some content that closely matches this. An excellent fashion brand content team may not be able to write so well when it comes to food and drink, for example.
Ask about their strategy.
A good B2B content marketing agency will be able to tell you exactly why they do what they do, and who it is for. This should involve target markets, buying patterns, and buying triggers.
Look for confidence.
You don’t want an agency that can be dictated to and will do whatever you say without any regard for how effective the marketing strategy will be. You need a team that will tell you when your ideas won’t work. You’re paying them for a reason, to improve your business.
Ask about marketing techniques.
Creating great content is half the battle. You need a team who know how to get that work into the hands of those who matter. Can your team assertively explain the best way to promote your business?
KPI’s.
There’s no good marketing your business if it’s not hitting targets. Metrics are very important, not just for you to know things are moving in the right direction, but so that the agency can be held accountable, should that ever be required.
Do you click?
As the saying goes, you spend more time with the people you work with than anyone else. If you don’t feel comfortable, they probably aren’t the agency for you.
Ask for a reference.
Any good agency will be happy to hand over a couple of names that you can contact and ask questions to. Don’t be shy of asking.
What will this agency do for me?
A suitable content marketing agency will carry out your social media, SEO, blogs, PR articles, and much more.
They will provide you with a scope of work that outlines what they will do for you and at what frequency. They will also summary on this document what the minimum level of results they will get for your business.
This is a vital document as it holds the B2B content marketing agency accountable. This protects you for unscrupulous companies who take your money with no to little return.
Once the contract starts; they will keep in close communication. In addition to these regular updates you can expect to receive a monthly report which outlines what they achieved, how, and what they will be doing the following month. (and why!)
If you are looking for help with your content marketing, please get in touch with our team. We have 11 years’ experience in the industry and excellent results. Either call or click here to fill out the contact form for more information.