Content marketing has become the champion of B2B relations not only in Hong Kong but in most of the countries around the world. It is well suited to the longer sales cycles, where the customer is taking more time to research their options among competing companies. However, finding that perfect mix of excitement and intrigue for what can often prove to be a highly dry subject matter is never easy.
To help you find your content marketing groove, here are 13 examples of amazing B2B content marketing for inspiration.
1. LeadPages
LeadPages are in the business of designing landing page templates and testing services.
The Strategy:
LeadPages focused on the following marketing assets to help them compete with major competitors such as HubSpot:
An expert marketing blog focused on lead generation and A/B testing with a novel approach to generating content, from cross-promotions on social media to stopping lead leaks
Expanding their content to include free educational marketing resources, including courses, eBooks, infographics, and case studies
Producing what has become one of the most popular marketing podcasts, “ConversionCast,” using a world-class podcaster, Tim Paige
Launching weekly webinars to continue and build upon their educational marketing
The Results:
According to Founder and CEO, Clay Collins, they acquired 35,000 customers in less than three years and hit over $16 million in revenue in 2015.
2. WP Engine
WP Engine is a managed hosting platform for WordPress users.
The Strategy:
Their highly focused targeting approach to content marketing compartmentalised their efforts into separate “buckets” that included:
Their product: Focused on their new features and company news.
Their industry: Helping people to build their online presence with a focus on WordPress users in marketing companies and agencies.
Business impact: Helping people drive growth using their online presence.
Torque: Creating a community with less talk about the business and more on providing a resource for WordPress users.
Support: Providing written and video content to help their customers solve problems.
The Results:
By focusing on specific problems and pain points, their focused content addressed the specific concerns of their different types of customers. They were able to acquire 300,000 sites in 128 countries and earn over $40 million.
3. STR Software
STR Software is in the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) industry, targeting larger organisations.
The Strategy:
To separate themselves from the competition, they focused on educational content, including:
The creation of BI Publisher University
The creation of gated content using an online form to capture data from leads
Using lead generated information to target and nurture leads, using email automation to share more relevant content
Promotion of their university throughout their website
Effective email marketing to reach their audience
The Results:
STR Software was able to increase the quality of their sales leads and inbound links for better organic traffic. They saw an increase in conversion rate for an average of 10% on their forms and a 54% increase in web traffic, with 67% more page views with longer time spent on their site.
4. Simply Business
Simply Business is the largest insurance broker in the UK.
The Strategy:
Simply Business decided that they didn’t have to focus on insurance to sell it. Instead, they focused on creating content that would be relevant to business owners with guides for a myriad of issues, including:
WordPress
Business blogging
The Results:
Simply Business’s idea was highly successful, resulting in increased rankings for their major keywords and significant increases in organic traffic.
5. Single Grain
Single Grain is a digital marketing agency with a focus on tech startups.
The Strategy:
Single Grain wanted to attract major companies such as Uber and Amazon, using content designed to convert visitors into subscribers. They also wanted to create conversations about what they had to offer. Their content marketing included:
A blog focused on effective online marketing
A Marketing School podcast pairing their CEO, Eric Siu, with marketing thought leader Neil Patel
An extensive online resource centre featuring guides, courses, webinars, and infographics
The Results:
Their podcasts have become some of the most highly regarded in the industry while their articles have generated thousands of shares and links. They have attracted tons of traffic to their website and created awareness about their business. They have achieved their original goals to convert and engage.
6. HubSpot
HubSpot is a marketing company credited for coining the phrase “inbound marketing.”
The Strategy:
HubSpot’s approach is pretty simple. They created two types of content to address different stages of the funnel:
Their blog is designed to teach small businesses about inbound marketing to attract readers to the top of the funnel.
Their resources section includes an impressive library of eBooks, case studies, webinars, a quiz, and a marketing kit targeting mid to bottom of the funnel visitors.
The Results:
Their content marketing is a major driver of traffic, allowing them to transform in just ten years from being funded to a public company worth over a billion dollars.
7. Scripted
Scripted helps companies find and hire writers to develop their content.
The Strategy:
In order to compete with other writer marketplaces, their content marketing strategy focuses on each step of the buyer’s journey, including:
A blog and podcasts discussing common problems focused on feeding people into the top of the funnel
White papers and webinars offering deeper solutions to move people further down the funnel to encourage email sign-ups
Case studies to prove their effectiveness to subscribers who will hopefully then use their services
The Results:
Their approach has been highly successful with their blog posts driving 46% of their visitors. They also saw bounce rates for content close to three times lower than other sources.
8. Salesforce
Salesforce is the world’s largest vendor of CRM.
The Strategy:
Salesforce had to increase their search and paid traffic sources using a number of tactics that included:
Entertaining videos about sales and marketing
The first stop-motion SlideShare in the world
A customer success Prezi
The Results:
In three months, their strategy saw an 80% year-over-year increase in traffic. They also saw a staggering increase in traffic generated from their social pages by 2500%. Their eBook downloads reached 10,000, and their newsletter gained 6,500 sign-ups.
9. SAP
SAP is one of the largest enterprise software vendors in the world across more than a dozen industries.
The Strategy:
With such a diverse target, SAP focused on segmentation that included:
Customised content marketing for 19 customer segments
Tailored messaging covering topics relevant to each industry
Solution-based content for each segment by demonstrating the industry-specific benefits of their product
Using the right content for each target, including email, Tweets, blog posts, LinkedIn status updates, their own SAP Community Network, virtual and live events, outbound and responder follow-up calls, and account-based marketing
The Results:
SAP saw Marketing Generated Ops to the tune of $3,675,000, and marketing touched pipeline growth equal to $50,037,709.
10. SecureWorks
This cybersecurity company specialises in helping companies detect potential sources of cyber-attack.
The Strategy:
SecureWorks focused on creating personas so that their content would be better able to solve problems for their customers to convert traffic into leads using:
A blog to answer questions about information security and compliance
In-depth resources such as webinars, white papers, reports, case studies, solution briefs, datasheets, and videos
The Results:
SecureWorks was able to make one out of two qualified leads an opportunity and double their conversion rate.
11. CB Insights
CB Insights is a tech market intelligence platform that analyses data points.
The Strategy:
They created the witty, engaging CB Insights Newsletter to provide tons of information that is useful to readers. Content includes:
Insights on technology
Information on venture capital
Outlines of emerging businesses
The Results:
By focusing on their buyer’s goals, they created content that remains relevant to their readers and helps them maintain a position of authority in their industry.
12. Velcro
This company needs no introduction as the inventor of the two-sided “hoop and loop” adhesive used on everything from picture hangers to running shoes.
The Strategy:
Velcro created clever, humorous content to talk about the fact that the use of their company name is illegal. Their content included:
Two videos featuring their legal team singing about the proper use of the term
An invitation to join the #DontSayVelcro “movement” on social media
Online quizzes about Velcro
The Results:
The first video saw tens of thousands of views with comments from 150 countries. The second video gained more than 650,000 views and generated multiple conversations about using Velcro as a noun or a verb.
13. NextView Ventures
NextView is a venture capital platform to help companies put together their team, create a product, and get customers.
The Strategy:
NextView chose to create content using an unexpected online source:
They created an online publication, “Better Days” using Medium Publications.
The off-site content platform allowed them to generate different voices and content themes without worrying about their brand.
It generates off-site content that links back to their site.
It allows people to follow them on other content platforms.
The Results:
The platform gives them access to over 26 million followers, a number that their own blog could never reach on its own.
Conclusion
As you can see, it just takes a little ingenuity to turn the driest information into useful and engaging content that will move prospects further down the sales funnel. If you want to know more successful cases carried out locally in Hong Kong, our course can be something you are interested in, as our experts are happy to share industry insights and case studies with you.
Source: Digital Marketing Institute