Missed Opportunities: Content for the B2B Buyer Journey
Buyers today are looking for content that is mobile optimized, well-organized, and easily discoverable in an engaging format that doesn’t lead to a dead end but rather recommends the next relevant piece of content. No one wants to go through intricate lead gen forms and processes; we want easily accessible content.
Think about the last time you wanted to watch a movie at home. None of us are still driving our families to the local Blockbuster to wander the aisles of alphabetized DVDs. Instead, we turn on Netflix and pick from recommendations of new movies and shows that suit our tastes. The expectations for B2B content aren’t much different.
The B2B Content Problem
How many times have you filled out a landing page for an eBook or whitepaper only to be told that you now have to wait for it to be emailed to you. In my experience, by the time it finally shows up in my inbox, I’ve moved on and am no longer engaging with that company’s content. Who knows if I’ll even end up reading the eBook!
The problem here is that most B2B organizations lack the infrastructure to create, tailor, and control the content experiences that their buyers are looking for. Many B2B marketers are stuck offering their buyers homogenous experiences rather than a personalized one. We all get hit with the same static landing page and are funneled through a lousy consumption experience.
Because of this, B2B companies see limited ROI from their content efforts because they lack the ability to optimize the content experience and are sacrificing conversions and engagement. How can you attribute dollars to something that you have no idea how it’s truly performing?
What A B2B Marketer Company Can Do
It’s been proven that content is the most effective way to ignite meaningful relationships, but even the greatest content must be combined with a remarkable experience to reach its full potential.
A great content experience keeps your buyers engaged by allowing them to easily choose the content journey that makes sense for them. B2B marketers need to create remarkable content experiences across the entire buyer journey – starting with marketing and expanding to sales and customer success.
47% of buyers will view 3-5 pieces of content before even engaging with a sales rep proving the importance of a content-fueled buyer journey. We can no longer think that content just lives within the marketing team. Sales reps should be using content while reaching out to new leads and while nurturing current prospects to keep that interest going in their conversations.
After the sale is complete, content creation doesn’t have to stop for those now-customers. In fact, keeping current customers engaged will help with retention and boost your potential for future upsells.
Key Takeaways
Your content is great. Give it the experience it – and your readers – deserve. Focus on content creation and experiences for the entire buyer journey, not just for inbound leads. Also, while we’re talking about it, rethink that buyer journey. It isn’t a straight line from marketing > sales > customer success. Think of it as a cycle that is powered by your content.