Content is an essential component of B2B selling. This is especially true for companies that sell complex B2B products, with online content the best way to reach buyers.
There’s data to back this up. According to a study conducted by Forrester,1 68% of businesses prefer to do their research online before buying B2B products and 62% say they can now develop selection criteria or finalize a vendor list based solely on digital content.
Most sales that B2B companies are involved in are complex in nature. But what exactly is a complex sale in the first place? By definition, a complex sale is one where two or more people influence the buying decision. And if your company wants to influence the buying decision of another organization, you need to ensure that your sales pitch is as informative and entertaining as possible.
Here are some of the areas you need to focus on to create effective content in order to facilitate complex sales:
Make Your Website the Company’s Content Hub
Your company’s website needs to be the center of your content strategy. When B2B buyers need information about your company and products, the first thing they do is browse through your website. It needs to have the right mix of content like product descriptions, demos, videos, infographics, case studies, articles, blogs, white papers, facts about your company and contact details. Your website should also rank high on search engines and be prominent on social media.
Focus on Explainer Videos
An explainer video is a very popular tool that helps break concepts down using a fun, entertaining format. A highly effective and budget-friendly method is to produce a video using animation and graphics to tell a story. The end result is a short, shareable video that can be uploaded on your website, posted on social media and also sent to prospects who want more information on what you’re selling.
“A highly effective and budget-friendly method is to produce a video using animation and graphics to tell a story.”
Produce Compelling Case Studies
A case study is a great way to show buyers how you go about delivering value to your customers. Narrative-based case studies can also be used to shed light on the inner workings of your company. You need to promote your case studies on your website and social media channels to increase your company’s visibility.
Provide Educational Material
Educate your buyers about your company and industry by using blogs, articles, white papers, videos and infographics. This helps establish your company’s brand in their minds and builds trust. In addition to providing answers to your buyer’s questions, this type of text-based content can also improve your company’s search result rankings. Once again, your website and presence on social media need to be leveraged to promote the educational material that you produce.
Create Thought Leadership Content
“You need to produce informative content that stands out in terms of research and quality, and then post it on your website and social media platforms.”
If your business deals with a specific industry or specialized market, one of the best ways to drive buyers your way is to establish thought leadership in your field. You need to produce informative content that stands out in terms of research and quality, and then post it on your website and social media platforms. This will make others in your industry sit up and take notice, thereby helping you receive the attention of your peers and prospective customers. Establishing solid thought leadership takes time, but you can start by writing informative blogs and progress from there to include videos, podcasts and infographics.
It’s clear that online content , when done right, will help you reach out to buyers and facilitate complex sales in the B2B space. Having said that, the quality of your content needs to be high and have a consistent tone across all channels.
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