A corporate blog is an excellent way to establish your companies’ expertise, build credibility in the eyes of potential customers, and provide valuable insights they can use in their daily job. Recently, I have been approached about the “secret” of setting up and running a successful corporate blog following the increasing success of some of my launched corporate blogs. The truth is, there is no “one secret”; many factors contribute to the success of a blog. Whether they target other businesses or consumers, company blogs often fail because of a lack of strategy, consistency, measurement, and patience; success doesn’t come overnight. This article will give you a few tips on blogging in B2B environments which can be complex, however, it can be used in almost every industry.
Blogging at the centerpiece of your content marketing
Corporate blogs have become established as a critical content marketing platform in many businesses. When a company wants to enhance its visibility and reputation, generate leads, and develop long-term customer relationships, the particular advantages of a business blog as the core of a content strategy become apparent in the B2B sector.
Therefore, company blogs are one of the most effective communication tools for businesses, addressing a wide range of corporate objectives. These can include:
- Increasing brand exposure and website traffic
- Raising brand awareness
- Improving employer branding
- Improving corporate reputation by providing quality information about your company to attract new customers
- Establishing thought leadership
- Building trust through informative persuasion
- Boosting sales and generating leads
- Developing loyal fans and customer retention
- Influence the decision-making process along the buyer journey
#1 YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AS START POINT OF YOUR BLOGGING SUCCCESS
Corporate blogs must consider the particular demands of the B2B market if they want to be successful. You’ll need to consider different target audiences with varying information requirements, as well as the more complicated and time-consuming buyer journey and the specific and more complex condition for information on the customer’s behalf.
In most cases, purchasing and investment decisions are not made by a single individual in businesses. When communicating through a corporate blog, you must communicate with the top decision-makers and other stakeholders from various departments. To do so requires first defining how your target audience makes their purchasing decisions.
#2 Align your content with the needs of your target audience
A corporate blog is suited for the targeted decision-makers particular informational demands and interests. Therefore, it is essential to create personas to align all your content with their needs, challenges, and buyer journey. You could then first focus on one or two types of articles (such as how-to’s or reviews/testimonials) and do it well, rather than attempt a variety of content types in a half-hearted fashion.
#3 Structure your content
It’s essential to have various types of content with multiple topics and angles. If you don’t have variety, your audience will get bored. You need to keep them interested! Use the correct key phrases in your blog articles and arrange them to individualize your content for each target audience. Individually defined categories will also assist readers in determining which material is relevant to them. You will need to set up a content management system to create different types and audience groups simultaneously.
#4 Add value with your content
Purchasing and investment decisions in B2B usually follow defined processes and demand a great deal of information. Therefore, a corporate blog is anything but an advertising channel but rather about showcasing your problem-solving skills and industry expertise to support the decision-makers and build trust positively. It is advisable to use a range of different formats as possible because every persona likes to consume content n a different way. High-quality whitepapers, practical checklists and guides, informative infographics, and helpful videos will accommodate these other preferences.
#5 Blogging is not a one-person show
The people writing content for the corporate blog shouldn’t be exclusively limited to marketing communications departments. Management teams and other departments, such as sales representatives, product managers or business developers, should certainly be involved.
They usually have a good insight into the demands, concerns, and challenges your target audience has. They can provide relevant views in a solution-oriented way which will contribute to the authenticity of your blog. And last but not least, writing is an art. Don’t hesitate to hire skilled copywriters that are familiar with your industry.
#6 Consistency is key
It’s critical to publish blog articles frequently if you want to draw attention to your expertise and problem-solving abilities. A well-run, up-to-date, and diversified corporate blog makes an excellent first impression and attracts more visitors. Blog series that are informative and engaging will keep readers interested while supporting your target audience along the buyer journey.
#7 Promote your blog posts
Of course, you want your target audience to discover your blog. The more frequently your corporate blog is found on the Internet, the more readers it will attract, so having your articles SEO optimized is a significant factor. As part of your content marketing plan, and to maximize results, you must also have a solid distribution strategy to promote your content and drive traffic to your blog.
You can use your owned social media sites or paid advertising or seed your material on other networks, trade platforms, and media relevant to your target audience. For more details, read one of my previous blog posts “5 Tips How To Boost Your Content With Impact”
#8 A blog is not a communicative one-way street
I still see many companies “shout” how great they think they are and why their audience should be buying from them. But as you have been reading above, there is a much better way to attract your ideal audience if you only take the time to dive in. What interests your readers? What subjects elicit the most significant response from your visitors?
A corporate blog, when used correctly, can become an effective feedback channel that provides two significant benefits. First, you may obtain essential insights for producing more relevant content by monitoring reader reactions and comments. Second, and just as important, make sure you invest in personal contact with interested consumers.
Do you want to start a blog for your company, or does your current blog not provide the expected results?
My team and I can help you create a solid strategy by providing insightful analysis of your target audience’s needs and behavior, or we can take on all aspects of it from start to finish. We also work together with the best agencies who can take care of the technical part of setting up a blog.
Don’t hesitate to contact me, I’m happy to give you insights on how to get started to make your (future) blog a success!
If you are a B2B marketing assistant, coordinator looking to advance your career, you are welcome to join my Facebook Group “Ambitious B2B Marketers”, a group of ambitious marketers and entrepreneurs in B2B, sharing tips, tricks, and best practices that will help you further improve and leverage your marketing communication efforts!
My name is Katja De Witte. I’m a marketer at heart with 20 years of experience in B2B Marketing Communication, and passionate about content. I’m the founder of Accretios, and support business leaders and marketers in various sectors to increase their visibility, generate new leads, and boost their brand with content marketing. Next to leading Accretios, I’m also Communication Director at Air Liquide for Northern Europe.
I make full use of my expertise and experience within the industry, working with a team of specialized copywriters and social media specialists. Besides setting up a well-founded marketing communication strategy, we can also write your blog posts, social media posts, newsletters, e-books, and white papers.