B2B Content Strategy to Help Startups and Established Brands at Every Stage

Content is king, and a solid content strategy crowns it. B2B businesses that focus effectively on this see increased demand for their products or services and enhanced brand awareness

Yes, it’s true. Brands that know how to effectively plan content before creation enjoy desired results and drive constant revenue growth.

However, the B2B Brands that are still not able to resonate with their target audience through content, whether startups or established, today we are going to share detailed information, including:

1. B2B websites that are producing content for the first time:

• Major Challenges they may face while planning content
• Five-Steps approach to develop winning content strategy

2. Established B2B sites that are getting traffic but struggling to see actual results:

• These 6 mistakes by established b2b brands generates traffic but no leads
• 3 Strategies that can level up content performance

3. How we help our B2B clients generate inbound leads in 4-Easy Steps
4. Tools we use for content research, planning, improvement, optimization and performance tracking
5. Our approach to maintain transparency and communication with B2B clients

Without further delay, let’s get started with the challenges of a B2B brand! (that tries content creation for the first time)

Major Challenges Faced by B2B Brands While Strategizing Content

Here, we are specifically going to talk about the challenges faced by those B2B brands that start with minimal content (like basic pages and product/service descriptions) but, after some time, plan to expand it. Starting with the common challenge:

1. Confused About Choosing the Content-Type

It has been seen that the brands who practice content marketing for the first time (and sometimes even experienced but less aware) don’t know which type of content they should create in their starting phase.

They want to connect with their target audience but do not know how to do so effectively. Out of confusion, some start putting efforts in the wrong direction, which keeps them away from their ultimate goal.

2. Have to Address Multiple Audiences at the Same Time

B2B companies have a longer sales funnel compared to other businesses. They have to engage and convince multiple audiences stuck at different stages of the decision-making process.

Like, if a B2B consulting firm is going to start content creation, then they have to write for:

• C-suite executives
• Operations managers
• Sales or procurement teams
• End-users or implementation teams

When they create varied and in-depth content for each of the targeting company’s decision-makers, they will be able to convert.

Failing to address all of them can make them wait for real results from content marketing.

Similarly, each B2B company has to create content for multiple audiences simultaneously, regardless of industry type.

3. Balance Search Volume and Relevance for Niche Keywords (SEO Challenges)

This is another challenge that emerging B2B brands have to face. They do not rank higher for high-volume keywords because the terms are broad, competitive and established companies are already well-ranking for them.

At the same time, some highly relevant niche keywords have lower search volumes, which puts B2B companies in a dilemma. They often believe that targeting these terms will result in fewer potential visitors and, therefore, see no benefit in focusing on them.

4. Maintain Consistency

Content creation involves thorough research, effective writing, and strategic optimization.

However, brands with limited resources struggle to maintain consistency in producing high-quality content regularly.

Some feel pressured to keep coming up with new and relevant topics. Publishing content just to keep up usually leads to lower content quality; as a result, those brands fail to build trust with their audience and keep them engaged.

5. Cannot Decide Which Metrics Should be Prioritized

New brands unknowingly focus on vanity metrics (like views or raw traffic numbers) that do not add any value to the business.

However, they should focus on tracking actionable metrics, like conversions or ROI, that directly relate to their business outcomes.

As someone who has just started content planning for the first time, you might be going through the same or have your own story. What matters now is the right approach to content marketing planning. So, let’s check that ahead!

5 Steps to Develop Winning Content Strategy (For B2B Sites Planning to Start Content Writing)

In B2B, the sales cycle is complex and often involves multiple stakeholders of the targeting business.

So, before creating content, you have to understand each of them, their challenges, and how your solutions can fit into their journey so that your content can speak to all of them.

To help you in this, here we are sharing a step-by-step approach that every B2B brand should follow if they are creating content for the first time.

But before that, we would also let you know that to help SaaS clients boost their ARR and MRR, we have covered an in-depth article on SaaS content strategy (both for startups and established brands).

For those who are associated with the healthcare industry, renewable energy services, or financial services, let’s explore how you can start strategizing for content!

Step 1. Define the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and then move on to creating customer personas

Defining an ICP is the first step towards finding the right customers for your business. It helps you identify the businesses you want to target.

ICP will let you define who to target at a company level, while the buyer persona will define how to effectively engage individuals associated with those companies.

Ready to start?

Well, while defining an ICP, you need to focus on the following characteristics of the targeting business:

• Industry
• Company size (revenue, employees)
• Location
• Pain points your product solves
• Their budget range or spending capacity

Once you know about the business you want to target, shift focus to the people working there (who influence or make buying decisions) and develop personas based on:

• Job titles and roles (e.g., CEO, Marketing Manager, IT Head)
• Specific responsibilities
• Pain points and challenges
• Goals and motivations
• Communication preferences (email, LinkedIn, webinars, etc.)

Step 2. Conduct Keyword Research

Your next step is researching keywords that your ICP and personas use at different stages of their buying journey.

You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify these terms. We also suggest categorizing the identified terms based on awareness, consideration, and decision stages to create informed content planning for your business.

Step 3. Map the buyer’s journey

Now that you know who you are going to serve and what terms they use to find your offering (directly or indirectly), the next step is understanding how they prefer to proceed through the decision-making process.

As there are 3-different stages:

• If you want to target them in the awareness stage, look at what triggers their need for your offering.
• If you are interested in capturing their attention in the consideration stage, see what options they like to evaluate?
• If your objective is to target decision-staged prospects, emphasize improving the factors that compel them to choose you.

Content creation will change for every stage as search intent varies in every case.

Step 4. Align Content with Stakeholder Needs

Now, at this step, you are going to develop content that speaks directly to both the ICP (business-level challenges) and the personas (individual concerns).

In case you are wondering which content will help you resonate, here’s the answer:

Yes, there is one thing you need to remember as well. Optimize each piece of content with researched keywords. This will help you improve visibility and boost relevance for each piece of content.

Step 5. Distribute Content Across Different Channels

Content distribution is as important as content creation. So, share your content on the platforms where your audience prefers to stay active.

You can share the created content through:

• Organic channels: Blog, SEO, and email campaigns
• Social media: LinkedIn is the best place to capture professional audience
• Paid channels: You can also run targeted ads using relevant keywords and share your created content.

This is the basic strategy that will be good to go for every brand that has just started content creation for the first time.

However, you need to update your strategy and scale your efforts after some time.

We will definitely help you with that by providing first guidance on the mistakes you will not make at any cost, as mentioned in the next section.

Due to These 6 Mistakes, Established B2B Sites Get Traffic But No Leads

Research by the Content Marketing Institute shows that 58% of B2B marketers generate revenue through content marketing.

If you have been doing content marketing for a long time, have you ever wondered why you cannot achieve these kinds of results?

Well, this is because you are making some mistakes.

Here, we are going to list the common ones:

Mistake 1. Misaligned Keyword Research Strategy

There is a persistent myth among almost every online brand that targeting high-traffic keywords will benefit them more.

The businesses that target these keywords somehow manage to attract traffic as a result, but that traffic consists of users who are unlikely to convert.

Here is how you can correct your mistake:

Use any of the reputed keyword research tools and prioritize high-intent, solution-focused keywords.

Mistake 2. Overlooking Pain Points

No user is interested in seeing your service features directly. Still, some business brands produce content that promotes their services without addressing their audience’s specific challenges or pain points.

As a result, the moment landed users do not see how the solution offered by the providing company can solve their problems, making them less likely to stay on the website.

For those who are making this mistake, here’s how you can rectify it:

Mistake 3. Poor Content Personalization

We’ve already discussed this, and also, you know, your service is not going to be evaluated by a single individual. Multiple decision-makers’ choices will greatly affect the final purchase decision.

Still, some brands deliver one-size-fits-all content to all personas and industries, failing to convince the acquired leads.

Here’s how one can correct this:

Mistake 4. Not Publishing Trust-Building Content

A few B2B brands do not publish trust-building content like reviews, case studies, as they believe their product or service quality alone suffices to build trust.

They assume that showcasing expertise through content is unnecessary as they already deliver exceptional results and have a strong client base.

Unfortunately, this causes reluctance among the target audience, who want some good proof from others before making their final decision.

Here’s the way you can use to keep your content planning on the right path:

Mistake 5. Overload Website with Gated Content

The brands who over-rely on lead generation usually overload their website with gated content.

They prioritize capturing contact information over delivering immediate value, often underestimating the importance of building trust and nurturing relationships through freely accessible content.

As a result, users landing on the site feel frustrated and drop off before engaging further.

Let’s tell you how to correct this:

Mistake 6. Not Addressing Objections

Many brands focus on the sales pitch and believe that addressing objections directly could undermine their message or make their offering seem less appealing.

They often prioritize a smooth, optimistic narrative over the more complex yet miss answering the necessary target audiences’ potential concerns.

As a result, leads abandon the site without taking any action.

Let’s make you aware of how to correct this mistake:

Once you correct these mistakes, you’ll definitely start seeing results. Always remember, when creating a strategy or content, your primary goal should be to provide value—not to chase trends or compromise on quality.

33 Strategies to Level Up Content Performance (Proven with Many of Our B2B Clients)

Now, it’s time to examine some advanced strategies that can help improve the content of all B2B websites, regardless of industry type.

Without making you wait further, let’s get started!

1. Prioritize Content Clusters and Pillar Pages

The right B2B content strategy proceeds with the creation of content clusters and pillar pages as the first step. Here’s how we can help you choose pillars and clusters for your company.

Starting with pillar selection:

• Identify broad topics that are highly relevant to your B2B audience.
• Choose foundational themes that align with your brand’s expertise, like a CRM serving business can use “Enterprise-level CRM systems.”
• Ensure all your selected pillar topics are substantial enough to support several subtopics.

Now, coming on how to design cluster pages:

• Create individual content, like whatever you want to cover (blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, or videos). These content pieces will act as subtopics related to the pillar.
• Each content piece should be optimized for a specific subtopic keyword and linked to the pillar page.
• These subtopics should be more detailed, niche-specific, and must support the pillar content.

2. Generate Content on Fresh Topics

The Internet already contains thousands of articles. But as time passes, the audience’s priorities and concerns also change.

You can check Quora, Reddit, and Answer the Public to discover what your audience is actually looking for lately. This will help you align your content efforts in the right direction and generate articles on fresh topics.

3. Utilize Different Channels to Promote Your Content and Acquire Backlinks

Here are some possible channels that you can use to promote the created content and earn a backlink for your B2B site:

Let’s tell you how content promotion through each channel will help you:

• Email Outreach is best for direct communication.
• Guest Blogging to leverage industry blogs.
• Social Media Platforms to boost reach and engagement.
• Industry Forums and Communities to establish authority.
• PR and News Publications for wider exposure.

Here’s How Our Team Can Help You Generate Inbound Leads for Your B2B Business with BoFu Strategy (4-Easy Steps)

A team of more than 30 experts will work on your project, with each member playing their role to help you generate inbound leads for your B2B website.

From the outset, we focus on the BoFu strategy for keyword research. The keywords we identify through this research will help rank your site in the top search results.

Let’s elaborate on how!

1. BoFu Keyword Research

Using premium keyword research tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush, we research bottom-of-the-funnel (BoFu) keywords.

This helps us identify the terms that can actually bring business for your website, including:

• Solution-oriented keywords
• Comparison keywords
• Branded keywords
• Transactional keywords
• Service-specific keywords
• Action-oriented keywords
• Pain-point specific keywords

In case you want to get the list of the same type of keywords for your blog pages, click here.

2. Blog Content Strategy

We use a specific target keyword for each blog post published under your brand. These terms have high search volumes and help boost the overall site authority.

Not only this, we also interlink your main site page with the blog post. This gives a push to your main page whenever any visitor engages with the blog, whether it is covered for simply spreading awareness for your business brand.

3. Website Content Strategy

The most important page on your site is the landing page, we don’t mind if that is your services page or any other specific page of your site.

We fully check the flow of that page and analyze the following elements:

• Presence of your brand’s unique value proposition
• Whether your copy is benefit-focused
• Presence of Call-to-action (CTA)
• Trust signals (like reviews, case studies, testimonials)
• Responsive design
• Clean layout
• Fast loading speed

Additionally, we will consider updating you if we find any element on your site that disrupts user experience.

4. We Acquire Backlinks for the Content We Write from High-Authority Websites

Pitching for the content we create is also what we do. We acquire backlinks from authoritative sites for the BoFu content pieces so that they also start ranking in the top search results.

We have a good set of backlinking sites in our inventory. They are trustworthy, authoritative, and get real traffic.

If you are interested in learning more about our link-building strategies and the report format we share with our clients, you can read our article on B2B link-building.

Tools We Use for Research, Planning, Improvement, Optimization, and Performance Tracking of Our B2B Clients’ Content

From content research to tracking its performance, along with skilled professionals, we leverage premium tools.

Let’s start describing the tool we use for research that helps us cover new and unique content ideas!

Research Tool for Idea Generation

The advanced tool we use for research is ChatGPT. It helps us deeply understand your target audience, industry trends, and competitors’ content strategies.

1. ChatGPT

We have skilled manpower, but when it comes to research, we also leverage AI-powered tools because we want to gather comprehensive details before writing content for your site.

ChatGPT helps us conduct an in-depth audience analysis. We use it to analyze the target audience’s pain points, needs, and decision-making processes and then create detailed buyer personas.

Content Planning Tool

We use a content planning tool to help organize and schedule our content in advance, ensuring consistency, relevance, and quality. This helps us stay on track and meet audience expectations without feeling rushed.

1. Google Sheets

We use Google Sheets to save content plans. These sheets help us stay organized.

They are easy to access in real-time for both our internal team and you as our client.

In case we change anything in the plan, our content strategist ensures that change is reflected on the sheet.

Content Improvement Tool

To improve the quality of our created content, we ensure using the Grammarly tool. Here’s how we use it:

1. Grammarly

The tool Grammarly helps us save time and maintain professionalism in the content we create.

Though our writers are highly skilled, we still use this tool to ensure our delivered content does not include any grammatical errors.

By checking plagiarism, it helps us deliver original and human-written content to our clients.

Content Optimization Tool

To check the SEO score of our created content, we analyze it with the tool Surfer SEO. Here’s how we use it:

1. Surfer SEO

The tool Surfer SEO helps us create content that resonates with your audience as well as ranks well.

Using it, we ensure consistency in tone, structure, and keyword usage. We also use this tool to check that our created content aligns with the ideal word count, keyword density, and heading structure.

Content Performance Tracking Tools

We use the following content planning tools to check how well our created content is gaining the reader’s response. This helps us track engagement, understand what resonates with your audience, and make improvements where needed.

1. Google Analytics

The tool Google Analytics helps us track how users navigate through your site. Using it, we check what topics or sections grab their attention and using these insights, we create content on similar topics.

2. Google Search Console

The tool Google Search Console helps us analyze how your site is performing in search results and, using the gained insights, we optimize the content strategy for your site accordingly.

The first step is analyzing whether all the pages are indexed. After fixing that, we use it to monitor and improve performance, mobile friendliness, and loading speeds for content-heavy B2B pages.

3. Hotjar

The tool Hotjar helps us identify your audience’s preferences. We see session recordings and feedback by analyzing heatmaps generated by this tool. This also helps us create content that aligns closely with your audience’s expectations.

This is How We Maintain Transparency and Communication with Our B2B Clients

We believe in keeping our clients informed every step of the way, that too, transparently. This is the reason our clients stay with us for a longer duration and give us 5-star ratings for our work and honesty.

Let’s elaborate more about our operating hours and how we keep you as our client updated!

1. If You Contact Us in This Span, We’ll Prompt You Instantly (Working Weekdays)

We are available to take US natives’ queries from 11.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. (EST/ET) the next day.

However, residents of the UK and Commonwealth countries can contact us from 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. (GMT/BST).

If anybody from Australia wants to connect with us, they can contact us from 1.20 p.m. to 2.30 a.m. (Australian Eastern Time/AET).

2. We Use Basecamp to Submit Content and Related Updates (Even Our Team is On the Same)

We believe in transparency with our clients, and that’s why we use Basecamp (an open communication channel) to maintain a professional workflow. Using it, we ensure you stay in the loop with our team members.

As our client on Basecamp, you can participate in discussions with our team members or see how and to what point they’ve completed the tasks. All communication is categorized by project, drafts, updates, and your feedback is stored in organized folders and threads.

3. An Approval From Your Side for the Created Content is What We Always Welcome

It’s not like we create content and publish it. Our workflow proceeds this way: We create content, share the draft with you, and ask for your feedback and approval before publishing a blog or article (in case it is for guest posting).

If you hire us for website content creation, following the completion of the task, we submit the completed task to you and wait for your feedback. In case you approve it, either we publish it or submit the final work to you (after including the points mentioned in your feedback).

4. Our Content Performance Reports are Real and Easy-to-Understand

When you choose us to handle your content needs, we ensure our created blogs or articles add value to your business.

That’s the reason we share content performance reports with real insights and an easy-to-understand format.

You can expect detailed reporting on key metrics like engagement, conversions, and SEO impact from us.

Additional User Queries

Query 1. How do you create a content plan?

Our Response: We follow a dedicated and thoughtful process while planning content for a B2B website. Here’s a brief overview:

1. First, we set meaningful goals and KPI targets.
2. Identify the keywords that actually matter for your business growth.
3. Map the identified keywords to the customer journey’s stage that you want to target.
4. Create an editorial calendar with the topics decided and the date of submission.
5. Share content briefs for each topic with the writers to ensure their work is optimized for search.
6. Research the best websites to acquire backlinks for the created blogs or articles.

Query 2. How do you handle revisions and feedback during the content creation process?

Our Response: Although our team discusses each essential detail related to the content creation during the onboarding process and plans accordingly, after content creation and submission, if you want to get some revisions done, we are ready to do that. As we always want, our content reflects your brand and our editing process ensures we do it correctly.

Query 3. How do you make content interesting?

Our Response: We get interactive media (like images and infographics) designed by our graphics designer and add them to the blogs and articles. This helps us present them in a more engaging way.

Also, we ensure including some useful insights, information, solutions, and statistics (published within the past two years).

For every content piece, we ensure using the storytelling tone that can help us guide your reader effectively.

Query 4. What metrics do you consider to measure the effectiveness of a content campaign?

Our Response: This depends. For a brand looking to target users in the awareness stage, we track the following KPIs:

• Organic traffic growth
• Number of new visitors
• Keyword rankings
• Social shares and engagement

For brands looking to target users in the consideration stage, we track the following KPIs:

• Time on page
• Scroll depth
• Pages per session
• Comments or user engagement on the blog

For those looking to target users in the decision stage, we track the following KPIs:

• Conversion rate (e.g., CTA clicks on blogs)
• Leads generated through gated content (if applicable)
• Demo requests or contact inquiries initiated from blog CTAs

Final Thoughts

This concludes our discussion of B2B content strategy. We’ve tried our best to help you with every possible issue that can arise while strategizing content. Still, if you need any guidance or support, feel free to contact us.