- Jamie
B2B Content Marketing: 10 of the Best Examples So Far in 2022
Updated: Oct 26, 2022
B2B content marketing is essential for companies to reach their target market. Let's discuss B2B content marketing and check out the ten best examples of B2B content marketing for 2022.
Skip to 10 of the Best B2B Content Marketing Examples So Far in 2022
What's the Difference between B2C Content Marketing and B2B Content Marketing?
Not long ago, I wrote that content marketing is "creating informational content that is valuable to your audience and helps draws them to you." This inbound marketing has become an essential step in the sales cycle – and a vital marketing asset.
What is B2C Content Marketing?
Business to Customer (B2C) companies use their content to reach and educate end users/customers with informative content that provides value. For example, if you are a significant retailer of computers, you might have blogs, videos, and infographics explaining how to set up your system to solve common issues. While the idea is the same, Business to Business (B2B) companies use content marketing to reach their audience – other businesses.
What is B2B Content Marketing?
B2B Marketing Strategy is different than B2C - they're trying to reach other businesses. B2B companies have a different sales cycle than B2C – one that is often longer and more complex. Because of this, B2B companies use content marketing to reach B2B customers to inform, answer questions or address pain points, and display their expertise and experience in their field.
What types of content are used in B2B Content Marketing?
Whether B2B or B2C, content marketing uses content to connect with customers and share valuable resources. B2B Content examples include the same types of content B2C might use. However, how it's used and the target audience differentiate B2C Content Marketing from B2B Content Marketing.
Examples of Content Marketing Types used by B2B Businesses
We've all been there - you're out of ideas and have no clue what to write - brainstorm your topics, then consider using one of these inbound marketing content types:
Blog article - long-form, guest posts from industry experts, and feature articles. Consider your existing assets and how you can repurpose or create evergreen content to anchor your content strategy.
White papers and customer success stories - these can be featured in blogs, videos, a website page or content hub, and on social media posts.
Video - video series interviewing customers, employees, or industry experts, demo videos of your process
Email marketing - a monthly how-to series, expert roundup, a digest of current events, or email newsletters that go out to different segments of customers based on their use of your product/service
Interactive tools or infographics that
Which B2B Content Types Work Best?
First, audit your content performance. Consider where your organic traffic comes from, what type of content it is, and who it resonates with. Look for any consistencies in those pieces of content that might give your B2B content strategy direction.
You may need more data or are just getting started. In that case, consider what B2B Marketers say about what has worked best for them. In this Content Marketing Institute report, B2B marketing teams were asked about content type performance.
In order of best performing are:
Virtual events/webinars/online courses
Research reports
Short articles/posts (less than 3,000 words)
E-books/white papers
Case studies
Videos
In-person events
Long blog / articles/posts (more than 3,000 words)
Infographics/charts/data viz/3D models
Livestreaming content
Additionally, the report identified the top goals respondents achieved by using content marketing in the last 12 months:
Creating brand awareness (80%)
Building credibility/trust (75%)
Educating audiences (70%).
How to Start Your Content Strategy for B2B
When creating content for your company, always start with your customers. You'll be off to a great start when you focus on content marketing strategies that provide relevant, high-quality content that offers real value.
Answer these questions when starting your next blog post, visual content, or other content types:
Who will read/watch your content? What relevant content would you provide to prospective customers - considering what they NEED to know, not what you WANT to tell them? What types of valuable content can you provide to your current customers? What kind of helpful content could you provide for previous customers?
How much time do they spend on social media? Looking at your website's traffic sources, where do your viewers come from? Where do they spend most of their time online?
What are their interests? Can you provide personalized content that might resonate with your audience and where they are in your marketing funnel?
What are their needs, and can you address them with this content? What are their pain points? Can you address those with educational content or customer success stories?
What are their questions? What would the main points be in your reply if they asked you in person? That could lead your content framework for the piece of content.
10 Excellent Examples of B2B Content Marketing in 2022
Lockheed Martin’s YouTube Channel
Lockheed Martin's robust YouTube Channel features a great mix of product, team, and general interest videos geared toward their audience - anyone interested in the company, or its industry. Featuring beautifully shot, rich media, the YouTube content tells the company's story and engages interested viewers.
Why it's so good: It's not just a channel about the company, it dives into interesting content throughout its industry - from "Behind the Scenes of Top Gun: Maverick" to "Looking into the Past: A History of Telescopes", their channel is expertly aimed at it's target audience.
Siemens Market-Specific Solutions
Through industry specific pages on their website, Siemens educates their B2B Audience (potential and existing business owners and decision-makers) on their capabilities and expertise through use cases and interactive content that successfully engages and builds trust.
Why it's so good: The content is organized into microsites that present market-specific problems and the company's product as the solution. It's not just, "we sell technology", it's "let us show you how we can make your business better through technology".
ArcelorMittal’s Futurising Podcast Series
Their podcast is full of engaging, thoughtful content that is builds trust and demonstrates the company's commitment to their industry. According to the company's website, “‘Futurising' is a series of four podcasts featuring ArcelorMittal experts who are deeply involved with the evolution of steel.”
Why it's so good: Their content efforts have a laser-focus on their target audience and have crafted content that expertly engages them, inviting them to become a part of the conversation.
Ted@Dupont
Described on their website as, “In a day of talks and performances about transformation, speakers and performers from the DuPont community and beyond explored exciting developments in science and technology.
From the chemistry of everyday life to innovations in food, “smart” clothing, and more, this inaugural TED@DuPont event unlocked institutional knowledge and showcased some of the best ideas from across the DuPont ecosystem."
Why it's so good: As in the last example, they have zeroed in on their target audience - people in the DuPont community, and created content to engage and build trust.
Salesforce’s Resource Center
Salesforce’s robust resource center is host to all types of content – one area of note, the webinar section. This section features customer stories, how-to topics, and a ‘leading through change’ series featuring expert advice on topics from “How to use marketing technology to engage employees from home”, to “How to be a trusted advisor for your clients.”
Why it's so good: They've created content with actionable solutions to common issues among its target audience - this is the only goal. Know who you are trying to reach and customize your message to them.
Slack’s Resource Library
Salesforce's robust resource center is host to all types of content – one area of note, the webinar section. This section features customer stories, how-to topics, and a ‘leading through change' series featuring expert advice on topics from “How to use marketing technology to engage employees from home”, to “How to be a trusted advisor for your clients.”
Why it's so good: They've created content with actionable solutions to common issues among its target audience - this is the only goal. Know who you are trying to reach and customize your message to them.
Wordstream’s Free Keyword Tool
This little interactive tool checks all the boxes – useful content for their target audience. Pop in a url, or keyword, get ideas.
Why it's so good: Wordstream decided to make a PPC tool easy enough for anyone to use - no hoops, no sign-ups, just a useful tool for their target audience. That's value.
Search Engine Journal’s Webinars
At the time of this post, there are several upcoming webinars (always more to come) and a listing of prior webinars. These are brilliant content marketing examples as they help their ideal reader through useful, quality content while establishing their brand's expertise and trust.
Why it's so good: Digital marketing is fast-paced and ever-evolving. That requires an always-learning approach. Search Engine Journal understands it's target audience (me and people like me) and delivers content that is needed while also expanding it's credibility and trust.
Later.com’s Video Hub
They not only cover Later.com features with their videos, but reach further into their niche with tips and how-tos for social media success. They expanded outside of their product to their niche (with excellent search engine optimization leading to inbound traffic - I frequently wind up at their video hub when searching for answers or tips) to provide value and address topics their audience might be searching for.
Marketing School’s Incredible Playlist of Podcasts
Looking to level up nearly any part of your marketing game? Get it in bite-sized chunks from Neil Patel and Eric Sui. “Marketing School brings you 10 minutes of actionable marketing advice every single day. Get the right tips to take your business to the next level and get to work right away.”
Why it's so good: These guys know their market (noticing a trend here, yet?) and they know that their market a. needs information and advice on the ever changing digital marketing industry and b. doesn't have a lot of time to get it. So, Marketing School delivers content that checks all the boxes.
What kind of marketing content is your business using to reach it's target audience?
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