Marketing tactics For B2B campaigns are considerably different than B2C campaigns. A business-to-business sale cycle is longer than a business-to-customer sale cycle and it requires multiple stakeholders to be involved in a typical B2B sale.
When deciding which company to do business with, 70 percent of B2B buyers say company reputation is the most important aspect.
In general, B2B marketing is more expensive then B2C.
A good marketing strategy for B2B focuses on the content that helps and educates potential clients. Marketing content should contain effective B2B keywords that are based on the customer intent.
In successfull B2B SEO campaign, right type of keywords are very important and as said earlier, B2B keywords are totally different than ones used in B2C marketing.
The first step is to identify the keywords that matter to your clients. Then you can create content according to these keywords.
What are B2B keywords?
An effective content strategy always begins with thorough keyword research. Keyword research can be of various types depending upon the end goal.
There are many resources available online on about B2C keyword research. If you are not using the proper tools and techniques for your B2B keyword research, all your hard work will go to waste.
Trust me, researching B2B keywords is not difficult, it just requires the understanding of business, and right mind set with the right tools and techniques.
Incomplete research can result in a disastrous marketing strategy, and all your money will go down the drain.
B2B sales should be focused on the journey and not only on the product. As a result, B2B sales have longer cycles.
When you are doing B2B keyword research, focus on the journey of the buyer. And this starts with dividing the entire sale cycle into multiple steps and find relevant keywords for each step.
At each step think from your customer’s point of view and research keywords accordingly. Note down the details from customer’s angle and see what customers looks, when sourcing products.
Marketing content for B2B SEO
B2B sale cycles are considerably longer because many stakeholders are involved. Therefore, when writing content for B2B sales, observe what your potential customers are searching for.
Assume that you have a salon and you are having trouble managing all the processes manually.
One of your employees advises you to look for ways to automate these processes.
What will you do next?
You will open up your browser and search. You’ll probably begin your search with “How to automate salon management processes?” or something similar.
After some research, you’ll realize that various paid softwares are providing such services.
Then you’ll look for” Qualities of good management software,” and this research will keep going on.
A B2B marketer should focus on this whole process and should create content to target audiences that are looking for a product similar to theirs.
If a salon management software company wants to capture the attention of potential clients, it will have to focus on the buyer’s research process.
A blog containing information about good salon management software qualities will compel buyers who are searching with similar keywords.
Establishing brand authority is very important because B2B space is usually more competitive than B2C space.
If you create a great digital marketing strategy, a customer will visit your website several times before making the purchase.
Your content strategy should center on the buying process. Your website should be a source of guidance during the whole buying process of a customer.
If your website provides answers to most of their queries, they will prefer your product over all the competitors.
Devising strategy for B2B keyword research
B2B sales need a little more attention to detail. Focusing on the whole buying process is necessary to make a mark in this competitive space. Devising a proper strategy will make this process less daunting. Let’s take a look at the steps you should follow
Speak directly to your client
When researching for B2B keywords, speak directly with your client. Ask them about their expectations. Involve the stakeholders in this conversation. This conversation will help you in gathering information about the things your client cares about.
65.2 percent of B2B buyers felt that discussing their issues with salespeople was beneficial.
Note down this information because it will be the basis of your keyword research.
For example, your client might tell you that they are looking for software to increase the productivity of their employees. Your marketing team can then use the keyword “increase client productivity” in their marketing strategy.
Review the content on your website
Now that you have gathered some information about your keyword strategy. Review the content that is already present on your website.
Begin the process by reviewing your homepage. Review the information you have used to describe yourself and your product. Next, read what you are offering from your client’s perspective. Review the content on the rest of your web pages as well.
You don’t have to review the whole website. Instead, focus on important web pages like the About Us page.
Take a look at your blog posts to determine if they are answering the questions of your clients or not.
This whole process will help you in identifying your efficiencies and deficiencies. After noting down this information, you can create new content with effective keywords. You can also replace some of your older keywords with newer ones.
Check what your website is ranking for
Check how your website is generating clicks. Which keywords are bringing in the most traffic? Then, you can use Search Console. The search console will show you how users get to your website.
You can also use paid and free tools for identifying the content that is generating clicks for your website. Keyword research tools like Ahrefs will inform you about the keywords people are searching for to find your website.
These tools will also let you know the ranking of your website for these keywords. These lists can contain thousands of keywords. Filter out the ones with no search volume. You should also ignore your branded terms.
Research about your competitors
Look at your competitor’s website to see what they are ranking for and how your website ranks against the competition.
Look at the content on these websites and how they are promoting their products. Then, go through their blog posts. Competitive research will help you in developing content these websites are missing out on.
If your competition is doing better than you are, you can use their framework for content creation. Check out the keywords that are driving this traffic to your competitor’s website. Use these keywords for your content if the competition is not very stiff.
Select keywords
Use keyword research tools to look at the keywords your competitors are ranking for. Generate similar keyword ideas. Focus on only 20 to 30 keywords at once. Don’t try to rank your website for hundreds of keywords at once.
Create a list of target keywords and focus on creating content for them. Then, make a complete strategy for optimizing and ranking this content.
Track KPIs for determining the success of your strategies. Once your website ranks for these 30 keywords, focus on the next 30.
User Intent
Keywords like “Software” or “Laptop” are really broad terms. Your content can be about laptop manufacturing or affordable laptops.
Keeping the user intent in mind is necessary when creating content. Your content should answer the queries of your potential customers.
If your customers are looking for affordable laptops and most of your blogs are about the manufacturing process of laptops, these blogs will not be helpful for your customers.
Rather than an advertisement, 80 percent of corporate decision-makers prefer to get company information via a series of articles.
Your content should match your user’s needs. Otherwise, this content will be a waste of time and money.
Your content should educate your potential customers. Use keywords in the right context by thoroughly researching your customer’s needs.
Your content should aim at guiding your customers throughout the buying process. Keywords can be used for images, videos, product descriptions, etc. Choose the one that meets your needs.
Bottom Line
B2B marketing strategy is very different from B2C marketing strategy. A B2B marketer should guide its customers through the complete buying process. B2B keywords should be used to target potential customers.
Each step of the buying process has its keywords. First, search for those keywords by doing a competitive analysis. Then, generate keyword ideas and start creating informational content.
Informational content will compel your customers to explore your website. If your content answers the queries of potential customers, they’ll prefer you over your competition.
Making a B2B sale is more difficult because of the competitive nature of this space. If you want to succeed, your marketing strategy should be on point.
What tools are you using for keyword research? And why?
