Just about every B2B company feels they’ve fallen behind on producing content to support their marketing initiatives. In a recent study by the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs, marketing directors of B2B companies were asked what their top content marketing challenges were. In first and second place were “Producing engaging content” and “Producing content consistently.”

Why is producing engaging content a challenge?

Producing engaging content is a challenge for many B2B companies because it requires a deep understanding of their target audience and their needs. B2B buyers are typically looking for content that provides valuable insights, addresses their pain points, and offers practical solutions. However, creating such content can be time-consuming and requires extensive research and expertise.

Additionally, B2B companies often struggle to find a balance between being informative and promotional. While the ultimate goal is to generate leads and drive sales, content that is too sales-focused can be off-putting to potential customers. Finding the right tone and approach to engage the audience without being overly promotional is a delicate task.

How can B2B companies produce engaging content?

Despite the challenges, there are several strategies that B2B companies can employ to produce engaging content:

1. Know your audience: Conduct thorough research to understand your target audience’s needs, pain points, and preferences. This will help you create content that resonates with them and provides value.
2. Create buyer personas: Develop detailed buyer personas to better understand your target audience’s demographics, motivations, and challenges. This will enable you to tailor your content to their specific needs and interests.
3. Provide valuable insights: B2B buyers are looking for content that offers valuable insights and helps them solve their problems. Focus on creating content that addresses their pain points and provides practical solutions.
4. Use storytelling: Incorporate storytelling techniques into your content to make it more engaging and relatable. Storytelling helps create an emotional connection with the audience and keeps them interested in your content.
5. Include visual elements: Use visuals such as infographics, videos, and images to enhance the visual appeal of your content. Visual content is more likely to grab the attention of your audience and increase engagement.

Why is producing content consistently a challenge?

Producing content consistently is a challenge for B2B companies due to various reasons:

• Lack of resources: Many B2B companies struggle with limited resources, including time, budget, and manpower. This makes it difficult to consistently create high-quality content.
• Content creation process: Without a well-defined content creation process, it becomes challenging to consistently produce content. Lack of planning, coordination, and accountability can lead to delays and inconsistencies.
• Content promotion: Creating content is only half the battle. Promoting it effectively is equally important. B2B companies often struggle with promoting their content consistently across various channels.

How can B2B companies produce content consistently?

To overcome the challenge of producing content consistently, B2B companies can implement the following strategies:

1. Create a content calendar: Develop a content calendar that outlines the topics, deadlines, and responsible team members. This will help you stay organized and ensure a consistent flow of content.
2. Repurpose existing content: Instead of starting from scratch every time, repurpose your existing content into different formats such as blog posts, videos, infographics, and podcasts. This allows you to leverage your existing assets and reach a wider audience.
3. Outsource content creation: If resources are limited, consider outsourcing content creation to freelancers or agencies. This can help you maintain a consistent content production schedule without overwhelming your internal team.
4. Automate content distribution: Use marketing automation tools to schedule and distribute your content across various channels. This ensures that your content is consistently reaching your target audience.
5. Encourage employee contributions: Tap into the expertise of your employees by encouraging them to contribute content. This not only helps in producing a variety of content but also fosters employee engagement and thought leadership.

In conclusion, producing engaging content and producing content consistently are two major challenges faced by B2B companies. However, with a strategic approach and the implementation of the aforementioned strategies, these challenges can be overcome. By understanding the audience, providing valuable insights, incorporating storytelling, and maintaining a consistent content creation process, B2B companies can effectively support their marketing initiatives and drive business growth.