If you think blogs are only for B2C companies, and that’s why your business doesn’t have one, then this post is for you.
According to a survey conducted in 2022, 89% of B2B marketers report that blogs are a vital part of their content marketing strategy.
From enhancing your brand’s reputation to generating more qualified leads, blogs are a powerful tool every B2B company should be using. With that said, we understand how overwhelming writing, let alone starting a blog, can be. So, we’re providing some basic steps to help you get going.
But before we dive into the “how-to,” let’s take a look at what a B2B blog is and ways your business can benefit from having its own.
What is a blog?
If you’ve ever read an article posted on a website; usually by a thought leader that’s an expert in their industry, then you’re probably more familiar with blogs than you think. The main difference between B2C blogs and B2B blogs is that B2B blogs aren’t aimed at the general public but are more focused on helping companies understand and solve their business problems.
B2B blog posts can be articles, news pieces, or guides written by experts and posted in the blog section of a company’s website. Focused on informing and educating your audience, each blog post covers a specific topic, can range from 600 to 2,500 words, and often includes a variety of supporting assets: images, interactive graphics, videos, and infographics.
You may be thinking “2,000 words? Videos? Infographics? Interactive graphics? There’s no way I have the time or skills to do all of that.” That’s OK. You can start small and work your way up.
If your business doesn’t have a blog, you’re missing out
If you don’t already have a blog, you probably have your reasons. But how do they measure up against the myriad of benefits you can expect if you did have one?
- Attract more targeted buyers to your site, hence more qualified leads.
- Drive organic traffic to your website by improving SEO, ranking higher in search results.
- Foster relationships with your customers which in turn means higher conversion rates.
- Improve your social media presence with promotional content your followers can share.
- Provide touchpoints at every step of the sales funnel to generate, nurture, and convert leads.
- Enhance your brand’s reputation and credibility as a thought leader in your industry.
- Boost brand awareness by expanding audience reach and capturing new attention.
If you don’t have an active social media presence, here’s some reasons why building your brand on social media matters.
8 Steps to writing a successful B2B blog
1. Choose a topic
This is where a lot of business-to-business bloggers get bogged down. The trick is to not overthink your topic or what you want to say. Start by focusing on what you do and the problems you solve. That’s what your audience is looking for—solutions for their challenges. Make sure it’s something you understand well enough to write authoritatively.
Topic ideas for your first B2B blog post
- Differences between technologies and their impact
Ex: The difference between SASE and SSE and why it matters for your business - Customer challenges and their solutions
Ex: The 5 most common mistakes when setting up new mobile devices and how to fix them - Best practices
Ex: The 7 best practices for navigating hybrid work with confidence - Comparisons
Ex: Zoom vs Webex – Which is better for your government agency - Tips and Tricks
Ex: Expert tips to ensure you’re cyber insurance ready
Pro Tip: Do a keyword search to narrow your topic and get more attention. What you’re looking for is a lower volume number, meaning there is less competition for that keyword(s) which helps ensure your post ranks higher. For instance, using the free keyword search tool Wordtracker, we searched for “How to write a blog post” and its volume was pretty high at 2.5K. “How to write a B2B blog post” was only at 44.
2. Create an outline
It’s tempting to just jump right in to writing your blog. Organizing your information into sections or lists helps you write succinctly and makes it easy for your readers to consume.
3. Do your research
You may be the expert on the subject, but adding relevant stats, quotes, and studies enhances your credibility. Always provide the sources you used by including a hyperlink or adding a footnote at the bottom of the post. It’s also crucial that this information is timely. For example, a statistic that’s 3-years old is often no longer relevant. Look for something more up to date.
Pro Tip: Some writers start with the title and then move to the intro and so on. This can actually stall your ability to write and create a lot of anxiety. We suggest putting in a “working title,” one that works now for the sake of getting started, but that you will change later once the content has come together.
4. Write the intro
This is where you grab the reader’s attention, so spend some time on these first few sentences. Start by telling a story, joke, or pun. Provide an interesting fact or statistic. Or share a relevant quote. Make sure they tie into the purpose of the post and then explain to your audience how this post will improve their business.
5. Build each section
Using your outline, tell your story in sections. Long paragraphs of copy turn readers off. Instead use short blocks of copy in easy-to-read sections or lists. Enhance each section with imagery or graphics illustrating your message.
6. End with a catchy call to action
Now that you told your story, what next steps do you want your audience to take? Follow you on social? Schedule an assessment? Reach out to learn more? Read your infographic or watch your success story video? Include a call to action that’s clear, so your readers know what you want them to do next.
Need a little help choosing a call to action (CTA) that works? Here are 5 CTA best practices you can use in your first blog post.
7. Edit and proofread
This is the final step before publishing your blog post. It’s also one of the most crucial steps, so in your excitement to post, don’t forget to give your copy a once-over (or even twice-over) for readability, grammar, and spelling. Does it tell the story you want? Is it cohesive? Ask a coworker or friend to read it and provide their feedback. Also don’t forget to review and rewrite your title.
8. Repeat
Now you have to repeat the process with regular cadence. If you want your B2B blog to be successful, you need to consistently post content that is valuable and engaging. Posting just one or two B2B blog posts a month can help you increase your new leads.
Need a little help creating and promoting your B2B blog content?
Are you limited on bandwidth? Or does the thought of writing copy, turning it into a compelling story, and adding images, graphics, and other media feel overwhelming?
Many B2B businesses don’t have the in-house resources to create great blog content consistently. But that doesn’t mean you should miss out of everything blogs could do for your business.
When you partner with IMS360, you can have your B2B blog while freeing your team to work on more business-critical tasks. Learn more about our Blogs-as-a-Service offering, as well as the variety of other services we offer to help you elevate your marketing.
