10 Content Marketing Resources for the B2B Marketer
As the saying goes, “content is king.” This motto points to the importance of content marketing and to its ubiquitous nature. Because statistics show 93% of B2B marketers create content from scratch, we’ve compiled a list of 10 online destinations to help B2B marketers find (and discuss) the latest in B2B content marketing.
This compilation of B2B content marketing resources is based on a number of factors, including membership, frequency of updates, and validity of content. Take a look at the following resources (shared in no particular order) and evaluate how they could be of assistance with your B2B content marketing efforts.
1. Content Marketing Institute Blog
The Content Marketing Institute blog offers B2B content marketers a comprehensive cast of talented authors. The contributors include a number of individuals who create timely, relevant posts pertaining to industry on a regular basis. With posts added daily, including several “How to” posts, this is a prime resource for B2B marketers looking to get their daily fix of content-based knowledge.
2. MarketingProf’s Content Resources
The MarketingProfs site includes all aspects of the marketing industry, including a comprehensive content marketing resources page featuring a steady mix of statistics, infographics, and blog posts specific to content marketing. What separates MarketingProfs from the rest is their benchmark reports, which allow marketers to get an in-depth look at what’s happening within the industry. Their recent “The State of B2B Content Marketing: 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends” infographic does exactly that by providing a visual snapshot of current and future trends in content marketing.
3. TopRank’s Content Marketing Section
Led by Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing, the content marketing section of the TopRank blog has a cache of valuable material for B2B content marketers. TopRank’s posts are oftentimes social media friendly, including many list style posts and “how to’s.” In fact, Odden’s recent “10 Content Marketing Tools for Creation, Distribution and Analytics” post engaged the Twittersphere with more than 600 mentions. Marketers looking for quality, social-friendly blog posts and content to share should make it a point to visit this page on a weekly or daily basis.
4. B2B Marketing Insider’s Content Marketing Page
Michael Brenner, Vice President of Marketing and Content Strategy at SAP, is the owner of this visually-appealing content marketing page, where he curates relevant content for B2B marketers on a regular basis. What separates this page from others is its use of SlideShare, which provides marketers with an in-depth resource along with the post. Check out the “Secret Ingredient to Great Content” for a good example.
5. Marketo’s Content Marketing Page
As a marketing automation provider, Marketo covers all aspects of the digital marketing field, including content. This comprehensive page is packed with useful and informative B2B content marketing webinars, ebooks, reports, buyer guides, and more. Their “Creating Content that Sells: A Guide to Content Marketing for Demand Generation,” which provides a roadmap for constructing solid content marketing, is one of the most popular pieces of content (28K views) on the page. This page can also help marketers better understand buyer personas and get insights into calculating marketing ROI.
6. Business 2 Community’s Content Marketing Section
With hundreds of contributing authors, Business 2 Community’s content section is a perfect destination for B2B content marketers seeking a wealth of material. With several posts published daily, this site keeps a finger to the pulse of the content marketing world. B2B content marketers looking for timely material should seek out their popular articles section at the top of the page, which pulls some of the most socially-shared and visited pages.
7. CMS Wire’s Content Marketing and News Analysis Page
B2B content marketers should visit this page to get a steady dose of news, discussions, reviews, and best practices related specifically to content marketing. As seen in this post, CMS Wire keeps an eye on what’s happening inside the industry, including vendor and company announcements. Those in a pinch for time can use the “just published” section on the right side of the page to catch the latest posts.
8. Content Marketing Association’s Content Marketing Page
Labeled as the “Editorial engagement for brands,” this page aggregates posts from members (agencies who produce effective content for client brands) across all disciplines, including print, video, mobile, and online. While posts may not be as frequent here as they are on some of the other resources included in this list, quality makes up for the lack of quantity, as seen in this “What is content marketing” post.
9. B2B Content Marketing LinkedIn Group
LinkedIn is a powerful player in the B2B social media space, and LinkedIn Groups such as this one are just one of the many reasons why. With more than 2,400 members, this is an outstanding space for professionals in the B2B content marketing and publishing industry to connect with peers and engage in conversations on a daily basis. One user recently asked how long it takes for members of the group to publish a blog post from start to finish, which resulted in more than 20 comments from others. Jump into the conversation and share your thoughts!
10. Content Marketing and Social Media Google+ Community
Similar to LinkedIn, Google+ Communities are an ideal place for marketers to collaborate with their peers. With multiple posts and discussions daily, Google+ Communities tie content and social marketing together into one steady stream of information. Visitors to this community will see posts tagged (oftentimes with hashtags), which makes it easy to identify what the post or discussion is focused on prior to clicking. Posts such as the “How to Succeed in B2B Content Marketing” include a nice image within the community stream to catch the eye of visitors.
This list is, by no means, the only 10 places for B2B content marketers to find information and engage in conversation, but, based on our criteria, we feel these destinations are of great value. If you’ve had a valuable experience with other B2B content marketing resources, we would love to hear your recommendations in our comments section, or feel free to drop by the “B2B Internet Marketing Professionals” LinkedIn group to chat!