10 of the Most Successful B2B Blog Post Themes
Read, write, review. These three words are critical to the content marketing process from start to finish. To stay educated, you read. To convey your thoughts to the audience, you write. And to learn what’s really resonating with your audience, you review.
Today, I’m going to focus on the “review” component of the writing process, as it can be a great way to generate new content ideas with confidence that they will perform at high levels. After mining through our clients’ Google Analytics data, I’ve put together a list (in no particular order) of ten blog post “themes” that have driven an abundance of traffic to their B2B websites. Enjoy!
1.) Topical/Current Events
Why this theme is effective: Content marketers need to stay on top of the latest happenings both within and outside of the industry they’re writing for. Hot topics and issues present a unique opportunity to get the brand involved in the conversation being had (think hashtags). Creative ties and comparisons to large events combined with timely publishing and promotion can generate a significant traffic surge.
Examples:
- 5 Lessons Content Marketers Can Take Away from the 2014 World Cup
- Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics: What’s In It for B2B Content Marketers?
- The True Detective Approach to Content Marketing
2.) “Best of” Social Media Lists
Why this theme is effective: Data shows that 84% of B2B marketers use social media in some form. However, from our experience, some manage their social media presence better than others. Compiling lists of “best in class” social profiles provides readers with a valuable resource they can visit time and time again and could also open communication channels with said organizations.
Examples:
- 12 Examples of B2B Companies Managing Impactful Twitter Profiles
- 10 of the Best B2B Facebook Pages
- 15 Examples of B2B Google+ Pages & Why They Stand Out From The Rest
3.) Industry Statistics
Why this theme is effective: New studies and research that could be of interest to the reader base are seemingly released on a weekly basis. Content marketers should monitor these happenings and when applicable, compile a list of relevant statistics to be turned into a blog post. These highly informative posts typically drive significant social referral traffic due to their reader-friendliness and sharable nature.
Examples:
- 5 Fresh B2B Marketing Stats & What They Mean to You
- 44+ Mobile Marketing Statistics for the B2B Internet Marketer
- 10 Search Engine Marketing Statistics for B2B Marketers to Begin 2011
4.) Tactical Instruction
Why this theme is effective: Simply shedding some tactical knowledge can go a long way. Monitor social media activity, communities, forums, etc. to gain an understanding of what your audience is struggling with. Once you’ve identified an issue, use your expertise to present them with a solution.
Examples:
- Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile With These 10 Key Elements
- 14 B2B Blogging Best Practices from Creation to Promotion
- 5 Key Considerations for Setting Up a Baidu PPC Account
5.) Collection of Resources
Why this theme is effective: We’ve seen that putting together a collection of industry-relevant reports, infographics, videos, and more, is a great way to hook in readers. It’s a good idea to bookmark these resources as you discover them so they can be easily compiled into a blog post when the repository has become abundant.
Examples:
- B2B Budgeting for 2015: 10 Key Marketing Research Reports & Guides
- 10 B2B Marketing Infographics Outlining Strategies & Tactics for the New Year
- 5 Insightful B2B Content Marketing Strategy Videos
6.) Key Findings from Impactful Announcements
Why this theme is effective: Here at KoMarketing, we keep a finger to the pulse of the latest B2B industry happenings on our news section. However, sometimes an announcement or release warrants additional content. Don’t be afraid to create multiple pieces of content around an impactful announcement or report release in an effort to fully satisfy the audience.
Examples:
- The 2015 B2B Content Marketing Report Brings New Insight on Strategy, Implementation
- LinkedIn Just Created A Better Opportunity for B2B Marketers to Target Audiences
- Survey Says: Slow Web Page Load Time Hurting B2B Vendors
7.) Compilation of Helpful Tools
Why this theme is effective: As B2B marketers, we are always on the watch for new tools and ways to simplify the marketing process (and apparently we aren’t alone). Some of our most successful blog posts are collections of online tools that we find useful. So, if you come across a helpful tool, share the wealth! You’ll be pleased with the results.
Examples:
- 8 Social Media Tools to Get Your Content Buzzing Across Networks
- 20 Tools We are Thankful for as B2B Online Marketers
- Exploring 5 Essential Baidu Tools For B2B Online Marketers
8.) Answering Questions / Queries
Why this theme is effective: When Google’s “Hummingbird” algorithm was released in 2013, SEOs were urged to “To be the provider of answers that people are seeking” and “Identify intent, needs and problems. Provide solutions and answers. Look at queries and what they really need. Give them what the people behind the queries want.” By following this advice, we’ve seen success across clients as we’ve made sure to create posts that answer some of the most pressing B2B questions.
Examples:
- What is SEO? 10 Free SEO Videos for Beginners
- Will Linking to “Credible” Third-Party Sites Boost Your SEO Performance?
- How Does B2B Marketing Compare to B2C?
9.) Myths, Mistakes and Misconceptions
Why this theme is effective: Sometimes the best way to learn exactly what something IS, is to first understand what it ISN’T. We’ve published several successful posts that pertain to this theme, providing our audience with posts that could be categorized as the “not-so best practices.”
Examples:
- 3 B2B Conversion Tracking Mistakes Not to Make
- 5 Common Link Building Mistakes and How to Overcome Them
- 4 Myths About B2B Marketing That Everyone Thinks are True
10.) Checklists
Why this theme is effective: For content to be successful, it needs to serve a purpose. Creating content that can be used by others as a resource is a great way to increase the likelihood the material gets shared and turns one-time visitors into returning visitors.
Examples:
- Have a Merry Website Transition: The Complete SEO Checklist
- 12 Questions to Ask When Performing SEO Keyword Research
- An Eight-Step Process for Creating Front-Page B2B Industry News
Final Thoughts
As my colleague Casie mentioned in a recent post, “One of the biggest challenges for any writer is finding new topic ideas that speak to your audience.” In addition to following Casie’s advice, content marketers need to review their past successes and failures because who knows, you’re next great idea could come from existing content.
What themes have some of your most successful B2B blog posts followed? Feel free to let us know in the comments section!