Lately all the talk in B2B marketing has centered on social media. However, to be successful with social media, you have to provide real value and that usually comes from great content.
Paul Dunay in his blog post, “4 C’s of B2B Marketing” has defined this very nicely. His 4C’s are:
- Content – the creation of a steady stream of engaging content
- Connection – connecting with the audience you wish to attract
- Communication – communicating with them in an ongoing conversation
- Conversion – and then converting them at the illusive moment of need
What is content marketing?
Wikipedia defines content marketing as “an umbrella term encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation or sharing of content for the purpose of engaging current and potential consumer bases.”
The old ways of pushing out content is no longer effective. Now, B2B content marketing’s agenda is to educate and inform customers and prospects. Content Marketing’s slogan is – “Don’t pitch. Don’t sell. Don’t interrupt. Educate, inform and provide value to customers and prospects. Your business will grow.” (See Content Marketing – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet).
Here’s a short but highly informative slide show that explains how to use content effectively as inbound marketing. (more…)