Top 8 Reasons Why Content Marketing Is Important for B2B Small Businesses

Wondering why content marketing is important for b2b? According to a 2022 Content Marketing Institute study, 71% of B2B marketers say content marketing has become more critical to their organization in the last year.

In this article, I will share with you the top content marketing benefits so that you can get inspired to implement this strategy in your business.

One of the keys to making it work is consistency.

As Hubspot explains: “consistent, high-quality, and engaging content impacts audience decision-making more than any other technique.”

But what does this mean?

You must be consistent in any platform if you want to stick to the user’s mind. According to Brandgility, it takes from 5 to 7 impressions for potential customers to remember your brand.

High-quality content always pays off. Potential customers know when they are being fooled and don’t like that. Your content must be relevant to stand out from the wide variety you can access nowadays.

And finally, engaging content creates loyal clients. In the digital world, there’s nothing more valuable than loyal customers that promote your brand. Humans trust humans way more than brands.

Educating your audience with content is a trend that exponentially grows, and the sooner you start doing it, the better you will do.

By the end of last year, 55% of content marketers reported that improving the quality of the content was the most effective content marketing tactic they implemented during the year.

46% of those surveyed prioritized SEO, whereas 41% focused on creating more video and visual content. Updating and repurposing existing content was used by 38% of respondents, according to Semrush.

These numbers are only the surface of why content marketing is important for b2b and why this type of strategy will forever change your business.

#1 Become an Authority in Your Niche

Nowadays, the best way to increase your credibility is by educating your audience.

We trust companies that believe in their customers and don’t feel the need to trick them.

A content marketing strategy allows you to show the world how much of an expert you are and how much you care about your community.

One of the best examples we can give you is Hubspot, a marketing software company that is best known because of its articles, webinars, online courses, guides, and much more.

They have become an authority in their industry thanks to their compromise in educating people and sharing content, research, etc.

Of course, Hubspot is a huge business, but the same can happen to your small business in scale.

Content marketing opens a window of opportunity for your business to become a reliable source for potential customers.

#2 Search Engines Love Content

There are many search engines out there, but when we talk about them, we refer to Google, and in some cases, YouTube.

This is because these two are the most advanced and used search engines.

In fact, 40,000 searches are made from Google every second.

One of the best ways to attract new traffic to your website is by working on your SEO strategy and positioning your website on Google.

Google recognizes when a website is constantly uploading new and original content and rewards it.

When people find your business naturally, without the use of ads, that’s called organic search. This is great for all companies because it shows how effective your content marketing strategy is.

A recent study done by BrightEdge found out that 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search.

Even though content marketing can be done on social media, in-person, and many other platforms, your focus should always be your website, because that’s where conversions will be made.

#3 Content Marketing Empowers You

Imagine this: you are worried because your business is not producing any new sales. It’s very difficult for you to find a new client. None of your marketing efforts seem to get results.

You perceive your product or service as something unique, and relevant, that many people could need or want… and nonetheless, people won’t buy from you.

Perhaps, the problem is that your target doesn’t know that your product or service can solve their problems.

This will sound cliche, but knowledge is power.

That’s why, when executing a content marketing strategy, the biggest goal is to educate your audience.

Content marketing allows you to reach out differently, attract your potential customers and fully educate them about your industry, what you offer, the pros and cons, and let them realize that they need you.

This is not about convincing your potential buyers: it’s about giving them the necessary information and allowing them to make their own choice.

#4 More and Better Leads

Finding good-quality leads is an art.

With traditional advertising or automation, this can get difficult. Since these options rely on primary data, they usually deliver big numbers, but low-quality leads.

Lead generation and content processes go hand-by-hand, and both are co-dependent.

With a good content marketing strategy, the leads find your content and not the other way around.

This can take a longer time to produce results, but the leads will be much more likely to become customers and you will save more time in the long run.

This is because those leads will already be interested and somewhat educated on what you are selling. The interest will be genuine.

#5 It Is Not Intrusive

Content marketing falls into the inbound marketing category.

On the other hand of the spectrum, we find outbound marketing, which consists of reaching out to potential customers directly and, sometimes, abruptly. 

Sometimes, outbound marketing can be perceived as intrusive and is becoming less and less popular through the years.

According to HubSpot, less than 25% of marketing professionals find outbound strategies to provide valuable leads.

People just aren’t as attracted to traditional marketing anymore.

That’s why 42.7% of internet users worldwide use an ad blocker. Users rather investigate and feel like they found the content and not that the content found them, as we explained before.

Content marketing should never feel intrusive. Its goal is to welcome the user and let them navigate your platform to find the answers they’re seeking.

#6 It Makes It Easier For Your Sales Process

If you are working in a small business, chances are you are your own sales team. If that’s not the case, that team probably has many other responsibilities to attend to.

The fact is: in small business, time is one of the most precious resources.

When a client is uneducated about your product or service, your sales funnel will be longer.

If they are curious or it’s a high-investment purchase, you will have to answer many, many, many questions.

A way to save time in your sales process with content marketing is implementing a strategy called assignment selling, created by Marus Sheridan.

According to its creator’s website, “assignment selling is the process of intentionally using educational content you have created about your products and services to resolve the major concerns and answer the burning questions of prospects so they are much more prepared for a sales appointment”.

This content marketing benefit is linked to #3.

By solving your customer’s doubts beforehand, you can use that time to concrete the sale, get to know your client, and produce a more satisfying experience.

#7 Save Money on Your Marketing Strategy

Money-wise, a content strategy might have some initial cons.

For example, content takes some time to produce results and without the right tools, it can be hard to measure its exact ROI.

However, if you are looking to save money while improving your small business reputation and lead generation process, content strategy is the way to go.

The median salary for US-based content marketers is $82,738 (Content Marketing Institute).

A single great content marketer could make wonders for your small business.

A traditional advertising strategy would involve paid media, commercial production, campaign managers, and many other aspects to consider.

#8 Get Creative When Connecting to Your Audience

Usually, businesses start their journey into the content strategy world with written articles.

This is one of the best ways to position your company on Google, answer questions, and create brand awareness.

However, you can always think outside the box and find new ways to stand out from other small businesses that might be doing something similar to yours.

Content marketing also comes in the following formats:

• Videos.
• Infographics.
• In-person events.
• Online events.
• Podcasts.
• Lives on social media.
• Interviews.
• Documentaries.
• And much more!

Any Doubts About Why Content Marketing is Important for B2B?

Content marketing strategies will benefit small, medium, and large businesses.

Nonetheless, content marketing is one of the best opportunities for small businesses to get their brand out there, create awareness and stand out from the competition.

Besides, if you implement content marketing from early-own, it will only get easier, and all of your processes will be enhanced by it.