Types of B2B Marketing

Here are a few of the most common B2B marketing types and channels:

Blogs: A mainstay for almost any content team. Regularly updated blogs provide organic visibility and
drive inbound traffic to your site. Your blog can house any number of different content formats: written
copy, infographics, videos, case studies, and more.

Search: SEO best practices change as often as Google’s algorithm (a lot), making this a tricky space to
operate in, but any B2B marketing strategy needs to account for it. Lately the focus has been shifting
away from keywords and metadata, and more toward searcher intent signals.

Social Media: Both organic and paid should be in the mix. Social networks allow you to reach and
engage prospects where they’re active. B2B buyers increasingly use these channels to research potential
vendors for purchase decisions.

Whitepapers/eBooks: Standalone assets containing valuable information, these downloadable

documents can either be gated (meaning a user must provide contact information or perform another
action to access) or ungated. Often used as a B2B lead generation tool.

Email: While its effectiveness is waning somewhat in the age of spam filters and inbox shock, email
won’t disappear anytime soon. To work around overloaded inboxes, some sales and marketing
professionals use LinkedIn InMail for lead generation .

Videos: This content type can be applied in several of the previous categories mentioned here (blogs,
social media, emails) but is worth singling out because it is growing so important to B2B strategies.

Webinars
There’s nothing that beats that live experience when it comes to generating leads, and more
importantly, qualifying leads. Webinars are likely the most scalable type of content that delivers this
live experience. When done right, webinars can be both compelling in demonstrating thought leadership
and the viability of your product or service.

That’s not to say they’re cheap or easy. A good webinar takes forethought and planning, execution, and
regular iteration on subject matter and delivery. But they’re also one of the most powerful content
types out there for B2B.

Blogs
There’s been a lot of talk about blogs dying off. If usage is dropping off in your industry, thank your lucky
stars. Because blogs remain one the most effective and fastest ways to get your message out and build
an audience. There are a number of reasons why blogs fail. But if you account for these, a blog can
become your best friend.

Email
No surprise here. Marketers, from both the B2B and B2C sides of the house, regularly report positive
value from their email marketing efforts.

But it’s not just the delivery mechanism that makes email so highly regarded in the overall marketing
content mix. It’s the role it plays in lead nurturing. Modern marketing can’t just batch and blast
anymore—not in a complex sales cycle. You need to earn and hold the attention of buyers, and that
means crafting lots of emails that speak to their particular pain points, needs, and solutions.

White Papers
You’re not trying to sell sticks of gum. (Unless, of course, you’re trying to sell warehouses full of sticks of
gum.) Chances are your product or service involves some level of complexity. And then the problems
your industry faces are even more confusing to buyers.

White papers break down this complexity into digestible chunks. This is often the point where you help
the buyer put their finger straight onto the issue they can’t quite elucidate. And the more you can attach
valuable research and data points, the better. eBooks might be the sexier cousin, but in B2B the white
paper is still essential. (By the way, if you want a free white paper template, you can get one here.)

Infographics
Think of the infographic as the companion piece of the white paper. Only you’re taking all those insights
and breaking them up into digestible, entertaining chunks.

Any top salesperson in B2B will tell you to lead conversations with an insight. Infographics are a
compelling way to deliver these insights. While the market has become saturated with infographics, the
right amount of creativity and actual data can still break through the clutter.

Case Studies
Here’s where I take the most liberty with a “content type.” A case study can come in the form of a blog,
a video, a PDF…whatever. The important thing is that a customer is advocating, clearly and compellingly,
on behalf of your product or service. In too many organizations, case studies are created in an entirely
separate process from all that top of funnel content.
Really, testimonials and thought leadership should work in tandem, aligned to a common process and
set of themes. That creates a seamless, designed path for buyers to follow. So make sure your case
studies are built into your content plan.