This blog was provided by Online Marketing Gurus

B2B Content Marketing Insights To Guide Your 2022 Strategy
By Safwan Chowdhury

2021 was a year no one expected to endure. As marketers, conventional methods of reaching our target demographics have definitely shifted as a result of the pandemic. Standing out as a B2B marketer requires industry knowledge and awareness of growing trends as everything is changing at warp speed.

So what are the key takeaways from the past year in B2B content marketing, and how can you apply them to your business? In this cheat sheet, we round up the biggest B2B content marketing insights you need to know in 2022.

You’ll discover:
- The impact of the pandemic on B2B marketers and how they’ve adapted
- The best strategy for a B2B blog
- The best method for distributing B2B content

1. 94% of B2B content marketers changed their strategy because of the pandemic
According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), almost all B2B marketers made some sort of change to their content strategy as a result of the pandemic. 83% said they made quick changes, and 4 in 5 said they felt the changes were effective.

What exactly was changed? Long story short - a lot, but here are the top three:
• 70% changed their targeting and messaging strategy
• 64% adjusted their editorial calendar
• 53% shifted their distribution and promotion strategy

Key Takeaway
Big changes affect your customers more than you realize, both in the short and long term and as such, our priorities must shift to meet the new challenges faced. Even when everything is going smoothly, it’s a good idea to regularly revisit your content strategy and calendar to ensure everything is still useful for your audience. Timely and relevant content is a fundamental part of any content marketing strategy — and the definition of ‘relevant’ changes depending on the macro shifts in the world.

2. Nearly 72% of all B2B companies have a blog
For most businesses, blogs are their main content marketing hub, a medium to reach and connect to customers (not to mention a massive source of organic traffic). To add to that, B2B decision-makers typically read 13 pieces of content before making a decision - and the majority is read directly on a business’ website.

A company blog is a powerful tool to provide valuable information to your audience as they move through the sales funnel from awareness to consideration and conversion. Even if your content marketing takes place off-site on LinkedIn or Medium, blogging is still useful as it’ll bring users back to your site where they can learn more about your company and offerings.

Therefore, if you’re one of the B2B companies that don’t currently have a blog, you’re already starting 2022 on the back foot.
Educational blogs receive 52% more organic traffic than company-focused blogs
There are four different types of content types that companies share on their blogs:

- Company news and updates
- Educational content that’s designed to provide value to the reader or help solve a problem
- A mixture of news and educational content
- Industry-related news and developments

While it’s easy for B2B blogs to quickly transform into a place to house the latest company news and press coverage, these don’t necessarily make for the best user experience - and they're definitely not the main reasons why customers convert.

Guru tip: Focus on creating valuable new content that helps your potential customers solve a problem, or thought leadership pieces that build trust and position your company as a frontrunner in the industry.

4. 89% of all B2B marketers distribute content via social media, and 83% invest in paid social media advertising
Aside from making content, we need to highlight the best channels for distribution. It’s all well and good making quality content but if customers are unable to read it, what's the point?

A study conducted by CMI revealed that:

Organic Content Distribution

- 89% of B2B marketers use social media platforms
- 96% of respondents using LinkedIn, followed by 82% saying Twitter and Facebook
- 87% of B2B marketers use email
- 86% of B2B marketers use their website/blog

Paid Content Distribution

- 83% use social media advertising and promoted posts (compared to 60% this time last year)
- 65% use SEM or PPC (compared to 51% this time last year)

Key takeaway
Where you distribute your content is equally as important as the content you develop. From these numbers, it’s clear that LinkedIn is still the king when it comes to B2B marketing and a must-have for every organization. However, it’s also important to continue investing in paid media to maximize the reach of your content amongst your target audience, both in terms of prospecting and retargeting

The final word
As we kick off 2022, it’s important to take a step back, regroup, take a look at what your competitors are doing, think about your audience, and adjust your strategy accordingly.

No matter how you look at it, the basics are still the same. Developing useful and relevant new content is one of THE most important advantages you have when it comes to B2B marketing. If you create B2B content that’s valuable, optimized for SEO and distributed effectively amongst your audience, you’ll skyrocket your leads and revenue.

About the author: Safwan Chowdhury

Safwan is the VP of Sales at Online Marketing Gurus. He loves talking about all things digital marketing and has built over 1,200+ strategies, including 300+ enterprise strategies that number many household brands. Over the years, he’s lived in over 10 countries and even lived one year on a ship.