5 best B2B content marketing examples

There’s never a bad time to refresh your marketing strategy, but coming up with new content ideas isn’t always easy.

Done right, content marketing can form a highly effective part of your overall marketing strategy, and one of the best ways of finding inspiration is to take a look at content that marketers around you are making. That’s why we’ve pulled together five of the best B2B content marketing examples, and highlighted what makes them work! Let’s take a look at them:

1. Semrush on Twitter

The B2B content marketing example in a nutshell:

Masters in the field of keyword research, online ranking data, and even content marketing, it’s hardly surprising that Semrush features on this list. The company’s Twitter account is a fine example of successful social media content marketing. Accompanied by the occasional meme and joke, Semrush’s Twitter account posts helpful infographics all about online marketing multiple times a day.

What we like about this example:

Semrush embodies content marketing best practice with its Twitter presence. Understanding its audience, their pain points and knowledge gaps, and speaking to them frequently with regular posts, keeps its audience coming back for more. The frequent use of easily understandable infographics help audiences digest information quickly, with copy and visuals that subtly alert followers to problems that Semrush solves.

Semrush has done a great job of establishing itself as an industry authority by truly understanding its audience and delivering helpful information in an appealing format.

Content marketing takeaway: The best B2B content marketing is visual

We don’t have the stats to back up the phrase ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’, but we can tell you that written information paired with relevant imagery (like carefully chosen infographics) is:

– 5x more memorable
– 50% more persuasive
– 35% easier to understand

So, when choosing a platform to launch your next content marketing campaign, choose one that has the right amount of visual focus to help your content make a real splash.

2. Google: Think with Google

The B2B content marketing example in a nutshell:

Just one instalment in a series of thought leadership publications from Google. The resources at Think with Google have packaged Google’s data and insights into newsworthy content for marketers, and created immense value for its intended audience.

In this B2B report, Google asked over 10,000 people in the UK how their identity impacts the content they watch. Google uses visual data tables and relatable quotes from participants throughout, while the engaging word cloud above humanizes the reader’s experience.

What we like about this example:

This report works because its format is empathetic to content consumers and caters to a wide B2B  audience. The summary contains enough information to satisfy a busy reader, while those with more time can explore the hyperlinks or download the entire report.

Content marketing takeaway: Long-form still has a place in B2B

Digital magazines and eBooks are the go-to mediums for long-form content and provide an unrivalled medium for communicating complex information. Format is an important feature of these pieces of content, and it’s advisable to choose a content platform that doesn’t overwhelm your audience, but instead presents content in a more engaging and interactive way.

3. Smartsheet: Global Workforce Survey 2020

The B2B content marketing example in a nutshell:

Smartsheet commissioned a global survey in the early stages of the pandemic when remote working was not yet an established norm. They found that young people in particular were struggling with the new working arrangements. 81% of Gen-Z and Millennials in the US, UK, and Australia felt less connected, and 70% felt less informed during the pandemic.

What we like about this example:

Smartsheet reacted to a real-world event that they knew was impacting their customers and audience, and jumped at the opportunity to publish an authoritative report on the quantitative effects on them. They tied numbers and data into their B2B marketing content nicely, knowing that statistics like this add authority to their content.

Content marketing takeaway: Back up your content with the data 

There’s more than one way to present your hard-researched data. Smartsheet released the data that they collected via media outlets and on their website to prove value, amplify messaging and build authority.

Choosing a content platform that gives detailed insights into your audiences’ interaction with your B2B content is another effective way to present research. Access to this analytics data allows you to iterate your content, building on what you know performs best to make your B2B content marketing as effective as possible.

4. Cognizant: After the virus: A special report looking back on the next five years

The B2B content marketing example in a nutshell:

Jumping back once more to the mid-pandemic marketing landscape, here’s a great B2B example showing how content marketing can capitalize on timely events. Cognizant, delivered an interactive report imagining the world five years into the future, looking back at the predicted impact of the virus. It covers everything from remote working to climate change and smart surveillance in a new age of digital privacy.

What we like about this example:

While content predicting the impact of the pandemic became incredibly overdone incredibly quickly, this guide was one of the first reports out the door – and because of that, it saw huge engagement. The guide was created using the Turtl Creation Studio, which helped the Cognizant team create high-performing content faster than their competition. In the uncertainty of the early pandemic, Cognizant’s report captured the attention and soothed the concerns of thousands of readers.

Content marketing takeaway: Don’t choose between speed and quality

The world of B2B content marketing is all about moving fast. Being the first to get a piece of content marketing collateral out on a hot-button topic means minimal competition for your target audience. From there you stand the best chance of getting this audience into your marketing funnel. This makes choosing software with easy content creation functionality a must for successful B2B content marketers.

5. Marketing Charts: Digital newsletters

The B2B content marketing example in a nutshell:

Marketing Charts, basically do exactly what you’d expect it to. The company produces high-quality graphs that track global marketing trends. Through intelligent use of a content-heavy newsletter campaign, they have successfully carved out their niche as a part-database, part-publication resource.

What we like about this example:

Well-executed newsletters nail the frequency aspect of a good B2B content marketing campaign better than most other content mediums. Marketing Charts publish their charts according to current affairs – so expect a Super Bowl halftime show chart around February. Finding this balance between reactive and informative marketing content shows some very careful planning.

Content marketing takeaway: capitalize on your contacts

All the best examples of B2B content marketing share a common feature. They target audience segments hovering around the customer journey start line (which is about the time they become an engaged lead). Newsletter sign-ups are the cream of the crop when it comes to ready-to-convert leads as they’re self-identified. Content marketing is a great way to give this segment a boost down the funnel.

The best thing you can do as a B2B content marketer is to make your digital newsletters as engaging, shareable, and trackable as possible.

The Turtl Takeaway: Experiment with your content

As a rule, getting your content consumed by your audience, means you need to:

• Make your B2B marketing content visually appealing
• Maximize the effectiveness of long-form content
• Inform your content marketing strategy with data
• Target the right segments of your audience
• Prioritize speed and quality

But, we always advocate getting creative with your content marketing and trying new things. Some experiments may not work, but others may be the next big thing in B2B content marketing.  If you need a hand, read our free guide on developing a B2B content marketing strategy.

Our key takeaway is this: in order to establish what’s working best, you need to analyze your content’s performance. Data provides unambiguous insights that allow you to pivot your content strategy towards the preferences of your audience. And if you’re creating the best content for your readers, listeners and viewers, you’re going in the right direction.

Try implementing your favorite features from these examples and analyze their performance to find out if they are working. Discover how best to carry out this crucial aspect of content marketing in our guide: How to measure content performance, now ⤵