In today’s B2B landscape, content plays a pivotal role in fueling demand generation efforts. It's not just about creating content for content’s sake but developing meaningful resources that engage, educate, and convert prospects. Effective content should speak directly to the challenges and needs of the target audience and be strategically distributed to ensure it reaches the right people at the right time. This article will explore how to approach content creation and distribution to maximize its impact in demand generation.
1. Understanding the Purpose of Content in Demand Generation
At its core, demand generation aims to create interest in a product or service by addressing the needs and challenges of potential customers. Content is the bridge that connects a company’s solutions to those needs. As Chris Walker suggests, content allows prospects to “self-educate around the problem, the product, or the service,” creating an environment where potential buyers come to you already primed to make a decision.
This educational approach has become even more critical as B2B buyers increasingly rely on digital channels to research products and services. Rather than waiting for a sales representative, buyers turn to content to learn, compare, and evaluate their options. This shift means that content must be both informative and aligned with the buyer’s journey—providing value at each stage, from awareness to consideration and finally decision-making.
2. Effective Content Creation: More Than Just a Checklist
One of the most common mistakes companies make is creating content for themselves rather than their audience. Companies often produce materials that may generate clicks or downloads but fail to resonate with the real issues their customers face. As Walker notes, “where companies miss is that they create content for what’s going to get the most clicks or downloads rather than what’s going to help their customer learn and engage.”
To avoid this pitfall, businesses must involve their customers in the content creation process. One effective method Walker recommends is hosting live events where target customers participate and provide feedback. This process not only ensures that the content addresses real customer concerns but also creates a feedback loop that helps fine-tune future content. By understanding what resonates with the audience, businesses can build a more targeted content strategy.
Additionally, the person leading these events should have relevant expertise. Whether through experience in the customer’s industry or by engaging experts, the content will hold greater credibility and value for the audience. When you involve your target customers in the content creation process, you ensure that the information is both valuable and practical.
3. The Power of Repurposing Content
When done well, content creation is an investment that can be leveraged across multiple channels. Chris Walker emphasizes that businesses often overlook the potential in repurposing their existing content, especially in areas like product marketing or buyer enablement. “There’s so much gold in product marketing, sales enablement, buyer enablement type content that could quickly be repackaged and distributed in modern contemporary channels,” says Walker.
For example, a customer testimonial video could be repurposed into a blog post, short-form video for social media, or even as part of a larger case study. This approach extends the life and reach of content, ensuring it works harder and generates more value across various platforms.
A strategic content repurposing plan also helps businesses maintain a consistent flow of content without constantly starting from scratch. By converting long-form content into shorter, digestible pieces, you can engage audiences on multiple fronts—whether through blog posts, podcasts, or social media snippets. This also allows for content personalization, tailoring messages to specific audience segments.
4. Developing a Strong Content Distribution Strategy
Creating great content is only half the battle. To maximize its impact, you need a well-thought-out distribution strategy that ensures the right people see it. Content distribution can be divided into two key categories: organic and paid.
Organic Distribution
Organic distribution involves leveraging free channels like your company’s blog, social media platforms, and email newsletters. However, it’s important to remember that “organic is hard,” as Walker points out. It requires consistent effort, a deep understanding of your audience, and the ability to engage in real-time conversations. Organic reach allows you to test content performance before committing resources to paid distribution, giving you valuable insights into what resonates with your audience.
One method of organic distribution that is gaining traction is live events. A weekly event that provides free, valuable content to your target customers can be a powerful tool. You can convert these events into podcasts, LinkedIn content, and even YouTube videos, maximizing their value. “A weekly event for your target customer offers the best free consulting and creates a feedback loop that helps guide future content,” says Walker.
Paid Distribution
Paid distribution, on the other hand, allows you to target specific audience segments with greater precision. Paid channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, and even Connected TV offer highly customizable advertising options that can place your content directly in front of decision-makers.
Walker suggests that companies “need to move beyond lead generation-focused campaigns” and instead prioritize educating their audience about the product and its benefits. This shift in focus increases the likelihood of building long-term relationships rather than generating one-off leads. With the right content and targeting, paid campaigns can amplify the reach and impact of your content, ensuring it reaches the key accounts that matter most.
5. Measuring Content Performance
While traditional B2B metrics may focus on lead generation, it’s essential to evaluate content performance based on its ability to influence buying decisions. Metrics such as sales velocity, total pipeline creation, and customer acquisition cost (CAC) payback periods offer a clearer picture of how well content is driving demand.
According to Walker, many companies rely on metrics like demo requests, which, while useful, do not tell the whole story. Instead, it’s important to track how content impacts broader business outcomes, such as accelerating deal cycles or increasing the average deal size.
Moreover, businesses should incorporate a self-reported attribution mechanism in their conversion forms to better understand how customers found them. This simple but powerful addition helps capture insights into the most effective content channels and distribution methods.
6. The Importance of Agility in Content Marketing
Finally, it’s crucial to remember that content marketing is not a one-size-fits-all solution. As Walker highlights, understanding customer behavior and adapting your strategy in real-time is vital for success. The most effective content strategies are those that remain agile—capable of evolving based on feedback, market trends, and new insights.
Walker’s approach of treating content like a “news cycle” is particularly relevant here. By viewing content creation and distribution as a dynamic, ongoing process, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant to their audience.
Conclusion
In demand generation, content is a critical asset that can drive significant business growth when used strategically. By focusing on the customer, repurposing content across multiple channels, and deploying both organic and paid distribution methods, companies can maximize the impact of their content and generate meaningful demand. Whether you're a small startup or a mature organization, the key to successful demand generation lies in creating valuable content and ensuring it reaches the right audience at the right time.
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