Content marketing is as important for B2B companies as B2C ones, if not more so. B2B buyers are much more rigorous in their decision-making than the typical consumer. They want to be certain that what they’re buying will do the job and give them maximum return on their investment. This is particularly true for the technology sector where goods and services are by their nature complex.

Despite this, we’re often surprised by how B2B technology companies struggle with content marketing. Content is produced without a clear understanding of where it fits in the bigger picture. It is also often uninspired, uninteresting and unlikely to persuade anyone of anything.

To set you on the right path, we’ve created this practical guide to help you maximize the return from your firm’s investment in content. It is based on our experience helping big names like Zoopla, Slack and Auto Trader and as journalists – we worked at the BBC, Channel 4 and the Guardian.

We find most companies prefer to produce written content in-house and video out-of-house, so it focuses on how to develop and implement a content strategy and commission key video formats.

We hope you find the guide helpful.

Foundations for an effective content strategy

Identify your objectives • Understand your target audience • Find the sweet spot • Measure, review, revise

Learning from the newsroom

Editorial mandate • Know the top line • Process and planning • Commission in and out-of-house

Lessons from Zoopla

Explanation backed up with facts is at the heart of Zoopla’s B2B marketing

How to produce effective animation

Go from development to post-production to explain your goods and services with charm and humour

What Slack does well

Staying with customers after purchase, marketing as a part of customer experience

How to commission a case study

Cast carefully • Be specific • Think pictures • Get the most out of interviews

Sharing your expertise

Think about discovery • Identify your expertise • Be consistent and agile • Format and reformat