SEO Web Content Management and B2B Purchase Behavior Research

SEO Content Marketing and B2B Buyers

Though B2B SEO professionals surely understand the value in web content marketing initiatives, we sometimes fail to understand the level of content commitment required to demonstrate success.

In the Chief Marketing Officer Council’s recent study, titled “The Content Connection to Vendor Selection,” researchers uncovered six distinct personas that all consume different types of content and share that content with other levels within the company.

According to the report, these various buyers consume a spectrum of web content marketing assets in an effort to keep current on new technologies, glean insight and shape purchasing decisions, and (most importantly for B2B vendors) identify potential suppliers, partners and solution providers. Thus, B2B marketers should develop content across all of these personas for maximum exposure.

But, equally important was the fact that most buyers will seek neutral, third party, and fact-driven content when making purchase decisions. This means that vendor content also has to be distributed across third-party sites and social media platforms where buyers actively search and discuss needs. Search is still a critical first step in the vendor discovery process. According to the report, approximately 68 percent start their content sourcing at search engines and portals.

The importance of search was also validated in a recent report from Pardot, as discussed in a MarketingProfs column this past November. In that report, almost three quarters (72%) of buyers planning to purchase a business product begin their research with a Google search, specifically.

With all this in mind, how much content do B2B SEOs really need to demonstrate measurable success in their search engine optimization initiatives?

Web Content Marketing in Action

A Hat Trick Associates client – who we were producing roughly 5 news articles per week for – was faced with the task of generating added online exposure for a fast-moving promotional campaign over 60-day time period. The client needed us to demonstrate a significant, measurable improvement in website traffic very quickly, with a focus on SEO-generated organic traffic growth and improved social media presence.

Content Production: In addition to our regular publication schedule, this client added the following elements to their online marketing program:

• 12 blog posts specificly designed for social media, with an emphasis on viral marketing
• 2 infographics for homepage
• 2 YouTube educational videos
• 3 comprehensive feature articles of approximately 3,000 words, with a fairly extensive amount of research

The new schedule occurred concurrently with regular publishing calendar over that initial 2 month period. The content was heavily broadcast through the organization’s social media profiles (specifically Twitter and LinkedIn) and shared directly with a select PR list as well.

Impact/Results

Over a two-month period, the following SEO performance results were realized from this organization’s content marketing focused efforts.

• Organic search engine traffic grew by 31% from the 2 month period prior
• Third-party traffic grew by 67% in that same period
• Organic search traffic was the highest recorded in the site’s history for February
• Over 1,000 incoming links were added

So the result was a marked improvement in the metrics we were tracking, and the promotion was quite successful. We have experienced similar results for a great many of our clients regarding the production of high-quality website content, both in the short term similar to this campaign, and also in the long term. As your SEO program builds upon itself month after month, you will find that the metrics being tracked will begin to exponentially expand as you continue with your SEO program. I also like to describe your SEO efforts as a marathon – certainly not a sprint, or singular “event” – and that you can run as quickly as your resources will allow. For those spending fewer dollars per month, you will still eventually reach your destination of greatly increased traffic and sales conversions. You simply won’t break any speed records in doing so. Thus for those willing to commit greater financial resources, they will reach the finish line more quickly. And even here in that analogy, though a marathon is a very long process, it is still an “event”. So a marathon that keeps going is an even better description.

If you would like to learn more about how ongoing content writing and distribution can greatly increase your online revenues and profit, please give me a call at (314) 494-3494 or contact me via email at: jhaynes@hattrickassociates.com. As we cater to small and mid-sized businesses, we are also very cognizant of maximizing the ROI on your marketing dollars, and providing you with very good value in comparison to the increased sales conversions you receive. I hope to speak with you sometime soon.

Jim Haynes – Owner, Hat Trick Associates