The 5 Commandments of Using Your Blog for B2B Lead Generation

Posted by JasonB on December 21, 2009

1) Make Sure Your Content is Clear and Concise
Posting basic facts about your company wont grab the attention of decision makers in the buying cycle, you need to have an angle.
-Post Helpful Content
When people are in the search phase of the buying cycle, they will search online for a company that fits their needs for a B2B partnership. In order catch and reel other companies in, the information on your blog needs to be useful, relevant, and helpful.

-Be Original
Nobody likes a “copycat.” Compile and post unique information relevant to your company. This will, in turn, differentiate your company from others and will ensure optimal B2B lead generation.

2) Make Sure Your Posts Are Consistent
Consistency is key to attracting subscribers. They will sign up to receive future posts if they’ve seen consistently good content.
Constant posting will result in improved search engine ranks. Companies pay thousands to search engine optimization forms to increase their ranks. However, much of the same ranking improvements can be realized by posting regularly. Search engines like new, fresh, relevant content and reward sites by moving them toward the top.
3) Utilize Your Social Media Outlets to Share Your Post:
Blogs can be fed to sites like Facebook and Twitter, and shared at sites such as Digg, Delicious, and Reddit. Feeding your blog to multiple outlets will leave opportunities for increased B2B lead generation and social networking.
-Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket [Or Your Company's Website]
When companies are in the buying cycle, they’re not going to go directly to company websites. Often times, companies will research online through blogs and forums for advice from their peers on which company will fit their needs the best.

4) Pinpoint Your Market by Listening to What Potential Clients Need
Be sure to decipher where your target markets are in order to feed your blog to the correct social media outlet. For successful B2B lead generation, you must reach them through the correct outlet. Some of your readers may utilize LinkedIn more than Twitter, and some may use forums rather than Facebook.
-Know Your Competition
It is important to give yourself some time to read other company’s blogs. This will give you an idea of what tactics are and are not working, and will help to make you one step ahead of the competition.
5) Make Sure All Eyes Are on Your Company: Utilize Your Keywords
Keywords help “categorize” your content and ensure people looking for such topics find your message. Every outbound piece of content from your organization should contain the words and phrases most likely to attract a decision maker. These words will be what decision makers’ type into social sites to search for information, and what search engines will look for amongst the millions of websites and blogs. If your chosen words match those that decision makers use to find solutions, then you’re headed in the right direction.