It's no secret that content marketing can be a powerful tool to help businesses reach their target audience and generate more business. This is especially true in the B2B space.
B2B companies usually have a more complex sales process, so they are uniquely positioned to benefit from content to streamline and bolster sales conversations. Plus, B2B markets are typically saturated with competition, requiring businesses to find ways to differentiate themselves. On top of that, people are doing more self-education than ever before, meaning B2B companies that aren't investing in content marketing are missing out on reaching leads before they've even gotten in touch with a salesperson.
The past few years have transformed all industries, illuminating even more opportunities for B2B companies to use content to reach their content marketing goals and objectives. Here are six industries we think are especially positioned to reap the benefits of content marketing in 2023:
1. Professional Services
When compared to other industries, professional services has a lower barrier to entry. There tends to be less government red tape, lower startup costs, and fewer challenges around hiring team members, to name a few things. The downside? This lower barrier to entry can result in a lot of competition. So how can professional services companies cut through the noise and stand out as industry experts? A comprehensive content marketing strategy.
An effective content strategy should be multifaceted, including earned media to gain third-party credibility, on-site blog content that can be linked to from earned media and that can build SEO visibility, gated content that can help companies generate leads, and more.
2. Real Estate
Real estate, both commercial and residential, saw some changes as a result of the pandemic. For example, multifamily properties are in high demand, with rent back at record levels. On the other hand, the retail property space has seen store closings and vacancies on the rise (except for grocery and home improvement stores). And the office sector is seeing more vacancies as a result of the prevalence of remote work during the pandemic.
In the wake of so much change and uncertainty, we see a big opportunity for those in the real estate industry to step up their education to help businesses and individuals navigate this changing landscape and make the best, most impactful decision for them.
3. Digital Transformation
Over the past year, buyers have continued to accelerate their use of digital platforms to engage with companies. “Customer experience is the number one driver of growth in 2021 and beyond,” says Yamini Rangoon, chief customer officer at HubSpot. “This has been happening for a while, but 2020 really accelerated trends in digital transformation and buyer-seller relationships, and there is no going back.”
This has put a focus on businesses that support companies throughout their digital transformation, including platforms, custom software development, and onboarding specialists. To capitalize on this trend, those in the digital transformation space can use content marketing to share content illustrating why digital transformation is imperative, what companies could benefit from it, and how they can get started.
4. Cybersecurity
More people are working remotely than ever before. This influx of telework has put cybersecurity front and center. With more people working remotely, there is a lot more that needs to be considered to keep employees and company data safe — especially for big corporations.
Companies in the cybersecurity space have an opportunity to not only educate on the nuances of cybersecurity, but also provide businesses with resources on how to successfully write policies that ensure employees can work from home safely.
5. Manufacturing
You might not expect to see historic supply chain and labor shortages coupled with positive economic indicators, but that's exactly what the manufacturing space is seeing. According to Deloitte, "As industrial production and capacity utilization surpassed pre-pandemic levels midyear, strong increases in new orders for all major subsectors signal growth continuing in 2022."
Despite this optimism, supply chain instability and workforce shortages are reducing operational efficiency. These challenges present a lot of unknowns for the coming year in terms of how the industry will evolve.
With so much uncertainty, there is an opportunity for manufacturing companies to lead the way as thought leaders that are helping their current and potential customers understand the challenges and providing content to help them navigate these unprecedented times.
6. Industries That Rely on Events
While in-person events are certainly back, hybrid and all-virtual events are still a big part of the new normal.
Industries that tend to utilize events and trade shows the most include construction, manufacturing, entertainment, interior design, transportation, hospitality, healthcare, energy, and food. As these industries continue to refine their marketing approaches as our world continues to evolve, they should consider supplementing their events strategy with content marketing. Doing so would allow them to reach their audience online through helpful, engaging content — and this content can also complement any events that these companies do end up putting on this year.
Learn more about how you can use content marketing to generate more business by downloading your free ultimate guide to content marketing below!
