Content has quickly become one of the most important aspects of digital marketing. When it comes to digital solutions that drive ROI, “content is king” – and the key to low-cost, organic search engine traffic.

B2B leaders, consider these content marketing facts:

• 88% of B2B marketers now use content marketing within their marketing mix;
• 61% of top B2B content marketers meet with the content team weekly or daily;
• Of the top five most effective B2B marketing tactics, four are types of content.

Content marketing is essential in lead generation. This is especially true for B2B enterprises facing longer sales cycles and more complex consensus sales involving many decision-makers.

Yet, even if your brand hasn't implemented a content strategy, it isn’t too late. Adopt fundamental best practices and you can develop a fast funnel from your Web content to first contact with new customers.

A Five-Step Guide to Effective B2B Content Marketing

Launching a content marketing strategy means harnessing insights about your customers to a creative vision for helpful, informative blogs, whitepapers, and videos. This digital collateral establishes your expertise and builds rapport with prospects by giving them online solutions to business problems.

Here’s how to get started:

1) Identify Your Ideal Customer

Online marketing starts with your ideal customer – the type of buyer who provides most of your sales. Who are they? Where do they live? Where do they work, and what is their role? It’s vital to have clear, detailed buyer personas, because good content directly addresses the questions prospects go online to answer. Most B2B purchases start with a generic search – future customers are looking for digital solutions, not sales pitches

2) Develop an Editorial Calendar

Once you know who you’re writing for and what questions keep them awake at night, it’s time to start developing content. Good content marketing is consistent: The team should aim to produce a certain number of blogs or other pieces each week. An editorial calendar should also take into account new product releases and industry events worthy of mention.

3) Constantly Repurpose Old Content

The standard 600-800 word blog post is the “workhorse” of content marketing, but it’s not the only tool. Every piece of content should live multiple lives in your marketing lifecycle. Once you develop a collection of blogs on a topic, you can refine them into a longer whitepaper – complete with a video to guide prospects to it. Blogs can also become presentations, case studies, audio, and more.

4) Amplify Your Voice on Social Media

Every time you release a new piece of content, you have an opportunity to re-introduce prospects to your online solutions. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and emerging social platforms all have value to add to your strategy. Of these, LinkedIn is crucial: Research shows it’s the most effective for B2B lead generation. LinkedIn’s robust publishing platform and collection of industry-specific Groups help you showcase your brand's expertise through content.

5) Build Your Funnel Into Your Content

If you’re giving away content, where does lead generation come in? Content marketing is a trail of breadcrumbs that leads qualified B2B buyers to your sales team. Blog posts and videos should always be free, shared widely across relevant, trusted channels. They lead to more sophisticated content, like whitepapers and webinars, which should require the prospect to provide an email address. Finally, this leads to solution-specific content – case studies – exchanged for a telephone number or more detailed information from the prospect.

Content is indispensable to B2B lead generation and sales growth. By adopting streamlined, repeatable processes for customer-centered content development, you can drive ROI fast.