Content strategy & audits for B2B businesses
Does your content need a light remix or a full refurbishment?
An audit shows where you’re at; strategy sets the path forward
Content strategy ensures every asset you create serves a clear business objective and meets audience needs. Your audit tells you if your existing content aligns with current messaging.
The audit: what you've already got
I’ll take a full inventory of your existing content, including website pages, blog posts, case studies, sales materials, etc., and assess what aligns with your current messaging and where the gaps are. This shows us what to keep, refresh, or retire.
The strategy: what comes next
B2B content strategy covers a few things: defining goals for your content; mapping assets to each stage of the buyer's journey; and setting a realistic plan for what gets created and on which channels.
A five-step process for effective B2B content strategy
LinkedIn is the ideal platform for B2B businesses. It offers incredible reach and targeting, and a range of ad formats that can help you achieve different objectives over the customer journey.
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What does the content need to achieve: leads, brand awareness, sales support, SEO visibility, or some mix?
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Define who the content is for. What does each buyer persona need to know at different points in their decision journey?
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By taking stock of what already exists, your content strategy builds on what's working rather than starting from zero.
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Match content types and topics to each stage of the buyer journey: videos and ads for top-of-funnel awareness; blogs and case studies for mid-funnel consideration; and webinars and sales toolkit for bottom-of-funnel conversions..
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Set a realistic cadence for what gets created, how often, by whom, and on which channels.
An experienced writer to guide your B2B campaign
Hi, I’m Alastair. I can help you with your B2B marketing challenges. Why do I say that? I’ve worked in marketing and advertising since university, and I started professional copywriting at McCann London in 2013. Since then I’ve worked agency-side and client-side, at global corporations and at SMEs, in B2C and B2B.
As a copywriter I learned what makes good content; as a department leader I learned how content works across the stages of a campaign: messaging houses, value propositions, and content strategies in the planning; sales toolkits, long-form and video content, and social campaigns for the execution. A little more about me …
Writing since ‘89; copywriting since ‘13; B2B since ‘19. Here’s some work:
AutoStore research report
Salesforce AI blog series
HP SitePrint messaging
LR One Ocean website
The Guardian brand guidelines
Amazon Business social posts
EY decarbonization guide
HP product brochures
A suite of B2B messaging services …
With many years’ experience behind me, I offer a range of services to help you deliver engaging and efficient B2B marketing campaigns.
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I’ve been a copywriter for over a decade, with seven years in B2B, and three of those leading a global team of writers. Which means I can help guide your content throughout a campaign, from planning and strategy to execution and delivery.
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Your messaging strategy keeps your brand communications consistent across content and across channels, and gives your whole team a single source of truth they can use for all marketing assets.
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How does your business present itself to the world? Which words, phrases, and acronyms does it use? What would it say in any given situation? Is it English or American? A Tone of Voice guide gives you the answers.
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There’s a time and a place for flashy metaphors and clever puns. And, usually, that’s not website copy. I can help you optimise your site for action with copy based on UX design best practices.
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Often the most interesting insights are locked inside expert heads. A well-planned conversation to tease them out is a solid foundation for a series of thought leadership articles.
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Ad headlines and email subject lines draw attention; the B2B white papers, annual reports, and research studies give substance.
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While emotion is very important in B2B buying, buying committees aren’t impulsive. They need to see evidence in order to purchase, and case studies are the tool for this.
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ABM assets for each stage of your campaign: Account-specific value propositions and sales toolkits for the planning; Creative ideation, white papers, infographics, and web copy for the campaign creation; Emails, lead gen ads, social posts, and thought leadership blogs for ongoing campaign delivery.
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LinkedIn’s scale and targeting tools make it an obvious place (but not the only place) to run a B2B campaign. I can help you plan and write your campaign according to LinkedIn best practices.
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Your B2B brand has published a lot of content over the years, but does it align with your messaging today? A content audit will show you what you need to remove, update, or renew.
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B2B sales toolkits are often created by marketing teams but they are not marketing assets: your Sales team needs concise, scannable, and direct messaging that makes life easier.
