More Effective B2B Content Marketing Thanks to an Editorial Plan

Content marketing is the most effective way of addressing target groups in the B2B sector. However, if you want to be successful, you need a strategy and an editorial plan.

With informative content, you bring your company to the attention of existing and potential new customers. But good content requires consistency. This is exactly where many B2B companies fail. Because:

• how do you manage to keep all company-relevant channels filled with interesting articles in addition to your day-to-day business?

• How do you keep track of the topics already published and how do you constantly find new ones?

The answer is as simple as it is complex: with an editorial plan for content marketing. Coordinated with the content marketing strategy, such a content plan is an organizational genius, time manager and idea provider at the same time.

Editorial Plan: A Powerful Marketing Tool

Content marketing is particularly important in the B2B sector. Companies expect a different approach than the end consumer. They need detailed information and want to be continuously advised and supported on their long customer journeys.

Content marketing focuses on continuity and gets users to visit the company's website and communication channels again and again with informative posts, useful tips and promotions.

A successful content marketing strategy contributes decisively to the success of your B2B company.

However, your content marketing will only bear fruit if the posts, blogs, videos, social posts and podcasts are published on the right channel at the right time. The editorial plan helps you with exactly this not so easy task. Because only with a clear plan, you can keep track and sustainably expand and optimize the management of your various touchpoints and content formats.

The Editorial Plan: Plan Instead of Bogging Down

Yet very few companies have clearly defined work processes for their content marketing, not to mention an editorial plan. Articles are produced and published just when an idea for a topic arises and an employee has time for it. In doing so, they forget that a reader wants one thing above all: continuity and relevance.

A reader expects relevant and informative articles and on a regular basis.

So get to work and define in your editorial plan who has to work on and deliver which article, when and on which page it will be published. Creating an editorial plan means providing structure. It organizes processes, sets time frames and distributes tasks. With the right content plan, you will no longer miss opportunities and become much more efficient.

At the Beginning Is the Strategy

Before you create an editorial plan, you need to determine what the goal of your publications is and which target audience is being addressed. Ultimately, the goal of any publication is to promote your company to the companies you already work with or those you would like to reach with your offer in the future.

The content and communication channels must be selected accordingly. In addition to trade journals and articles in magazines and newspapers, digital options are becoming increasingly important. For example, information can be provided via:

• Company homepage

• Company blog

• Expert articles and white papers

• Explanatory videosE-mail and newsletters

• social media

Pay Attention to Your Buyer Persona

The focus here is on the question of which media the decision-makers of successful B2B companies prefer. Where exactly do they look for the information they need on a particular topic? The answer flows into the content marketing strategy . The more precisely you know your target group and their needs, the more impact your strategy will have.

The central point of contact for digital communication is and remains the company website. From here, the individual content activities are promoted via email or newsletter and linked to social media. Timing also plays a crucial role here. For example, a technical article in the run-up to a trade fair can ensure more reach, while it tends to find fewer readers during the holiday season.

What Belongs in an Editorial Plan?

The editorial plan combines target group, strategy, medium and schedule in a detailed overview. It's up to you to decide how exactly you want to work it out. However, some points should definitely be included.

• Topic of the publication, possibly working title

• Type of contribution (article, blog, whitepaper, etc.)

• Date of publication

• Author or editor

• Deadline for submission of the finished article

• Medium (website, blog, social media, etc.)

• Editing status

• Call-to-action request

Further entries such as the specification of the person responsible for the final release for publication or the more precise definition of the target group that is to be reached by a particular article are useful. Keywords that have been researched on the basis of a Google analysis are also useful. They play a decisive role in the search engine ranking.

Templates from the Internet

You can determine the time period for which you want to create your editorial plan yourself. However, in view of deadlines and planned advertising campaigns, a longer time span makes sense. There are many templates of editorial plans on the Internet that can be downloaded for free. In the beginning, however, a simple Excel spreadsheet can also serve you well. It is only important that the content plan can be adapted to current circumstances and trends at any time.

Replenishment is Provided

An overview of all the important dates for your company also provides you with enough material for new publications. For example, trade fairs, conferences and anniversaries can be listed in the editorial schedule, which will inspire you to write suitable articles.

Already published articles such as an explainer video can serve as the basis for a blog post or a professional article.

The editorial plan also shows gaps. Which topics have not yet been covered? Which marginal topics come into question? Which topics can be covered in more depth?

The editorial plan quickly develops into a source of new ideas for current articles and publications that inform the readers and thus bind them to your company.

Does so Much Effort Make Sense?

The number of readers provides information about whether you are reaching the target group with your content articles and whether your work is also being rewarded. If the numbers don't satisfy you, you have to adjust or even revise the guidelines or create a completely new editorial plan. Without a content marketing strategy and editorial plan, however, you have no overview of the success or failure of your publications, you waste time and money!

Conclusion: Only with a Clear Plan and Process Can You Create Content with Impact

Content marketing is the most efficient way of addressing target groups for B2B companies.

Thanks to a carefully crafted strategy, content marketing promotes awareness of your company, establishes you as an expert in your industry and binds your target audience to your company in the long term.

Provided the content is relevant, informative and entertaining and it appears with a certain regularity. The editorial plan ensures this. It contains all the information that is needed for precisely tailored publications, sets the time frame and provides ideas for future topics. Only in this way will your content marketing have the effect you hope for.