The majority of my income comes from B2B content marketing. B2B is when you are writing for a company that is selling their products or services to another company. American Express OPENForum is an example of B2B because AmEx issues business credit cards to other businesses. B2B is very lucrative for freelance writers because most B2B businesses need a large amount of content to address their unique markets. Additionally, even smaller B2B companies typically have a marketing budget, which is not always true of smaller B2C companies.

While on the surface, B2B content marketing doesn’t look dramatically different than journalism or B2C (Business to Consumer), there are some subtle differences. However, it is very similar to writing for trade publications.

Here are three differences to be aware of before jumping into B2B content marketing:

1. Businesses want to save money, make more money or save time. With B2C content marketing, customers have a variety of problems that they are looking to solve. But most (if not all) B2B customers are looking to solve one of these three problems. When generating ideas and writing content, make sure that your information meets one of these three needs. It is especially important to stay practical and present factual information.
2. The tone is typically more formal. Depending on the brand, some B2C brands messaging is informal and even edgy. This typically is not true with B2B brands. The majority of B2B brands are looking for a professional, but conversational tone. Some are even looking for a very formal tone. Be sure to ask for examples and pay special attention to tone when creating B2B content marketing deliverables.
3. White papers and case studies are often part of B2B content marketing strategy. In addition to blogs, articles, newsletter articles and videos found in B2B content marketing, B2B brands often use case studies and white papers to develop trust with potential customers. White papers are documents that provide original insight on a topic, often called thought leadership. Case studies tell a story about how a customer uses the products and the benefits that they have seen. Both types of deliverables are typically higher paying than blogs and can be very interesting projects to work on. If a company hires you for blogs or articles, brainstorm ideas for case studies and white papers to get more work.

What differences have you found in B2B Content Marketing?