With an endless mix of content channels, formats, and audience expectations, nailing your B2B content strategy in 2024 can feel pretty overwhelming. And if you’re on a small team, you’re likely juggling a dozen competing priorities with very limited resources, making your content strategy impossible to prioritize.
You could turn to AI for quick, mass-produced content, spun out in under a minute. But in a market saturated in recycled, machine-generated noise, how do you actually stand out?
Enter the minimum viable content strategy. This approach taps into unique human insights and expertise to create compelling, differentiated content efficiently.
Here’s how to roll out and scale up a content strategy that cuts through the noise and drives business results — even with limited resources.
Video Podcasting as Your Content Engine
At the heart of your minimum viable content strategy is a monthly video podcast. Feature a rotation of internal experts — your founders, sales leaders, customer success and support teams.
The goal is to tap into the goldmine of hands-on expertise already in your company, with no extra research or writing time needed. This process facilitates efficient content creation and also helps position your brand as thought leaders in your industry.
Start with a simple outline of talking points. Focus on the challenges, needs, trends, interests, and aspirations that your industry’s buzzing about. As you progress, you can re-use compelling talking points from past episodes to inspire your next conversation. It’s a simple way to establish a narrative throughline and keep your audience engaged from episode to episode.
Keep your production simple. A decent mic (the ATR2100x for $49 is my personal budget pick), a video podcast platform (we’re fans of Riverside.fm), and a quiet room are all you need. The priority should always be on facilitating authentic, insightful conversations, not flashy Hollywood-level production quality.
Take it to the next level:
- Mix in external ICP contacts as guests. This helps you bring in fresh perspectives and provides an opportunity to build relationships with potential target accounts.
- Create themed seasons to keep your conversations focused from episode to episode and keep your audience coming back for more.
- Upgrade your gear and set up a proper studio. Your audio quality (and guests) will thank you.
Expanding Discoverability with Website Content
After production, transform each podcast episode into a concise, value-packed blog post. This approach maximizes your content’s impact by catering to users who prefer reading, keeping your website fresh, and boosting your SEO efforts.
Start with a brief summary highlighting 3-5 key takeaways from the episode. Then, include a cleaned-up version of the transcript — it’s great for accessibility and provides rich context for search engines to index. Embed both video and audio players at the top of the page to give your audience multiple ways to dig in.
Before writing, conduct a quick round of keyword research to connect your episode’s topic with current search trends. Incorporate these keywords naturally throughout your content, including its titles, headers, and body text. Remember, prioritize readability over keyword density every time.
Take it to the next level:
- Create a monthly newsletter featuring a curated roundup of insights and takeaways from your interviews, with links back to each blog post and rotating offers and case studies.
- Build out your blog into a tightly organized content library with sorting and filtering by categories and content types, designed to maximize exploration and discovery with strategically integrated calls to action.
- Use the aggregated insights from your podcast episodes to produce larger, in-depth research reports that you can use for targeted PR outreach and first-party data collection.
Leveraging LinkedIn for Content Distribution
LinkedIn is your go-to platform for reaching active B2B audiences. For each podcast episode, craft a series of posts designed to maximize engagement and shareability.
Start by extracting an interesting 30-to-90-second video clip that showcases your guest’s expertise or captures an “aha” moment from the conversation. This short-form video content is highly engaging and easily consumable in the LinkedIn feed.
Follow up with a few short-form (1-3 sentences) or long-form text posts (200-400 words). Focus on the compelling, novel, or even controversial takes from the episode. Your goal should be to spark discussions and drive your audience to engage with the full content.
Always tag your guest in each post. This increases the chances they’ll share with their network, amplifying your reach.
Remember, consistency is key. Even if you start small, regular posting builds your brand presence over time.
Take it to the next level:
- Create eye-catching quote cards and carousel posts that feature your guest’s most compelling insights and break down key topics.
- Bring complex ideas to life with motion graphics or animated videos — perfect for capturing attention in a crowded feed.
- Turn your best-performing posts into LinkedIn ads. With a small budget, you can boost visibility and engagement among new audiences and those already familiar with your brand.
Maximizing Impact Through Internal Distribution
Don’t underestimate the impact of internal distribution. Sharing your content effectively within your organization can amplify its impact and drive real business outcomes.
After each podcast episode, write up a quick summary of the key insights. Send an email to your internal teams with this summary and links to all the assets you’ve created — video, blog post, social media posts, the works. Include a couple of broad suggestions on how these insights could be useful across the organization.
Set up a simple shared folder organized by topic to house all your episode assets. Make sure everyone knows it exists and how to access it. A quick reminder in your company chat or during team meetings can go a long way.
Take it to the next level:
- Build a searchable, filterable internal content database. Make it frictionless for anyone to find exactly what they need, when they need it.
- Launch an internal content champions program. Encourage employees to share content on their networks and feed client insights back into your content strategy.
- Host quarterly “content strategy” sessions. Get teams brainstorming on how to leverage existing content in their specific areas and plotting out future topics based on real client needs.
The Power of Starting Small
The thought of executing an effective content strategy in 2024 doesn’t have to paralyze you. Implement this minimum viable content strategy and then level up your efforts as you build momentum.
The key is consistency and continuous improvement. Start small, iterate based on performance, and scale up intentionally. Over time, you’ll be publishing standout content that resonates with your audience and drives real business results.
Remember, every effective content engine began somewhere. The most important part is to just get started.
