Creativity should be at the forefront of its content marketing campaigns if a brand wants to shine in the B2B marketplace. Also, consistency is critical. To leave a footprint, a brand must develop a strategy that often hits the ball out of the park. If you are looking for inspiration, these B2B content marketing case studies will serve you right.
Learn from companies that consistently use valuable, upbeat, unique content to pull leads and build brand awareness. They are creating incredible experiences for their clients and, in the process establishing their authority and trustworthiness. Read on!
#1 ‘Everyday Heroes’ by Grainger
When churning out impactful content, a Fortune 500 company, Grainger, makes an impressive cut. The leading B2B industrial supplies and equipment provider ditched traditional marketing channels. It experimented with its digital capabilities and used content as a medium to reach its 3.2 million customers. It created a video series called ‘Everyday Heroes.’
The docu-series showcases the hard work of Grainger’s clients, who work day and night to keep their business running. The 4–5-minute videos convey the inspiring stories of a glassblower, a firefighter, an ice castle builder, a janitor, a coffee roaster, a blacksmith, and so many more – all of whom use Grainger products and supplies.
For garnering enormous visibility among clients and prospects, ‘Everyday Heroes’ is one of the best B2B content marketing case studies. Grainger Everyday Heroes – Blacksmith made it to the finals of Content Marketing Awards 2020 in the ‘Best Use of Video’ category.
Why did this content strategy click?
Simply put, the B2B video series made its way to the heart of millions because of its fantastic storytelling. The content follows a humanistic approach. It perfectly captures the struggle, vulnerability, hard work, skills, and passion behind delivering a great product or service. ‘Everyday Heroes’ focuses on understanding real people who do tough jobs or work late nights to make ends meet. It helps the brand connect with its audience at an emotional level. These videos convey that Grainger cares about them and feels immense pride in supporting them.
#2 GE Reports
GE’s award-winning news hub ‘GE Reports’ is a famous example of B2B content marketing done right. The multinational conglomerate puts tons of excellent content out for its readers. From discussing the latest breakthroughs and developments to pathbreaking discoveries to the future of new-age technology, the content is a tell-all about the company’s contribution to progress. It’s also a place where a reader can find out how thousands of engineers and scientists at GE seek solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.
Why did this content strategy click?
Just tell a good story, and people will come – told GE’s Chief Storyteller, Chester Lang, to its team in 1921 when the company hired him to lead GE News Bureau. It’s been 100 years since the company celebrated its storytelling centennial. Even today, it heavily relies on Lang’s tried and tested policy of bringing original and relevant stories to people. That’s why GE Reports are so popular and stand out. Today, GE Reports enjoy a viewership of more than 500,000 readers worldwide, and GE Brief, a biweekly newsletter, has more than 100,000 subscribers.
#3 Cisco’s “SuperSmart Security” Graphic Novel
Between text and visuals, visuals invariably have a higher probability of attracting readers. Attractive eye-popping graphics or illustrations make content easily memorable. And big companies have the means and workforce to experiment and craft sufficiently lucrative content. Using that to its advantage, for instance, in 2016, CISCO created one of the most memorable B2B content experiences for its clients- the SuperSmart Security graphic novel.
Why did this content strategy click?
CISCO’s iconic B2B content strategy centered around cybersecurity became an instant hit for several reasons, primarily for its out-of-the-box approach. Who crafts a novel or a comic around security breaches? Well! Cisco did that! The strategy gained massive popularity in a short period and is one of the most inspirational B2B content marketing case studies. The eight-page graphic novel was fresh, unique, engaging, and unconventional, even for those who love reading long-form thought pieces. Another reason is that content, in the form of a story, resonates with many people. Stories work like glue sticks and when combined with compelling illustrations – imagine the wonder they can do.
#4 Salesforce – Leading Through Change
Around March 2020, the world was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, and nationwide lockdowns were being issued. Salesforce decided to respond to the new normal by launching its Leading Through Change series. The cloud-based software company believed that in the face of crisis, a company needs to transform to stay connected with potential stakeholders quickly. With Leading Through Change, Salesforce churned out exciting content. Thought leadership articles, how-to guides, and videos on crisis management helped them initiate a dialogue with its clients. A few topics the brand delved into were – ‘what companies big and small can do to succeed working from home?’, ‘how to maintain business while exercising empathy in these new times?’
Following its massive success, Leading Through Change won Project of the Year at Content Marketing Awards. Jessica Bergmann, the driver behind Salesforce content strategy, won 2021 B2B Content Marketer of the Year.
Why did this content strategy click?
Leading Through Change strategy spoke volumes about the company’s agility to respond to crises and its ability to adapt to the ‘new normal. As Jessica mentions, “Companies’ needs had changed. The messages and campaigns we had planned before COVID were no longer relevant.” While revamping the content strategy, the company focused on getting actionable and insightful content from the Salesforce community. Nearly everyone had a seat at the table – from clients to leaders to experts to CEOs and luminaries from various industries. Uniting everyone through content in such precarious times established the brand as a trusted partner.
#5 Teamistry - Podcasts by Atlassian
The Australian software company Atlassian saw an opportunity to attract a potential audience with a new form of media and brilliant storytelling. As a result, Award-winning Teamistry podcasts were born.
It was an absolute stroke of brilliance by Atlassian Editorial Director John Ville. Teamistry podcasts, in the voice of famous documentary director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, tell surprising and fantastic, never heard before stories about teams who come together to do what is impossible alone.
The podcasts have successfully aired for three consecutive seasons. Some of the topics covered were:
Why did this content strategy click?
Podcasts are content goldmines. They are known for driving high engagement and loyal listenership. They can be repurposed into other formats, such as blogs or videos. And organizations like Atlassian are setting a great example of content innovation by creating, hosting, and distributing groundbreaking podcasts. If you want to know more – Read what B2B Content Marketer John Ville says about what sparked his interest in podcasts?
#6 Trailblazers by Dell Technologies
Digital technology is transforming the world. It is changing the way the human mind thinks and processes information. But what happens – when an industry experiences disruption? When technology becomes obsolete, and a new one replaces it? And how does it impact the value proposition of the existing business model? In the voice of digital revolution expert Walter Issacson, Trailblazers by Dell is a podcast that brings some of the most daring stories of business leaders who withstood such significant digital disruptions.
B2B’s marketing space in tech can be dry with primarily whitepapers, long-form articles, and thought pieces. This is one of the significant reasons Dell forayed into podcasting. The company found a way to stand out.
Why did this content strategy click?
Trailblazers by Dell clicks for its groundbreaking content, which is not just informative but also entertaining. It connects due to its artistic approach and impressive storytelling. Each episode speaks of new challenges, leadership dilemmas, a vulnerability in decision-making, and the most important lessons learned by the leaders. It also sticks to one theme, helping listeners familiarize themselves with the concept and return for more.
#7 Vonage Does That
Vonage is a well-known cloud communications provider helping businesses enhance their digital capabilities. In the last 20 years, Vonage has grown multifold, with an entire range of services expanding beyond traditional telecommunications. But with time, the management team of this B2B brand realized that it required a ‘perception shift’ or ‘break the stereotype’ to be more acknowledged by potential clients. They needed to know how Vonage had gone through a massive transformation. With this thought, the company launched a new brand campaign – ‘Vonage does that’. The campaign included seven interesting 10-second vignettes highlighting what Vonage is today. The campaign establishes the company’s brand-new image through a use-case approach.
Why did this content strategy click?
Carefully crafted, keeping the business audience in mind, Vonage’s content marketing campaign uses a storytelling format to showcase its entire range of services. The 10-second films rest on use cases and experiences that customers can relate to, for instance, tracking a package in real-time, booking a shared ride while keeping the privacy intact, or connecting with the right customer support agent. The campaign explains well how Vonage creates seamless experiences for its customers in situations like these. One of the best B2B content marketing case studies, hands down!
#8 InVision’s journey to becoming a content powerhouse
Here’s a question – if you want to read about how to create makeup looks for any moment or cook modern vegan food – who would you read it from? A content writer or an expert in the field? Our guess is the latter. That’s because there is more authenticity and credibility there. This is precisely what InVision built upon to become a content powerhouse.
In 2011, the digital product design and development platform launched its blog primarily for UX designers. For the first few years, the blog content was produced by InVision’s in-house content writers. However, the company wanted to gain more visibility and traction. So, in 2014, it decided to revamp its content strategy by inviting expert designers to contribute to its platform. As more designers gradually came on board, the credibility of its blogs shot up and soon became a go-to source of UX design-related content, insights, and digital tools. Today, InVision has more than seven million subscribers, and most of the brand’s blog content has been produced by community contributors.
Why did this content strategy click?
InVision sensed that people are not interested in reading about design from the company’s in-house content staff. Rather, they want to read about design from real people who have been into the business and know their turf well. So, the B2B brand inverted its business model and proactively reached out to real designers for contribution. On the one hand, InVision received a massive stack of unique content; on the other, designers who contributed received tremendous visibility – a clear win for both. Resultantly, within two years, the brand subscribership shot up to 2.5 million.
#9 Did you mean MailChimp?
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the latter laments the former’s last name Montague and says, “What’s in a name? A name is nothing but a convention with no meaning behind it.”
But here, as we take you through one of the biggest marketing coups of the year, it’s all about ‘the name.’ Email service platform, MailChimp scored big in 2014 after the B2B brand consciously chose to misspell its name as the infamous MailKimp in a 20-second advertisement.
The ad was a part of a B2B content marketing campaign that produced audio and video ads that play off the company’s name without referring to the brand itself in any significant or commercial way.
The stunning success of the campaign inspired an entire collection of cultural activations, such as fashion trends, short films, and a range of potato chips, all sounding similar to MailChimp but misspelled as MailShrimp, KaleLimp, FailChips, VeilHymn, SnailPrimp, JailBlimp, WhaleSynth.
Why did this content strategy click?
It is one of the best B2B content marketing case studies for its super creative streak. Using miscommunication as a medium to propel curiosity among clients and people in general, MailChimp came out as a total winner. Imagine, every time anyone typed MailShrimp or KateLimp, they were asked, “Did you mean MailChimp?”
#10 When Plans Change, Plan with WeWork?
Since COVID-19 has taken over the world, work from home (WFH) has become the ‘new normal. But the most significant disadvantage of this arrangement is that it’s unable to replicate the energy and vibrance of working in an office environment. Also, it is hard for many to find a quiet corner in their home. Maybe that’s why many of us suffered from ‘Cabin Fever’ during the lockdown. And WeWork precisely capitalized on that.
In December 2020, WeWork launched a humorous multi-film campaign, ‘When Plans Change, Plan with WeWork,’ showcasing funny and entertaining WFH experiences and focusing on how co-working spaces fit the bill perfectly. The campaign was centered around the idea of ‘space’ and ‘well-being’ – how does proper space matter in terms of productivity? WeWork highlighted added safety, design, and seating arrangements with all common touchpoints sanitized at regular intervals and other mandatories such as wearing masks.
Why did this content strategy click?
The B2B content marketing campaign was well-received. When the situation outside is grim, and someone offers you a good laugh – you remember. These short videos humorously captured the pain points of working from home and conveyed that opting for WeWork is the easiest one-stop solution to such problems.
We are sure the above B2B content marketing case studies will be a great reference point for you and will help you kickstart your content marketing plan. However, if you need detailed insight on how to craft a content marketing strategy, our B2B content marketing strategy guide will give you all the tips and tricks!
Let us know what you think—looking forward to your comments below.
