6 Power Moves for a Smarter B2B Content Strategy

Marketing campaign success can’t be built on great content alone. It requires getting the right content in front of the right audience at the right time. That might sound simple, but with so much content competing for attention, the real challenge is making sure your message actually lands.

That’s why B2B marketers today are saying that the most essential campaign building block is getting a handle on your audience. Knowing who you’re talking to, what they care about, and how they consume information is more critical than ever.

Recently on our Marketing Vanguard podcast, we sat down with Julie Neumark of Neumarketinggroup and covered six power moves for an effective B2B content strategy. Here are the highlights of our discussion along with a few added thoughts from our team:

1. ICP vs. Persona: Why Both Matter: Before diving into content strategy, it’s essential to define who you’re actually trying to reach—and that starts with understanding the difference between ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) and persona.

Many marketers use these terms interchangeably, but they’re not the same:

• ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) refers to the company you’re targeting—its industry, size, revenue, and other firmographics. It’s especially useful for account-based marketing (ABM).
• Persona focuses on the individual decision-makers within those companies—their job roles, pain points, challenges, and content preferences.

The point is that you need both. Without a clear ICP, you risk targeting the wrong companies. Without detailed personas, you won’t know how to speak to the right people within those companies.

2. Finding the Right Marketing Channels - Test, Learn, Repeat: There’s no single "best" marketing channel—it depends entirely on where your audience engages most. That’s why testing and iteration are crucial.

For example, one B2B brand found that organic LinkedIn posts from its executive team were the highest-performing content. Another brand—targeting professionals in the education sector—saw stronger engagement with email sequences than with social media.

The takeaway? There’s no universal answer. To ensure success:

• Test different channels (LinkedIn, email, paid ads, syndication, etc.).
• Analyze engagement metrics and double down on what works.
• Continuously refine your approach instead of relying on assumptions.

3. The Power of Content Syndication Partnerships: Beyond owned channels, partnering with complementary brands is a smart way to expand your audience reach. Many B2B marketers are leveraging:

• Co-branded webinars or podcasts to tap into shared audiences.
• Guest blog collaborations with industry partners.
• Joint email campaigns to introduce their brand to new prospects.

By working with trusted, like-minded brands, marketers can amplify their content and increase visibility without starting from scratch.

4. How AI Is Reshaping Audience Engagement: Tools like HubSpot’s Smart Content and other AI-driven engagement trackers now allow marketers to personalize messaging based on buyer behavior in real time. Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, content can now be tailored to what the audience actually cares about—right now.

This shift makes content marketing less about blindly blasting messages and more about meeting people where they are. For B2B marketers, that means:

• Using AI-driven analytics to understand how visitors engage with website content.
• Adjusting messaging dynamically based on real-time user behavior.
• Creating hyper-personalized content experiences that resonate with different audience segments.

5. The Future - Personalization and Storytelling: Looking ahead, two major trends are shaping B2B content marketing:

• Hyper-Personalization: AI is enabling deeper personalization than ever before. Some brands are even developing dynamic web pages that change based on a visitor’s persona—offering tailored experiences based on their role, industry, or interests.
• B2B Storytelling: B2B brands are starting to think more like media companies, producing episodic video content and interactive experiences to engage audiences.

6. Start Strong: Having the right audience data is just as critical as having the right audience strategy. That’s where OMI comes in. We specialize in building custom data sets that empower clients to execute highly targeted omni-channel marketing campaigns for media activation, CTV advertising, email marketing, direct mail, outbound telemarketing, and other channels.

Every client has a unique market, and we ensure they have high-quality data to reach their most ideal prospects across that market. We also offer add-on techniques—like B2B2C matching to Trade Desk and the top social platforms, along with intent data—for more precise targeting (for ad serving and other purposes) and improved campaign performance. All of our audience services are anchored by our massive Living File® B2B database—consisting of 145 million+ manager-, director-, and professional-level and above contacts with email/HEM, social URL, and other attributes.

For a quick pro tip from Julie on increasing engagement with bite-size content, go here, and if you want to discuss audience strategy, our team is always willing to talk. Please reach out to us at request@outwardmedia.com for a no-cost consultation. Go here to read our white papers and case studies to find out about how we power marketing success with data.