B2B content syndication is set to play a crucial role in effective marketing strategies in 2024 and beyond. According to marketers, generating quality leads with content ranks first among today's marketing challenges—not just for the immediate future, but also looking ahead into 2024.

As many marketers struggle to produce demand for their content, identifying the right, high-value channels and services has become increasingly important to marketing return on investment (ROI) and conversions. This guide explains B2B content syndication and how it can drive quality lead generation in B2B content marketing.

Key Takeaways:

• B2B content syndication is republishing high-performing content through third-party channels and platforms

• B2B marketers use content syndication to generate high-quality, closer-to-purchase leads and maximize content ROI

• Dedicated content syndication networks can provide effective and specialized service features such as lead filtering, multi-touch campaigns, and on-demand scalability

🤫 PS: Looking for pricing on content syndication leads? Get a price list here

What Is B2B Content Syndication?

B2B content syndication refers to distributing a business's content through third-party channels and platforms to connect with niche audiences for quality lead generation.

As potential clients represent account-level relationships, B2B content syndication focuses more on high-quality lead generation and improved content ROI than simply reaching out to broader, untargeted audiences. As B2B client preferences shift more toward remote, digital engagement than traditional face-to-face meetings, content syndication to potential targeted clients becomes increasingly integral to effective B2B marketing.

Types of Content for B2B Content Syndication

Content suitable for syndication includes a wide variety of formats and media. Based on 2021 data, the most effective B2B lead generation content types are:

• Events–68%
• Webinars–61%
• Campaigns–50%
• Whitepapers–50%
• Case studies–50%
• Videos–37%

Other useful formats include:

• E-books
• Survey reports
• Infographics
• Podcasts

Why Use B2B Content Syndication?

Businesses syndicate B2B content to accomplish different marketing goals.

• Access Targeted Audiences: Content syndication through the right services is an effective solution for businesses that need to reach select audiences—potential clients known to be highly motivated and in the market for specific products and services.
• Generate Leads: Syndicating content through services with access to target audiences allows businesses to elicit responses, such as requesting content by email or account creation, that generate leads for sales teams to close through follow-up contact and outreach campaigns.
• Raise Content ROI: When businesses publish only through their sites and channels, they limit the content's potential ROI. Through content syndication, businesses can strategically republish their best-performing content in multiple locations, greatly extending their lifetime ROI.

Why Should Businesses Incorporate Content Syndication into B2B Marketing Strategies?

The average B2B buyer consumes 13 pieces of content before purchasing. Creating high-quality, information-rich B2B content—such as whitepapers authored by industry experts, and engaging multimedia webinars—involves significant upfront investment. Accessing targeted audiences beyond your organization's reach through specialized syndication networks extends the lifetime value of your best content and returns quality, vetted leads.

Marketers often struggle to generate high-quality leads and connect their outlays to quantifiable bottom-line returns. Metrics based on impressions such as clicks, downloads, and other digital interactions don’t reliably indicate a corresponding quantity of new clients or purchases. However, lead generation delivers at the bottom line, with 53% of marketers reporting that more than half their budgets go to lead generation and 58% confirming that lead generation spending will increase in the coming year.

Presenting potential clients with the best and most relevant content is critical to nurturing leads from initial contact to purchase. Businesses that consistently excel in lead nurturing create 50% more ready-to-purchase leads at a third of the cost.

5 Most Effective Content Syndication Practices

Companies can syndicate content through a variety of platforms and services. Choosing the right syndication networks can make the difference between rising content ROI and costly outlays for impression metrics. Here are five content syndication practices that reliably deliver in today's marketplace.

1. Lead Filtering

Filtering leads through specific criteria such as industry, business demographics, and contact job titles ensures that new leads represent motivated and capable buyers. Dedicated syndication services can accept complex filter sets and offer service agreements where businesses pay only for leads that match specified criteria.

In this video, you can find a detailed case study explanation of how lead filtering works and what benefits it brings to syndication campaigns:

2. Multi-Touch Campaigns

Even in highly targeted audiences, one-time contacts don't necessarily represent strong leads. Multi-touch campaigns increase the probability of a one-time webinar attendee graduating to being a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) by engaging with them, as the name suggests, multiple times. This may be through multiple thematically based progressive tech webinars being planned, or through a strategy in place to nurture leads depending  on how many webinars they attend, and the kind of engagement is seen from the attendee.

3. Scalability

Depending on a business's size and immediate needs, the company may need to generate specific volumes of leads, ranging from tens to thousands. Syndication partners who can scale programs as needed will deliver more cost-effective results.

4. Multimedia Syndication

B2B multimedia content spending has been rising since 2022, with 67% of B2B marketers increasing webinar spending and 80% maintaining or increasing spending on audio content such as podcasts. Effective syndication campaigns will incorporate a business's best assets—including videos, podcasts, and webinars—and not just text-based content such as case studies and whitepapers.

5. Account-Based Leads

Account-based marketing (ABM) focuses on reaching out to target accounts within a narrow segment with personalized campaigns tailored to each account. ABM excels for B2B companies trying to land larger accounts and long-term business relationships. Content delivered to ABM leads should be customized to their specific needs and involve more technically sophisticated customer experiences, such as events and webinars for niche technologies and industry developments.

Generate High-Quality Tech Leads with Content Syndication Services

At ActualTech Media, we specialize in delivering B2B tech clients custom lead generation solutions through content syndication and helping tech companies access qualified, closer-to-purchase leads.

Learn more about our B2B content syndication services today.

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B2B Content Syndication: The Ultimate How To Syndicate Content Guide

When HubSpot asked B2B marketers what the top challenge was for reaching B2B buyers, 30% said measuring the ROI of marketing activities, while 28% said generating traffic and leads. These two pieces of the marketing puzzle work together as leads are necessary for conversions, while measuring ROI ensures that generating those leads doesn't cost more than the conversion brings in sales.

B2B content syndication for lead generation offers a solution to these two challenges through a targeted marketing approach that's easy to track and measure.

Learn how to syndicate content and generate marketing-qualified leads, so revenue is consistently greater than marketing spend.

Key Takeaways:

• Content syndication generates marketing qualified leads to fill the sales pipeline
• Content syndication is easily trackable and measurable to ensure marketers see a consistent stream of revenue from the campaign
• Work with a content syndication platform to ensure the right audience sees the marketing content

Why Marketers Should Invest in Content Syndication

What is content syndication?

Content syndication is when marketers distribute branded content on third-party platforms to increase exposure. B2B marketers benefit from a more targeted approach to content syndication as B2B audiences aren't as broad as B2C audiences. Therefore, B2B tech marketers would want to distribute the content directly to a few high-quality accounts or on direct channels to ensure the content reaches the desired audience and has a high return.

B2B tech marketers gate the content for syndication, so readers exchange information to access the e-book, whitepaper, video, or other download. Gating content serves two purposes. First, marketers can capture the readers' information to add that data to the sales pipeline. Second, marketers can qualify leads according to the lead's title, industry, and other form information.

Because content syndication is targeted, marketers attract more qualified leads. In addition, content syndication provides clearer returns which aid in measuring the return on investment (ROI) from content syndication.

7 Steps to a Successful B2B Content Syndication Strategy

Learn how to syndicate content to ensure each investment pays off in quality leads.

Step 1: Set Content Syndication Goals

Some of the top marketing goals of content syndication, according to our team members at ActualTech Media, include:

• Increasing brand awareness: Reaching the top of the funnel leads and introducing those leads to a business
• Generating leads: Attracting marketing qualified leads (MQLs) for the marketing team to nurture and convert
• Filling the database: Gathering lead information to fill the sales database to improve marketing and sales efforts

Marketers must establish what their goal is before starting the content syndication process. These goals will tell marketers what metrics to use to measure the success of content syndication and what content will be most successful in accomplishing that goal.

Step 2: Outline the Target Audience

Marketers often waste around half their budget on unqualified leads because the marketing campaign didn't address the right audience.

An ideal customer profile would outline what the target audience looks like. For example, the profile would include industries, titles, and firmographics to help marketers target an audience of prospective buyers.

However, the ideal customer profile would also include intangible details. For instance, what are the decision makers' primary challenges, or what are their current needs? These details will guide marketers in choosing content that will attract and benefit the lead. If the content isn't relevant to the audience, no one will download it. So, understanding the audience becomes crucial as marketers move on to the later steps in the process.

Step 3: Connect with a Niche Content Syndication Platform

Content syndication is a broad term that can refer to any strategy for dispersing content on third-party sites and platforms. However, ActualTech Media takes a different approach to this popular strategy. In our process, we don't waste clients' time and effort on leads with no intent to buy. Instead, we take the content and distribute it directly to a target audience.

However, you need to work with a content syndication platform to perform this targeted content syndication. A content syndication platform, like ActualTech Media, has a network of tech platforms with a target audience. Therefore, tech marketers work with platforms like ActualTech Media to access that niche network and audience of prospective buyers.

Step 4: Create Quality, Authority Content

The best content to syndicate is digital assets that a business can gate. Some examples include:

• Videos (like an on-demand webinar)
• E-books on a tech topic
• Tech briefs covering the latest industry data and research
• Whitepapers that summarize tech topics

Marketers will often use content that already performs well. For example, a webinar lead generation event might have brought in many leads. Therefore, marketers already know that content is popular among the target audience. So, marketers can gate the on-demand webinar and syndicate it to a broader audience.

Other times, marketers might see better success from creating content specifically for content syndication. By customizing content for syndication, marketers can create digital assets personalized to the target customers' needs.

Are you not sure where to start with content creation? Work with ActualTech Media content creators to build content for tech audiences.

Another option is using third-party content. For example, our Gorilla Guides address tech topics from a third-party perspective for well-rounded advice on relevant IT topics. Content marketers can syndicate these ready-made guides to gather leads without creating fresh branded content.

Step 5: Establish Filters to Target the Audience

Filters help marketers target those buyers that are most likely to purchase. Marketers use geo, title, and industry filters to identify leads that match the target audience.

Filters sort out readers with a low probability of converting. That way, marketers only invest time and resources into nurturing leads with a high buying potential.

Step 6: Nurture the New Leads

As leads come in, the marketing team should be ready for the next stage in the buyer's journey. After lead generation comes lead nurturing, which is the process of building a relationship with the B2B decision makers and addressing all questions and concerns. Marketers can use a combination of emails, blog posts, and other marketing content to connect with tech leads during this stage.

Lead nurturing prepares leads for the sales team by monitoring the lead's behaviors. For example, the more times a new B2B lead interacts with a business, the more likely that lead is to respond to a pitch from the sales team.

Step 7: Analyze the Results and Optimize Accordingly

Content syndication produces several KPIs that marketers can track and analyze to understand the success of the content syndication campaign. Some examples of content syndication metrics to follow include:

• Content views and downloads
• Total impressions (compared to how many of those impressions downloaded the asset)
• MQLs
• Cost per lead
• Cost per opportunity
• Web traffic

Use these metrics to optimize future content syndication campaigns. Regular content syndication campaigns keep the sales pipeline brimming with new, quality leads. In addition, these metrics allow marketers to provide a more accurate ROI.

Start Your Next Content Syndication Campaign

ActualTech Media helps tech marketers target and reach key IT decision makers with relevant content. Use our content creation services and syndication solutions to fill your pipeline with MQLs ready for your nurturing strategy.

Contact us to learn more about our content syndication services.

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The Marketing Content Syndication Field Guide

Are you interested in getting started with marketing content syndication? This field guide will walk you through the basics of content syndication. In addition, learn the latest tips on how to successfully plan and run a campaign in 2024.

Key Takeaways:

• Content syndication is the distribution of content across targeted platforms to increase your visibility
• Content syndication for lead generation gives you measurable results
• Work with a niche content syndication platform to directly market to your audience

Marketing Content Syndication Definitions

Content syndication for marketing is the distribution of digital assets on publishing platforms like websites, apps, and social media where more consumers can see your content. Here are two definitions you need to know that are associated with content syndication:

• Content syndication platform is the provider that distributes your content and connects you with publishers willing to share your digital asset with their following
• Content syndication network is a group of publishers that accept digital assets from third parties—these publishers often work with content syndication platforms rather than directly with brands

2 Types of Content Syndication

There are two primary methods to perform content syndication. Content syndication for brand awareness is when you publish or distribute digital content like blog posts on third-party sites to increase your visibility. While you generate website traffic, your results are challenging to measure, and your campaigns are often not very targeted as you can’t control who sees or responds to your content.

ActualTech Media performs content syndication for lead generation. This process directly distributes digital assets like e-books, videos, and whitepapers to a niche audience. Because the content is gated, your audience must exchange their personal information for the free content.

You can use this information to follow up with your viewers and readers with an email drip campaign or alternative lead nurturing strategy, which increases your conversions from content syndication.

What Should You Publish?

The best content for syndication is digital assets you can use as gated content to collect leads. About 80% of B2B marketing content is gated. ActualTech Media has seen the best success with the following formats:

• Video content
• E-books
• Whitepapers
• Case studies
• Webinars

Image from HubSpot

When you create content for syndication, keep it short and easy to digest in one sitting. If you fill it with long sentences and industry jargon, your audience is more likely to lose interest or forget what your message is.

Simple messaging makes your digital asset more memorable, and you’re more likely to connect with your audience later when you contact the reader.

Some other strategies you should use include branding the content. Branding connects your content to your business. This is especially important as your content isn’t on your primary website as content syndication shares it on third-party websites. Therefore, your readers won’t automatically know the content is from your company.

You want to be sure your audience knows the content is yours. You also want to increase the chances of them recognizing your brand when they interact with you later or hear from you through a follow-up email. Since the average consumer needs around eight touchpoints before purchasing, keeping a consistent brand image and voice builds on previous touchpoints to lead prospects toward a sale and contributes to their positive experience with your brand.

How Should You Share Your Digital Assets?

Use these 10 steps to distribute your content where it will generate the highest-quality results.

1. Set Your Goal

Start your content syndication campaign with an established goal. This will be a benchmark to measure how well your campaign performed.

In addition to a goal, set a time frame for running the campaign. For example, do you want the campaign to run until you collected a specific number of leads for a specified time or based on your budget? Those three factors might influence how long you syndicate your content.

ActualTech Media enables companies to generate large lead volumes at affordable costs per lead to meet more of their goals with the least amount of resources.

2. Establish Filters to Target Your Audience

Targeting your audience is creating criteria your readers or viewers must meet. These criteria ensure the leads you generate from content syndication are relevant to your brand and have a high buyer’s intent.

Some filters ActualTech Media uses include industry, titles, company size, geo, and more. You can also use organization and multi-touch targeting to assist in your account-based marketing.

3. Use a Content Syndication Platform

A content syndication platform connects you to a relevant content syndication network that boosts your content’s authority and appears in front of your target audience. As leads come in, the platform compiles the leads in an organized spreadsheet with each contact’s complete information, which you can use in your nurturing strategy.

ActualTech Media further supports your campaign through advanced tracking and reporting services. The company also ensures the leads you receive are net-new leads that have been thoroughly cleaned, so the leads are ready for you to use.

4. Strategically Choose Form Fields

The form fields on your gated content should gather enough information that you can pre-qualify leads without making the form too complicated a process for your readers to perform. For example, asking for their name and email doesn’t tell you whether they’re an individual or part of a business. However, asking nearly a dozen buyer intent questions might dissuade a busy decision maker from downloading your asset.

A few questions about who they are and their role in the business will help you filter out consumers who don’t match your target buyer. You can also adjust the fields to ensure you comply with all legal regulations, like protecting the lead’s data privacy.

The following example from Salesforce shows how it keeps its forms simple while still gathering the most relevant information for qualifying the leads.

Image from Instapage

5. Nurture the Leads You Collect

In addition to sharing your original content, establish a strategy for nurturing those leads with additional matter. A multi-touch campaign will lead prospects through the sales journey with different forms of media that can address various aspects of your products and brand and answer any questions they might have.

After a prospect interacts with several digital assets, they move on to the next nurturing stage as multi-touch interactions indicate a higher buyer’s intent. Finally, those leads are ready for other nurturing techniques like email campaigns or sales calls.

Get Started with Content Syndication for Lead Generation

Use your content syndication campaign to generate quality and net-new leads ready for nurturing. ActualTech Media is a content syndication platform with expert experience in the tech marketing industry and understands the unique needs of your audience, which helps us syndicate your content more strategically.

Contact us to learn more about our content syndication services.