What Is Content? And How Does It Launch the Success Of B2B Marketing?

What is content in B2B marketing woman at touchscreen image

As a content marketer, it’s my job to take the axiom “no stupid questions” to heart. And when it comes to answering the question “What is content?” on a content marketing blog, you may think I’m stretching that skill to its limit. But you would be wrong!

Content is often one of those words that means pretty much whatever you want it to mean, depending on the context. Even in 2015 we wrote about 40 different definitions of content. It’s like one of those things where it’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it.

Still, for those just starting out, or those who always assumed they knew and are now looking for some deeper understanding, it’s important to step back and define what content is. Once we’ve done that, we can have a clearer idea of why this medium is such an effective option for marketers.

What is content?

In the marketing world, content is anything that you can consume: blog posts, tweets, podcasts, videos, infographics, memes — if it’s online and someone’s looking at it, chances are it’s content.

This is where things get tricky. The conventional wisdom among marketers is that “content marketing” is made up of long-form written material: blog posts, LinkedIn articles, white papers, eBooks, and so on. Heck, even my title, content strategist, is often swapped with copywriter or even just writer.

It should be noted that as I write this in 2023, content refers more and more to the whole umbrella of online media one can consume, not just blog posts. In fact, as an agency that provides B2B content marketing services, TopRank Marketing has produced plenty of infographics, podcasts, and even a comic book.

[bctt tweet=”“If it’s online and someone’s looking at it, chances are it’s content.” — Art Allen @punsultant” username=”toprank”]

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is any written marketing material with the intent of convincing the reader to take an action. In fact, you’re reading content right now!

No, I didn’t write this blog post because I want you to hire us (unless you want to…). I have written it with the hope that you’ll read other posts on this blog. The idea here is twofold: one, that you have some helpful content that makes your job as a marketer easier, or at least makes you feel a little smarter; and two, that when it is time to hire a marketing agency, you may just remember how smart those folks at TopRank are.

Another way to look at it is this: content marketing is not a hard sell. Content marketing is distinct from advertising in that advertising is content that a brand has paid to be put in front of you, while content marketing is generally not a paid campaign — the reader comes to the content.