How to create niche content: tips for sector-specific success
Apr 19, 2024
Running marketing in a niche business? It’s a tough gig.
It doesn’t matter if you work in a legtech startup or enterprise-level financial services firm…if you’re a specialist provider, no doubt you’ve come up against common content challenges.
Your audience is sharp, your topics are complex and there’s no room for fluff. Plus, your stakeholders are usually highly involved experts and you’re probably a regulated industry.
The real headache starts when you realise your content team, bright as they are, don’t have the insider knowledge to create content for the experts you’re trying to impress. The result? Blogs, white papers and emails that don’t stick because they skim the surface without diving deep.
Your problem isn’t keeping up with content demands; your superiors value quality. As a niche content marketer, you’re fighting a different battle — crafting pieces that speak directly to the decision-makers in your industry and move the needle.
In fact, 47% of B2B marketers say producing the kind of content that engages is their number one challenge[1].
But it doesn’t have to be. In this post, I’ll share tips and tricks for creating niche content that drives engagement and solid ROI…even if you’re not a specialist.
Top niche content marketing examples in 2024
First though, if you’re researching how to create niche content, or B2B content marketing tips for highly specialised industries, you’re probably looking for inspiration and ideas.
Here are three examples of businesses creating quality content that truly resonates with their audience.
You’ll see they’ve each created content for buyers at different stages of awareness that is specific and detailed enough to address their pain points and position the brand as an expert worth buying from.
B2B finance company Argyle for blogs
Proptech company Orbital Witness for case studies
Law firm Hempsons for podcasting
I know law, property and finance. Get in touch if you need an expert B2B copywriter to elevate your content.
Understanding your (niche) audience
The first step? Know your audience inside out. I don’t just mean know your audience personas…you need to go beyond the basics and really drill into what makes them tick.
If you’ve recently joined your company and this is your first time working in the industry, start this process TODAY.
I guarantee it’ll help you understand where your team’s knowledge gap is (and why your stakeholders are ripping your content apart).
Take a look through the history books: Start with your own backyard. Scour past marketing campaigns, client feedback and case studies. They’re a treasure trove of what clicks with your clients and what fizzles.
Keep your enemies close: Find out what your competitors (if you have any) have had success with in the past. Look at reviews, forums and tools like Ahrefs and BuzzSumo – they can reveal what content is winning for your rivals.
Become a sponge: Read the newsletters. Listen to the podcasts. Get out there and network. Absorb as much as you can and start to build a community of peers in the field you can bounce ideas off.
Use data smartly: Don’t guess what your audience want; get granular with tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush, plus your CRM. These platforms offer a treasure trove of data on search habits and content engagement.
Use socials: Platforms like Brandwatch can be invaluable for catching real-time industry chatter. Use these insights to steer your content precisely where it needs to go.
Engage directly: The most important of them all…direct engagement with your audience. Send out a client survey, set up a quick phone or coffee chat, or embed a quiz or feedback form within an article or email to capture their thoughts on the fly. Incentivise your audience if you have to – it’s worth it.
Quick wins to make your content sound like an expert wrote it
Grasping your audience’s needs is just step one. If you need to breathe life into your content right now there are two ways you can immediately boost the trustworthiness and depth of your blogs, reports, emails and white papers.
Credibility markers: Nothing says 'expert' like hard numbers. Sprinkle your content with relevant data, up-to-date research and compelling case studies. This not only backs up your claims but also makes it look like you’re not just talking the talk — you understand the industry nuances and can demonstrate them quantitatively.
Guest posts and co-authored pieces: Tap into the knowledge and reputation of others. Invite industry experts (internal and external) to contribute to the company blog or collaborate on articles. If your SMEs aren’t great writers, interview them or polish their work. Their insights, along with their name recognition, will lend instant gravitas to your content, making it more appealing and authoritative to your readers.
These may not be good long-term fixes, but if you’re in a bind these strategies will help inject enough expertise to elevate your content from amateur to authoritative.
It takes a village: why collaboration matters in B2B content marketing
If you really want to nail the execution of your content strategy and hit your KPIs, you’ll need inside help from those with their finger on the pulse of the industry.
Why? Because they pack your content with the heavyweight insights that your clued-up audience demands.
There’s no point creating 101 blog content about the number of legal transactions involved in a commercial property purchase if you’re trying to sell legal transaction software to lawyers.
They know how many transactions are involved – they do the paperwork. Instead, your content needs to zone in on a more unique pain point to them…for example, streamlining due diligence in complex commercial leases.
Here are some ideas on how you can bring experts into your content creation process:
Beef up your team: The easiest (and most expensive) option is to hire a junior expert content marketer to help you. They’ll not only ensure accuracy but will continually align your output with industry trends and give you a reliable source of expertise that’s always on tap. Be warned though – it’s worth checking their creds thoroughly. Hiring a generalist will only make your problem worse.
Hire specialist freelancers: If you don’t have the resources to hire in-house, or you just can’t find the right person, freelance writers can help you refine your strategy and create top-notch, regular content. Chances are, if your company exists, a copy or content writer highly knowledgeable in the industry does too. Have a Google, look on LinkedIn or ask for referrals from colleagues, and be specific in your search (eg., ‘legal copywriter’, ‘regtech content writer’).
Create an advisory panel: Another popular option is to set up a panel of seasoned industry pros who can offer regular content reviews and guidance. This will suit some businesses better than others – if you have multiple stakeholders with lengthy approval timelines, this won’t work. If you’re an agile team with dedicated SMEs, you could build a continual feedback loop that keeps your content sharp, relevant and respected.
Even if you’re a bootstrapped startup focused on commercial output, there are ways you can transform so-so content into industry-leading insights that nudge your readers along your sales funnel.
FAQs about niche content marketing
How often should I update niche content?
Regular updates can be important for relevancy, SEO, filling content gaps and keeping up to date with regulations, especially in fast-evolving sectors.
Aim to review and refresh content quarterly to keep it current with industry trends and regulatory changes. More frequent updates may be necessary when responding to significant industry events or legal updates.
How should I measure the success of niche content in specialised industries?
It depends on your business type, strategic objectives and content mix. Go beyond basic metrics like views, downloads and shares. Measurements like engagement depth, search traffic, conversion rates, the quality of (sales/marketing) leads generated, share of voice and the uptake of key messages are popular.
How can I make sure my content passes through compliance and meets all regulatory requirements?
Larger regulated companies will have a compliance/legal team to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
If you’re managing freelancers, establish a robust review process involving compliance experts early in the content creation phase. You can also use compliance-check software where applicable and keep a checklist of regulatory requirements that is frequently updated. Regular training for your content team on these regulations will also help prevent compliance issues before they arise.
