As buyers spend more time researching vendors online, your business’ digital content should anticipate the questions, problems and needs of your target buyer so that you can make their short list.

Want to appeal to — and close sales with — more customers? Your content must speak directly to your target audience’s needs and wants.

According to Demand Gen’s 2016 B2B Buyer’s Survey Report, nearly half of buyers (48%) report that their purchase cycle has increased since last year. One of the main reasons: they are spending more time conducting research and using more sources to investigate purchases.

That means potential customers are scrutinizing vendors more than ever before. As a vendor, your business should be examining your digital content to ensure it meets the expectations of B2B buyers seeking products and services like yours.

And what, exactly, are buyers looking for?

When researching a vendor on its website, Demand Gen survey respondents reported overwhelmingly that “content that speaks directly to [my] company” is the single-most influential aspect of the website. In fact, 96% rank that somewhat important or very important.

Therefore, your business should be creating content that answers questions, solves problems, and makes life easier for your target buyer. When they are reading your website, blog, or social media posts, they should feel like you understand their pain points and concerns and that you have the exact solution their specific business requires.

What else is important to buyers?

When it comes to conducting research on a vendor website, buyers ranked the following factors, in order, behind content speaking directly to their companies.

1. Easy access to pricing and competitive information

Can anyone navigating your website quickly and easily find what your products or services cost? Or have you hidden or excluded that information?

2. Vendor-focused content

Buyers want to understand not just who they are buying from but, more importantly, what you can offer them. Case studies detailing successes of your other customers, product data sheets illustrating technical characteristics and performance metrics — buyers crave this kind of information.

3. Search and navigation tools

Buyers want to be able to quickly find exactly what they are looking for. Your website should be easy to navigate and very user-friendly.

4. Easy access to content

Are you hoarding high-value resources behind lengthy registration forms in order to extract as much information as possible from your leads? You may be losing prospects because of it. Keep your forms short and sweet.

5. Relevancy of website speaking directly to the industry/company

You understand the business environment in which your customers operate. Your website should convey this knowledge so that prospects can recognize your expertise and trust your business and its solutions.

6. Thought leadership content

Expert content like whitepapers, reports, and infographics elevate your brand image and establish you as a leading voice in the industry.

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