Attracting Customers without Direct Costs in the B2B Market Using Content Marketing in PR

In today's world, companies face increased competition and changing customer needs, requiring marketers to constantly seek new approaches to promoting products and services. However, most traditional advertising strategies involve significant costs, which is not always justified, especially for startups and companies with limited budgets. The effectiveness of advertising is also diminished by growing skepticism and consumer fatigue from intrusive advertising, making the task of attracting new customers even more complex.

In marketing, two types of markets are traditionally distinguished: Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C). The B2B market covers companies that offer their goods or services to other companies, such as manufacturers working with wholesale suppliers, or wholesalers cooperating with retail sellers. In contrast, the B2C market includes businesses aimed at selling goods or services to end consumers. In both cases, a PR strategy plays an important role in sustaining business [1, с. 411-415].

Many academic works are dedicated to defining the term "PR." In her work "Modern Approaches to the Definition of PR," G. Chizhova considers three approaches to defining this term:

1. The Altruistic Approach (Sam Black): Here, PR is viewed as the art and science of fostering public harmony through mutual understanding based on truth and full disclosure. Serving the interests of society is central, with the organization's own interests taking a back seat. This model is most often found in European countries.
2. The Pragmatic Approach: This approach contrasts with the altruistic one and is characterized by the American school of PR. Here, PR is defined as a tool for organizing public opinion to improve the functioning of the company and enhance its reputation, often through mass media. The focus of this approach is on the commercial interests of the organization [5, с. 60-64].
3. The Compromise Approach (Edward Bernays): In this approach, PR is seen as a means of harmonizing the company's activities with the interests of the public. This approach is the most common in modern practice and seeks to balance the interests of the company and society [6].

In this article, we will consider the term "PR" from the perspective of the pragmatic approach, as the strategy originates from the company and often its personal interests are prioritized over public ones. Public relations (PR) is the art and science of managing communications between an organization and its key audiences to create, maintain, or change public perception and reputation. Unlike traditional advertising, whose goal is to directly stimulate sales through explicit advertising messages, PR aims to build and maintain a positive image of the company and long-term relationships with clients and employees. This is achieved through organizing events, working with media, and content marketing.

The most suitable definition of content marketing was described by N. Rostovskaya in her work "Content Marketing: Toward Defining the Concept." She defines content marketing as "a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer actions" [7].

Content created for marketing purposes must be optimized for search using SEO practices. This means that when creating content, marketers should consider the keywords that interest their target audience. Optimizing content helps improve its positions in search engines, leading to increased organic traffic to the company's website.

According to A. Yakovlev, "SEO (search engine optimization) is a technique for achieving a higher position in search engines by modifying the site to maximize compatibility with search engines".

Content must not only be optimized but also regularly updated to match current trends and changes in search algorithms. An effective content marketing and SEO strategy allows B2B companies to attract the attention of the right audience, increase leads, and ultimately–deals. Here are some key aspects that highlight the importance of quality content in B2B communications:

1. Strengthening brand trust: Quality content demonstrates the company's understanding of its industry, which helps build trust with potential clients. Publishing research, case studies, and analytical articles helps establish the company as an expert in its field.
2. Increasing brand visibility: Content that is actively distributed and discussed in social media, forums, and professional communities increases the brand's visibility online. This attracts additional attention to the company and enhances its market presence without additional advertising expenses.
3. Creating value for the target audience: Providing useful, up-to-date information, solving specific tasks and issues of the target audience through quality content allows the company to create real value for potential and existing clients. This fosters loyalty and maintains interest in the brand over a long time.
4. Improving search optimization: Quality content containing keywords and phrases improves the company's positions in search engines for relevant queries. This leads to increased organic traffic to the company's website and, consequently, to increased potential sales.
5. Interaction with clients: Content allows for continuous interaction with the target audience, providing it with up-to-date information, news about products and services, educational materials, and more. This helps maintain interest in the brand and strengthen relationships with clients.

Overall, quality content is an integral part of a strategy to establish a brand's authority in the B2B segment. It contributes to strengthening trust, increasing visibility, and creating value for the target audience, ultimately leading to increased sales without direct expenses. The most common options for presenting content are examined in the work of S. Balashova:

• Cases: These are detailed descriptions of real projects, solutions to specific problems, or successful use of products/services by the company. They demonstrate to potential clients the real results and effectiveness of the company's offerings. Including statistics, customer feedback, and a detailed description of the work process creates convincing and influential content.
• Blogs: In regularly updated sections on the company's website or on social media, articles on current topics related to the industry, products, or services are published. This attracts technologically interested users and strengthens the company's position as an expert in this field.
• Research: Publishing industry research underscores the company's deep knowledge of its market segment. This not only attracts attention to the agency but also stimulates citations of its work in other media and blogs, thereby increasing audience reach.
• Webinars and educational videos: Video content helps demonstrate products or services in action. Placing materials on external sources brings in new clients. The situation with webinars is similar: training can be conducted in conjunction with other companies, thereby expanding the audience size.

Content marketing plays a critical role in modern B2B marketing, as it allows companies to build long-term relationships with the audience without significant expenses on traditional advertising. A deep understanding of the target audience and the right use of platforms for content placement create the basis for sustainable brand development and strengthening its reputation. Thus, content marketing in PR acts not just as a tool of the marketing strategy, but also as a key factor for long-term success in the B2B sector.