Most B2B companies struggle to create consistently great content that connects with target buyers. They can learn a lot from leading professional service firms, which have been honing the art of thought leadership for decades.

B2B content marketing presents its own set of challenges, one of which is how to delegate resources in developing content that is timely, authoritative, and yields the best possible ROI over time. This simple portfolio framework is a great organizing tool to help you plan your content "pipeline" and prioritize your content development efforts, according to your marketing budget, internal expertise, and long-term goals.

While an organization’s content can take many forms — including web pages, blog posts, articles, white papers, presentations, brochures, and even books —  they all have one thing in common: The written word. That’s why as high-quality content becomes more important to growth and market differentiation, so does great writing. This is particularly true for professional services firms, such as consultancies, law firms, and accounting firms, whose chief offering is expertise, not products. For such firms, content is the chief embodiment of the company’s expertise and, thus, must be as strong and compelling as possible. Yet, for any company, not paying enough attention to the writing process can result in content that is unclear, jargon-filled, or simply not all that interesting. Even worse, such substandard content can give clients and prospects the impression that the firm’s ideas, innovations, and offerings are substandard as well. The good news is that any organization can significantly...