In the hunt for new customers, many B2B marketers see their blog as a lead generation channel. But staying hyper-focused on acquisition could mean your content marketing program is missing a trick. Blogging can help you win customers, and it can also help you keep them.

Quality content – the stuff that’s original, insightful, and offers real value to the reader – is critical at every point on the sales funnel. It doesn’t matter if you’re aiming to attract mid-sized businesses or global multinationals; signing the contract is just the start.

Assuming you’re not competing solely on price, your customer relationships post-purchase will need constant nurturing. After all, as your customers grows their businesses, they may well need more of your services. They need to be reminded regularly of all your products, services, capabilities, and the full breadth of your expertise.

According to Daniel Foley, Creating quality content that offers practical advice and tips on best practice to your blog can be a superb way to boost customer satisfaction and set the stage for a long-term relationship.

Here are four reasons why:

1. It helps them stay informed about their industry

News and analysis lands in our on-boxes multiple times each day. To read it all or take part in every trade event or webinar we get invited to, the week would need an extra day.

Giving customers an easily-accessible resource for news, advice and insights a will help position you as a trusted source – someone to turn to when their business has a new requirement that you’ve already demonstrated expertise in.

2. It reduces churn

Sharing quality blog posts with customers shows them you want them to have more than what they’ve purchased. Delivering a regular pregame of intelligence gathering and best practice sharing promotes a more engaged and loyal customer base. Subscription management company Zuora says B2B blogging can cut down churn by as much as 25 per cent.

3. Customers feel they’re getting more out of the relationship

B2B customers often invest in products, services, and solutions to save money, improve customer support, or make them more efficient than their competitors. Achieving goals of that nature means they’ll need to do more than take a product out of shrink wrap — it requires ongoing support.

Providing how-to guides, insider tips, and examples of how others have tackled a similar challenge will firm up perceptions of value in your brand.

4. They can see how others handle similar challenges

No matter how well-written or produced, not everyone wants to engage in future-gazing or sit through lengthy industry insights. Sales and business development teams also need content with more immediacy, and can back up marketing claims with concrete proof that your products and services have a measurable impact.

A B2B blog is a great place to share customer success stories and case studies that explain in detail how you helped another organization address a pain point or achieve an objective.

Keeping current customers, they say, is cheaper than finding new ones. Your B2B blog can help boost loyalty and win more repeat business  — a foundation of success in every sector.

But remember that creating blog content to keep customers engaged and informed, is a long game requiring planning, alignment with marketing strategy, and original, well-written copy. Give it the strategic emphasis it deserves.