Meet B2B Content Engine: social media marketing for small biz

Andy Detweiler and a friend were tired of what he called “antiquated” techniques for social content marketing.
“We recognize the value of content but we don’t have $10,000 a month, $5,000 a month, or even $1,000 a month to spend on a marketing system or writers,” Detweiler said. “But that doesn’t mean we want to be stuck using techniques we know don’t work.”
Detweiler, a former sales executive for health companies Pulse and DrFirst, is vice president of the Rockville-based B2B Content Engine, where his friend, Greg Bardwell, serves as CEO. Detwiler presented at a recent Baltimore TechBreakfast.
Last June, Detweiler and Bardwell took over the existing B2B brand, which came from Bardwell’s former company. The new engagement platform they’ve created is currently in private beta. Detweiler said the company is targeting June 30 for the public beta launch, though signups are available for the public beta on B2B’s website.
Here’s how it works.
B2B’s software helps companies find, publish and distribute targeted marketing content. What’s targeted marketing? Let’s say you’ve been searching for flights to Bermuda. The next time you visit Facebook, you might see an ad for Kayak.
The company’s platform combines company blogs and other calls to action. It also publishes to client pages on social networks. Approximately 30 companies are participating in the beta, Detweiler said.
“There’s pretty good feedback,” he said. “There seems to be just a general gap growing, as far as content marketing, content automation and all those things go. [Competitors] are all going after enterprises, which in our eyes is a gap for the small business, the solo entrepreneur to do this.”
Price points for B2B’s platform range from $9 to $99 per month. A free option listed on the company’s website is likely to disappear, Detweiler said.