If you’re in B2B marketing, you’ve probably waded through enough “ultimate guides” to fill a server farm. Here’s the deal: most topic research is either too shallow to be useful or so complicated your team never actually uses it. This guide is for the folks who need results, not busywork. We’re going to walk through a practical, step-by-step process for doing topic research with MarketMuse—no hype, just what actually works for B2B teams.
Who’s This For?
- B2B marketing teams (small or midsize, agency or in-house)
- Content strategists who need to justify their plans with real data
- Anyone tired of generic content ideas that don’t move the needle
If you want to find topics that actually have a shot at ranking — and that your buyers care about — keep reading.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goals (Don’t Skip This)
Before you even log in to MarketMuse, get specific about what you’re trying to do. Topic research can mean different things:
- Are you trying to build authority in a niche?
- Do you need quick-win topics for next quarter’s blog?
- Are you mapping out a full content pillar or cluster?
Pro tip: If your boss just said, “Find some good topics,” push back. Pin down what “good” actually means for your business (leads, demo requests, awareness, etc.).
What to ignore: Don’t start with a huge list of random keywords. That’s how you end up with content nobody reads.
Step 2: Set Up MarketMuse Projects the Right Way
Now, log in and start a new project in MarketMuse. Think of a project as a folder for a specific product line, audience, or campaign.
How to do it: - Click “Create Project” and give it a clear, specific name (e.g., “SaaS Onboarding Content” not just “Blog”). - Add your main website domain so MarketMuse can analyze your existing content. - If you’re targeting a specific audience (like IT directors in fintech), note that somewhere — it’ll help you focus later.
What works: The more focused your project, the more useful the topic suggestions will be.
What to ignore: Don’t dump every product or vertical into one project. You’ll get a mess.
Step 3: Build a List of Seed Topics (But Stay Ruthless)
Seed topics are just starting points. These should be related to your business, your buyers’ pain points, and what you want to be known for.
How to brainstorm seeds: - Review sales calls, support tickets, and customer feedback. What words do people actually use? - Check out competitors’ blogs — not to copy, but to see what they’re doubling down on. - Ask your sales team: “What do prospects always ask about before buying?”
Enter these seeds into MarketMuse. The platform will spit out related topics and variants.
Pro tip: Don’t go wild here. Five to ten strong, relevant seed topics are plenty to start.
What doesn’t work: Relying on your own assumptions and skipping customer input. You’ll miss what actually matters.
Step 4: Use MarketMuse Topic Suggestions (But Don’t Blindly Trust Them)
MarketMuse will generate a web of related topics, questions, and keyword variations for each seed. This is where the tool shines — but also where you need a skeptical eye.
What to look for: - Relevance: Does the suggested topic actually make sense for your product and audience? - Search intent: Is the topic geared toward someone ready to buy, or just doing research? - Authority gap: Are you already ranking for this? If not, do you have a shot?
How to sift through suggestions: - Make a short list of topics that hit the sweet spot: relevant, not too competitive, and aligned with your goals. - Ignore anything that feels off-brand, or is just there because it’s a trending buzzword.
Pro tip: Don’t chase high-volume keywords just because they look impressive. In B2B, the right 100 visitors can be worth more than 10,000 random ones.
Step 5: Analyze Your Current Content (So You Don’t Reinvent the Wheel)
MarketMuse’s Content Inventory feature shows you how well your existing content covers your chosen topics. This is where a lot of B2B teams get a reality check.
How to do it: - Run a content audit by letting MarketMuse crawl your domain. - For each priority topic, see what pages you already have — and how well they perform (MarketMuse scores for coverage and authority). - Identify gaps (topics you’re missing) and overlaps (pages that compete against each other).
What works: Use this audit to prioritize updating or consolidating content before creating something new.
What doesn’t work: Ignoring your old blog posts. You might have hidden gems that just need a refresh.
Step 6: Prioritize Topics Based on Effort vs. Impact
You’ll end up with a long list of possible topics. Now, reality check: what’s actually worth your team’s time?
How to prioritize: - Quick wins: Topics where you already have some authority, and the competition isn’t fierce. These can show results fast. - Strategic bets: Harder, high-value topics that help you build authority over time (think pillar pages). - Forgettable stuff: Topics that are too competitive, too broad, or totally unrelated to your buyers. Cut these.
Score each topic on: - Relevance to your business - Likelihood to convert (will this attract the right buyers?) - Competition level (MarketMuse gives a difficulty score, but double-check with your own judgment)
Pro tip: Don’t get paralyzed by analysis. Pick a few topics and move on — you can always adjust later.
Step 7: Build Out Content Briefs (Skip the Guesswork)
MarketMuse isn’t just for research — it can generate detailed content briefs for your chosen topics. These take the guesswork out of briefing writers or subject matter experts.
A good brief includes: - Target word count (don’t obsess, but it’s a helpful guide) - Core topics and questions to answer - Suggested internal/external links - Competitive content to beat
How to use it: - Download or share the brief with your writer or agency. - Review for accuracy — sometimes the AI gets weirdly specific or off-base. Edit as needed. - Make sure the brief fits your brand and audience. Don’t just regurgitate what everyone else is doing.
What works: Using briefs to speed up content production and keep everyone on the same page.
What to ignore: Boilerplate advice like “include related questions” if they don’t actually fit your audience.
Step 8: Monitor Performance and Iterate
Don’t just publish once and forget. MarketMuse can help you track performance, but you’ll need Google Analytics and Search Console for the full picture.
Ways to keep improving: - Check which topics/posts are driving real business outcomes (not just traffic). - Update content as your product or market changes. - Keep a running list of new questions or themes from sales and support — feed these back into your topic research.
What works: Treating topic research as a living process, not a one-off project.
What doesn’t work: Obsessing over rankings alone. In B2B, quality conversions matter more.
Bottom Line: Keep It Simple, Stay Skeptical, and Iterate
MarketMuse is a solid tool for B2B topic research — if you use it with a clear plan and a skeptical eye. Don’t get distracted by shiny metrics or endless keyword lists. Pick a focus, use real customer insight, and keep your process lightweight enough that your team actually sticks with it.
You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with a few strong topics, measure what happens, and tweak your approach. That’s how you actually win at B2B content marketing — not by chasing the latest buzzword or overcomplicating things.