I want to talk briefly about content. It has many species, but I want to focus on one in particular – B2B. I think a lot of B2B companies are stressing out about:
“What kind of content do I create?”
“My product is boring.”
“How do I create content around that?”
“How do I do that at scale?”
“How do I reach people?”
“How do I engage people?”
I know for a fact that it’s a huge problem, because we have one blog post on our website called “5 Social Media Tips For B2B.” We wrote that a long time ago, but it’s one of the most highly-trafficked blog posts on our website.
Create Better, More Engaging B2B Content
So I know that there’s demand out there for B2B to create better, more engaging content. So here are a couple tips:
1) Stop marketing your products.
Let that sink in…
2) Stop talking about the hyper-thread processors that you create, how wonderful they are, and the specs on them.
I think a lot of B2B folks are gravitating toward thought leadership, which I completely applaud them for. But I think we’ve got to be careful with that. One customer of mine kept wanting us to write how ethernet works to their target audience, which is IT people. Their target audience already knows how ethernet works – which is why they are in the space.
Humanize Your Content
I want you to take a step back before you sit down to compose that editorial calendar. I want you to start flipping your content around, and what I mean by that is…humanize it. So, you’re going to sit down and write about your new product launch? I want you to write a story about the person that product launch impacts. What’s it going to do for them? What’s it going to do for the business and their bottom line? By doing that and changing that story up…you’re now talking to human beings. You’re pulling people into your world. You’re taking them on a journey, and that’s the kind of content that sizzles. That’s what works. That’s what’s going to help you stand out among the 9 billion other companies who are doing what you do.
Tell A Story!
To listen to our original SmartAss Marketer podcast by Tom Jelneck, please click below.
On Target is an Orlando based Digital Marketing Agency that helps brands stand out and rise above the noise. Through great storytelling, On Target turns companies into thought leaders. Founded in 2005 as a search engine marketing (SEO) firm, we’ve evolved into Orlando’s only agency that specializes in creating remarkable online content. If you’re looking to refresh your marketing strategy, contact us today.
About the Author:
Tom is the Chief coffee brewer, CEO, digital marketing strategist, and kickass content creator for brands across the globe at On Target. He loves nothing more than helping small to medium-sized businesses find their online voice and growing their leads, prospects, and sales.