B2B content marketing has an undeserved bad reputation. Too many people, including content marketers, think it’s boring. Marginally interesting case studies, sleep-inducing white papers, blog posts written for SEO purposes – yawn.
They couldn’t be further from the truth. If done correctly, B2B content marketing can be more fun than B2C content marketing. Here’s how.
Find Your B2B Brand’s Personality
Every brand has a personality, even B2B brands. The buttoned-up large enterprise software companies speak in calm logic, a soothing balm for frazzled IT directors and CIOs in multinational corporations. Maybe they can’t have quite as much fun, but they can still find a voice beyond the Vulcan.
But other B2B companies target a different market: small businesses, creatives, or solopreneurs. These companies may have their own origin story to tell as part of their brand personality – and because of their target markets, can tell it with flair.
For example, three friends may have started their software company based on mutual respect and collaboration, which carries over to everything they do. While this story won’t be woven everywhere in their content marketing, the tone of every piece of content can draw in readers as collaborators, not customers.
Enjoy the Sales Cycle
Consumers make quick buying decisions, unlike businesses. A lot more decision-makers are involved in the B2B buying cycle, and they all have different needs. The top-level executives want to save money; the IT directors want the product to be easy to implement and use; the super users want to know that it won’t replace their jobs.
Ultimately, the buyers will have many more touchpoints to interact with the company, from the initial research to white papers and case studies, then demos. They’ll watch short videos and read sales sheets and blog posts to understand what your product can do for them. Spend time mapping your content to personas and where they’ll encounter content in their journey.
Play with B2B content Marketing Data
Well, maybe “play” isn’t the right word, but I’m a bit of a data nerd. Seriously, if you’re on a video call with me, check my wrists for wearables, because I’m all about looking at data to see where I can improve my health.
With content, you can set metrics to see how it performs, like how many qualified leads you get from e-book downloads, or how long visitors read a blog post, and whether they click through to read more. Examine what keywords drive prospects to your site and where they land. You might be surprised at what you find and where you can strengthen your content marketing efforts.
Let Yourself Experiment
Experimenting goes right along with data. A/B testing is just one type of marketing testing you can use. Multivariate testing, geo-target testing, eye-track testing, and usability testing are all ways you can experiment with your content to see what works. You’ll be able to see what resonates the most in specific locales, how users view your content, and whether your website is user-friendly – or not.
Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously
We know business buyers make decisions based on logic, not emotion. But that doesn’t mean every piece of content needs to sound like it was written by a Vulcan. You’re still marketing to humans. A lighthearted pun tossed in here or a little bit of humor there in your B2B content marketing can go a long way toward building a relationship with your prospects and customers.
The bottom line is that B2B content marketing doesn’t have to be boring. Look for opportunities to play with your content and experiment with new tactics and content types. You never know what might resonate with your target market, particularly as their demographics shift toward younger purchasing influencers.
Ready to have fun with your content? Contact me today to schedule a consultation!