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3 Ways Your B2B Content Can Provide the Most Value
March 13, 2014 by Glenn Gow 7 Comments
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Most of us wouldnt give a friend or relative a highly flattering
portrait of ourselves as a gift. Yet, B2B marketing organizations
and marketing agencies do it all the time on social media and in
other marketing communications. They push out self-promoting
content about their brand, news, successes, or participation in
industry events. You dont have to go any further than the
nearest press release to find examples of this self-serving
marketing prose. Has anyone ever described themselves as
anything other than a leader, an innovator or an industry
disrupter?
The fact is that we know what makes a good personal gift, but we sometimes fail to put that knowledge to
work in our marketing.
1. Understand What Content People Care About
Content is based on an understanding of whats important to others, what interests them, what they care
about. To do that you have to listen. In B2B marketing, one thing that fills the lead and demand generation
pipeline is content that gives your audiences insight and information on the subjects they care about.
On top of your regular social media engagement, you can go one step further to connect with your buyers by
following industry forums, blogs, interest groups and webcasts where they also share content. For example,
IT.Toolbox.com does a fantastic job of not only understanding their IT audience, but engaging them with the
right content. You can find blogs, research and discussion groups ranging from topics like technology trends
and business intelligence to storage and security hardware. Content is available in real-time to stay relevant
and engaging, while providing insight into industry behavior and patterns.
2. Make Your Content a Gift That Gives Continual Value
BLOG ABOUT NEWSLETTER GUEST POSTS SPEAKING ARCHIVE
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Give people content they can use long after their initial visit. After a lead becomes a buyer, valuable content
will keep them engaged. Cisco Communities is a great example of how you can provide a wealth of buyer-
generated content around trends, implementation and performance tuning. Help your buyers share what
delivers results for them.
One organization found that its Facebook posts generated more interest and followers when it provided tips
on using social media effectively, than by simply announcing product marketing news. Everyone wants to
know where technology is going, so start a conversation. Ask what, why and how questions. Give your
audience direct links to industry research and to the thought leaders who are talking about tomorrows
technology.
Promote others relevant content, including that of your industrys thought leaders. Find out who the
thought leaders are in your industry and what theyre talking about. For example, searches in Cisco
Communities not only include Ciscos own product marketing content, but content from other partners and
interest-based communities as well. Cisco even provides a filter so visitors can get to that non-Cisco
content directly.
3. Be Surprising
People love a surprise. One sure-fire way to surprise people these days: give them content without asking
for something in return their personal information or an offer to chat now. Highlight your buyers
successes, even when it has nothing to do with your solution. Offer an unexpected additional service or a
one-time upgrade at no charge.
Stepping outside the just business zone can also favorably surprise your audience. Find out what
community service organizations your top buyers support and get involved. Rotary International is one
organization with a long track record of proven success at building business by building goodwill. Work with
them, or a similar organization, and share what you are doing.
In a nutshell, your content strategy is all about giving content gifts that raise your value in the eyes of your
buyers. Differentiating your brand isnt only about your product marketing. Its also about how you engage
with your buyers: Understanding what they care about, reaching out to them wherever they are, supplying
content with ongoing value, and, finally, surprising them with unexpected value.
What are some ways your content has given great value? Share what youve done in the comments below.
The preceding post is inspired by my podcast interview with Rishi Dave, former Executive Director of Digital
Marketing at Dell.
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Photo credit: Flickr
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Filed Under: Marketing
Tagged With: B2B marketing, B2B Social Media, Content Marketing
About Glenn Gow
Glenn Gow is founder of Silicon Valley-based marketing firm Crimson Marketing. He is an
expert in marketing strategy for tech companies and the author of Revenue and the CMO.
Follow him on Google+ or Twitter at @CrimsonCEO.
Comments
John P. Wheeler says
April 25, 2014 at 4:17 am
I believe that generating effective content is about striking the balance between smart and fun.
Your contents goal isnt just to educate, but to entertain as well. And to accomplish this, you need
to understand what your target audience is about.
5 Ways To Level-Up Your Content Value -
http://www.spi-global.com/blog/innovation-lab/5-ways-level-up-content/
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