Creating Content that’s Relevant for B2B Marketing

“What shall I write about today?” 

The standard question heard whenever someone has to create some new piece of cleverly worded content in the B2B marketing arena.

Stare at the wall. Go to your email to check it once again. Look out of the window. Pray for a phone call; all good delaying tactics that we've all used, more often that we’d like to think, to be truthful.

Creating content that an industrial and technical audience will find important and engaging is not easy.

You can only create so many application notes and case studies. Case studies for example are notoriously difficult to produce because customers don’t want to give their permission for fear of appearing to favor a vendor. Sometimes it’s because they don’t want to tell their competition what they are doing. 

How often have you written a case study starting “A large manufacturing company in the Midwest….” or “A major food producer on the East Coast…”

The marketing books will tell you to address the customers’ pain points. Excellent advice from someone sat in a nice office with no need to sell a product or service. It’s not that easy sometimes.

So question number one is why would anyone buy your products or services if they don’t know they have a problem? The old adage, “if it aint broke, don’t fix it” always seems to work well.

To make your content significant, you need to raise awareness of your customer’s impending problem and help them understand that they actually have a problem that they may not even be aware of yet.

For example, changes in Regulations, new technological innovations all come under the umbrella of forthcoming issues for customers. In many instances they are simply not aware of changes.

Now, you may think that your only job is to sell more products. It is certainly not your responsibility to educate your customers about the future product trends and regulatory initiatives. If you take that attitude, then you’d be wrong and miss out on potential sales opportunities. 

If the content that you write can provide free assistance to your customers you will always be viewed as a valuable vendor and a source of knowledge and expertise and not just another supplier. These individuals within your customers who read your highly relevant content may very well become your internal champions in time, giving you advance notice of projects and requirements.

So when thinking about what to write, turn to the Regulatory websites, read the trade press and look ahead to what is coming, not what is already here. Stay one step ahead of your competition and always have a foot in the door with your customers.