The marketing world is still trying to adapt to the fluid global B2B impacts and find solutions.
Two recent reports including the MDM 2020 Top Distributor Report and the Demand Gen Report’s 2020 Content Preferences Study point to significant changes including content format.
In marketing and copywriting 2 components contribute to content. You need the human side such as will this make my job easier, get me a promotion, or maybe fired? Then you need to address the technical component which is product features and benefits.
The best way to incorporate this concept is to list features of the product with benefits. An easy example is online training that has no travel/hotel/meals expenses and can be done at the employees’ current location. This has always been a successful match for addressing customer problems with solutions.
What has changed is the format of content that not only covers the increased and diverse buyer committee members (part 1), but incorporates a balance. In addition, your sales flywheel might have varying levels of requirements which require different content formats.
Research again is key, so let’s look at how you can address these content requirements.
Firstly, who is the key researcher of your product, what do they need to know? If it’s the end user that is on a mobile device and busy, video might be the right choice. If the engineering department is doing research maybe a white paper or case study would answer the technical specs they require. If an executive is involved, maybe some video testimonials with revenue increase and graphs are the answer.
Not every piece of content is equal, nor is the format of the content. Videos are easy and quick to watch, but you will have a hard time for anyone to watch a two-hour documentary on your product. Maybe instead of that $50,000 documentary video, a $2,000-dollar 5-minute video will pique the interest to see more info, or sign up for newsletters or demo/document downloads. Just like the movie industry, are you making a teasing preview of the highlights or maybe upcoming attractions for a future product upgrade/release?
Can info graphics show the finance department the cost breakdown at a glance? Do your blogs answer the range of questions that are being searched for online? Can your sales team send all the videos/documents, or will a zoom call with screen sharing do the trick? Can the use of a chat bot on your website direct someone to the right content in a blog, document or video instead of tying up customer service or sales, or worse leave your website in disappointment?
These are all content strategies that need reviewing and refining. The advent of technology allows even more ways to increase your user experience (UX). Finding you is hard, but keeping your customer on your site is even harder. If you don’t provide the right type and quality of content quickly your potential lead will lose interest and move on.
Just as your customer justifies your product or service, you should do the same for your marketing strategies. The global crisis has slashed budgets and even closed doors of suppliers and purchasers, so become more efficient with your content without sacrificing lost sales.
Use your research tools to find and track your sales flywheel process, study what works and what doesn’t. Also seek out AI technologies to do more work with less personnel time. Use different content and formats that increase user experience (UX) and always get feedback from the user when possible. People always love to provide opinions so collect them and study them.
B2B marketing can be daunting because your time is consumed with all these requirements, but you’re not alone. Reach out to a professional copywriter that knows your issues and understands your customers from being one. I can provide answers for content questions and refer you to other resources.
Email me now for your free consultation to discuss your B2B Industrial Safety Marketing flywheel solutions.
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Thank you from your B2B Industrial Safety Copywriter!
Bryan Popowich
