Is Your Marketing Making Life Easier for You or Your Prospects?
There’s a saying that doing the easy thing is not the same as doing the right thing. It’s definitely true for B2B marketers—what’s easy for us to produce might not be what is right for our audience to consume.
But we like easy; as children, we were taught that practice makes perfect. We were taught to do the same thing over and over and become an expert at it. We were taught that the more you do something, the more successful you’ll be—and the easier it will get.
All of this is ingrained into our very being from a young age. And yet as B2B marketers, everything we know goes against this way of thinking.
Case in point: for many years, B2B marketers (especially in the building products industry) knew what their audience wanted—simple, sales-focused materials like brochures—and we gave it to them…in excess. We practiced it until we perfected it. And we did the same thing over and over until we were experts at it. The more we did it, the more successful we were. The easier it got.
We were practically crapping brochures. After all, what better way to showcase the features and benefits of your product than a document that does so in exhaustive detail?
In 2015, the answer to that question is: content that helps, not sells. Sure, your sales team might still need a brochure, but a brochure is little more than a “kiss ‘em goodnight” add-on to leave a prospect with—it’s not a way to start a conversation, and it’s certainly not going to generate leads by itself.
The Shift to Digital Tools in B2B Marketing
Since the rise of digital communication, B2B marketing has embraced tools like webinars and virtual events. These formats offer interactive ways to engage with potential clients, providing valuable experiences that go beyond traditional methods. Video content has also become popular, offering a versatile medium to convey complex information in an engaging, digestible format.
Interesting, then, that a recent study by the NetlLine Corporation and the CMO Council discovered that brochures are still the most commonly produced materials by B2B marketers, yet whitepapers deliver the best leads when it comes to B2B content marketing strategies. So where’s the disconnect?
Simple. B2B marketers are doing what is easy—what they know. And in doing so, they’re ignoring the very clear numbers that prove this is not the content their audience (or sales team) needs when making a buying decision. They need materials that help—not sell: whitepapers, calculators, apps, quizzes, etc. Unfortunately, these tools are more complex, time-consuming, and expensive to produce, so some B2B marketers opt for brochures.
Importance of Data Analytics in Content Strategy
Data analytics play a key role in refining content strategies. By examining data, marketers can uncover audience preferences and tailor content to meet specific needs. This approach enhances personalization and helps drive more meaningful connections, fostering greater engagement and informed decisions.
For B2B marketers, making sales-oriented materials that focus on features and benefits of what we want to talk about (like brochures) is easy. We’ve practiced it, perfected it, become experts in it, and even had success with it. But what is right is giving your sales team the content they need to generate leads and giving your audience the content they need to feel comfortable making a purchase—content that educates and helps.
Building strong customer relationships is essential in B2B marketing. Offering personalized newsletters and customer-focused blogs can create trust and loyalty. By consistently providing content that meets the needs of clients, marketers can create a foundation for long-lasting partnerships.
Be the B2B marketer who does what is right—not easy.
