Advertising That Pulls Its Own Weight: Content In B2B Marketing

We can officially take it for granted that consistently good, quality content is essential in B2B marketing. Creating this content is problematic enough, but an even bigger challenge is getting the attention required for it to pay off.

Quality Content
Ideally, the process should work like this:

Your business posts a blog. At first nobody reads it, but like clockwork, at least every week, another entry goes up. These are really interesting entries, full of relevant content, helpful advice, and are even fairly entertaining. The sales message is also nicely finessed into each post, highlighting the value of your product or service.

A reader finally stumbles into these entries. This reader spreads the word. The whole process is repeated over time. As long as the content stays responsive and interesting, people keep coming back. This is the new face of advertising.

Be warned, this is no way to boost sales for the current quarter if you haven’t already started. It’s no cheap and dirty marketing trick; it’s a glacial process that takes time, endurance, diligence, and even faith. Give these efforts anything less and they’re likely to be a waste of time (ie money).

By the way, money doesn’t hurt either. In a recent post* B2B marketing blogger Steven Woods points out some representative examples of how well-spent ad dollars can accelerate this process.

“Experts”
Today, information is worthless on its face. A Web site just doesn’t cut it anymore. The challenge in creating content your audience will find both thoughtful and addicting is gathering and arranging this information, then jolting it to life with an infusion of creativity and imagination.

Does the author have to be an expert? It helps. But an expert on what? Suppose the subject is employee training. In what field should the author be an expert for the content to be effective? Education, writing, philosophy, business, human resources, marketing, mass communications, computer technology–these are just a few of the disciplines that might apply to this example.

Necessary Messes
Having at least some knowledge in the applicable field is helpful because the more knowledge you have, the less creativity you need.

But a certain level of imagination and the ability to think creatively is essential. This isn’t something you have to be born with. It’s a skill just like any other; it can be learned with regular practice. Your office should be a studio where you try crazy things and make mistakes. Your blog is where you put the very best of your efforts on display for the world. There’s no need for the whole world to see your messes. Make no mistake, however; the messes are absolutely necessary.

Reality Check
Have your competitors already started doing this? Are you feeling hopelessly behind? Don’t despair. Advertising with content can be a challenge, but there’s no time like the present. Not every post has to be perfect. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was a good advertising blog (no, not one).

Anyway, can your business really afford to ignore this?

*http://digitalbodylanguage.blogspot.com/2010/06/content-as-advertisement.html

Tagged as: advertising, b2b marketing, business, business marketing, business-to-business, content, Marketing, sales