B2B content marketing is having a rough go of it lately. Optimism is low even though content marketers are creating, sharing and promoting more content than ever before. The content created gets lost in the digital noise, the data collected isn’t thorough and the audiences reached aren’t receptive.
We know why and how B2B content marketers are failing. But how are they succeeding? According to a joint study between ON24 and Heinz Marketing, the marketers that get the most out of their content know how to drive engagement. What’s more, the successful marketers in the study all share certain traits.
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To provide you with a better idea of what’s working for modern content marketing, we’ve consolidated the traits found in successful content programs into six attributes. These high-level qualities cannot be easily shoehorned into a content program, but marketers should use these attributes as guideposts as they move towards a content program based on engagement, rather than clicks.
Attribute One: Personalization
So, why is content important in modern day marketing? Successful modern content marketing programs customizer messaging for individual audiences. To do so, content creators must have a keen understanding of audience pain points, industry terminology and a robust library of personas to draw on — even at the expense of campaign efficiency.
Attribute Two: Interaction
Audiences need to interact with modern content marketing, not stare at it. This means taking advantage of two-way conversations through digital media and in-person events. Driving a two-way conversation can help an audience understand what they need from a solution and help marketers better target and engage with audiences.
Attribute Three: Curiosity
Great modern content marketing programs evoke curiosity in audiences. News updates, product releases, in-depth installation guides, expert commentary and more can all pique the interest of relevant attendees. Again, having a well-defined understanding of a target audience is necessary to know what makes them curious and what makes them click away.
Attribute Four: Personas
This entry should be no surprise given how much of content marketing depends on well-honed personas. With quality personas, marketers can bring out the personality in content and craft work that’ll actually get read, rather than glanced at.
Attribute Five: Precision
Up to 90 per cent of content marketers create for sales goes unused. The solution isn’t, however, to create less. Instead, marketers need to make their content more precise. Assets should address the unique pain points their prospective customers face in the buying journey — even if it’s a single slide or quote.
Attribute Six: Brevity
Brevity is the soul of both wit and good marketing. Knowing when to say less — or provide less — can help marketers engage more. So, take a step away from the 20-page white paper and send a summary to your audience instead.
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