You hear a lot of content marketing information divided between B2C and B2B, as if in one type of marketing you were selling to humans and the other was some kind of automated, decision-making machine that was operated by an algorithm.
Whether you’re selling to consumers or other businesses, you’re always selling to another person. That’s why what often works great for B2C will be just as awesome for engaging companies in a B2B.
But across the B2B and B2C content marketing spectrum, there’s always more connection to be had. Here are some ideas for taking a step back and making your marketing more about the people who are receiving it:
Listen: If there’s one thing that has turned off consumers and B2B buyers alike, it’s the constant noise of advertising. People are tired of hearing brands talk about how great they are. In order to build credibility, listen to members of your target market.
This might mean taking some time on social media to look at how your prospective customers are interacting, what they’re complaining about and why they love certain brands.
It might mean sending out some surveys so that your content will address the topics and questions your audience cares about.
Build Trust: It takes time to build the kind of reputation that establishes your brand as an industry expert. But that’s a lot of what content marketing is about. Here are some practical ways to try it:
- Use testimonials and case studies to allow other customers’ experiences to tell a story about your brand.
- Offer demonstrations via YouTube or Facebook Live. Let your customers see for themselves whether your product is something they want.
- Provide solutions in your content marketing. A blog or a video should never be about you; it should highlight a common challenge or question in your industry and offer advice or tips.
Personalize: If your content marketing strategy is designed to reach everyone, it’s probably not effectively reaching anyone. You need to produce content that is published for a single person, or at least the representative of a micro-segment as defined by a buyer persona.
Create specific buyer personas based on your segments, and think of them as real people with names. You’ll get better at creating content that effectively solves problems for them when you see them as individuals.
Content marketing is a great way to reach audiences, and, more importantly, it’s a great way to reach people. Connect with people more effectively when you keep reminding yourself that you’re not just doing B2B or B2C marketing, but human-to-human marketing. Contact us at SJC Marketing for more practical ideas for connection.