When your prospects are in pain – and when the pain of not changing exceeds the pain of the change – they will research what will solve their problem and who is best to do so. However, they are not experts in solving their problem, so they seek credible sources of information to narrow their search and find the best solution, and they are turned off by self-promotional messaging.
Innovatively designed websites and marketing materials may be visually appealing, but it won’t help you rank well on Google nor generate leads – content generates leads, not design, but it has to educate prospects, be written within a brand storytelling context, and be professionally written.
Combining Storytelling with Thought Leadership
Traditional branding focuses too much on the visual appeal of your website and other marketing assets. The problem is, many B2B companies think they’re all set with a beautiful website and neglect to realize how important it is to communicate the substance of your brand, a.k.a. compelling content.
To identify your brand’s story, it’s crucial that you tell the story of how you solve problems for your customers, who are the “hero” of the story. Thought leadership is then needed to build on that by educating prospects on how to achieve success and avoid failure, and how your solutions compare with direct and indirect alternatives.
Thought leadership can take many forms in B2B content marketing, including blogs, case studies, guides/whitepapers, side-by-side comparisons, configurators, ROI calculators, FAQs, third-party articles, and more.
Content Syndication
Once you are regularly producing thought leadership, the key to getting it out beyond your website to increase your chances of being found by prospects, including:
* Repurpose website content on social media, in email campaigns, and in guest blogs
* Hosting webinars, recording them, gating the recordings on your website to generate leads, and creating blogs from portions of the webinar
* Pitching industry publications with substantive press releases and article ideas to get earned media placements
* Be a guest on podcasts targeting your prospects
Include Your Employees
You don’t have to go about identifying the right storytelling strategy and guessing which topics will move the needle. By incorporating different areas of your brand, you can get insights into what will resonate with your audience.
Some examples include:
* Meet regularly with your sales team to identify pain points they’re hearing about on sales calls and what resonates with prospects
* Bring in anyone who is client-facing and train them on how to always ensure you are operating in the best interest of your customers
Marketing Outsourcing & Finding the Right Partner
With thought leadership literally a game-changer for business growth, it often makes sense to hire a B2B marketing agency or B2B content marketing service that specializes in it at a fraction of the cost of hiring new employees with this experience.
To increase the possibility of generating sustainable, double-digit results from investing in the services of a B2B marketing agency, it’s recommended that you find one that excels in the following:
* Marketing Auditing & Planning: deep-dive due diligence into what’s working for you, what’s not, and
* Market Research: the most effective plans incorporate the voice of your customers, or you may not speak to what prospects value most
* Brand Storytelling: resonating powerfully with prospects by educating them on how you can solve their problems and help them achieve success, while avoiding failure
* Professional Copywriting: the ability to extract and communicate your thought leadership by professional interviewers and writers
* Search Engine Optimization (SEO): the ability to leverage your content for maximum rankings and lead generation through onsite and offsite SEO
* Ability to Produce Results: a demonstrated track record of helping companies like yours harness all of the above for significant, measurable results
Tip: Beware of flashy “dog-and-pony” shows so you don’t fall prey to shiny object syndrome – you need a marketing partner that will help you generate results, more than just looking good.
Read more on The Good Men Project
