How to get more from your content: Lessons for B2B marketers

It’s something that all the B2C giants have nailed. From Amazon to Spotify, they know exactly what content I like, and precisely how to make sure I see it.

Ariana Grande fan? Here’s an email encouraging you listen to her latest album. Fan of thriller novels? Here’s our homepage packed with books tailored directly to you. Whatever our likes, preferences and interests, B2C has mastered how to serve us the right content at the right time on the right channel.

The question is: why isn’t B2B doing the same?

B2B marketing is all about content. Not content intended necessarily to entertain, granted, but rather to inform. Whitepapers and reports may take on a different appearance to box sets and music, but the intention is the same as the big B2C platforms: to distribute formidable, head-turning content that creates trust and value.

Content is content, simple as. And as B2B marketers, it’s time we took a few lessons from our consumer cousins.

Make It Personal

Look at your home page now. How is it tailored to your prospects? Does it include their name or region-specific information? Does it communicate to them in a way that speaks to their industry and job role?

This is something we do a lot at MOI. For example, for one of our clients, we recently created an experiential tool whose insights were tailored specifically to the individual target prospects.

Same goes for all your channels, from emails to social media ads and landing pages. In today’s marketing landscape, you can segment and personalise to your heart’s content. With such a wealth of customer data available, there is no excuse for cookie-cutter communications.

And while I’m on the topic of data, content can be a valuable tool for progressive profiling. We all know how much of a hassle gated content forms can be. But what if, instead of getting customers to fill out a dozen or so different fields, we glean insights organically from the types of content they consume?

If nothing else, the one thing we need to get right is recommending relevant content. A landing page should never link to a single whitepaper. You’ve spent time and money getting a customer to this stage. Get your bang for your buck by ensuring they consume as much content as possible – and in doing so, tell you as much about themselves as possible.

Of course, B2B has a number of unique challenges that B2C doesn’t need to grapple with. But the fundamentals of why we use content - and how its impact can be augmented to create real value - remains exactly the same. And in my opinion, it’s time we realised that.

At MOI, we specialise in turning the heads of the people that count. If you’d like to discuss how you can get more from your content, then please get in touch.