One Simple Fix to Make Your B2B Content More Relevant

A just-released survey by Forrester, BMA, and the Online Marketing Institute has provided some important insights into the state of content marketing today.

One of the most startling reveals was this: while 50% of the B2B marketers surveyed described their content marketing as very mature, only 14% were satisfied with the value their content was delivering for their business.

However, the study also provided an important clue that can help change all of that: More than 70% of participants said that fewer than half of their marketing staff are involved with content marketing in a significant way.

Marketing staff are not involved with marketing content. Why is this an important insight? Because in order to provide content that's relevant to the needs of your target market, and to provide relationship-building value for your existing customers, all who have a role in driving revenue can contribute in a very valuable way to the content marketing process.

Relevancy Drives Revenue

Relevant lead nurturing emails drive more revenue; 18 times more than broadcast emails, according to Juniper Research. This principle can actually be applied to all of your content marketing. And getting your marketing, sales, and writing teams involved in developing your email and other digital marketing content help to create campaigns that are relevant and engaging.

The Delivery is in the Details

Details regarding your target audience are everything to a copywriter in order to create marketing content that delivers results. Do you have a database of buyer profiles that help you build relevant lead generation and nurturing campaigns? Consider making this information available to your writers in addition to your sales and marketing staff.

Some team members may initially balk at sharing such information, as Ian Dainty recently noted in a article for Business 2 Community, about common inhibitors to B2B sales and marketing success. "Turf protection," the article says, "is when a partner or relationship manager won’t “allow” any other business units inside his accounts. He has the misguided notion that anyone else in his accounts will disrupt that account...This phenomenon is especially true with professional services firms."

Think of your copywriter as a valuable member of both your sales and marketing teams. As you measure results, let your writer know what's working—and what needs work—in order to make sure your emails as well as all of your other marketing content, continue to drive revenue.

As you build a detailed understanding of each prospect's needs and interests, keep the writer in the loop so that he or she can create engaging marketing content that speaks to the interests and concerns of your current and prospective customers.

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Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Please comment below to share what has worked for you. Is your content driving revenue as much as you'd like? In what ways do your sales and marketing staff contribute to the content marketing process? What challenges have you found in creating relevant content and engaging your target market?