B2B Content that Converts

Welcome to another issue of InTrends, where we discuss all the latest in B2B marketing, content, and consumer behavior.

Before we begin, I'd like to wish all those who celebrate it a very blessed Ramadan.

Now let's jump in...

Think vs. Feel

If you follow The Business Storyteller's LinkedIn page you may have seen our 5U checklist that helps you balance between pragmatic information and humanizing the brand.

The concept is simple, typically, content falls somewhere along the spectrum of think vs. feel

On one end there's think: Dry business information: facts, figures, and rational argument

On the other end there's Feel or business storytelling: Emotion-based argument

An effective business message needs to both persuade your audience and connect with them. Striking the right balance is difficult even for professionals.

But fear not, here's a trick I often use. I make sure my message has all 5Us:

1. Understandable - Can a 10-year-old comprehend your message?Simplify your language, avoid jargon, and be as clear as possible.
2. Useful - How’s your message beneficial? What problem does it solve? How will it improve their lives? Ensure your message is relevant and delivers tangible value.
3. Ultra-Specific - Always imagine your ideal client as a human being standing in front of you, now does your message speak to their needs, personality, and expertise?
4. Unique - Everyone is sharing the same information and promoting similar solutions. What’s different about your message?
5. Urgent (optional) - Spark a fire, don't just inform. This can be in the form of a limited-time offer, matching your solution to current events, limited spaces, or highlighting the risk of delays.

The 3C's Checklist

When we create website content or a company profile, those 3Cs are a must. For business content to be effective it has to have all three.

1. Customer-Centric: A - Use you when discussing the solutions you provide and the problems you tackle. B- Explain the value they will get, not what you provide. See the difference?
2. Compelling: Aim to trigger your target client's dominant emotion. This alone makes your copy compelling.EX: If you're a tax accountant, stating that you'll eliminate all the hassle, stress, and worry is a better selling point than saying you have 15 years of experience. Yes, this is counter-intuitive to many, that's why not all content works!
3. Credible: Always end any content with why you? This is the one part where you talk about your company and yourself.Using the above example: After your selling point of zero stress, prove it with having 25 corporate clients, certifications, and 15 years of experience. But remember, this is the closer not the sales hook!

4 Business Storytelling Secrets I Swear By

This one is from our B2B blog, it sums up what I tell clients when we audit their content.

Our goal when revamping a company's profile or website is to tell their story, with a non-mushy tone, and within a proof-of-value context.

If this is your goal as well, DM us for a complementary content audit of your website

1- Pretend you are speaking to a single person

If you’ve been following me on IG, you’ve probably heard me say this in every Q&A story session

Here’s how to do that. First, imagine a client from your ideal target audience, what’s their profile; what's their expertise and background information on the topic; language and tone he’ll respond to;? and finally, their intangible emotional concerns.

Now, simply tell your story to them and sell your solution in a way they’d respond

For example, if your person is someone running a larger corporation, 45+, male, has a clear pain point in his operation, and is probably bombarded with messages. How would you communicate with them?

2-? No fluff

I can’t stress this enough, especially if you're a B2B.

Check your bio, business profile, business story, website content, and social media captions. If it has more than two (not three) fluff removable words, then you’ve lost some business with that piece. Consider a rewrite.

Examples of fluff words: Stunning, spectacular, extraordinary, enchanting, legendary…

If you can remove it and the sentence is complete, do so.

3- It’s a story, always will be

Business storytelling should follow one of two approaches:

A) A beginning, a middle, and an end

B) My go-to structure: the inverted triangle

This is when you begin with your core point, follow with less important information that clarifies the context, and end with background info that completes the story.

I prefer B over A, as the average attention span of a reader has dropped to 3 seconds for social media posts, according to Buffer, a social media software.

For emails, however, it’s around 9 seconds, as per a study by Radicati Group, a research firm that specializes in email marketing.

4-? If you’re preparing a blog post or social media copy, you have one of two goals: either provide actionable advice or change the reader’s perspective

Finally, I'd like to close with the best random content advice I heard today:

When you go wide in audience, you get less business.

Need help with your content marketing? Request a consultation here or DM me.