AWARENESS CONTENT: WHY IT'S SO VERY NECESSARY

A question for those who've read the first edition of Digitally Inclined - did you find it to be useful? If so - what in particular? If it wasn't so useful or informative, why? What would have made things different?

The more detail, the better.

Anyways - on to the content.

Awareness Content - A Proven Investment that will Take Your Marketing to the Next Level

One of the primary objects of a B2B company is generating high-quality leads and drive revenue - and in today's market, budgetary decisions are most often made with the expectation of a measurable return.

So - convincing leadership to invest resources into content that doesn't is usually quite difficult.

The thing is - creating awareness content is a critical part of any successful marketing strategy, and it's essential to communicate this to leadership effectively.

Here are a few points to consider when making your case for awareness content:

The Decision to Work with Your Company is a Dangerous One

A B2B decision is more dangerous than making a B2C decision. If your customer chooses incorrectly during the buying process they will look bad in front of their company and more importantly, in front of their boss. It is expensive to onboard or switch to a new B2B technology or vendor, so your customer will perform extensive research before reaching out to your organization. In fact, greater than 70% of the decision has been made before a prospect reaches out to someone on your sales team for a meeting or a demo.? 95% of your target audience isn’t ready to commit to a purchase. Your content is the method that gets them to reach out and keeps them engaged in the final stages of making a purchase decision.

Builds Brand Awareness

Awareness content is essential because it builds brand awareness. This type of content is designed to introduce your company, product or service to a wide audience. By creating informative and engaging content, potential customers understand what your company stands for, what it offers, and why it's different from competitors. With better brand recognition comes increased trust, which is crucial in a B2B environment. If potential customers are familiar with your brand, they are more likely to trust you and consider your offerings when they are ready to make a purchasing decision.

Developing Relationships

Awareness content fosters relationships with potential customers that are not yet ready to make a purchase. Through informative and educational content, you demonstrate your expertise and authority in your industry, building trust with potential customers as they move through the buyer's journey. By offering valuable content to potential customers, you create a positive perception of your company, which can generate referrals as customers share your content with others in their company or industry looking for a solution like the one provided by your company.

Attracting New Leads

While awareness content may not directly lead to sales, it is an effective way to attract new marketing qualified leads. By creating high-quality content that resonates with your target audience, you attract individuals who may not have been aware of your company previously, expanding your reach and generating new leads that will eventually turn into paying customers.

Staying Top of Mind

Finally, awareness content keeps your company top of mind with potential customers. In a crowded B2B marketplace, it can be challenging to stand out. By creating content that is both informative and engaging, you stay top of mind with potential customers who may not be ready to make a purchase immediately.?

In conclusion, awareness content is a critical component of any successful B2B marketing strategy. It makes the decision to work with your company less risky, builds brand awareness, develops relationships, attracts new leads, and keeps you top of mind with potential customers.?

While it may not directly contribute to revenue, it is an investment today in your future business.

Worth Your Time

So, you’ve convinced your CEO + CFO that it’s awareness content is an essential part of your marketing strategy.

Now you have to create the content.

There’s no one right way to do this - each company’s strategy is going to be slightly different,? but there are general rules + best practices to know to ensure your content is up to standards (and so you know when it’s the right time to break them).

This article is specific to long-form content, and it provides a good approach to writing structure + strategies you can apply to any form of content you produce.

Try This

Content creation means writing. Good writing is all about editing.

You need to know how to write, but you don’t have to be Hemingway. So - do what you can - utilize different pieces of technology to clean up + improve your writing, voice, and style.

Here are two free paraphrasing + editing apps to check out.

Hemingway (yes, I was being intentional in word choice earlier) - highlights lengthy, overly complex sentences + errors in your writing .. and Quillbot allows you to rephrase your writing in a variety of ways.?

These are just two of the seemingly infinite iterations of an increasingly identical product - but I find them to be useful. What tools are you using?