It’s true what they say; Content is king!

In the mid-nineties Bill Gates came up with the now famous claim; "CONTENT IS KING!" in predicting where the internet was heading. Naturally, Bill was right. Albeit digital now has become the primary communication channel, it should not be a limit to the content marketing concept itself. Content is relevant to any marketing and sales dialogue regardless of the channel.

When we at ISS Group Marketing first embarked on our content marketing journey in 2010 and started to work with content in a systematic and strategic manner, digital was not really a part of the equation.

Yes, we did of course post our reports and articles on our website, but that was more in an attempt to help the organization in having a better and slightly more elevated customer dialogue based on research and analysis. It was not until 2012 that we saw the real potential in changing the conversation by using social media and other digital channels. Manifested in the launch of our blog and local targeted content hubs, we began to prioritize the digital platforms to leverage our content marketing efforts.

Digital is the place where decisions are made

In the B2B environment digital channels provide the all-encompassing source of inspiration for decision making.

Today, an overwhelming majority of B2B service and product buyers – 95% – consider content as trustworthy when evaluating a company and its offerings. They especially value content that offers data, analysis and even points-of-views.  In addition 80% of executives prefer to receive information about a company through articles rather than advertisements or traditional sales materials.

This is highly correlated with the fact that most  of the buying decisions are made long before the buyer ever meets a sales person. Research shows that only 29% of buyers want to talk to a salesperson to learn more about a product or a service, while 62% will consult a search engine.

Hence, while the traditional advertising is on the verge of being obsolete, Content Marketing is key in positioning and promoting your brand as a trusted source of information. When done right, high-quality content helps to promote your brand more clearly. This both in attaining a higher level of awareness and building knowledge and depth in the brand perception. There is, however, an important caveat to this.

Content builds trust.

If you aspire to be a successful content provider you need to do this in an authentic, objective and high-quality manner, with a genuine wish to educate your customer and help to make the right decision, even when this decision may go against choosing your company as the future partner.

Content Marketing has the power to change the world – or at least change the conversation and the decision-making process in your favour. Good Content Marketing installs trust in the relationship and it helps the customer to reach a decision faster and more comprehensively.

Therefore, helping customers to get through the buyer journey as easily and painlessly as possible and support the process with the right information along the way and across the touchpoints is critical.

The integration of marketing and sales is critical for future success

There is no doubt that high-quality content plays an increasingly important role in establishing brand credibility, informing buyers, and overcoming sales barriers. Content provides a non-promotional way to talk about your brand and enables customers to problem solve based on your advice, support and whatever product or service you are selling. But it cannot stand alone and it should not solely be left to the marketing team to control and manage the initiatives.

Adopting a collaborative approach is important and an integration of marketing and sales is critical. Whilst the marketing team must focus on developing and distributing content in the early stages of the sales funnel, sales MUST be involved in the later stages of the buying process to humanize the brand, enhance engagement and make the dialogue more specific and personal. To be successful, this  requires, involvement, training, communication and a continuous follow-up and improvement loop between both departments.

Changing the conversation

At ISS, we have worked systematically with Content Marketing since 2010, where we have provided high-quality research represented through more than 20 White Papers, 5 White Books and countless blog-posts, articles, case-studies and points-of-views. We are partnering with leading industry organizations such as @IFMA, @CoreNet, @RICS, @IAOP and others and we have developed and curated research and analysis with organizations such as @Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, Sheffield Hallam University, Vienna Technical University and others.

We are frequently presenting our content at industry conferences and there is no doubt that the Content Marketing strategy has helped reshape and reinforce the ISS brand communication and changed the perception of who we are and what we can do for our customers.

On that journey, there has been a significant side-benefit in establishing a stronger sense of pride and belonging amongst our staff who view strong content as a testimony of their employer’s ambition of becoming a thought leader and ultimately the best profiled brand within the industry. Customers want to make business with industry leaders and talent want to work for the best (best profiled) companies within their choice of industry. This is why Content Marketing is so important across the business, and should be seen as a key strategic initiative for any organization, who aspires to become the best at what they do!

Content Marketing has been critical to the ISS marketing efforts, and it will continue to be our key priority going forward. Content marketing is a marathon more than a sprint. It’s a slow burn, not a blazing fireball. You don’t scream to the masses; you engage individuals.