Moving Out of the Content Fog: 3 Ways to Stand Out Using Content Marketing

Last week, I had a conversation with my mom about content. Her content experience hasn't been entirely positive. She feels overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed by the amount of content that bombards her daily.

Overwhelmed by the misinformation she finds.

Overwhelmed by inauthenticity.

Her overwhelm led her to unfollow several people. She chose peace of mind over content that doesn't meet her expectations.

This conversation made me reflect on the content fog that exists today. Have you ever driven through a dense fog? It's almost like driving with a blindfold on; for the most part, all you can see is the fog. At times, it may even feel like the fog is consuming you!

We're living in a dense content fog. There's so much content available that it almost becomes blinding. What should you focus on? Who should you trust?

As you create your content marketing plan, carefully consider how you can be part of the solution, not part of the problem. The three tips below will help you move out of the content fog and stand out with your content marketing.

1. Create Content from Authentic, First-Hand Experiences

There's a creator I follow on Instagram who shares lifestyle and family content. She's the co-owner of Junbi Matcha and Eat Shrimp Daddy, and some of her posts occasionally include her brands. Her name is June Quan.

What I love most about her content is its authenticity. She shares highs, lows, and everything in between. Here's one of her videos about her post-partum recovery after baby #5.

You're probably thinking, "Well, this type of content is easy for June to create because her brand revolves around her life. B2B brands don't have the same luck."

I hear you. But what if we could flip the script? There are many ways your B2B content can be related to authentic, first-hand experiences, including:

• Investing in user-generated content
• Including your employees in content creation
• Sharing lessons learned from your team's experiences (good and bad)
• Showcasing the people behind the brand
• Partnering with industry experts for content creation

These are a few ways you can create authentic B2B content that's based on first-hand experiences and doesn't come across as "salesy".

2. Lean More Into Short-Form Content

Nowadays, I find that I don't interact with content for long. The topic of a long-form video or article has to be really interesting for me to stick around for the entire length. For instance, I watched two hours of Club Shay Shay's almost 3-hour interview with Mo'Nique because I was interested in hearing her take on her Hollywood experience. TWO HOURS!

There's nothing in the B2B space that has grabbed my attention for over 45 minutes. For the most part, I'm more likely to engage with a short LinkedIn post, YouTube Short, or Instagram Reel than I am to watch a full podcast interview.

People's interests and preferences differ. But I know that I'm not the only person who is more likely to engage with shorter content. So, here's my suggestion for reaching people like me — create your long-form asset and use it to create standalone short-form social media content based on your audience's interests. You'll still optimize the long-form asset to attract people directly, but you'll reach more people with the repurposed short-form content.

Here's an example. Last year, I interviewed a learning and development expert about career pathing for One on One's Learning Reimagined podcast. Although the interview was done a year ago, the content is still relevant. I posted a particularly impactful snippet from the episode on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook today. You can view the snippet below.

The lesson? Create long-form content that tackles topics relevant to your audience. Transform that content into shorter social media posts, carousels, LinkedIn videos, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts that work as stand-alone posts. Each post should address a pressing question relevant to your target audience.

3. Be True to Your Personality

People can easily spot a fake. Don't force humor if humor really isn't your thing. Don't try to be quirky if you're not. Don't put out a brand persona that doesn't match reality.

How can you accurately identify your brand's persona? Look at your company culture, your leadership team, and how team members interact with each other. Consider ways you can portray that vibe in the content you publish.

Here's an example from Jarrod Best-Mitchell. His content showcases his personality as fun and approachable.

Drown Out The Noise; Focus On What Makes Your Content Shine

Let 2025 be the year of change. Instead of trying to be like your competitors, focus on your brand's authentic and first-hand experiences, better content repurposing opportunities, and how you can make your brand's true personality shine in your content. This is how you'll stand out in the content fog.

Need help with your content marketing plan? Send me a DM, and let's chat.