Developing Customer-Centric Content: A Better B2B Marketing Clinic

To make today’s session more practical we are looking at real-life examples from people in this session.

If you are interested in participating in the next clinic or having an offline conversation about your content,

contact me at nolin@brainrider.com

Better Content is… •  Driven by objectives •  Customer-focused •  Demonstrates subject

matter expertise •  Supports your programs •  Measurable performance

You Are Here

Better content!is not about !you.

Customers Want Content That Helps Them Solve Problems…

…Aligned To Their Decision Making

If your customer wants to:

Define The Problem

Evaluate Alternatives

Negotiate & Commit

They are looking

for:

Education & Thought Leadership

Solution & Product Suitability

Credentials & Decision Support

Connect With

Them By Sharing Subject Matter

Expertise

• Trends & Statistics

• News & Analyst coverage

• Benchmarks • 101 Education

• Need & Gap Assessments

• Solution comparisons

• Implementation plans

• Product roadmaps

• How to buy • Credentials • Real case-use studies

• ROI/TCO • How to build their business case

Checklist For Better Content

q  Be Customer-Focused

q  Start with Light Content

q  Make It Findable

q  Measure What Works

1. Be Customer-Focused

1. Be Customer-Focused

2. Start With Light Content

Light Content •  Leverage “as-is”

content •  Repurpose

existing content •  Use light formats •  Curate and share

3rd party content

•  Already approved •  Lower cost •  Less effort •  Faster to produce •  More to measure

Leverage As-Is Content

Existing Brochure 4 Pages of Relevant & Valuable Subject Matter Expertise •  Resource Center •  Slideshare •  LinkedIn

Asset/Topic Category Format SOURCE ASSET: Mobile Resource Management Solutions: DS_MRM_SolutionsBro_FINAL.pdf Managing mobile resources (MRM): 5 pitfalls operators face planning, tracking, routing, & dispatching mobile resources

Route Planning

1-page download

Routing, dispatch, & mobile tracking software: What to look for in an MRM solution

Route Planning

Checklist

Mobile Resource Management: 8 benefits of a comprehensive planning, tracking, routing, & dispatching solution

Performance Management

Resource post

SaaS MRM: The Advantages To A Software as a Service Approach for operations & logistics specialists

Performance Management

Resource post

Logistics and supply chain management: update on mobile technology

Performance Management

Blog post

Logistics software: how to integrate the power of real-time planning and wireless mobile technology

Performance Management

1-page download

Brochure Repurposed Into 6 Light

Content Assets

Repurpose Existing Content

Curate & Share 3rd Party Content

Monitor & Cull

Extract & Track Deploy and Measure Engagement

3. Make It Findable Use Keywords In Your Title

Describe why it’s worth reading

Use images and graphics for key concepts

“What Next” CYOA Links

Headers & lists make your copy easy to scan

4. Measure What Works

Gated Downloads

Pages per visit

Avg. Time on Site

Pageviews

Identify Better Performing Content For Your Programs

Content Engagement Techniques Proprietary    Content  Sales  tool  

High  Value  Content  Ask  for  addi/onal  

profile  info  

Medium  Value  Content  Complete  a  short  form  

Low  Value  Content    Open  Access  (tracked  if  possible)  

Better Content Clinic

q  Be Customer-Focused

q  Start with Light Content

q  Make It Findable

q  Measure What Works

Clinic: Atlona.com Value prop: digital audio & video connectivity solutions. Target: Consumer/end-user, professional installers, and commercial solutions •  Lots of “About Us” content •  Good Support, Product Help, and Case

Study content •  Develop more expertise-based

resources for each audience •  Centralize and share content assets

throughout the site & social media •  Host downloadable files as Content on

Pardot so you can track engagement •  Gate higher value resources behind

individual forms to capture depth of engagement & progressively capture info

•  Cross-promote between resources

Clinic: outsystems.com Value prop: Help IT departments deliver custom applications that their business users need. Target: IT managers CIOs, Application Managers. •  Rich resource center, but hidden •  Organize Resources into customer-

relevant categories •  Repurpose heavy content into light

assets •  Host downloadable files as Content on

Pardot so you can track engagement •  Gate higher value resources behind

individual forms to capture depth of engagement & progressively capture info

•  Cross-promote between resources

Clinic: NTObjectives.com Value prop: Solve application security challenges. Target: IT security professionals (software, SaaS and services) •  Rich resource center (research) & blog •  Great content sharing via social media •  Blog should be integrated into site for

SEO and cross-linking •  Organize Resources and blog posts into

customer-relevant categories •  Host downloadable files as Content on

Pardot so you can track engagement •  Gate higher value resources behind

individual forms to capture depth of engagement & progressively capture info

•  Cross-promote between resources

Clinic: CLCLodging.com Value prop: Leverage the purchasing power of 11 million room nights a year to bring low rates to companies of all sizes. Target: President, CFO, Travel Planners & Ops Managers, Purchasing & Supply Managers, Independent Travelers and Owner-Operators •  All top level content is “About You” •  Good collection of case studies, could be

more customer needs oriented •  Would like to see more needs-based

content (efficiency, service levels, etc.) •  Host downloadable files as Content on

Pardot so you can track engagement •  Gate higher value resources behind

individual forms to capture depth of engagement & progressively capture info

•  Cross-promote between resources

Clinic: paymetric.com Value prop: Eliminate the challenges of accepting electronic payments in your enterprise systems and applications. Target: -- •  Rich resource center •  Great merchandising of resources

throughout site – homepage, sidebars •  Forms are intimidating – collect data

more gradually if possible •  Re-purpose heavy content assets into

light, easy-to-find formats •  Organize Resources and blog posts into

customer-relevant categories •  Host downloadable files as Content on

Pardot so you can track engagement •  Cross-promote between resources

Clinic: IVCi.com Value prop: Help organizations collaborate more effectively. Target: -- •  Lots of great customer-centric blog

posts, videos,curated 3rd party content •  Good job sharing on social media •  Needs-based content disconnected from

main website – negative impact on findability & decentralized web presence

•  Look for hot topics in your light content as opportunities to create higher value, heavier content assets

•  Organize Resources and blog posts into customer-relevant categories

•  Host downloadable files as Content on Pardot so you can track engagement

Resources For Better B2B Marketing

For more information: @Brainrider

www.linkedin.com/company/brainrider

Resources: brainrider.info

Articles: blog.brainrider.com

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