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Three Ways to Drive Business Growth

Every quarter Marketing Works explores insights that help businesses meet their goals. We make it a priority to stay on top of the marketing trends that allow us to continue to learn and share potential opportunities. Here is a look at the insights we uncovered this quarter.

Insight #1: Long-form content still has a place in B2B marketing.

On average, people spend 7.5 hours a day consuming content, and 2 hours on social media alone. That allows a lot of time for quality content to be digested, so don’t worry about always keeping content short. The trend to keep content short to address perceived conceptions that our audiences have short attention spans has often forced us to cut out what made it interesting in the first place – instilling emotion and anticipation. Think attention-grabbing quality versus trying to keep it short and sweet.

What this means for you?

• When creating content, identify the most interesting parts and focus on letting that shine through. Thread in the important parts one piece at a time.
• People will only stay engaged with your content if it grabs their attention.
• During his keynote at Content Marketing World 2018, marketing thought leader Andrew Davis recommended using curiosity gaps in your content (no matter if it’s print, digital or video) to keep your audience’s attention. These gaps are what get your audiences to ask questions, anticipate outcomes and stay engaged to get answers.
• Always consider the buyer’s journey.

Insight #2: Influencer marketing represents a big opportunity to influence the B2B sales cycle.

Influencer marketing, which is popular in B2C marketing, gives B2B marketers a way to add more credibility to their brands and an alternative approach to engage audiences. In fact, the Content Marketing Institute found that a successful influencer campaign increases engagement in marketing content by as much as 40%. Influencer campaigns don’t mean paying for an endorsement, they mean tapping into knowledgeable experts both internally and externally that could provide compelling insight to prospects and clients.

What this means for you?

• Consider what you want to achieve by using an influencer before engaging an internal or external thought leader. Is it about brand identity? Driving sales? Increasing engagement with new potential audiences?
• Do your homework – figure out who the influencers are in a segment of your industry and the most popular topics your clients and prospects are searching for or want to understand. Identify which topics you’ve already written about and see how you could tap into an influencer to expand upon those.
• Think about what makes the relationship a win-win for the influencer. Would they be interested in their ideas being promoted to your audiences? Would they take compensation to participate in a tradeshow or webinar?
• Identify multiple ways to leverage their insights – think about how a Q&A blog, could turn into an ebook and if that could turn into a how-to video, which could result in a joint speaking opportunity.

Insight #3: Original research is the most read form of content.

Trustworthy content is crucial in today’s marketing environment. In fact, according to Content Marketing Institute’s annual survey of content marketers, trust is one of the top challenges for marketers. It’s no surprise to us that original research is read more than any other form of content. You may think that conducting your own research is too expensive, but there are several inexpensive ways to create your own. For example, consider asking questions to your audiences over social media or asking your clients for feedback. Or, use Alexa or Google to figure out top sites or questions people use or have for a particular topic.

What this means for you?

• Original research and content will help differentiate you from your competitors and improve your brand’s credibility.
• Original research could also shorten the B2B buyer’s journey.
• If you have difficulty getting permission from your clients for success stories and testimonials, surveys, quick polls and your own mini research on common questions/issues could make it easier to generate credible content.

Want to learn how to leverage these insights to drive your business growth and audience engagement? Our team of strategists and content experts would love to help you. Contact us at 614-540-5520.

Bill Kiefaber • October 15, 2018

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