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Why Empathy Matters More than Ever in B2B Content Marketing (And How to Get It Right)
By Joshua Nite
B2B marketers, ready for some TRUTH BOMBS?
Here we go: We need to make our content more human and more empathetic. B2B content doesn’t have to be boring; in fact, it can’t be boring and be effective. B2B buyers are just people — we need to talk to them like people.
Are you blown away by the depth and breadth of my insight? Ready to book me at your next marketing conference?
Okay, all sarcasm aside: We all have heard the old “B2Me” speech a dozen times. I’m not here to give it to you again.
Instead, I want to get deeper into the specifics of what it means to be empathetic and provide value with content.
I say this because, despite the hours of keynote speeches on the topic, B2B marketers are still coming up short. In a recent poll, 79% of buyers surveyed said they were served irrelevant content.
Your buyers need to make informed decisions and they crave intelligent direction. But a lot of them aren’t getting it.
Why Empathetic Content Matters Now More than Ever
Most B2B buyers are feeling the crunch right now. They’re looking to bounce back from the pandemic — many with newly-structured workforces and processes. They need to create momentum, establish a productive new normal, and roll with the changes that have been forced on every business.
And for most, they need to do all of the above within tight budgetary constraints and increased executive oversight.
In short, the pressure’s on to make the right decisions and champion change. Stagnating isn’t an option.
To cope with these issues, B2B buyers rely on content that is trustworthy, helpful and informative. The brand that can become a trusted advisor is far more likely to win the business.
But when it comes to relevant, empathetic content, we’re talking about more than stat sheets, white papers or case studies.
Three Key Elements of Successful Content
It can seem like marketing’s goals for content and buyers’ goals for reading it are at cross purposes. Marketers are trying to prompt action; buyers are trying to get information. In reality, though, the two goals go together fine. Informative content can provoke action, if it’s done right.
Truly valuable content should be:
- 1 — Helpful. First and foremost. But it’s important to define what “helpful” means. Helping means giving the reader information that can help them improve their working life. What information can you give that will make your reader better at their job? Or help them impress their boss, get promoted, or round out their skill set? A recent dispatch from Google put it this way: “People report that helpfulness is their top expectation of brands since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with <span …read more
Source:: Top Rank Blog
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