Every business, no matter the industry, will tell you that their customers come first. But when you browse a website and are bombarded with products and solutions before your problem has even been identified—that tells a different story.
In a nutshell, the major difference between a product-centric business and a customer-centric one is as simple as it sounds. A product-centric company is focused on selling a specific product or service to as many people as possible. A customer-centric business focuses on one core audience and tries to solve their problems using the company’s products and services.
Trends pass and products go in and out of popularity. A business that puts customers first and adapts its solutions to meet their needs is set up for longer-term success than one set up to sell specific products. This is even more apparent and important in B2B, as the problems that enterprises have to solve for are complex and ever-changing and can’t often be solved by a single product. As a B2B marketer, you already know that working with a Fortune 100 company requires getting familiar with many facets of their organization, and solutions are often custom.
So why isn’t your content speaking to this? Your content marketing strategy is critical to your success, as your website, social media, and lead generation emails are often the first places future customers are introduced to your brand.
This is where personas come in handy. Creating detailed buyer personas allows you to tailor your messaging directly to your ideal customer. To do this effectively, you need to have a deep understanding of your customers and the marketplace. Data tools like Google Analytics and SEMRush tell you who is looking at your content and how they got there. Form fills tell you what content pushed leads over the edge to convert.
Once you have a clear picture of who is viewing your content and of that group, who it’s resonating with most, you’re able to start to write for that audience specifically.
Trying to write for everyone dilutes your message, and ultimately you end up reaching fewer people. A targeted approach means your content will strike a chord with the people most likely to convert, and your messaging will be clear and concise, not bogged down with vague statements intended to reach too wide of an audience.
When was the last time you looked under the hood of your content marketing efforts?
Think about what buckets the different elements of your content marketing fall into and ask yourself the following questions to start your own content marketing audit:
Content
- What is your content mix?
- Are you creating the content people want?
Website
- Does your site present clear, intuitive paths for visitors?
- Is it optimized for search and common user behavior?
Channels
- Are you using the right platforms?
- Do you have a connected experience?
Messaging
- Is your message resonating?
- How does it compare to what others are saying in the market?
Event strategy
- Are your events captivating enough to draw attention?
- Are you leveraging digital to improve engagement?
Need help getting started? Our B2B Digital Assessment might be just what you need to help you identify weak spots and refocus your content marketing strategy around your customers’ needs.