The difference between a successful content marketing strategy, and one that is just… meh often comes down to how well you know your audience.
The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is an invaluable resource for B2B marketers. The B2B Content Marketing 2019: Benchmarks, Budgets, and
First the good news: according to the study, 90 percent of the most successful B2B content marketers focus on their target audience’s informational needs rather than pitching product.
Furthermore, the top three techniques these successful B2B content marketers use to research their audience’s needs
Now for the not-so-good news: Fewer than half of the content marketers surveyed talk directly with their customers. In fact, just 42 percent say they engage their customers as part of their audience research.
That’s shocking! There is no better way to understand your audience and their informational needs than by talking to the people who already use your products. Your client base is a built-in focus group that should align closely with your target market. And since they already know you, they will generally be responsive and open to discussing their needs, wants, and pain points.
I suspect there are two primary reasons many content marketers are reluctant to approach their company’s customers for input: 1) they don’t want to jeopardize the client relationship, and 2) they don’t want to step on their sales team’s toes.
These are valid concerns. However, here are a few ways to navigate these potential minefields:
- Leverage your sales team: Since the vast majority of successful B2B marketers already rely on their sales reps for market intelligence, it is one small step to ask them to introduce you directly to your company’s clients. The key is to explain to your sales team how getting direct customer feedback will help the marketing team produce better, more focused content that will generate a higher volume of qualified sales leads. A win-win!
- Establish expectations early: It is tough to get busy clients to give freely of their time, especially after they’ve implemented your product. It is much easier to get their buy-in early in the relationship, preferably as contracts are being signed. At that point, you can request certain deliverables, like a certain number of client referral calls, case study interviews or videos, and “research” or “focus group” sessions, perhaps in exchange for a discounted rate or other benefits (such as free attendance at your next annual conference or educational webinar). Check out this post for more ideas for getting client buy-in.
- Bundle the ask with a case study project: Speaking of getting buy-in, the best time to pick your client’s brain is during the case study interview. If you have a customer success story or case study interview session already scheduled, sprinkle in a few questions about their vendor research process, what types of content they read, view, or download, and the industry topics that most interest them. This information will be very helpful in setting your content marketing strategy going forward.
Need help in identifying your target audience and choosing the right mix of content to reach them most effectively? Let’s talk! Contact me at ted at
Write well, and be well!