You’re amped up to develop and execute an impactful B2B content marketing strategy. Now, what comes next?
No, your first move isn’t hiring skilled content creators (though, of course, that’s important), nor is it establishing a budget or even identifying which types of content you want to publish.
The first step toward high-impact content creation is knowing your audience.
How to Write Content for the Right Audience
Businesses often make the common mistake of creating quality content that doesn’t actually speak to their target audience. This problem could stem from simple internal miscommunication with content partners. However, in many cases, it’s a clear indication that a company hasn’t pinpointed who their B2B content marketing strategy is truly for.
Let’s explore how to identify your ideal audience and create content that speaks directly to their needs.
Write for your ideal customer(s)
When honing in on your audience, consider whether your content is intended to motivate your existing customer base or attract an entirely new demographic. If you want to cultivate a new audience, evaluate if you risk alienating your current customers with the new content.
It is possible to successfully reach multiple audiences using a multi-pronged content strategy, but you must clearly identify each audience first. When developing content for distinct customer groups, you need a strategy that accommodates individualized content approaches for each group.
To stay on point for each of your target audiences, write as if you were speaking to one person, not an audience at large. This approach can help you create messaging that is deliberately tailored to each audience’s needs and interests.
Write to your audience’s knowledge level
It’s not uncommon for experienced executives to share knowledge that is so high-level it goes right over the heads of potential buyers. There’s nothing inherently wrong with creating sophisticated, peer-focused content—if you’re trying to talk to your colleagues and competitors. However, if your goal is to attract, engage, and enrich paying customers, content that feels too advanced or insider-ish will quickly deter folks who immediately recognize that “this content isn’t for me.”
At its foundation, effective content tells your audience what they need to know in a way that’s easy for them to understand—not because they aren’t smart enough to absorb complex content, but because the most effective content is immediately digestible.
If you aren’t certain of your audience’s level of sophistication, we recommend erring on the side of over-explaining. Better to provide a clarifying sentence or two than leave your audience guessing.
Address your audience’s pain points
Knowing your audience goes hand-in-hand with understanding their pain points and creating a content strategy that provides solutions to their problems.
Quality content does more than report facts. It engages readers with a clear message. Use your unique expertise and perspective to offer valuable insight, actionable advice, and motivating truths.
To use a simple B2C example, a luxury fountain pen seller shouldn’t be satisfied with the surface-level knowledge that “writers use pens.” They should seek to alleviate pen users’ pain points, like slow-to-dry ink or clogged pen nibs.
Target your advice and insight even more specifically using your customer demographics as a guide. For example, the pen seller may offer different solutions to a customer who buys $1,500 fountain pens versus a customer who buys $150 fountain pens.
Keep your audience interested
Every content producer will unwittingly choose topics that don’t ultimately resonate with their target audience. Don’t let it keep you up at night! Ineffective content can always be edited and adapted to make a bigger impact.
Here at Every Little Word, we make a point of discussing who each piece of content is for and why the audience will care about it. If a topic is deemed uninteresting to your target audience, we advise you to put it aside.
How Do You Know Your Content Is Working? Trust Your Metrics!
Content creation itself can feel like a moving target—especially if you’re a data-driven thinker. But you’re in luck because data is your source of truth when it’s time to evaluate whether your content is (or isn’t) working.
Effective content will take time to work, especially if you’re building an audience from scratch. But ultimately, content that resonates should be rewarded with clicks and comments on social media, comments on blog posts (if you have commenting turned on), and even emails or phone calls thanking you for that quality newsletter you sent out.
Lastly, effective content should support your business’s growth by attracting new customers, enhancing your referral network, elevating your industry reputation, and solidifying loyalty among your existing clientele.
Every Little Word creates content for companies committed to excellence. Ready to start producing content that speaks to your audience in meaningful, measurable ways? Book a Discovery Call!
