Content creation and dissemination through blogs is a popular and effective marketing strategy if employed properly. With over 4 billion Internet users worldwide, undoubtedly, the digital word has a wide reach, but do you feel your B2B blog isn’t getting the traction you anticipated? Well, admit it, would you be interested in reading about cleaning products, equipment, machinery and other B2B offerings on a daily basis; until and unless the content is really honest and presented in an interesting way . . .?
Your business would certainly be the most exciting subject to you, but the idea may be a trifle boring to others; yet, the content on your B2B blog needn’t be drab or boring. Think GE’s widely followed Instagram account! You could think Kissmetrics and HubSpot, too.
Yes. Blogs are a ‘killer’ marketing tool for any business. Well-written blogs can educate customers about your services and help build trust in your brand, increasing visibility and even generating leads for businesses. However, most B2B blogs end up with boring and uninspiring content, simply sharing some information that the audience doesn’t care about.
Do you think your B2B blog is really boring? Don’t waste your time changing the theme, colour or font; follow some of these simple tips for fun, inspiring and engaging content that will add value to your business.
A blog is meant to be conversational and engaging. Speak to your reader through your words by addressing them in the blog. You are not talking to machines but people. Personalize your message by calling out to your readers, using the word “You” in your copy for a compelling message.
Tip – Avoid using ‘We’ and stick to ‘I’. Companies don’t write blogs; individuals do.
Hire a writer if required, but don’t compromise on the quality of content. Writers who are motivated and love to write will always craft more engaging thoughts than someone who is writing for the heck of it.
Tip: Don’t be shy of sharing your emotions. Tell readers how you feel about the events and trends in the industry to make the content more human and relatable.
It is well and good to declare your success. But will that help your readers? No. Instead, tell them your success story. How you achieved that victory. What were the ideas, strategies and changes you employed to reach that benchmark? Give people insights they can use in their own lives. Don’t be scared of sharing your mistakes. It shows you are human, and many people can benefit from your hindsight.
Tip – Use facts and figures to back up your stories – We all love eye-grabbing statistics. Facts and figures related to our industry, more often than not, compel us to click on stories revealing these numbers. Leverage facts, figures and statistics from others, or better still, use your own unique statistics to make your stories more compelling.
By being an expert.
Don’t write what everyone knows. Don’t be scared of sharing knowledge. Go deep into your industry and share tips you have gained from your insights and experience. Think of influencers such as Neil Patel and Craig Rosenberg. The honesty and depth of their content delve deep into every topic, leaving the reader with a valuable and actionable output.
Tip: Don’t stray from your mainstay. If you are an aviation expert, starting your blog by appreciating the Crème Brulee your wife prepared is not going to help you.
However, you can club relevant fields sometimes for more ideas. For example, considering most of your readers are aviation enthusiasts, too, many of them would be avid travelers. While discussing aviation trivia, you may sometimes explore a less-serviced destination. Relating your blog to trending news is also a good idea.
Research proves that readers spend more time on informative images than text, leading to the undeniable popularity and usefulness of Infographics and Listicles.
Tip: Tap into the power of memes. Share one or create your own.
Memes are powerful and fun. There is no way you can ignore them.
With a great headline, a case study will tell your honest story of how you solved a problem or achieved certain results for a client. It is an advertisement of your skills in the most honest and connectable way.
Use a few industry-specific words to establish your authority, and stick to short and simple sentences beyond that. People prefer easy-to-read content. Long sentences littered with jargon, commas and unnecessary punctuation only deviate readers.
Tip: Always be in the know by staying abreast of the latest trends and following industry leaders. It will always have you teeming with ideas.
You don’t need to be an astrologer to predict the “Content Marketing Trends that will dominate in 2017.” All you need is in-depth knowledge of your field and experience to make educated predictions and share them with your readers with facts and examples.
B2B blogs are conceived to be boring rants about a business, but that doesn’t need to be the case. While your business may be overly exciting to you, it may not be so for others; the onus lies on you to make it fun and interesting for readers. One of the best tips you could get is not to take yourself too seriously. Use humour generously but empathetically.
Humorous is viral. Humour is serious business.