Would you read a book that only told you things you already knew? If not, why would you offer your online audience dull content that merely repeats the same “insights” they’ve seen a thousand times before? If you’re looking to build your brand, and reach and retain new customers, you need to provide them with something they can’t find anywhere else. Here are three tips to do so:
Instead of creating content that covers a wide variety of topics and offers only surface-level insights, find a content niche that is broad enough to command significant search volume but narrow enough to be totally unique. Instead of telling your audience a little bit about everything in your industry, show that your team knows a great deal about one specific aspect of their interests and needs. For example, a medical device provider might develop a strong content strategy focused on helping surgical teams teach patients about the high-tech devices they receive.
You may also consider developing thought leadership from a few specific members of your team, each addressing their individual area of expertise. In this way, your company as a whole can still achieve coverage of a range of topics, while each writer can dig into their own specialty.
High-quality original research can set your company apart like few other content offerings. When your organization conducts a robust survey on practices within the industry you serve, it reveals your commitment to fully understanding your clients’ needs, activities and pain points, and gives you interesting data to cite in your content, media pitches and other marketing efforts. Your proprietary research can bring real value to people in your target market, allowing you to generate extensive brand awareness and build a reputation for thought leadership.
If you are unsure of what types of questions your original research should explore, take a moment to put yourself in your audience members’ shoes. What questions do they need answered that no one has addressed? What kind of data would allow you to answer those questions? Over time, your brand can build a reputation for regularly releasing annual or bi-annual studies on the same topic. For an example of this, take a look at Nonprofit HR, a human resources firm that works exclusively with nonprofits. For the last 12 years, Nonprofit HR has conducted an annual Nonprofit Employment Practices Survey, which is regularly quoted in media outlets like The New York Times, CNN, Forbes and Fast Company. The survey also drives inbound leads on Nonprofit HR’s site, where it is available for download.
Depending on the complexity of your research, you may want to partner with an outside research firm to ensure the professional, statistically appropriate collection of data. While conducting proprietary research can be very costly, tools like Google Consumer Surveys can be a great fit for organizations that just want to test the effectiveness of conducting their own studies before diving in head first.
Once your findings are complete, look for ways to incorporate your original data into every type of content you create from white papers, to webinars, blog posts, infographics and videos. Use the strengths of each medium to showcase different aspects of your findings.
By now, most marketers have come to understand and embrace the power of storytelling. But your stories need more than just a beginning, middle and end. They need to show challenges overcome and illustrate character development. They need to elicit human emotion.
For inspiration, take a look back at our post about Caterpillar, the industrial equipment manufacturer. Despite being nearly a century old, this company is a leader in B2B storytelling. Caterpillar’s marketing content tells the stories of their customers, showing the successes of real people using Caterpillar products at their homes and on their farms. Does your brand have loyal customers with equally powerful stories to tell?
In the end, your marketing team needs to tie all of your content together to present a unified brand message that is refreshing and different from any other. For more insights into building a strong, long-lasting brand, read our white paper, 10 simple truths about strong brands.
Want to learn more about smart content marketing strategies? Read our whitepaper, The 5 new laws of content.
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