While you should produce content to satisfy every buyer information need, you can still be strategic about which content gets more of your attention. In general, the following three areas can yield outsize bang for your content buck because of their potentially massive impact:

  • Convincing buyers to make a change
  • Helping build the business case for change
  • Encouraging follow-on purchases

 

When you’re selling a business solution, you’re really selling a departure from the status quo. And most people hate change! It doesn’t matter if you’re convincing someone to abandon their outdated, ineffective way of doing something or a competitive solution – you’re asking a lot. You’re asking the buyer to agree to change and drive consensus for change within their organization. The least you can do is offer a helping hand. 

The first step is convincing a prospect that evolving from the status quo is essential and urgent for their company and worthwhile for them personally. Your content needs to get the buyer thinking differently, nodding in agreement, and committing to change. In many organizations, this comes in the form of what’s called “thought leadership” content. 

Keep this in mind as you’re developing that content: Over 50% of B2B C-suite decision makers have lost respect and admiration for an organization because of its poor thought leadership content.[1] And more than 30% removed companies from their consideration list as a result.[2]

Calling upon my vast experience developing thought leadership content — including The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to Thought Leadership on behalf of LinkedIn — I can help you avoid that fate.

[1] An Edelman-LinkedIn Research Study, How Thought Leadership Impacts B2B Demand Generation

[2] Ibid