One recurring oversight I frequently observe in B2B content is the failure to acknowledge that, ultimately, you’re selling to a human.

The labels “B2B” and “B2C” have instilled the misconception that each requires vastly different approaches, but this isn’t always true.

We don’t magically transform into corporate robots when we step into our work environments. We remain the same human beings at home in the morning, motivated by many personal drivers.

1. Understand Your Audience’s Motivations

When crafting B2B content, it’s crucial to understand who your audience is and what drives them. While this may seem like Marketing 101, it’s a step that’s often overlooked, mainly when focused on churning out website content for SEO purposes.

When discussing personas, it’s essential to center them around motivation rather than just demographics. People within the same demographic can have vastly different reasons for making purchasing decisions. Falling into the trap of letting demographics lead the personas can hinder your understanding of your audience’s motivations.

As humans, we perceive the world through three lenses:

1. Rationally: We seek logic, reliability, and robust decision-making in our choices.
2. Contextually: We strive to understand our place in the world, how others perceive us, and the impact we make.
3. Emotionally: We care about how our decisions affect others desire connection, and a sense of belonging.

It’s crucial to recognize that humans are not entirely rational beings. David Ogilvy famously stated, “People don’t think what they feel, don’t say what they think, and don’t do what they say.” B2B marketing often focuses solely on rational selling points, such as features and benefits. While essential, these factors alone may not tap into the true motivations behind a purchase decision.

To truly understand your audience’s motivations, engage with individuals close to your target audience and uncover the deeper drivers behind their purchasing decisions. Asking “why” repeatedly can unveil profound insights into why someone may choose to buy or not buy your product.

For example, while working with an accounting software firm, we discovered that one of their crucial audience personas, the “practice manager,” saw revamping internal systems as an opportunity to showcase their abilities to upper management. This insight led to a messaging shift, focusing on “changing the game” rather than simply listing software features.

Incorporating these customer drivers into your content can significantly enhance its impact on the user, leading to more meaningful engagement and conversions.

2. Define Clear Objectives for Your Content

Simply producing content in hopes of ranking for specific keywords is a missed opportunity. As content creators, it’s essential to always have a clear purpose in mind. What do we intend for this content to accomplish?

I find the “think, feel, do” framework invaluable for shaping any content. Before diving into writing, I outline what I want the audience to think, feel, and ultimately do due to engaging with the content. This framework serves as a guiding light during the content creation process. If I struggle to articulate these points, it’s a sign that I’m not yet prepared to create the content.

It’s crucial to understand the specific role of each piece of content within the customer journey and align its objectives accordingly. Rather than solely focusing on ranking, consider what the customer is trying to achieve. Our content goals should always align with the desires and needs of the customer, as failing to do so sets us up for disappointment.

Lack of clarity on these fundamental questions may result in mediocre content that misses the mark in serving the business objectives. Conversely, when we can answer these questions and keep them at the forefront of content creation, the potential for impactful outcomes increases significantly.

3. Optimize Format and Placement

Ensuring your content reaches the right audience in the correct format and location is paramount.

While SEO often emphasizes written content, this approach may only sometimes be appropriate. Understanding your audience and their goals naturally leads to considering the most effective message format and distribution channels.

In today’s digital landscape, with numerous channels and abundant online noise, targeting your audience’s preferred channels and engaging formats is crucial for content success. Don’t assume that specific channels or content formats are off-limits for B2B content—for instance, social media and video content can be highly effective.

Moreover, search is no longer confined to traditional search engines. Broaden your perspective to encompass the entire customer journey, ensuring you understand where your audience is searching and engaging.

4. Infuse Emotion and Audience Motivation into Your Content

Enhancing your content with emotion and tapping into your audience’s motivations can be a partial overhaul of your approach. Much of what you’re already communicating is likely relevant to the user.

Instead, it’s about integrating your audience’s motivations into the storytelling of your content. Many B2B content pieces remain anchored in a rational space, focusing solely on the “facts” about their product or service.

By mastering the art of subtly alluding to the contextual and emotional impact alongside the core rational message, you’ll capture more of the user’s attention and increase the likelihood of them taking action.

From a psychological perspective, consider the “messenger effect”—the idea that the messenger delivering a message can influence its reception. You may find that reinforcing motivational messages is best achieved through a different source, such as a testimonial or case study, subtly framing the motivation for the user.

5. Defining Metrics for Content Success

Many businesses fall into a cycle of churning content to meet quotas and boost rankings or traffic. However, solely focusing on these metrics overlooks the actual business objectives.

Returning to the “think, feel, do” framework mentioned earlier, the “do” component should align with your tracking efforts.

The “do” represents the desired action you want users to take after consuming the content. Whether it’s measurable engagement conversions like scroll depth or video watch percentage, tracking these actions provides valuable insights into content performance.

While it’s relatively straightforward to measure performance for lower-funnel content aimed at driving inquiries or sales, it’s equally crucial to establish success metrics for upper-funnel content to gauge its impact on the customer journey.

One practical approach for upper-funnel content is encouraging users to sign up for a newsletter or follow on social media, facilitating ongoing relationship-building.

Although assessing traffic generation remains important, genuine success hinges on users finding the content valuable and helping them achieve their objectives. It’s essential to prioritize metrics reflecting the content’s usefulness and contribution to user goals.

Humanizing B2B Content for Enhanced Engagement

The underlying theme across all five tips is the recognition that B2B customers are human and don’t necessarily require a distinct strategy from B2C content.

By understanding the genuine motivations behind user actions, we can leverage this insight to create content that is compelling and aligned with their underlying motivations. This alignment increases the likelihood of content success.

If navigating these concepts feels daunting, consider exploring our monthly SEO packages. Our team can provide valuable assistance in refining your content strategy and driving results.