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Fall 2011 B2B Newsletter

Dear B2B marketer:

Welcome to the ThinkSpring Marketing B2B newsletter, and thank you for your support of my business. With your help, 2011 has been the best year yet! ThinkSpring Marketing celebrated our five-year anniversary in April, launched an updated website and brand new blog, and rings in fall with the long-awaited (at least on my part!) B2B newsletter.

I’d love to hear from each of you with your questions, ideas, and challenges so I can create the content you’d love to read. I’m looking for the best ideas, process and strategy for corporate B2B marketing to help us all unleash our “fearless marketer.”

Diane

Diane Fiderlein
Marketing strategist and founder ThinkSpring Marketing

FRESH THINKING

The skinny on content marketing

What the latest buzz is all about—and why it matters for B2B

Content marketing. It’s a trend that’s spawned agencies, articles, software, and even the new C-suite position of Chief Content Officer. Here’s the synopsis for busy B2B execs ready to support and evolve your organization’s program.

Content marketing essentials
for B2B

Content marketing refers to communications that educate rather than sell: articles, checklists, how-to videos, whitepapers, and other tools. While social media fuels this recent popularity, content marketing is not a new tactic. For decades marketers have executed custom publishing and thought leadership programs to gain mindshare and build brands through expertise and engagement.

What is new:

• More channels—and more conversations: Traditional content marketing relied on sizable budgets and distribution through an in-house list or trade media. By default, the largest companies established the biggest voices for their viewpoints.

  Today, the explosion of social media platforms and self-publishing tools opens the field to literally everyone. The challenge now is breaking through the deluge of information to reach your target customer. (And, having something valuable to say.)

• Faster pace—and faster turnover: Conversations about the issues that affect your buyers now occur 24/7, in real-time, and in short rapid-fire bursts of Tweets and posts. Gone is the luxury of waiting to respond, drafting a lengthy communication, or even the guarantee of a focused interaction.

  This isn’t an argument for quantity over quality, but a recognition that most online content stays fresh about as long as a carton of milk. Content marketing strategies and resources must be time sensitive.

Five elements of effective content marketing

Follow these considerations to produce content that not only gets found, but gets results.

• Individualize it. Forget the bland and faceless corporate voice. Online content should reflect its author’s personality and be more like the transcript of a conversation than the copy in your technical support documentation.

• Be issue-driven. The fastest way to move your message from “all about us” to compelling educational content is to focus on the problems you solve for your customers. Don’t start with your product and its features; start with the issues the product exists to alleviate.

• Map it out. In the end, content marketing is all about helping you increase sales and retain customers. So plan your content strategy to align with your sales cycle, targeting the audience segments and stages where you need the most lift.

• Focus on action. After your audience engages with your content, what do you want them to do next? Develop content with this sequence in mind, and always define a call to action and next step.

• Assign accountability. A steady stream of content involves more than just the marketing department. Clearly delineate goals, schedules, and responsibilities to executives, subject matter experts, sales, and marketing. Make your support visible and tangible.

The bottom line? Effective content marketing doesn’t look or feel like marketing or selling. Success comes from delivering as a helpful, trusted advisor.

Have a comment to share? I'd love to hear your feedback on this article. Thanks!

FROM THE SPRINGBOARD

A sampling of recent posts from the Springboard blog—delivering expert ideas to energize your B2B marketing. Join the conversation.

Making a commitment to B2B public relations
Evaluate your organizational readiness to go beyond the news release

PR isn’t a one-time activity—it’s a long-term commitment. Use these six tests to determine if marketing—and executive stakeholders—are ready for a full-fledged media program. Read more.

What’s on your menu?
Eight best practices for marketing B2B professional services and consulting

Imagine dining at your favorite restaurant—only this time, there are no menus, no daily specials and no list prices. Many organizations promote and sell their services offerings in exactly this way, using a “sky’s the limit, we can do anything” approach that leaves it up to the buyer to decipher their needs, understand the potential solutions and create a package offering that fits their budget. Read more.

Tip #26: Get Lost

Close the loop on lost leads with a process that captures the reason(s) your organization doesn’t win business. Read more.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness.

Your guide to the social media universe

Tongue-tied over Twitter? Flummoxed by Foursquare? Check out the “Social Media Playbook” from Eloqua, a quick read with clear definitions and actionable tips suitable for all levels. Read more.

Check out Seen+Heard every Friday for a link to some of the best B2B marketing thinking on the web.

ThinkSpring Marketing celebrates five years!

Learn more about the leap that started it all and where we're headed. Read more.

About ThinkSpring Marketing
ThinkSpring Marketing delivers sound strategy to improve marketing effectiveness, resolve issues, launch products, and generate confidence and momentum. Founder Diane M. Fiderlein helps business-to-business companies make big ideas manageable with a practical, “under the hood” approach to marketing readiness that creates a springboard for results.

Contact Diane M. Fiderlein to develop a plan, advise on strategy, or launch your next great idea.

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©2011 ThinkSpring Marketing & Communications LLC