67% of marketers list brand engagement as the number one objective best supported by content marketing. And yet, 72% of B2B content marketers say creating engaging content is one of their most prominent content marketing struggles.
Engagement matters, but more and more B2B marketers are struggling with creating engaging content.
So, we decided to ask the experts — the marketing leaders who are executing some killer content strategies — to share their sage wisdom and help shed some light on how to tackle the engagement issue.
Here’s what they had to say! →
2. of marketers list brand engagement
as the number one objective best
supported by content marketing.
[Source - Digiday]
67%
3. of B2B content marketers say creating
engaging content is one of their most
prominent content marketing struggles.
72%
And yet,
[Source - Content Marketing Institute]
4. Engagement matters, but more and more B2B marketers
are struggling with creating engaging content.
5. So, we decided to ask the experts — the marketing
leaders who are executing some killer content
strategies — to share their sage wisdom and help shed
some light on how to tackle the engagement issue.
Here’s what they had to say! ~>
7. I would first consider why engagement is the
metric you are seeking. How will more shares
and comments help you achieve your goals
(such as subscribers, leads, revenue)? If you
do see a correlation between shares and your
goals, I would use a tool like BuzzSumo to see
which of your content — as well as that of
your competitors — have had the most
engagement on a specific platform. Are your
readers looking for templates? Videos?
Advice on a certain topic? I would then
consider how you can produce more content
in that vein.
VP
of
Content,
Content
Marke/ng
Ins/tute
Michele Linn
9. I think content marketers need to pay more
attention to research, amplification, and
monitoring. However, the key is research.
Ensure you know what questions your
audience are asking and the issues that keep
them awake at night. The real opportunity is
before you create your content. Research will
help you identify the content that works,
what gets shared, the headlines that engage,
how content gets amplified, and where the
opportunities are.
Steve Rayson
Director,
Buzzsumo
11. Engage from step zero. Marketers are always
thinking about how to earn a click, comment, or
share once someone arrives on a post — but what
about the medium through which they land on
that post? Take subscribers for example. Most
new subscribers begin receiving the next new post
a blog publishes, regardless of if that post will be a
success or failure. For the Sidekick Blog, we
entered new subscribers into an email workflow
that sent them our very best content the first few
weeks they were subscribed (more on that here),
leading to stronger engagement right from the
beginning of our relationship. We found this led to
greater reader retention over time.
Senior
Growth
Marketer,
HubSpot
Anum Hussain
13. Jay Acunzo
VP
of
PlaBorm
and
Content,
NextView
Ventures
To determine [if content is interesting for an
audience], I turn to a great idea by Ev Williams. He
says that innovating online is about identifying a
desire someone has, lining up all the steps it takes
them to fulfill that, and then using technology to
remove those steps. We can do the same with
content! Maybe your audience is struggling to secure
more budget from their boss. An advice column
could be okay, but if you notice a lack of
engagement, ask what step you can remove from
their process entirely — say, through a pre-designed,
pre-arranged deck to tell a compelling story to their
boss. Suddenly, you'll notice people not only engage
with their content, but their nice comments start
ending not in periods, but in exclamation points. Few
things are better signs of a truly engaged reader,
prospect, and customer.
15. Most content is flat, one-dimensional, and non-
engaging. Even a simple blog post can turn
those negative attributes around! Use your
content to ask questions, engage your
audience, and invite them to respond. Get
them involved in a conversation, then engage
right back! We all want to know people are
listening, that our ideas and responses are
recognized and appreciated. That’s incredibly
easy to do with your content, and the impact it
has on engagement, response, attention, and
trust is exponential.
President,
Heinz
Marke/ng
Matt Heinz
17. Forget the phrase 'B2B'. That might be
your business model, but shouldn't
describe your communication style.
Think person-to-person — 'P2P' —
instead. In 2016, go for more
segmentation and personalization. Don't
know where to start? Talk with 100
customers this month in person or by
phone, and you'll gather the insights that
you need to hatch your master plan.
Owen Fuller
Chief
Evangelist,
Movement
Ventures
19. Most B2B marketers struggle to create engaging
content because their customers are not involved
in the content creation process — at all. Start by
actively listening to your customers' feedback: ask
what they'd like to see as a customer and what
would have been valuable to them during the
buying process. Long before you A/B test any
subject lines with your whole database, you
should be A/B testing those ideas with your
customer base to allow the best ones to rise to the
top. Then, find ways to feature your biggest
advocates in the content you end up producing. If
a piece of content isn't informed by and/or
doesn't feature your advocates, you're going to
keep struggling.
Content
Marke/ng
Manager,
Influi/ve
Cassandra Jowett
21. Barry Feldman
Owner
&
Crea/ve
Director,
Feldman
Crea/ve
Toss some sparks into the engine room.
Really. Engagement means action. If you
want people to take action, you need to
fire 'em up. Present something
passionate, opinionated, bold —
something unexpected.
22. Want more tips for
how to create engaging content?
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