How to produce content that Lands

B2B Buyers are overwhelmed with poor content…but they also use content to make purchase decisions.

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Let's start with some stats:

• 56% of B2B buyers are overwhelmed by the amount of content (source) 
• 51% of B2B buyers said content was too generic and irrelevant to their needs (source) 
• And yet, 89% of B2B prospects use content to inform their purchase decisions (source) 

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Content has exploded

Generative AI has put content marketing on steroids. While AI outputs need humanizing, the quality of the first drafts are usually good enough to save material time for marketing teams. As a result, the quantity of content has exploded and buyers are overloaded with content.

As a result, it is harder to break through the noise

As quantity of content  has increased dramatically, it has become harder and harder to produce high quality content that breaks through the noise. A survey from DemandGenReport.com makes this point clear. B2B buyer perception of the content they read:

• Too Generic: 51% of buyers said content was too generic and irrelevant to their needs
• Too pitchy: 54% said that content is not objective/too much of a sales pitch
• Booooring: 39% said that most content uninformative or boring content

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Content impacts purchase decisions 

The impact of high-quality content on B2B sales and marketing strategies cannot be overstated. The 2024 survey from DemandGenReport.com shows how much of an impact that content has on the buying process:

1. Content as a Decision-Making Tool: 89% of B2B Prospects Use Content to Inform Their Decisions
   For B2B purchases, decision-makers are constantly on the hunt for information that helps them make educated choices. According to this survey, 89% of B2B buyers rely on a company’s content to inform their decision-making process. This statistic highlights the immense influence that content has on potential buyers.
   
   When your content is high-quality—meaning it’s accurate, insightful, and tailored to address specific pain points—it can position your company as a trusted advisor. Conversely, low-quality or generic content can quickly undermine your credibility and drive prospects to seek insights from your competitors. In essence, every piece of content you publish has the power to either win a prospect’s trust or lose it.

2. Good Content Impacts the Entire Decision Making Team: 72% of Buyers Share Content with Relevant Team Members
   Content isn’t just a solitary experience for B2B buyers; it’s a collaborative tool that influences broader teams within an organization. The data shows that 72% of buyers share the content they find valuable with relevant team members. This behavior amplifies the reach of your content and turns each reader into a potential advocate for your brand.
   
   However, this can only happen when your content stands out in terms of quality. When decision-makers find your content insightful and applicable to their challenges, they are more likely to pass it along to colleagues, expanding your influence within their organization. On the other hand, if your content lacks depth or relevance, it will be forgotten as quickly as it is read. Or worse, bad content can have a negative impact on your brand and the purchase decision. Especially, if it's shared with people on the buying team that aren't familiar with you business.

3. Social is a High Impact Channel: 46% of Buyers Review More Content on Social Media
   Social media has evolved into a critical platform for B2B buyers, with 46% reviewing more content through these channels. This underscores the importance of not just producing high-quality content but also ensuring it is visible and shareable across social platforms. High-quality content gets more engagement, more shares, and more discussion, creating a ripple effect that extends your brand’s reach far beyond your immediate audience.
   
   Quality content on social media serves as a form of social proof. When prospects see that your content is being liked, shared, and commented on by their peers, it adds an extra layer of credibility and reinforces your position as a thought leader in your industry.

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So how do you create content that lands?

This Forbes article has a lot of really great metrics on content but this one stood out to me

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From that same article:

Audience research stands as the top contributor to the success of content marketing campaigns. This approach ensures that content is not only relevant and resonant with the intended demographic but also addresses their specific needs and interests. By understanding the audience deeply, marketers can tailor their content strategies to deliver more engaging and effective messages, enhancing the likelihood of campaign success.

File this in the “no duh” folder, but actually taking the time to research and solicit feedback from your buyers will help you produce high quality content that land. Are you asking your prospects how they feel about your content? We hear all the time from marketers:

“We just don’t have enough time to regularly talk to our prospects and customers”

“Our Internal groupthink on producing new content is not the right answer!”

“The pressure to produce good content to drive leads is tremendous”

Does this sound like you? These are direct quotes from marketers whom we speak with. It’s hard. We get it. That’s why we are building Winware.ai. 

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Winware.ai = Audience Research and GenAI Content Creation combined into one

Winware.ai makes it easy to capture qualitative feedback on your existing content from your specific customer. We then have created specific AI prompts to create new content based on that specific input. We are so confident that you will see the value, that we will prove it to you for free. Reach out to us and we will show you with a free Proof of Value.

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Conclusion:

The goal isn’t to produce content. The goal is to have your content positively impact the buying funnel. High-quality content builds trust, informs decisions, and ultimately drives revenue. The key to creating high quality content is Audience Research. The marketing leaders who get this and embrace it, will win.