Whether you’re B2B or B2C, your brand needs a customer-focused approach with your content. In this #ContentChat, we discuss the best strategies for putting your ideal customer at the center of your content marketing planning process, including a discussion of how to get executive buy-in on your approach, ways to actively and passively collect content ideas, and examples of brands that have taken risks that paid off because they know their audience.
Q1: Why should you put your customer—and not your brand—at the center of your #contentmarketing planning process? And how do you get your executive team onboard with that perspective?
Unfortunately, some companies take a brand-first approach with content (or in general), potentially due to internal pressure from execs or teammates that do not understand the value of customer-centric content. Regardless of the reason, we do not recommend this approach.
A1- I’m a newbie to #ContentChat -and excited to learn.
I’m confused about the question.
Are you saying that there are still #brand managers and executives who think that the brand comes first and customers second?— Virginie Glaenzer (@VirginieG) September 30, 2019
Welcome to #ContentChat! And yes, unfortunately, there are still brands who put out content that may appease an internal request but certainly didn’t engage their community.
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) September 30, 2019
Yep, it’s all about
Customer Needs.
As a for-profit entity, if you’re not solving customer needs you don’t have a reason to exist.
And you won’t for long. #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) September 30, 2019
A1. Truly successful companies are not ego driven, they strive to fix a problem in the marketplace. Think about what your fans want to see, not what you want to project. If your executive doesn’t get that, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle. #ContentChat https://t.co/ogFGRzwoNW
— GreenRope (@GreenRope) September 30, 2019
Content should be created with your customer needs in mind. Why? When you provide your customers with content that helps solve their problems and enables them to do their jobs better, you are more likely to earn their trust and loyalty.
A1: You want to make sure your content is speaking to the needs of your customers.
Think about what you can help them with and deliver the content they’re searching for. #ContentChat
— Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) September 30, 2019
A1 I’ve always gone by one criteria for my online success. And that is, “My client’s success is a reflection of my success!”💛#Contentchat
— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) September 30, 2019
A1: If you were trying to get your brand to engage and convert, then putting that at the center would make sense. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) September 30, 2019
A1: Customers should always be front and center for your brand…if they are front and center you know who they are, you know what they want and you know the message that will help convert them. #ContentChat
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) September 30, 2019
A1.
“Put yourself in customers shoes”
To measure success and achieve goals as good firm.#ContentChat— ⚡ Vraj Shah 📸 (@vrajshahspeaks) September 30, 2019
A1.
At the end of the day your customer is at the core of everything you do.
The livelihood of your business is in their hands so you have to ensure that your content is of value and of relevance to them! #ContentChat
— Bentley University (@bentleyu) September 30, 2019
If your content is not created with your customer needs in mind, then it’s not content marketing.
A1a: This gets to the heart of the difference between creating content and being engaged in content marketing. If it’s not created with your customer needs in mind, it’s not content marketing. #ContentChat https://t.co/eG4v0o1Mt2
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) September 30, 2019
A1: Putting the brand first is advertising.
Putting the customer first is marketing. #ContentChat
— John Cloonan (@johncloonan) September 30, 2019
There are places for brand-centric content, including your company’s “About” page, press releases, case studies, and more. Even then, you’ll want to position your work as “here are the challenges we help you solve,” instead of “here are our great results and shiny new features, buy our product.”
A1b: There is a place for brand-centric content in your marketing mix, including your website’s About section and press releases. But you don’t start a relationship with a customer by bragging about how awesome you are. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) September 30, 2019
A1c: You have to demonstrate that you understand your customers’ challenges and are here to help solve them. Only then will the prospective customer be ready for and interested in your brand and product-centric content. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) September 30, 2019
Totally agree. Case studies are another place where brand-centric content is appropriate and useful. But even with that, is there a way to make THOSE even more customer-centric rather than just saying what YOU did for this ONE company? #contentchat
— MaDonna Flowers Sheehy (@madonnasheehy) September 30, 2019
Yes! I think that @SlackHQ does a good job with that in their case studies (disclosure: they’re a client and I wrote some of those case studies). After reading them, you are excited about thinking about another way to improve collaboration & process in your own org. #ContentChat
— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) September 30, 2019
I’m not sure good case studies are brand centric.
They should position the customer as having a problem and also being the hero that solves the problem.
The brand, while important, should be supporting cast. #ContentChat
— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) September 30, 2019