Up until last year, I faced tackling one my not-so-favorite annual rituals each summer . . . trimming back a row of several Rose of Sharon bushes to keep them from growing too large along a sidewalk that runs the full length of my garage.
Now much smarter, wiser (and dare I say "older"), I've since delegated that project to my highly competent team of lawn care professionals.
I realize that may not sound like much of a project, but when the bushes grew more than six-feet tall and three-feet wide at their tops, cutting them back turned into a time-consuming project I really preferred not to confront.
Don’t get me wrong. I think Rose of Sharon bushes are great. After all, I’m the one that planted them in the first place! My wife and I always look forward to the solid wall of white flowers they produce in later in the summer. And, the flowers always attract a lot of honey bees which is awesome, because I have a real weakness for honey!
It’s Content They’re After
Just for a moment, consider what those honey bees are after. Is it the appearance of the flowers that they find so appealing? Or is it the flower’s content—the nectar and pollen—that they’re after? Much like honey bees, B2B company prospects and customers are hungering after the educational content that you have to share about your products and services.
In a Forrester Research, Inc. report from a few years back that I occasionally reference -- B2B Marketers Must Better Prepare For Marketing Automation -- marketers were admonished with the following sage advice that still rings true today:
Create content that educates while it sells. The right content that attracts buyers is focused on problems, not products. It educates people how to solve their problems.
A great way to focus on problems is to show your customers how you solved their problems using energized customer success stories or case studies.
And no, I’m not talking about the ever-predictable and formulaic “Problem-Solutions-Results” approach in a hundred words or less. I’m talking about an engaging, feature-story oriented approach that brings out your B2B customers’ emotions and delves deep into the problems that your products and services helped to solve.
For a more comprehensive overview of my views on energized customer success stories, check out my special report, Energize Your Buzz! Generate More Biz!
So the next time you’re outside this summer, pay careful attention to the honey bees. They have much to teach when it comes to the always changing and ever-growing world of B2B content marketing.