Content marketing continues to be an extremely popular with businesses, with different types of companies jumping on this form of marketing regardless of whether they’re selling to the public or to other firms.

For business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategists, there may be a strong urge to automate as much of the process as possible. However, content marketing needs a human element if it is to engage an audience in the right way.

According to the Demand Gen 2016 Content Preferences Survey, 96 per cent of B2B buyers would like to see more content developed by industry leaders. This shows that even business buyers want detailed and engaging content.

Cornerstone principles

 There are several cornerstone principles when it comes to creating great content that engages people and holds their attention. These include having empathy, being honest, showing commitment and remaining humble. Sticking to these helps marketing strategists create content people can relate to. After all, content marketing is much more than a tool for grabbing the attention of Bing and Google.

The human aspect

 The best content is human, helping marketers reach people on a relatable level and get some form of emotional reaction. To attain that, storytelling is required. When marketing strategists think of the best stories they’ve heard and the authors behind them, those that related to people on a personal level are the most effective. It doesn’t have to be deep and meaningful either; it might simply be a story showing how a product helps solve an everyday issue a lot of people want a solution to.

There are three key facts to remember when developing a story that will make for engaging content. The first is that stories always seem more interesting to the writer. The takeaway from this is that it’s essential to keep the target audience in mind to ensure stories relate to them. The second is that stories normally contain conflicts and should be told honestly. There is no point brushing over potential issues – few products or services are perfect. In fact, carefully shining a light on such areas builds trust without putting potential customers off.

Finally, ensure that all content has a resolution. Audiences, regardless of whether they’re consumers or businesses, need an ending to every story. For example, if the content focuses on an industry-specific problem, make sure it offers a solution.

Successful B2B marketing needs humanisation

 It’s easy to think B2B content marketing doesn’t need humanisation because business buyers understand the concept of marketing and don’t need to be pandered to. However, this is far from true.

Business customers still need to be drawn in by engaging, intelligent content that has a human touch and tells a great story. Marketing strategists able to achieve this stand the best chance of success.