Customer content is king

Earlier this year, TechValidate surveyed 126 leading B2B sales/marketing professionals about marketing content. While editorial coverage was not included (shame on them), the findings are otherwise very interesting to PR and marcomm departments.

As examples of marketing content, TV mentions

• Analyst Reports and Opinions issued on the companies' product, strategy, and competitive differentiation
• Industry and Market Research showcasing trends in the marketplace
• Named Customer Testimonials – case studies, videos, and quotes from customers

For all the results in chart form, see this page. However in this particular chart, below, it's apparent that customer testimonials, case studies, and user stories are considered most effective. (94 percent said content sourced from existing customers is either "very effective" or "extremely" effective.)


















What's also interesting is that third-party analyst content comes in much lower, with only about 50 percent calling it very or extremely effective. Analyst content also had the most votes for "not effective," which tracks with research surveys JPR has produced for clients in the past. (Perhaps analyst firms need to do a better job marketing themselves and communicating their value to tech vendors.)

Finally, far fewer people surveyed said content written in-house was very or extremely effective - which of course begs the question, why isn't in-house content doing better for you? Is it too "salesy," lacking credibility? Is it too generic, missing the opportunity to target a vertical market? Does it lack detail or depth, therefore failing to answer your prospective customer's questions and sending them to other resources? Is it poorly or hastily produced, not engaging, stale or hackneyed...in other words, is it just bad?

When generating your own marketing content (or outsourcing this chore to a PR/marketing firm), all of the elements above - customer feedback, third-party analyst opinion, industry trend stories - can be incorporated in your materials. It may require more creativity or access than you currently have, and it might require more talent and money to produce, but there's simply no reason your marketing content can't work better.