What Buyers Think About Your Content

Ken Gaebler

Want to know if your content marketing is effective? It's easy. Ask your customers what they think -- or just browse our list.

Content is at the heart of your marketing programs, whether it's PR, a blog, your corporate website, or an email newsletter.

Good content drives success. Mediocre content drives mediocre results.

So, content marketers, what do buyers want in the content you present to them?

Compliments of content marketing expert, Adele Revella, here is what you'll hear from buyers if you ask them about content.

It's a traditional Letterman-style top ten list, with the top priority last.

Top Ten Buyer Insights on Marketing Content

• #10. Stop telling me about things that are not helpful to me. Your content needs to be useful to me.
• #9. You have the same information that all the competitors do.
• #8. I already have done my research and all I want to know is whether you can deliver.
• #7. I have a budget but I'm staying anonymous because I decide when I talk to a salesperson, not you.
• #6. I'm not seeing how we can measure the success of this initiative.
• #5. I can't make this decision alone. I need something that will help me to handle the concerns and priorities of others.
• #4. I will lose my job if I make the wrong decision. I need to be convinced that you can address my specific concerns about this decision.
• #3. I am testing your company to see if you understand my needs and will be responsive to me if I buy from you.
• #2. We won't choose the least expensive solution. We will choose the best match for our needs.
• #1. This decision is not about price or features. We will choose the company that we believe we can trust.

Adele is an expert on defining buyer personas, so it's no surprise that she believes content marketers should ask buyers what content they want and need. Her take is that if you are in charge of content marketing strategy or content marketing creation for your firm, your "product" is your content and your "buyer" is any person who might consume your content. Your company may sell widgets, but before they get to sell a widget, more often than not, somebody needs to "buy" your content.

How about your content buyers? How can your content help them as they move through the marketing funnel? What will make them seek out your content, eat it up and find it so valuable that they then move on to purchase actual products or services from your company?

The key takeaway here? Most content marketing is created without ever asking the end consumer of the content what they want. Talk to your buyers! Before you start writing, ask your customer whether they will be interested in what you have to say, whether it will help them, and whether they will appreciate it. If they don't want it, don't write it.

At Walker Sands, we specialize in creating content that drives business growth. The best insight we can share with you is to take the time up front to understand what you need to do to be persuasive to your customer base. What can you say that will be useful to them and have an impact on them? Become an authority on what your buyers really want, and, after that, everything else will fall in place. Good luck and call is if you need any help!