It is no secret that a content program is no longer a “nice to have”, but a “need to have” in every marketing teams’ playbook. Good content is the new black and your brand better have some beyond case studies and white papers if they want to capture customer attention. However, the brand-as-publisher model has been around for some time now and the previous din of original content has become a deafening roar online. Beyond knowing what kind of content to create and when, standing out from the crowd is the real challenge at hand when it comes to a successful content marketing strategy today.

A recent article from the Content Marketing Institute highlighted this dilemma as well as the solution, which was unintentionally shared by Ev Williams, founder of Twitter, Blogger, and Medium. His original advice was provided to aspiring start-up founders during an interview with Fast Company, but the heart of his words ring true: Your brand (and therefore your content) should address a desire and make it more achievable for users. Just like your product or service solves a pain point, your content should do the same.

All too often we forget that we are marketing to real people, with desires and interests beyond the narrow scope of our brand blinders. While it may seem obvious, original content should not just be used for driving sales—the real value lies in building relationships and starting meaningful conversations that may lead to conversions later on down the road. Content not only has to be engaging and relevant, but it has to be useful beyond just being informative about a particular item.

When it comes to B2B marketing, content should position customers to succeed when making business decisions, in front of their superiors, and beyond. Whether it is through sharing a new perspective on the current industry landscape or something else, use content to challenge and disrupt customer priorities for the better.

There are so many new tools to aid in creating content that it may seem daunting to even try to keep up, but going back to the basics and identifying what your customers really need may be the best tool of them all.

Jade Natal
Just Media, Inc.