Category: Content Marketing

B2B Content Hall of Fame: the motor catalogue that repositioned a brand

Posted on by The Radix Team

Imagine you make the world’s best electric drives and motors. Your Swiss-engineered precision is legendary, and your powerful, high-value products are used everywhere a tiny motor must never, ever break.

Your customers make Formula One cars. Surgical robots. Sub-sea exploration drills. And you know that Mars rover that was supposed to work for 3 months, but lasted 15 years instead? Yup: loads of your kit on board.

Cool, huh?

But there’s a problem: legendary, Swiss-engineered precision does not come cheap. Or especially quickly. And sitting between you and every mouthwatering engineering project, there’s a purchasing person who doesn’t care two hoots about the longevity of your Neodymium magnets.

No, their KPIs are all about delivery schedules and cost – and there’s no shortage of bargain-basement competitors lining up to sell them an inferior product at a tempting price.

That’s pretty much the problem Maxon Motor faced. Right up until the company’s marketers did something really smart, that cemented the brand at the top of its market.

And at the heart of everything? A product catalogue.

Change the audience, change the outcome

The smart thing Maxon did was to stop trying to convince the purchasers, and talk instead to an audience that really does appreciate the value of a lighter, stronger, tougher motor.

Design engineers.

If you only engage with an engineering project at the buying stage, Maxon realised, a cheaper alternative will clobber you every time. But if you can convince an engineer to build you into their design? It’s a brave purchaser who’ll overrule the technical expert on such a crucial component for the sake of a few cents.

And even if Maxon is not specified overtly, a design based around the company’s motor specifications means that the purchaser now has to find a unit that can deliver this much power, in that tiny space, while reliably withstanding these conditions. Suddenly, you can count the competitors on one hand.

The trick is getting into that design phase – and that’s a content marketing challenge.

Enter the Maxon Motor catalogue.

Product catalogue as content marketing

The first thing you notice when you open a Maxon Motor catalogue (other than the terrifying thud as it almost crushes your desk) is just how little promotional product content there is – for a company with hundreds of thousands of modular combinations, anyway.

That’s because it’s not just a list selling products; it’s a selection guide. And it contains every formula, graph, schematic and circuit diagram a design engineer could possibly need when they’re specifying the right motor for their new product. Torque profiles are discussed. Thermal tolerances explained. Commutation options compared.

At one time, you’d barely see a product for the catalogue’s first 50 pages (Maxon has since shaken up the order a little, but the principle remains).

Because the second thing Maxon realised is this: Maxon’s engineers may live and breathe drives and motors every day, but a customer’s design engineer might specify a motor once a year; maybe less. They’ll have learned the theory at university, but even those who were paying attention will appreciate their memory being refreshed.

Picture the time-honoured content marketing Venn diagram: “stuff the customer is interested in” versus “stuff your brand knows about”. For Maxon, at the time a design engineer is specifying a high-precision motor (the key moment to influence), that diagram’s basically a circle.

You just have to get the content there at the right time. Which is why the format is so clever.

Content that pulls its weight

The Maxon Motor catalogue weighs a tonne. (I haven’t done the science, but I’m willing to bet it’s heavier than any of the products it describes.) For context, its page count is roughly the sames as Dickens’ Great Expectations.

That’s the genius.

Everyone hates to feel marketed to. And design engineers feel that aversion stronger than most. So when someone eschews a flimsy product showcase and sends you a big-off, serious-looking book, full of figures and diagrams? And it’s about something you need to know on a periodic basis?

First thing: the brand clearly gets you. These are people you can deal with.

Second thing: the book stays on your desk. There’s no way you’re losing something that useful. (Besides, think how many forests were beaten to death to bring it to you…)

The book’s size is precisely what enables it to put the content in the right place, at the right time. I have no idea how wince-inducing the postage is to send them out (not to mention the cost of translating 508 pages into eight different languages), but it’s worth every Euro.

And that’s not all. Maxon gives you the CAD drawing for every product in the guide. So when you know the specification you need, you pick up the file, drop it in place, and… BOOM. The design engineer’s life gets a whole lot easier, and suddenly the purchaser has to buy a motor the exact size, shape and capabilities of this Maxon motor. Neat.

You’d better believe this is great B2B content

The more B2B content marketing anchors itself at the mouth of the sales and marketing funnel, the harder it is for buyers to actually make a decision. That benefits nobody.

For years, Maxon Motor’s selection guide has quietly been aligning the brand with its most profitable target audience, by giving them the knowledge they most need, in a format that feels natural, and that customers are glad to receive and keep to hand. And Maxon has dominated its natural target market.

I can think of no more fitting nominee for our B2B Content Hall of Fame.

Ghostwriting in B2B: fake content or essential thought leadership tool?

Posted on by The Radix Team

This may not come as a shock to you, but a lot of blogs, articles, and white papers published by influential names in B2B aren’t necessarily written by that person.

Even thought-leadership pieces, where the named author is an expert in their field, are often ghostwritten by a copywriter – either because words aren’t that expert’s strong suit, or they simply don’t have the time to write it themselves.

Matching the best writing with the best expertise is a recipe for great content. But where anyone who’s willing to pay for the goods can commission a copywriter to make them look like a thought leader, there’s also the temptation to pretend you know more than you do.

So, in a bid to rid the world of disingenuous content, here’s a short guide to ghostwriting – why it’s an opportunity for true B2B experts, and why easy thought leadership isn’t something you can just buy.

What can a B2B ghostwriter do, exactly?

Let’s make one thing clear. Ghostwriting is a perfectly acceptable thing to do in B2B content marketing.

In fact, it’s invaluable for people who have a lot of important stuff to say, but little time to write it. Or who may be super smart, but simply don’t have a way with words.

Done well, ghostwriting helps to ensure we get to read interesting, engaging stuff from the real thought leaders – not just people who happen to write well, and have time on their hands.

Consider a day in a life of a CEO. They’re extremely busy, and barely have enough time as it is. And while they may have the drive to write their own content, they just don’t have the time. Or think about a product specialist, who knows absolutely everything about their subject, except what a non-expert would find interesting.

That’s where a ghostwriter is essential.

A thought leader can brief a writer on a subject – even if it’s just their big idea, or a brain dump of what they know. A good copywriter who understands the audience can find the angle, and present it in a way that reflects the true views and deep knowledge of the expert, and also chimes with their real voice.

You get the piece they would have written, but sharper and more engaging. (And actually written instead of still in their head.)

Critically, because it’s based on the expert’s real knowledge and opinions, the content says something that no one else is really talking about, or that contains genuinely unique insight.

Why can’t we all be thought leaders?

Simply, to be a thought leader, you need to know your subject inside out. You need to have insights that other people don’t have.

As a B2B technology copywriter, I’ve amassed a broad enough knowledge to write confidently about enterprise tech, and translate someone else’s knowledge into a decent piece of copy. With a solid brief, a call, and some desk research, I can soon write in a confident way on even a niche subject. On a good day, I can make the real thought leader look like a writer as well.

But I’m still far from a thought leader in anything.

Without that crucial insight from a real expert, my best content is still only going to be a rehash of views and information that’s already available in the world. It won’t add any value. It’s not thought leadership.

Faux thought leaders: why ultimately, the frauds lose

If a specialist copywriter can produce something decent from their own knowledge, why aren’t people pretending to be thought leaders in the pursuit of new business?

The short answer is, they are. And it’s a really big problem in B2B technology. Faux thought leaders passing themselves off as experts, while copywriters do the leg work of re-presenting old thoughts as if they’re new.

As a result, the internet is awash with blogs and articles which merely repeat what’s already being said. It’s disingenuous, and it contributes to the noise that makes the B2B internet such an annoying place to be.

Happily, though, the phoney thought leaders are usually wasting their money.

Fake thought leadership (the kind without any leading thoughts) is easy to spot. And not only does it reflect badly on the brand or person it represents, but when it comes to actually deliver the goods, they simply can’t.

I’ve got the knowledge, but no time. Help me.

Perfect – that’s what we like to hear. We’ll bet you have a tonne of insight ready to be put down onto paper, and copywriters are here to help.

 

A content marketer’s guide to the B2B Marketing Expo 2019

Posted on by The Radix Team

The sheer size of a big marketing exhibition can be both promising and frustrating. With all those exhibitors and talks, there’s bound to be a few unexpected gems that can add value to your work – but how do you cut through the parts that aren’t relevant, to find what you really need?

As a company that’s both speaking and exhibiting at London’s B2B Marketing Expo in March, we have the same concern. The niche we work in (writing content for B2B tech agencies and brands) means we’re bound to be of interest for content marketers visiting the show. But will they find us amid all the videographers, Hubspot aficionados and branded cupcake firms?

To help, we’ve combed the listings (don’t even go there… Soooo. Many. Buzzwords…) to come up with a focused tipsheet for content marketers in particular – with the keynotes, seminars and stands you won’t want to miss.

Into content marketing? Go on the Wednesday.

It may seem counterintuitive – what with SAP’s Jack Dyson giving his big content keynote on the Thursday – but we think there’s marginally more for a content marketer to see on Wednesday 27th. (And no, it’s not just because that’s the day we’re speaking.)

Here’s one potential route through the day…

11.00–11.30 Scaling visual content marketing (Keynote theatre)

This clashes with a promising-looking Inbox Insight talk in Theatre 27, but that’s also on Thursday (see below) so we’ve gone for Grant Munro from Shutterstock. Tailoring a message at scale is a tricky thing to do – whether it’s writing or visual content – so the “tools and strategies” Grant promises should be helpful. (We just hope this isn’t simply a big stock photo pitch in disguise.)

11.45–12.15 How to plan an inbound campaign in 20 minutes (Theatre Hall 26)

If Ian Guiver from Axon Garside can deliver what he promises, there should be plenty of good ideas here to set your content within an effective sales and marketing strategy… with ten minutes to spare!

13.15–13.45 Five terrifying risks you should take with your content (Theatre Hall 12)

A good hour to grab some lunch, browse some exhibition stands and hit the networking area before joining the queue for the undisputed highlight of the event. Yes, it’s Radix’s own seminar, which will give you five calculated creative risks that will help your content to stand out.

(If you’re attending on the Thursday – or if you can’t get a seat – don’t despair; we’re also planning to run this session as a webinar. Sign up for our copywriting advice emails, and we’ll keep you updated.)

14.00–14.30 Cut the crap: transparency in video (Theatre Hall 28)

This is the year video marketing is supposed to take over (which is what they said at the start of 2008, and every year since). Whether that’s true or not, we’re big fans of the insane honesty school of B2B content, for video and writing alike. Most B2B marketers could do with an occasional reminder to keep it real, so if Paul Hamblin of The Video Club has some practical tips to share, you can count us in.

15.30–16.00 10 key pointers on B2B market research (Theatre Hall 14)

OK, this one’s a bit of a curve ball. But a great, original piece of primary research is always a brilliant starting point for a tasty bit of content that really stands out. (Don’t believe us? Ask Orbit Media, or Grist and Coleman Parkes.) A basic grounding won’t go amiss, and Teresa Hadfield from The ICG’s talk promises a key pointer every three minutes on average, which seems like a pretty good return to us.

Thursday’s agenda: content marketing in context

OK, so you’ve booked to go on the Thursday. No problem; there’s still plenty of promising sessions for you to attend. Some will improve your content directly, others are more about the context where it sits.

11.00–11.30 Content that Works (Keynote theatre)

With a capital “W”, no less. Jack Dyson from SAP is promising hacks that can save your life, squeeze every last drop of value from your marketing, and takes your content from bland to brilliant. SAP create some good stuff, so this should be worth a listen (even if it’s just to find out what “couture content” is).

11.45–12.15 ABM: what it is and how to do it in B2B services (Keynote theatre)

Don’t move a muscle; stay right in your seat. Account-based marketing (ABM) is the close cousin of content marketing, and we think there’s lots of scope for crossover between the two. Andrea Clatworthy from Fujitsu is as good a speaker on the subject as you’ll find (and we’re not just saying that because she contributed some great advice to our ABM content ebook). If you want a crash course in ABM, this is the place to be.

12.30–13.00 You’re looking at the funnel the wrong way (Theatre 27)

We’ve long agreed that the funnel is a useless metaphor for the buying journey, and that other alternatives would be much more fun. But we’ve never heard the thought applied to content amplification before, and we’re intrigued to hear what Ross Howard from Inbox Insight has to say.

14.00–14.30 7 steps to creating the perfect explainer video (Theatre 25)

There are few things to beat a really good explainer video. Sadly, few explainer videos are really good. If you’ve never wondered why some work and others don’t, these seven steps from Eden Videos’ Martin Ray-Jones could be just the ticket. We’re certainly hoping to learn a few tricks and tips for our own script writing efforts.

14.45–15.15 Make B2B prospecting great again (Theatre 11)

Yes, this is Leadfeeder (one of those services that tells you which companies have been looking at your website). And no, we haven’t lost our marbles. As long as it’s above board, and not personally identifiable data, the more intelligence we can all get about who’s enjoying what content, the better we’ll all get at writing for the clients we most want. The speaker, Dipak Vadera, is a sharp guy, and we reckon this will be full of tips for bridging the gap between content and sales, without being weird about it.

Our pick of the exhibition stands

You might want to mark a few stands on the floor plan, to visit between the talks. But unless you have a military-grade tolerance for marketing clichés, we recommend you steer clear of the online exhibitor list. Seriously; we barely made it out alive.

While we were there, though, these stands struck us as worth a visit:

Animation and video production

If you want to make video content, you’re in luck. It seems like very third stand at the expo you’ll find a videographer, lying in wait. Unscientifically, the ones that caught our eye include FLETCHERWILSON (we like corporate documentaries so we’ll overlook the all caps) on stand 1582, and we like No Magnolia’s brand (stand 1986). The Animation Guys (stand 2374) have a brilliant animation showreel and The Videonauts (stand 2348) have a brilliant name. And finally, we love a whiteboard video – the more of them in B2B, the better – so we’re delighted to see Eden Videos on stand 1584.

Site search

There are any number of SEO companies to talk to at the expo, but Sooqr Search (stand 2422) are a bit different: they optimise your on-site search so your visitors can find exactly what they’re looking for. Sounds like a good idea.

Translation services

Getting content into a language your buyer is comfortable with is so important for engagement and search. And if 101translations (stand 1732) can deliver everything they promise (cultural analysis, international SEO, etc) then theirs could be a good business card to have in your pocket. We’re slightly freaked out by the lack of a space in their name, but what can we say? We’re writers.

Branded content

If branded content’s your bag, you might want to make a point of visiting the Branded Content Marketing Association (BCMA) on stand 1580. Apparently, they can connect you with experts, but we can’t say much more than that because their exhibition blurb is kind of… intense.

Content delivery

A tonne of B2B content gets shared on LinkedIn, so if InSurge (stand 1922) can help you make it that bit more successful, that’s got to help your content ROI. Maybe even see actual LinkedIn themselves on stand 2350 while you’re at it. And Landingi (stand 1982) reckon their platform can make your landing pages better – which means more downloads for your assets. Could be worth a look.

Market research

As we’ve mentioned, original primary search is always a content winner. So you might want to chat with Ardent Fieldwork (stand 2382), or The ICG (stand 2284). And we reckon there are all sorts of fun ways you could use Wizu (stand 1546) to collect useful information.

Digital asset management

There’s no point making content guidelines and assets if nobody knows how to use them. So maybe have a chat with Asset Bank (stand 1740). Widen (stand 2346) looks fancy, too.

Something a bit different

We’ve no idea how it works, but apparently CoolTabs (stand 2321) can make your written content into an “interactive experience”, which sounds intriguing. DataSine (stand 2614) say they have a “personality-based marketing content augmentation tool” (no, us neither) and it’s called Pomegranate, which is cute. Peek and Poke (stand 2349) make addictive branded games. And if you want something *really* clever, maybe talk 3D modelling and AR with bloc digital (stand 2512).

Branded cupcakes

OK, it has nothing to do with content marketing. We just love Eat My Logo’s name. If you go to stand 1784, bring us back a couple of samples.

B2B copywriting

And of course, if you’d like to talk about any aspect of B2B content writing, come and have a chat with Radix, on stand 2184 (we’re over the far side, near seminar theatres 11 and 12).

We’ve had a load of free writing guides printed, so if you want the inside track on creating good web copy, ABM content, case studies, B2B comics, blog posts or messaging, we’ll give you something helpful to take away.

If you play your cards right, you may even get a natty pencil, made from a recycled CD case. (And if that’s not worth coming to ExCeL for, I don’t know what is.)

Be there, or be an equal-sided parallelogram.

Getting started with B2B podcasting – eight quick tips for first-time podcasters

Posted on by The Radix Team

Podcasts are a great way to get in front of your target audience and show your expertise in your particular sector. And while podcasting can be a lot of fun, getting started can be a bit daunting.

To help you along, we’ve put together a set of eight content tips that will help you to profile your audience, choose the right topics and format, promote your podcast and track the results. It’s based on our experience to date with the Radix podcast – our monthly podcast looking at trends and issues in B2B marketing copywriting.

You may also like to look at our earlier SlideShare on getting the techy side of your podcast right, from choosing where to host it and investing in the right equipment to getting it on to iTunes.

Webinar: 5 terrifying risks you should definitely take with your B2B content

Posted on by The Radix Team

Five terrifying risks you should definitely take with your B2B content

Here’s a sad fact: behind every piece of bland, lifeless, me-too B2B content, there’s a marketer.

A marketer who wanted to do something different. Who had a better, bolder idea, but had it rejected – or shelved it because they’d never get their stakeholders to agree. Who’s frustrated, because they weren’t allowed to take a risk.

And that’s why the internet is full of  bullshit like “experience our end-to-end digital solution” and “in today’s fast-moving digital world…”

Standout content necessarily involves an element of risk – otherwise it wouldn’t stand out. But the right risk, the right way, at the right time. And that’s what our first ever webinar is about.

Spoiler alert: I’m NOT going to tell you to be braver. But I am going to share five ways you can take a sensible, calculated risk that will set your content apart. Importantly, I’ll also talk about how you can get your clients and stakeholders on board.

After the presentation, we’ll have plenty of time for questions and answers, to swap nuggets of best practice, and to tell stories from the B2B content trenches.

If you write, create or specify B2B content, I solemnly swear it will be a valuable and thought-provoking use of your time.

Hope to see you there.

David

Note: This webinar has now ended. Thanks to all who took part.

Webinar: What does good B2B content look like? 15 essential checks

Posted on by The Radix Team

What does good B2B content look like? 15 essential quality checks
Thursday 7th November, 4pm GMT / 11am EST

It’s hard to create great B2B content when everyone’s idea of quality is subjective. You get vague, unhelpful feedback like “this reads well”. Eight sets of conflicting amends to consolidate. Stakeholders – who should be fine-tuning technical accuracy – spending precious time changing “use” to “utilize” because they think it sounds “more professional”.

It’s a lot of noise. And importantly, there’s nobody speaking up for your reader. The process that was supposed to improve your content ends up focusing on the wrong things, and ends up making it worse.

At Radix, we can’t afford to work like that. We write a lot of B2B content, and every scrap of it is reviewed by our own editors before it leaves the warehouse. We need to work fast, and keep our standards consistently high, or we’ll be broke.

And that’s why we created our 15-point content checklist, covering everything a piece of B2B content needs to work – from basics like grammar and spelling to audience value, voice and tone.

In this one-hour webinar, we’ll take you through every point of our list, and give you some tips on how to create your own. We’ll also talk about how you can use it to:

  • improve your content
  • wrangle your stakeholders
  • guide your training and development

As B2B content creators, none of us have as much time as we’d like. So I solemnly promise to cram as much valuable stuff into the hour as I can. Spaces on the webinar are limited, though, so do reserve yours ahead of time.

This webinar has now finished.

65 real quotes about B2B content marketing problems

Posted on by The Radix Team

B2B marketers are angry, and that’s probably fair enough. How would you like it if your valiant efforts to create great work were thwarted at every turn, by the people who are supposed to be on your side… and then commentators kept asking why your content isn’t innovative, emotional, or brave?

When we conducted our Barriers to Great B2B Content research, we didn’t expect the volume or ferocity of responses we received.

In hindsight, perhaps we should have. By inviting B2B marketers to reveal their frustrations in secret, we gave them a chance to vent long-held frustrations about their own organisations, and the working conditions that hold them back.

Now, we’ll share those comments with you. In their entirety.

As well as the venom (be warned, some of the language does get understandably fruity), there’s plenty of wisdom and constructive advice here. And, if you’re a B2B content marketer, quite a bit of solidarity too. You are not alone.

We’ve also included some gems from our four expert commentators in the report: Maureen Blandford, Doug Kessler, Mat Harper, and Shaema Shazeel Katib.

What is it about your best content that makes you proud?

1. “Authenticity.” – B2B technology content writer, UK

2. “It is useful and relevant to the customer.” – IT/tech CMO, North America

3. “It’s differentiated from the white noise surrounding it, and it’s specific – not picking from the library of generic B2B language.” – Agency content creator, UK

4. “Not proud of any.” – Marketing manager, legal firm, UK

B2B marketing balance quote

What gets in your way when you’re trying to create great B2B content?

6. “Executive fear.” – IT marketing director, North America

7. “Not enough insight. Client too product focused. Client-side marketing does not have enough status or power.” – B2B technology marketing consultant, UK

8. “I don’t always know what language/terminology to use with the target audience, or what level of knowledge they already have.” – Engineering copywriter, UK

Stakeholder micromanagement

9. “Too many cooks in the kitchen. I’ve had many projects drag on far, far longer than they needed to because we had to have 6+ stakeholders weigh in. We revise according to their feedback and put it in front of them again, only to have them find new issues or suggest something entirely different that they’re now excited about and want to see.” – Technology marketing manager, North America

10. “I’ve heard all the following recently: ‘I really like the concept but…’ ‘Lovely job, and we got great results, but I am missing the creativity of marketing and writing.’ ‘I’m going to bring the work back in house now you have shown me a different way of approaching it.’ ‘No I don’t want to abide by your terms of 45 days notice.’ ‘Great content but it hasn’t worked. I don’t have any sales yet and website traffic hasn’t really changed.’ ‘I can see what you are saying and I enjoyed reading it, but please add in the following edits.'”  – Tech startup CMO, UK

11. “If your stakeholders are not in alignment, nothing is possible. And if they are, almost anything is.” – Doug Kessler, Creative Director, Velocity Partners

12. “I’m hired to write great copy. I do. The technical MD clearly knows best though, and needs to rewrite everything a million times just to grow his ego and make marketing feel like shit.”
– IT content writer, UK

Executives who don’t “get it”

13. “Subject matter experts not understanding that you are trying to write to the customers’ pain points.” – Marketing manager, multinational manufacturer

14. “Executives who think all content is selling/promotional – don’t get thought leadership is different.” – IT marketing director, North America

15. “In my organisation at least, non-content people don’t fully understand the true role of content (it being much more than just ‘chucking up a few blog posts’). Because it’s not understood, it’s not valued – and neither are its creators. This doesn’t stop almost everyone having an opinion on content, however, despite not being able to actually create, plan, implement or measure it themselves. Go figure…” – Content manager, business insurance, UK

16. “Too much tech talk. Internal clients don’t think clever, simple or emotional messaging/visuals are as effective as feature listing.” – Telecoms marketing executive, North America

Maureen Blandford B2B leadership quote

Forgetting about the reader

18. “Interference from management who want content to sell, sell, sell.” – Technology CMO, Europe

19. “A pretty headline with multiple adaptions (‘Lead with confidence’ ‘Train with confidence’ ‘Operate with confidence’ etc) seems to always be preferred over interesting content that readers actually care about and will engage with.” – Agency copywriter, UK

20. “One of my biggest bugbears? The fact companies think their brand matters to customers. I had a client recently contract me to write ten short blogs about eCommerce – which was fine… until the MD got involved and complained they didn’t sell what the company was doing enough. I took her point – they could be steered more in that direction – but ultimately, my argument is that good content should provide value for customers; giving them information that they can go away and use. Or it should provide insight into the challenges they’re facing. When you stop trying to sell and think about the customer (and given that they’re already reading your content on your website) you have a much better opportunity to foster their trust. But often, this is a tough sell.” – Professional services content writer, UK

21. “A brief that’s aimed at the brand not the consumer. Clients who don’t believe that business people are just people who happen to be at work. Clients who don’t show any empathy/understanding of their consumers.” – B2B marketing copywriter, UK

22. “What’s important is finding the right format, length, structure, and tone – and that’s a matter of knowing your audience well enough.” – Shaema Shazleen Katib, Content Marketing and Automation Analyst, Intel

Changing priorities and briefs

23. “Interruptions are a big factor. I have a whole docket of content I’ve envisioned, planned, and want to see through, but it often gets disrupted by ‘drive-by’ projects that have more urgency to them. And because I’ve got the skills and the tools, I have to make the bandwidth.” – Manufacturing marketing manager, North America

24. “Execs and decision-makers who are making it up as they go… meaning they don’t spend the time up front to define main messaging. And that impacts all the collateral that relies on the messaging – which is pretty much everything. ” – Technology copywriter, North America

25. “Convoluted targets and goals for each piece, different key internal stakeholders with contradictory targets unwilling to compromise or even communicate. Lack of subject matter expertise within the content team.” – Media marketing manager, UK

Sales versus marketing

26. “The age-old tug of war between sales and marketing. Not every piece of content I create has to have a pitch, a value proposition, or a call to action attached to it. Ads are ads and content is content. And sometimes content has to be allowed to just inform, inspire, entertain, or enlighten – to build affinity and show thoughtfulness without asking the reader to then DO something or, worse, gating the content.” – Manufacturing marketing manager, North America

27. “We’re meant to interview contacts for our content. These contacts are meant to be ones that make the most strategic sense for the sales team. When you don’t put their leads in or put people they don’t want in your content, they moan. But when the time comes to send out an email asking them for contacts, not a single person responds, until the content is finished and they pipe up that they’re contacts weren’t included??!!” – B2B marketing copywriter, UK

Basically, the internet sucks

28. “I hate that it has to be so heavily reliant on SEO. Once you’ve optimised the content, it just looks ugly, repetitive and cheap. We’ve attempted to write good opinion pieces but the blog posts drowning in keywords always have more success.” – B2B agency marketer, UK

Hell is other departments

29. “People from other departments thinking they know what’s best for marketing. Constantly sticking their oars in and criticising.” – Technology copywriter, UK

30. “Lack of interest or help from other departments that could actually really improve our content. Marketing is at the bottom of the list for attention and they don’t realise its importance for the business performing well.” – IT marketing manager, UK

31. “Management/sales/other departments that don’t know how to present relevant, useful content in a clear, concise manner so it provides true value to the customer. Corporate branding rules that are inflexible, so every piece of content must fit into predefined templates (even if you are trying to create something new). The ‘we’ve always done it this way’ mentality.” – B2B technology CMO, North America

Doug Kessler Quote 2

How do you prove it works?

33. “One of the biggest challenges that I’m sure all B2B marketers face is that creating an outstanding piece of content – that actually brings commercial value or return to the business, other than the number of likes – is increasingly hard to quantify. All evidence is qualitative, which makes it difficult to argue positive performance even in the best of circumstances. Creating something truly fantastic – that drives conversion – that’s the golden goose. And it’s always hard; it’s always a struggle. I have lots of friends in B2C marketing and by comparison their job feels like a doddle; it’s easy to write a fantastic piece of content that implements basic consumer psychological trends to sell a pair of trainers or a yoga subscription. Try doing the same thing to convince a CIO that his approach to cloud migration could do with a tweak. It’s a different ballpark. But senior B2B marketers are almost 20k behind the average B2C marketer in terms of salary.” – Software-as-a-Service CMO, UK

Mat Harper business results quote

Agencies versus clients

35. “Weak agencies who act subservient to me and don’t challenge me hard enough.” – Professional services marketing director, UK

36.”Clients destroying the work. (Nearly.) Every. Single. Time.” – B2B agency copywriter, UK

37. “Clients who go to agencies and want something different but then churn out the same shit. You have departments, just save some money and use them. Last but not least, when they want leads with zero brand awareness. For the love of god Coke still invests money in brand awareness, you need to invest in brand awareness.” – B2B marketing manager, UK

38. “Clients who don’t trust you to make the call. You’ve appointed an expert – let us get on with it.” – Freelance B2B content writer, UK

Lack of alignment

39. “The internal hurdles and the challenges of multiple teams from different departments and countries all with their own idea of what good content should look like and not listening to the strategists and the analysts is incredibly frustrating. Why hire us if you don’t want to listen to what we find?” – Multinational B2B digital marketing strategist

40. “Clients who insist upon multiple levels of approvals. I recall one press release which ‘required’ approval from 11 stakeholders. That will never result in inspired copy – everyone feels they need to change something to justify their involvement.” – B2B content writer, UK

Doug Kessler stakeholder management quote

“A new player has entered the game…”

42. “Writing a piece that I’ve mostly got my way on (aimed actually at helping the customer in their journey rather than just touting our product) and having it all approved and sent to design. Design is just having me proofread and copy check the final doc when the CEO sees it and decides to delete some pages, add in some others (very product heavy), and edit some messaging. But we HAVE to publish it the next day due to campaign timelines. No choice but to approve the change with small amends. Gah!” – Software-as-a-Service content writer

43. “The client came to us and wanted to build a game and a campaign surrounding it with a limited budget. We compiled KPIs and built a strategy to gain said KPIs. One facet was to use influencers to provide quotes to include within the game and a series of blogs. But signoff on the influencers came way after the production of the game so we weren’t able to leverage the quotes within the game. Well, the entire purpose of using the influencers was meant to get reshares of the game to those influencers’ accounts and instead we could only use the quotes within the blogs we produced to cross-promote the game. When all was said and done the effort to gain influencers, interview them, etc didn’t meet the KPI targets we originally set out for the game…” – Software-as-a-Service marketing manager, UK

Lack of time, investment and resources

44. “When I was in-house, it was totally a resourcing problem. The marketing team was growing out in the regions, but they all had to funnel through a tiny content team that was being pulled every which way. We were accused of not being strategic enough – that was because we were constantly asked to check emails, event invites, flyers, presentations, the whole lot. Content was under-valued, under-appreciated, under-resourced… yet every single person in that marketing team relied on content to do their work. Major issue in B2B: content is more than just the team’s writers and grammar experts, so give them the space and resource to do their job, not make you look better.” – B2B content writer, UK

45. “Lack of original ideas and then time to get buy-in to a concept. Poorly skilled in-house resources and/or no budget to deliver it.” – Marketing manager, multinational IT enterprise

46. “As a writer I’m fairly in demand, which means I’m working on a lot of projects for a lot of clients simultaneously, which means I can’t devote as much time/headspace as I’d like to each project.” – Agency content writer, UK

47. “Senior management not having a f’ing clue and still seeing all marketing as cost, not investment.”
– Marketing manager, law firm, UK

The usual suspects…

48. “Lack of ambition is depressing. Aiming SO low.” – B2B agency creative, UK

49. “Content by committee. It never ends well. Everyone knows this, and yet… somehow it persists.” – Technology copywriter, UK

50. “Lack of customer challenge/solution understanding. Relentless focus on leads rather than good content. Decision by committee. Over reliance on the ‘same’ content again and again. Struggle to agree balance between product detail and good creative copywriting that’s emotive rather than just functional. Lack of attention to identifying clear differentiators, etc. etc.” – B2B marketing consultant, UK

51. “Internal politics in the client organisation – ends up being design by committee.” – B2B healthcare copywriter, Oceania

52. “Where do I start? Companies that cannot succinctly articulate what they do or sell? Companies that decide they want to create a piece of content before they even decide they have anything worthwhile to say? The bullshit circus of ‘thought leadership’…” – Technology copywriter, UK

53. “A lack of bravery, and resistance against not using jargon. If clients insist on using the same old  terminology, their copy will always be boring. It’s a constant battle when you’re the only one bold enough to ask ‘What does that mean? Why would the customer care about that? So what?’ We’re the only ones with the guts to ask those questions, and it isn’t always well-received.” – Freelance B2B copywriter, UK

B2B Marketing Pain Quote

A question of attitude

55. “Inherent lack of risk taking, inability to try new things, lack of vision for creative solutions, doing it the same way because ‘that’s the way we do it’ mentality, laziness to try new things…” – Marketing manager, health IT startup, North America

56. “People trying to be too creative for B2B content to suit their own ego or career aims. Sometimes you have to write run-of-the-mill stuff, or just come up with campaigns that are helpful or informative. Not everyone needs to be like Ogilvy, ESPECIALLY in B2B but a lot of people agency-side don’t recognise that. Listen to the customer. They know the audience best. The only reason you are getting friction from a customer is because you aren’t listening to them, you’re listening to your ego.” – B2B agency marketer, UK

What would have the biggest impact on your ability to create good content?

57. “Love my work but it can be lonely and I don’t always have the right people around me to brainstorm problems or creative approaches.” – Technology startup CMO, UK

58. “A guide to managing the management that wants to interfere and get involved.” – B2B technology CMO, North America

59. “Case studies proving that interesting content works would be so helpful. There’s not enough B2B content case studies out there. Loads of B2C case studies but clients instantly ignore those positive results because the audience is different.” – B2B agency copywriter, UK

60. “Something for CEOs and non-marketers on content strategy.” – IT marketing director, North America

61. “Unlimited resource. A CRM that wasn’t a mess.” – Technology CMO, North America

62. “How to get the best from your Client Services department? How do we meet ‘their’ pain points to buy into our vision.” – B2B marketing manager, UK

63. “There shouldn’t be this tension between the well-crafted, beautiful content and the effective content. If we don’t start by defining great content as that which has the most impact, we’re never going to succeed.” – Doug Kessler, creative director, Velocity Partners

If nothing else, realise it’s not your fault…

If some of these quotes feel a little unguarded and unpolished, it’s because we’ve tried to keep them as close as possible to the actual text as entered in the survey. What you’re feeling is the frustration of B2B marketers who are being prevented from doing their best work.

As Maureen Blandford put it in the report: “Imagine having people screwing your work up, and then being blamed by the market when your content sucks. It’s like: ‘If you only feckin’ knew.'”

And if reading this had you nodding your head until your neck is sore, that’s good (the solidarity, not the injury, anyway). It shows there are others going through the same thing. Maybe together, we can find the voice that B2B content marketers need.

We’d love to hear about your own experiences too; you can find us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Maureen Blandford B2B results quote

What’s the perfect work environment for creating B2B content?

Posted on by The Radix Team

If you’ve read our Barriers to Great B2B Content 2020 report, you know the results are pretty bleak. Of the 105 B2B marketers we interviewed, 68% said they’re not proud of even half their own content.

You might even be one of that number. And if so, it’s probably because where you work doesn’t work for you. Whether it’s because of internal politics, limited resources or interfering stakeholders, our survey showed that lots of marketers just don’t have the right environment to thrive.

And while many of these obstacles may be out of your control, every self-appointed marketing expert will still judge the ‘unoriginal’ work you produce as a result.

We talked to Maureen Blandford, VP of Marketing at Community Brands, about this particular frustration and she gave us a great response: “A lot of the time we have no choice, unless you happen to be in a lucky fairy land.” (Feel free to yell that whenever the mood takes you.)

But don’t give up hope. Your perfect B2B workplace – where you really can be proud of the content you publish – could be out there.

So, what would it look like and how can you identify it? We’ve spoken to Maureen and examined the statistics. Here’s what to look for.

Does company size matter?

Unsurprisingly, our survey revealed that across small, mid-sized and enterprise-scale firms, marketers have different ideas about what makes content great. Similarly, we found that different sized business find some obstacles more challenging than others:

But which will enable you to create your best content? Well, that depends what problems you find least intrusive, and what aspects of B2B content you value most.

We’ve taken a deep dive into the survey results shown above. These figures, taken directly from our global survey of B2B marketers, suggest how the benefits and obstacles of working in an enterprise, mid-sized organisation or a smaller firm could vary.

Enterprise:

Benefits

  • Least likely to struggle with workload or budget
  • Best chance of being proud of your content’s design, humour or emotional impact
  • Close correlation between perceived quality and business results

Obstacles

  • Brand, legal or policy issues could be an issue
  • Direct contact with your customers is likely to be very limited
  • Lowest chance of creating content that reflects customer priorities

Mid-size business:

Benefits

  • Highest likelihood of reflecting customer priorities
  • Slightly better chance of avoiding stakeholder interference
  • Fewest problems with brand and legal restrictions

Obstacles

  • Workload and budget issues are almost inevitable
  • Least chance of using humour, originality or emotion
  • Most likely to experience departmental friction

Small business:

Benefits

  • Easy contact with customers
  • Coordinating with other departments is less of a challenge
  • Best chance of writing copy you’re proud of

Obstacles

  • Constantly changing priorities likely to be a big issue
  • Micromanagement from senior leadership is likely
  • Smallest correlation between satisfaction and business results

When we asked Maureen, she said:

“I work in a sizable company as head of marketing for one of the divisions, and I’ve also worked for small tech companies and start-ups. And while size doesn’t really matter, a HUGE difference – in our quality of work and its results – is seen when bosses and executive teams are switched on and work collaboratively.”

So if you have an excellent leadership team, you’re more likely to create effective content you’re happy with – regardless of where you work. But what does that team look like? Well…

“Results follow good leadership”

When Totaljobs surveyed 2000 UK employees, they found one in two people had left a job because of bad management. And HR tech firm AdviserPlus found that in at least 70% of cases, management coaching resulted in better employee performance.

So the chances are, you’ve had at least one boss with questionable leadership skills.

And whether your boss was (or is) completely incompetent, or just a bit of a micromanager, poor leaders can prevent you from creating your best copy – or stop it being released.

We asked Maureen about great leadership in a B2B working environment – and how it can enable you to write copy you’re proud of. She said:

“There’s a whole bunch of stuff that goes into making content, that the market doesn’t acknowledge. Talent, passion and will are maybe 10% of it. Do you have a supportive team? Are sales co-operative? What about the leadership team? What kind of budget and tools do you have? How many micromanagers are there?

“I can tell you about my boss here, and my previous boss in Amsterdam, who runs a smaller technology company. Both of them had my back, completely supported me, and bought in to transformation.

“And the experiences I’ve had is exactly what Harvard Business School would say. The results are much stronger when leaders actually know how to lead, as opposed to leaders who are micromanaging jerks. Results follow good leadership.”

Toxic workplaces: “just get out”

You’ll find a B2B marketing workplace is always challenging – as our survey results made clear. With so many different departments and functional areas, everyone has their own goals and priorities. And earning their respect is no easy job – you’ll need to juggle a LOT of opinions.

And even though a challenging workplace is normal, it can still prevent you from producing your best work. 86% of our respondents say a problem with departmental co-operation gets in the way of their content.

We asked Maureen how she navigates this obstacle:

“I treat internal stakeholders like customers and prospects. I anticipate their objections, and what their values are. I’m never going to pitch our Head of Sales on some fancy-schmancy thing I want to do, or talk about colours. I’ll ask about her conversion rates, and where she wants to do better. Then I’ll frame projects to her business objectives.

“When I’m mentoring colleagues, I tell them we’re planting seeds. The first or second seed you plant may not grow or sprout ideas in their minds, but after a couple they start to understand your perspective.”

But a challenging culture is very different from a toxic one. So, how can you clearly define the two? Maureen draws a clear line between them:

“In most cultures, it’s challenging to work with colleagues in other functional areas. I don’t think I can code better than the software developers or do F&I better than the CFO; that’s not a thing. But of course everyone thinks they can do marketing.

“But a toxic culture is to do with the CEO; are they encouraging lying, cheating, stealing, hustling or hacking? People should be respectful but challenging, not demeaning and arrogant. If it’s a demeaning culture, that’s a toxic culture. And you’re not going to be able to change that, so just get out.”

And if you’re really, really determined to find the perfect workplace…

…You might need to commute a little further.

The statistics show that if you were to work in North America, you’re more likely to create content you’re proud of. Our survey found 39% of North Americans are happy with most of their work – a big jump from the 12.87% of European respondents.

It seems strange, we’ll give you that. But the figures above suggest some possible reasons. Only 30% of North American marketers find workload a big problem, compared to 50% of Europeans.

Meanwhile, North American marketers are least likely to agree with statement: “There’s always a trade-off between creating enough content, and keeping quality high”, while the European marketers we spoke to agreed 100%.

Of course, you’ll find plenty of job opportunities closer to home. We’re just saying – it’s an option.

How do you spot your ideal workplace IRL?

By now, you (hopefully) have a better image of a workplace that will enable you to create the content you’re proud of.

But when faced with a real-life opportunity, you might not have the transparency you need to know it’s right for you. Even Glassdoor can’t always help – despite having 67 million visits a month.

And truthfully, you’re going to have to gamble a bit. As Maureen says:

“For the most part, and this is not just for marketers, it is really hard to understand the culture until you get there. And it’s important not to feel ashamed about that – you did your best.

“But one way around that is if you actually know people at a company. If you’re being hired and you know someone, they can give you the straight scoop.”

So, use this guide to know exactly what you’re looking for. Then tailor the search to your specific preferences and find someone on the inside to get a clear picture. And when you get there? That’s when the real work begins.

Eight ways to get other departments more engaged in marketing content | B2B Content Tuesday

Posted on by The Radix Team

Uncooperative departments and a lack of stakeholder alignment are among the biggest obstacles B2B content marketers face. Our Barriers to Great B2B Content study showed 86% have a problem with departmental co-operation – and that if your business isn’t working together, there’s every chance the content you publish will suffer as a result.

So it’s no surprise that the first topic we were asked to cover in our B2B Content Tuesday Q&A webinars was how to create a strong content culture and get your whole organisation engaged.

In this blog post, we’ve outlined eight engagement ideas for you to steal, adapt or ignore. We’ve either seen them work for B2B tech clients, or they’ve been suggested by experts like Maureen Blandford and Doug Kessler. We’ve also summarised some of the questions and answers from the discussion.

If you’d like to watch the session in full, you’ll find a video at the bottom of this post.

Eight ways to get B2B departments more engaged in marketing content

  1. When you talk to your subject matter experts, keep it focused. Many find marketing a bit vague (or even untrustworthy), and asking for a “chat” will add to that. Instead, give the expert a list of questions in advance, so they get the comfort of preparation and their time and involvement is clearly defined in advance.
  2. Make it part of a clear content plan. Establishing a well thought-out content initiative can help subject matter experts feel like they’re taking part in something concrete, and will help them stay on board.
  3. Treat stakeholders like customers. In our study, experienced tech marketer Maureen Blandford said she does her research, and when she approaches stakeholders, only talks about their business needs, values or interests – and how she can help.
  4. Ask subject matter experts questions you already know they’ll like. Experts like to share their knowledge – it might only be the marketing context that’s making them uncomfortable. So help them feel like they’re on their home turf, and you’ll likely get better answers.
  5. Find bright spots in each department. Not everyone distrusts marketing – so start by looking for quick wins. Find the people who like engaging with you, and you’ve hit gold. Plus, when their colleagues see how easy working with marketing can be, and all the good things that result, you’ll get more interest from them too.
  6. Be really, really (really) clear on what good content looks like. If you don’t have a clear standard in your organisation, everyone will nitpick everything. At Radix, we standardise content reviews using a B2B content checklist, which you can steal and adapt if you’d like to.
  7. Back up your content opinions with data. If you can show evidence about what content works, you’re more likely to keep the conversation in areas where other departments can really help.
  8. Use their time well. As much as possible, focus on making people do the bit that you can only get from them – the nugget of wisdom or viewpoint that only they have. Good research (and dare we say good copywriters) can fill in the rest.

Q&A: Establishing a B2B content culture

Q: How do I get colleagues involved while everyone is working remotely?

David: “Sensitively. It might be that people are feeling isolated, and would quite like a chat about something, but don’t assume that nobody is busy right now.

“If you’ve had to cancel a marketing event where subject matter experts were going to speak or run an exhibition stand, you’re handing them back a day’s worth of time. So that can be a really good point to ask to borrow half an hour, where you can find out exactly what they want to say and get them to brief a copywriter or in-house writing team.

“But unless you’re specifically giving them hours back by cancelling something, don’t assume they have loads of time.”

Q: People I need for content aren’t responding to email – how can I get through to them?

David: “There are just TONNES of emails around at the moment, and our inboxes are all full of companies emailing us about how they are there for us at this ‘difficult time’.

“So pick up the phone, or jump on a Zoom call. Being able to see people’s faces is really helpful when you’re trying to figure out what they’re dealing with.”

Q: At Radix, how do you define good content beyond achieving the client’s business goal?

David: “That’s the number one – the ultimate ‘did it work, yes or no?’ But unfortunately, we writers don’t always get to find out if our content achieved its goals. Clients are so busy that they often don’t circle back to us with the results.

“When we’re reviewing internally, we use a clear, 16-point quality assurance checklist. Before any content goes to the client, it is assessed by another writer, and we’ve tried to standardise that process as best we can – so we know we’ve covered aspects like readability, technical accuracy, and voice.”

(You can find the checklist here – feel free to steal it for yourself.)

Q: How do you reconcile different ideas of good content – data, emotional impact, and perceptions of what different audiences expect?

David: “Emotion is always important – but you do still need to be clear, and use data to your advantage.

“When someone says: ‘our technology is very complicated, our audience is very intelligent – why are you writing in a way that’s so simple?’ bring them back to the facts. Show them the number reading on a mobile device – with the extra cognitive load that entails – or the proportion of your audience reading in a second language. When you’re talking about what good content looks like, you need to have evidence.

“For example, case studies that specifically name the client and have a quote are statistically more successful than those that don’t. So if you’re talking to a salesperson who doesn’t want to put you in touch with a customer, your data can give them clear evidence that by getting that interview you can help them to sell more.

“When it comes down to defining good content, move away from your opinion vs their opinion – especially if there are good, data-driven reasons to do it your way.

“Remember, the stakeholder will usually last have had their content reviewed in school or university. So to them, the writing that got good marks involved passive voice, reeeeaaaally long words and generally showing off a bit. People internalise that as ‘good writing’, and when they go to work, they think their writing has to put a tie on. So your first job is to reset that – which is where data helps.”

Q: As a content writer talking to subject matter experts, how do you guide that conversation to make use of your storytelling expertise without getting bogged down in technical detail?

David: “One of the things that helps us, is that we work in specific, technical niches. So if someone wants to talk to us about a technology or subject, we’ll generally have a writer who understands the area. We’ll never be technical experts, but it gives us just enough to ask the right questions.

“But in that interview, the most important thing is to know and explicitly represent your audience. If the subject matter expert is talking about things your audience wouldn’t be interested in, it gives you licence to gently guide them away from that.

“That makes it essential to do your homework. Especially if they’re a technical expert writing to another technical expert.”

Thanks again to everyone who attended the webinar, and took part in the Q&A. Here’s the full discussion:

If you’d like more, we’re building a playlist of all our B2B Content Tuesdays webinar recordings on YouTube.

You are a cartographer (and other hard-won advice on B2B white papers)

Posted on by The Radix Team

Hands up everyone who’s written or commissioned a B2B white paper? Great. Now, keep your hand in the air if you were happy with the way it turned out.

Really, 100% happy? And it was downloaded a heap of times, by people who went on to buy your stuff?

OK – well… you can skip this session, head outside, and enjoy the sunshine or moonlight.

Everyone else, eyes forward. I’m not going to waste your time recounting the political origins of the white paper format, or exploring all the studies which testify to its effectiveness as a mid-funnel content asset. You can Google just as well as I can.

Instead, let me lay out what I’ve learnt over a decade of writing white papers for B2B tech brands.

1. You’re a mapmaker (with a not-so-secret agenda)

You know how the B2B buying process is often characterised as a multi-stage journey? Well, your white paper is going to be the map you hand to your prospects shortly after they’ve hit the road.

It’ll describe all the possible destinations, notable shortcuts, and likely hazards ahead, with scrupulous accuracy. But it’ll still – through careful inclusions and omissions – make the correct route unmistakably clear.

Or, if you prefer well-worn jargon to well-worn metaphors: your white paper will educate warm-ish leads, framing the business challenge or opportunity in the context of the solution you’re looking to promote.

However poetic you want to get about it, your white paper’s primary role is to inform and guide.

Remember this, and let it shape:

  • Your white paper’s content – which should be original, useful, and at least ostensibly objective, drawing on your company’s true fields of expertise
  • Your white paper’s structure – which may nod to academic literature with summaries, named authors, author bios, diagrams and citations
  • Your white papers’ voice and tone – which, whatever your broader brand voice, should be clear, concise and confident, like a born teacher. (Not the jaded, abrasive university lecturer I’m apparently channelling today…)

Do all of the above, and your white paper will be a true map: a practical tool that offers its readers genuine value. And along the way, they’ll get to see the landscape from your point of view.

2. Don’t ask your SME to write your white paper

The person who writes your white paper should understand:

  • Your marketing objectives
  • Where the white paper fits into your marketing activities
  • The technology/trends the paper’s speaking to
  • Your target audience, and their pain points and ambitions
  • How your solutions alleviate those pains and support those ambitions
  • How to use language that resonates with your target audience
  • How to use language – period
  • How to structure a long-form content piece

If you have an in-house subject matter expert who can do all of the above – and there are a handful of genuine B2B tech polymaths out there – then congratulations. But good luck finding them the time to craft you 2,500 words.

They’re almost certainly already contributing to a hundred internal projects, in between excelling at their day job and being dialled in to shore-up crucial sales calls.

At Radix, we have been known to “edit” – i.e. review, rewrite and even restructure – white paper copy drafted by our clients’ regular, non-superhuman SMEs. (The ones who’ve mastered the tech but not all the other pieces of the content writing puzzle.)

While we’ve helped create some stellar white papers this way (like the third example here), they often could have been even more stellar if we’d written the copy from scratch. What’s more, they might have been faster and cheaper to produce. An “edit” might seem like a quick job, but if it goes through multiple rounds of amends it can easily take as long as a project that starts with an intelligent conversation and a blank page, and hits the mark first time.

3. If possible, get a professional

So, who should write your white paper?

Let’s say you’ve no writing resource within your marketing team – or you’re the resource, and writing has never been your strongest suit. You can always find a gun for hire. But who?

White papers are one of the more challenging content formats. So you’ll ideally want a content writer with a solid understanding of B2B sales and the B2B marketing machine, as well as a few years of experience writing for your sector.

They should be a decent interviewer – so they can get what they need out of your SME, even if you can only secure half an hour of your expert’s time. They should also have a portfolio of similar pieces that demonstrate their ability to write with clarity and authority.

My advice? Use your professional networks to find a freelancer you can trust. Or, if you’re likely to need an ongoing programme with supporting content, opt for a dedicated white paper writing service like ours.

4. Be as technical as your audience

It’s easy to think of the white paper as the drier, more technical alter ego of the ebook. Drier, maybe. But more technical? Not necessarily.

I’ve written a lot of white papers that educate C-level decision-makers about business challenges and industry trends. I’ve written very few that educate engineers or developers on the inputs and outputs of specific technologies.

Now, I’m sure there are some white paper projects that simply never cross Radix’s threshold; projects that are so technically niche, even our experienced team would struggle to deliver them. But I think there’s another reason highly technical white papers don’t pour onto our doormat.

Over the last few years, I’ve seen many of our clients arrive at the same conclusion: white papers aren’t the best way to reach technical roles. Better to organize a chance for them to get hands-on with those APIs, or to talk, peer-to-peer, with your own engineers.

All of which is to say: don’t fall into the trap of thinking a white paper has to be more technical than other content pieces. Instead, decide who you’re targeting with your white paper. Check that a white paper is the best way to reach them.

And then, the rule is simple – be as technical as they are.

5. Keep a tight grip on the project

It’s common for white paper projects to involve multiple sales, marketing and product stakeholders. Getting a good paper produced on time and on budget means nailing down costs, and booking input calls. Then it means managing everyone’s expectations, and shepherding busy, opinionated humans through any necessary feedback cycles.

The first part of this process shouldn’t be too tough – especially if you’re using a service like ours, that’s always there when you reach out during office hours, ready to quote upfront, and to arrange SME calls on your behalf.

But the second part can be much harder work. It’s all too easy for great copy to be fed into the feedback machine, mangled, expanded, and spat back out with all of its glorious lustre stripped away.

There are a few things you can do to shepherd your content safely through the feedback cycle:

  • Know exactly what you want the white paper to achieve, and communicate this to all stakeholders, at every opportunity. “Mission creep” is one of the leading killers of white papers that show up DOA.
  • Provide (or use writers who provide) a rationale for contentious decisions. When you delete the features table your product manager has pasted into the middle of page two, add a comment explaining that, at this stage, your readers are still understanding why they need your tech – instead, let’s link to the data sheet at the very end of the paper?
  • Remain open to legitimate complaints. Feedback cycles are there for a reason. However rudely someone sticks their finger through a hole in your work, don’t take it personally – acknowledge their wisdom, and make the change. Welcome your stakeholders’ good ideas, and it’ll be much easier to countermand their bad ones.

We have reached our destination

Have you ever noticed how much a long blog post can have in common with a short white paper? Well… I hope you find this little map helpful. Class dismissed.

(You can find out more about our white paper content writing service here.)