Among all the creatures gracing planet Earth, none have mastered the art of floatation as perfectly as crocodiles. Deceptive, yet fascinating and sharing a glowing heritage with the dinosaurs, these semi-aquatic reptiles are deft and agile swimmers.

Any point in trying to teach the king of the river how to swim? No.

What would make a difference to them? Perhaps if they knew how to climb the tree, giving a tough competition to the leopard?

(That, not even the bravest of brave souls may even attempt to strike a chord with these carnivorous water afficionados – and wisdom says should not – is a different thing.)

Well, so much for the metaphors.

B2B content writing is often caught in the same conundrum. To outdo the rest and outshine in the business to sell, some of the content writers, like parrots, recite everything they know. We are blissfully unaware that the audience is well-educated in the domain and don’t really need a download of what is known.

Let’s take an example.

You are writing a blog on the significance of agility in the recruitment strategy for a recruitment and staffing solutions provider. The company is looking to reach out to the hiring leadership at firms.

And this is how the blog on their website reads. It provides cliched information on the industry – what it is, the regular prospects, the challenges, what the future beholds, so on and so forth.

Staffing and solutions are increasingly becoming more complex and dynamic.

Smooth hiring and onboarding are crucial to attract and retain talent.

This implies that recruitment strategies need to be flexible to address the evolving environment.

Will this interest their readers? NO.

Another example.

You are a digital marketing agency and want to educate your readers about integrating AI in content generation.

Your post is dotted with sentences like:

AI is a great tool in writing. 

The blend of human and machines can create magic.

Of course, there are certain drawbacks to using AI, so you must employ it in a measurable way.

Again, will just elaborating on these points sell?

The idea here is to provide real insight that people find meaningful and compelling enough to buy.

Let us take these two examples.

What is the insight that the leadership audience may look for in recruitment and staffing solutions?

The burning issue today is a slowdown in the market. As major companies such as Meta, Google, Microsoft announce and implement layoffs, the key question in the minds of recruiters and staffing solution providers is what would be the implications for their operations in this imploding scenario. What are the specific search categories they should focus more on, or which market segments still hold more relevance? The thought leaders in this field would worry about implications for retention and engagement, to cite a few.

Similarly, when expounding on the use of AI in content writing, what your audience is looking for is how to strike that right match with AI. Is your post providing them the answer?

What you should technically do is mention the specifics where AI can help and how to supplement that with your own expertise, or the vice versa. For instance, AI is extremely useful in getting an idea about the structure for any topic, or a summation of certain points, maybe help you fix a writer’s block, generate text faster.

However, you will need to seed the content generated by AI with data and authentic information. Apply your knowledge to then draw the insights. Relying solely on AI will not help, as it is geared to keep pumping up content even with minimal or little information. The research has to be yours.

How do you add value or insights to produce mature B2B content?

To get your audience’s head spinning with excitement, not boredom:

Make the map like you’re travelling.

Understand your target audience. If you are writing for inventory management software providers, map out their customer persona. What are the dynamics of the industry, what is their customer base, how are they positioned vis-à-vis their competitors?

Crank up social media or other professional platforms. Look up what’s trending in the industry.

What could be the challenges they are facing, or the prospects that they are not yet aware of?

Which analytics will you employ for authentic data-based writing?

Expand your vision as much as you can—consider looking up at related or sister industries, and see how they are faring. Since this is a technology domain, what are the keywords you should infuse to boost visibility in searches?

You must know whom you are trying to reach. Only then will you know how to engage them.

One good practice is to speak out your thoughts loud. What would have been your questions if you were the target audience? Processing mentally will help you sort it out.

Find a rebuttal to every question that arises in your mind, with “why on earth should I know this”, “what if”, “so what”, “what else is new”, “how will this add value”, etc. The more you chisel out, the finer the sculpture.

This is extremely important because we are competing online. Everyone is in the fray to make their brands discoverable. To stand out, your content must be relevant.

For example, when marketing a consumer product, say cosmetics such as lipsticks, a B2C company does not explain what is the use of a lipstick. It rather focuses on how using the lipstick of that brand will make the difference. The differentiating factor could be quality, texture, long-lasting color, skin- or environment-friendly, etc.

In this case, your focus should be on providing supply chain and logistics-related insights. How to build more resilient inventory management operations, what goes into building an effective assortment strategy, how to lower the impact of a bullwhip effect. When you talk about supply chain tactics, demand planning, forecasting, it gets your audience up and thinking.

“Composition is, for the most part, an effort of slow diligence and steady perseverance, to which the mind is dragged by necessity or
resolution, and from which the attention is every moment starting to more delightful amusements.” – Samuel Johnson, English writer

That which is not happening. Are you making a note of it?

You cannot produce a targeted piece unless you have knowledge of both that which is happening and (very important) that which is not happening.

It is easy to source knowledge on what’s happening. There is no dearth of resources. From relevant industry reports to white papers by top or credible organizations, industry podcasts, webinars, social media platforms – forage all and as many as you can.

Now for the trickier part – where are the gems?

Look for experts. You may have some in your organization itself, such as a well-read CEO or a social-media expert as a practice lead. Leverage their understanding. Connect with them. Interactions have a way of leading you to what lies beneath.

Look up industry experts, their blogs or websites. What are they saying? Are there any conflicting opinions, or is there a consensus?

Once you’ve gathered enough, splurge it in your writing.

Give them the good lyrics. Use all the information you have gathered to weave the stuff that will get the nods from your audience.

Content from which they can derive learning—that is relatable, thought-provoking and provides a distinctive viewpoint.

This is what they are looking for.

To conclude

Standing out from the crowd is crucial for both content sellers and buyers in order to gain an edge in the market. Compelling and unique content can provide this advantage, enabling sellers to attract more buyers and empowering buyers to make informed decisions.

When there is a flood of content, maturity is the key distinguishing factor. It will depend on the insights you add, the value you bring, something that is not mundane knowledge for the audience. This will add diversity to your B2B content.

Content is among the most powerful and effective tools in B2B marketing. It will work only when you convey to your audience what they want to know – or need to know – not what you want to share.

So, yes, climbing the tree would make a difference to king crocodile. Not an easy task at all, but when was climbing up, anyway? As they say, “the best view comes only after the hardest climb”.

At Quadigy, we specialize in B2B content marketing. Check out our rich corpus of B2B work.