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Can a Holiday Inspire Your Content?

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Today is Valentine’s Day, a holiday many people think was invented by greeting card companies. Not so, say historians. It actually became a sanctioned holiday by the Catholic Church near 498 AD. Greeting cards hadn’t become commercially available until the 1840s. What does this have to do with business to business content?

Misconceptions occur when information is not readily available. I was recently hired to write content for two B2B companies in different industries. When I went to their websites I could not tell what they did and for who they did it. At first glance, I mistakenly thought one was a printer and the other a sports equipment dealer. In reality they are a graphic design firm selling to nonprofit publishers and the other personal trainers for executive management. Spell it out. Your brand and identity depend on it.

Second, ideas or products can be fluent and when allowed, evolve into something greater. While Valentine’s Day started as a religious holiday it sustains its popularity in secular society because people like one aspect of it – expressing romantic sentiments to their beloved. Greeting card companies fill that desire. Think of your business history and how it has evolved. What is the thread that runs through it and how has it evolved? The About Us page may be a great place to tell this story.

Relying on that thread, your history becomes clear and engaging. February 14th became more than a day on the calendar. Good content can distinguish your company as something more than a manufacturer, supplier, or service provider.

These other holidays have been officially designated by Congress and/or calendar makers:

August 16th – National Joke Day

September  21 – World Gratitude Day

October 16 – National Bosses Day

November 21 – World Hello Day

We will have to see how long they last. Tell your customers now how much you appreciate them. Let your content say “You’re important”, “We’re here to serve” and “We’ll give you more.”  No chalky-tasting hearts required.

Keep Your B2B Web Content Current & Long Lasting

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If people saw your website in a museum 100 years from now what would they infer from it? If your website is only about products and where to call, you may be missing an opportunity to influence your customers and industry.

Hour Glass

1. The first way to stay current and long lasting is to know that what your data says is not as important as how you interact with peers and customers. Are you combining the potential of the moment with what has always been true? For example, blend what happened this week (300 items shipped) with how your company ensures quality (hand inspections are time consuming but effective) and how those items solved a problem for your customer.

2. Tell a tight story. Product information and technology use may be important, yet also include in a few well chosen words how your product became meaningful and worthy of attention – how it adds value for your customers.

3. Another way of keeping your content current and long lasting has to do with first and lasting impressions. The competency of your company is reflected in the visual appearance of your website. Good design and organization principles withstand the test of time. These principles usually advocate simplicity, allowing visitors to quickly find information and easily perform tasks. Trendy fonts and moving text distract from your message and your prospects’ goals.

4. Accurate spelling and grammar are here to stay. Check that your text is error-free. These kinds of mistakes lessen credibility and professionalism with audiences. This is true on digital social networks as well as websites.

5. Customize how you describe your company within its industry. Use perspective. Think big, feel small. Make your purpose apparent to those not familiar with your market. Avoid jargon and assumptions.

6. Become a resource by distributing reliable and relevant information in multiple formats and channels. Your content should provide what is known and helpful to those interested in your product, service or industry. Get rid of anything that is useless and out-of-date. Time wasters frustrate.

Visitors 100 years from now should infer that your company met a need and helped customers solve problems. That the company was careful in mind and manner, trustworthy and competent. The company knew how to prosper.

Do you have content that shows perspective on your website? What do you write about that’s timeless versus immediate and current?

Audience or Community? B2B Companies Decide on Engagement Level

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What level of engagement are you seeking from your online B2B sites?

While writing the following sentence I was stopped in my tracks. “Cut the clutter by creating content that addresses the needs and interests of your …” Should the word be audience or community? I paused to ponder more than a word choice. Before adding content to a site, the level of visitor engagement should be identified.

What word would you use for your business? If you choose to address an audience the view is that your prospects and customers are listeners and observers ready to receive your message. When addressing a community sharing valued content is at the forefront.

If you plan to talk to visitors you will probably choose the word “audience.” GFI Genfare sells fare collection systems to public transit agencies. Their content strategy focuses on constructing a compelling message, reaching the right audience, and giving them relevant information to help reinforce a buying decision. On their website they list their products with specifications, customer support services, and how to get in touch with them. There are no links to social media sites. Most of their sales are done face-to-face offline. In this case, my sentence would end with the word “audience.”

When building a community an effective strategy focuses on sharing content. Lots of shareable content makes work easier for your visitors. You may feature people who manage the company and those who buy from the business in videos, include interactive navigation buttons, and participate in online conversations via social media channels the way Jani-King does.

Here are some entries from their Facebook page:

“Research shows that in 30 seconds a new customer forms an immediate impression of your business. Business cleaning is key! http://goo.gl/IF0lC (research source).

“Check out the amazing story of how the Detroit Jani-King franchise played a major part in the Metrodome stadium collapse” with a link to a story reported on Marketwire.com.

On Twitter, Jani-King shared this: “Read some interesting key facts on commercial cleaning here http://ow.ly/3saJE.” They link back to an article on their website that includes cleanliness facts reported by independent sources.

Jani-King has an RSS feed for their posts covering topics such as “Three Reason to Clean Green.” The site includes icons for each of the industries they serve and multiple ways for visitors to interact. Click on Cleaning Services and one might expect a list of services but instead a 3-D map appears with buildings that represent the industries they serve. Jani-King links to their partners’ websites, including 3M.

In his book Smarter, Faster, Cheaper author David Siteman Garland writes about the benefit of community over audience or individual customers. “A community spreads your content and products. A community refers you to others, builds loyalty, and wants to help you as much as you help it.”

Know the level of engagement you seek from your website and it will help the content process. In the end, I constructed my sentence this way: “Cut through the clutter by creating content that addresses the needs and interests of your site visitors.” It’s up to the company to decide – audience or community?

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