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THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - Taking Your B2B Content Marketing to Infinity & Beyond with a Customer-Relevant Purpose
I recently read a news story about John Deere getting into the space race. Earlier this year, the folks at the most well-known tractor brand in the world announced they were in the final stages of selecting a satellite partner in yet another innovation to better support their customers, farmers. Of course, this shouldn’t be surprising, John Deere is synonymous with innovation.
For those of us in the marketing and sales profession, we’ve long respected John Deere as the pioneer of content marketing. They first published The Furrow in 1895 and it is still published today in print and digital forms. They have the most enthusiastic brand loyalists on the globe, and perhaps one day throughout the universe.
But, as the digital universe for marketers has grown, and the number of people accessing it 24/7, we’ve drifted away from the model that serves as the winning formula for John Deere.
The Furrow delivers content that is valuable and relevant for John Deere’s customers.
Far too often B2B marketing content is full of stories about the seller, and it fails to resonate with prospects because it does not speak to the issues they face. It isn’t relevant, so the buyers don’t see it as valuable.
John Deere’s formula intentionally avoids any mention of their products and focuses strictly on the issues that farmers face: regenerative farming, water efficiency, sustainable livestock management and soon, geospatial mapping and satellite connectivity for remote farms.
This is not done with an outcome to sell more tractors, but to help farmers save money, time, and labor. The result is that they sell more tractors and lots of other farm equipment and technology too.
Why? John Deere’s customer-centered content reaches their prospects when they are in the early stages of their buyer’s journey: understanding issues, establishing objectives, and setting strategies. When the prospects advance along their buyer’s journey, content that directly promotes John Deere equipment also reaches them because a connection of trust has been established.
Is your marketing content developed and created to sell more, or help your prospects with their biggest issues? Is your content all about you or your customer? Do you lead every piece of content with a bold statement of your greatness, or by offering hope for something that keeps your prospects awake at night?
It’s never too late to change course and adopt a customer-centered content marketing approach and take your business to infinity and beyond.
I hope you have a great week!
--Perry
Visit us at follow your buyer for more.
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Perry Rearick
Chief Editor | Follow Your Buyer
prearick@followyourbuyer.com
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