Content planning in uncertainty
In a time where the only constant is change, how can marketers plan their content schedule? “With difficulty is the answer,” David quips.
“We don’t know what the year will hold. We don’t know who our audience will be, what their workplace will look like, how they feel about anything, or what live or hybrid events will look like. Everything can change,” he continues. You can approach content planning in two ways:
- Safe bets: The content you know will work no matter what happens and will reach your audience even if they’re not in the office.
- Malleable: Building in flexibility to respond to events in short notice.
“People will probably build some combination of those two things into their content plans this year,” he adds.
The five pillars of good B2B copywriting
“What good content looks like in 2022 is what it’s always looked like,” David states; he outlines five things every piece of B2B content needs to have: accuracy, clarity, authority, empathy and wizardry (the special ingredient that engages the reader and makes them take action).
For David, the latter two have come into the foreground over the past few years. In the age of hybrid working, content needs to compete with both competitors and everyday distractions that come with WFH. “The dynamic is changing and it’s changing all the time (…) It’s easier than ever to ignore your content,” he continues.
One way to stand out? See Maureen Blandford, Ignite USA advisory board member, who stresses the importance of interstitial content to build rapport; the content in between the content, such as follow-up emails.
B2B: A laughing matter?
To joke, or not to joke? That is the question. As David outlines, humour in B2B is all talk no walk: “The trend is that people are talking about humour. What I don’t see is a lot of funny content.”
So, how do you get humour right?
Humour isn’t for everyone. Not everyone wants their bank or lawyer to be funny, David maintains. In a recent episode of B2BQ&A, David sat down with comedian and copywriter, Lianna Patch. As they discuss, “humour can’t come out of nowhere. It needs to be from a brand that you already feel warm and friendly with.” For Lianna, test out the waters before you take a comedic deep dive; start with emails – you’re working in an environment which already has a human to human connection.
In a similar vein, think about when you’re adding in humour. “You’ve got to pick your moment. And that moment is defined by how your audience is feeling,” David instructs. Needless to say, it’s easier to be humorous when you’re telling your audience something that they’re happy about rather than when they’re angry or worried.
“Your audience should never be the butt of your joke,” he warns. “If you have a brand that’s confident enough to do it, a bit of self-deprecating humour goes a long way and shows confidence and self-awareness”. Observational humour is similarly a “safe bet” whether it be mocking an event that’s happening in the world or within your sector – it’s a subject that both you and your audience can joke about side by side.
See Apple’s ‘The whole working-from-home thing’ as a prime example. For David, workplaces are inherently ridiculous, even more so when navigating the absurdities of WFH. “Being real about that is an opportunity for you and your audience first to show that you and they have something in common. But also to show how well you as a vendor understand their world as a customer,” he explains. “When you get that right, that’s the real magic”
As he advises, “there’s a big seam of gold that can be mined here.” Be bold, and remember that you’re not the audience: joke about what they find ridiculous, not what you do.
“Have a big idea and say it simply”: The key to cutting through the noise
Set aside the 40 word sentences and complicated messaging. À la mad men of the ‘50s and ‘60s, have a ‘big idea’ to hang your content off; “boil it down to what your audience really need to know and say that one thing in a way that’s unusual enough that they don’t forget it,” David elaborates.
Take inspiration from outside of the B2B, B2C world. See Critical Role, a web series where professional voice actors play Dungeons and Dragons. Boasting millions of viewers, B2B “can learn from that about how to build a community, have recognisable characters, – making people actually engage and care on a human level. There’s so much stuff out there that’s really inspiring,” he continues.
It’s all about timing
“Predict the future? I don’t know what the Covid rules will say this afternoon,” David retorts. “Predictions are often futile. But I can tell you what I hope for:”
- Big, clear simple ideas will thrive.
- Companies that acknowledge the human receiving their content all the way from ‘big’ content assets to the little pieces in between the content will benefit from good conversion rates that keep engagement going.
David’s final piece of advice is clear: have something in the back pocket that allows you to react quickly to change, whether that be going back into the office or entering another lockdown. “It’s about rarity and being the first mover when something changes,” he continues. “It’ll have to be good too, it can’t just be fast. And that’s the trick.”
One thing’s for certain: “The bar always gets higher. It’s always more difficult.” Capture the moment in an unexpected way while other marketers are scrambling to respond. After all, it’s all about timing.
