How to start building B2B brand editorial strategy
A recently divorced friend mentioned how modern online dating made him feel – “like swimming in a sea of dicks.”
He didn’t realise, but he was describing the challenge facing most B2B brands in the age of AI content.
Publishing has become fast, easy and cheap – and value has shifted towards the quality of your insights and clarity of your communication.
Why do B2B brands need an editorial strategy?
Because pumping out content without a plan – who you’re speaking to, what they’re interested in, why you’re qualified to comment, how it supports your brand – means you’re just another voice in that sea of sameness.
For B2B buyers, purchase decisions have a big reputational element. When you’re selling the notion that you can have a better idea or deliver a better solution than your competitors, you need to inspire belief.
In complex, high-stakes purchases – big ticket software or high-value consultancy, for instance – editorial strategy helps earn that belief with a pattern of consistent, opinionated thinking a reader can recognise and remember over time.
When you’re selling on trust, you need to consistently demonstrate the right thinking, judgement and knowledge, and to articulate it in a human and relatable way.
How to get started with your editorial strategy.
Half the battle is learning how to identify useful insight. Think about your audience and ask, what do we offer that they value? How can we package that expertise or wisdom so it has practical value?
You could stand for something, an idea or an opinion that resonates with your customers. People remember businesses who express a consistent point of view. Write down three to five opinions about your category. Which are hills you’d die on? Those are probably useful starting points.
Or think about the challenges your customers face at the point they decide they need a partner like you? Can you categorise them? What expertise exists in your business that could be useful advice in those moments?
Even the most basic editorial strategy gives you a grounding of consistency and a benchmark to measure your output. Does this piece of content support what we say we stand for? Does it answer a customer pain point? Does it support our value proposition?
A prospect who relates to a sharp perspective from your brand on LinkedIn – clear opinions, relatable judgement, and/or issues they recognise – is more likely to trust you when they start thinking like a buyer.
We can talk about editorial strategy all day, so if you need help or advice…