The 3 Content Qualities that Influence B2B Purchase Behavior the Most

top qualities your content needs to have

If you’ve been doing content marketing for more than five minutes, then I’m sure you’re already past the “writing for traffic” point. Content should be created to influence purchase behavior, in all its stages. From awareness through consideration to decision and delight, your content should always serve a purpose.

This is why we need to speak clearly about content qualities.

A well-optimized piece of content will attract eyes on it. But how will it perform where it matters? Will it attract leads? Will it help convert leads?

In other words: does your content truly influence B2B purchase behavior or are you only doing it because it’s trendy?

I recently wrote a piece about how we convert blog readers into paying customers. I spoke about the hurdles we overcame and the mistakes we did in the past. Of course, I also talked about the lessons we learned.

That piece was very well received. I got a lot of messages telling me how refreshing it is to see a bit of honesty in this industry. And, more importantly, how important it is to get to learn from other people’s mistakes.

However, that blog post was only about our journey and about the way our content influences B2B purchase behavior. I felt a more general sequel is needed – something to help marketers and business owners in more B2B industries.

So here it is – how you can influence B2B purchase behavior through content.

Top 3 Content Qualities that Influence B2B Purchase Behavior

Recent research by the Content Marketing Institute and SmartBrief reveals the top three content qualities that content needs to have in order to influence B2B purchase behavior.

top content qualitiesImage via CMI

Let’s take a closer look at each of these content qualities.

  1. Speaks to My Specific Needs and/or Pain Points

I’ve spoken about the need for specific content both when it comes to SEO and to authority content.

When you write for B2B audiences, assume you are talking to busy people. Assume they don’t have the time to read your fluff. Be specific and tell them exactly what they need to know.

Take this article, for instance. What pain point does it answer?

A very common one, I’d say!

82% of B2B marketers use content. However, measuring its results is still a pain point.

The need for granularity is increasing. B2B marketers now know that posting on their company’s blog ad nauseam, without a clear strategy is not a recipe for success.

So, of course, we all go back to the roots: how can our content influence purchase decisions? This article lists the content qualities you need for that to happen and provides practical tips on doing so.

It speaks to a specialized audience who wants to take their content marketing to the next level.

Other examples of very specific, problem-solving content are:

  • “How to” guides. “How to setup Facebook Pixel”, “How to Be Better at LinkedIn Marketing”, “How to Get Started with SEO”. Think about a problem, add “how to” in front of it and you’ve got a winning formula.
  • “X Tips to Help You…”. Tips listicles are ideal for your busy B2B audience to skim a text and retain practical ways of fixing a certain issue.
  • In-depth guides and topic clusters. While harder to write and read, in-depth guides and topic clusters are ideal for truly exhausting a topic. For your readers who need all the information they can get, these crash-courses are definitely something that will help them remember you fondly.

 

Need help with creating content and copy that is VERY specific and solves your customers’ problems? You’ve got it! Check out our copywriting and content writing services and get in touch with us.
 

  1. Provides Product/Service Specifications

Too often, content writers get carried away by metaphors and adjectives when describing a product or service. It’s awesome, it’s cool, it’s unparalleled, it integrates seamlessly, it’s better than what our stupid competitors offer and so on.

But what about a clear list of features?

No adjectives, just a list of features.

What about a clear list of benefits?

I don’t just mean “our awesome solution can save you time”, but “save time by automating X task”. Clear and concise.

One of the biggest problems I identify in first-time Idunn clients is the lack of clarity of their content. Checking out new clients’ websites is, of course, the first step of our onboarding process. And more often than not I have to tell them

“We don’t really understand what you’re selling.”

Keep in mind that this is coming from a team of copywriters and content writers who know all the clichés in every industry and all the writing shortcuts. If we can’t really understand what you are trying to sell, your potential client will be even more lost.

  1. Is More Educational than Promotional in Nature

It may take some time to understand why you have to put in sweat and tears and NOT be able to say “BUY! BUY! BUY!” after every second phrase.

Or, if you’re like me, you may end up forgetting about the promotional part altogether. Which is also a big no-no!

[If you read my previous article, you already know that I somehow managed to write tens of blog posts without a CTA and then wondered why they don’t convert anyone. Yup, not proud of it, but it happens.]

As always, balance is the key.

Strive to provide in-depth, educational content for your customers. But remember that you also need to add one or more CTAs. No one will know that you are actually selling a service related to your content if you don’t tell them so.

I typically recommend no more than one CTA per 1000 words when it comes to blog posts. White papers, on the other hand, don’t need any more than one CTA altogether.

Why, you ask?

While it may be tempting to make a crisscross between an educational and a promotional blog post, remember what the ultimate goal of your content is. Usually, you can sum it up in two words: build trust.

Trust helps you gain followers, friends and, of course, sales. And if you can’t build trust, no other content qualities can help you.

The good news is that, according to the same study, people don’t care about the source as long as the information is credible.

Image via CMI

 

So yes, there is hope for beginners. Provided that you can create the type of content your B2B buyers actually want to see.

 

If you’re still struggling with that, we can help! Get in touch for content creation that helps you build trust, authority and sales:

 

 

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Adriana Tica is an expert marketer and copywriter, with 10 years in the field, most of which were spent marketing tech companies. She is the Owner and Founder of Idunn. In October 2019, she also launched Copywritech, a digital marketing agency that provides copywriting, SEO content writing, and strategy services to companies in the tech industry.