Power Storytelling in B2B post 1: Content Marketing World 2012

If your content isn't grabbing attention it's not working.

If people aren't talking about it, it's not working.

If it's not shared, it's not working.

So what to do about it?

Brand story telling is the art of sharing your distinct value in ways that resonate with your buyers, compelling them to engage, trust and ultimately buy from you.

Positioning is all about your distinct value as a company. What is that distinct value?

Your distinct value, says Ardath Albee (@ardath421) as a company is the intersection of your company's strengths with your customers' needs.

Ah ha, I thought, the old Venn diagram of "what I do" and where it overlaps with "what you want".

Marketing hasn't changed - just the channels have.

And as Ardath says, how you tell the story, over time, matters. A great example is Volvo.  The story is still, after decades, about safety.

The conference blurb for her session kind of says it all:

"Just as every B2B company stakes a claim to a market position, each of them has a story to share. The challenge is in figuring out how to share that story in a way that aligns with the needs and priorities of prospects and customers. But, it’s not just sharing the story, it’s about making it so compelling that it elevates perceptions of value and urgency resulting in more qualified leads and faster purchasing momentum.

B2B marketers are facing a business environment with an increasingly complex mix of channels and skills needed to create a content and eMarketing strategy that, when executed well, results in quantifiable proof to downstream revenues."

De-jargonised what does that all boil down to? 

Do something of value. Tell a story about it in a way that speaks directly to the needs of your audience. Then share like hell.

I'm attending Content Marketing World 2012 (#cmworld) from 4 to 6 September for BlueChip Communication. I'll be bringing back the primary insights for financial services in Australia, and sharing them with clients and colleagues. Email us to attend one of my (free) highlights presentations in Sydney during September, October this year or February 2013.