The content marketing scene is a battlefield. Brands bombard audiences with information, crying for attention in a saturated digital world.
Jason Patterson’s recent article, “B2B Needs Its Content Marketing Illusions Shattered,” spotlights the pitfalls of generic B2B content.
While his critique highlights some valid concerns, it paints a bleak picture. Too bleak.
To him, the reliance on content marketing has become a point of contention. Its faith is often overrated in achieving brand recognition, thought, and market leadership.
Content Marketing’s True Potential
Patterson highlights a serious problem: B2B content often lacks fizz, so it fails to capture attention or push brands to leadership. There’s lots of “SEO sludge,” Pieces that are too technical to connect with broader audiences.
The digital scene is full of pieces trying to grab the attention spans of speed dating.
There are loads of empty content, no quality. Yet, this doesn’t undermine the value of content marketing.
It only needs to pivot—Strategically.
The Path to Authentic Brand Recognition
Brand recognition in the B2B software industry requires more than producing oodles of content.
Critiquing content as a weak tool for fame only mirrors the need for quality.
One that transcends mere SEO optimization or technical jargon.
We must bake stories that speak to our audiences. Every marketer and Ogilvy have said this over and over again. It still fails to happen more often than logical reasoning allows.
This means producing stuff that shows a product’s capabilities and tells a story of how it addresses real problems. Or jobs to be done for all that matters.
Case studies, user testimonials, and good ol’ storytelling can bring your brand to the top of mind in a way that meh content forms may not.
Content marketing is not flawed.
It is sick with strategic shortcomings.
In What Ways Can Thought Leadership Break Free from Consensus?
Patterson points out that content often fails to establish thought leadership. Brands must adopt a more daring approach.
True thought leadership has the courage to:
- Present novel ideas,
- Challenge industry norms,
- and provide visionary insights.
B2B software companies, for example, have the advantage of being at the forefront of innovation.
They’re positioned to lead conversations around future industry trends and best practices.
But they have to:
- Show their internal expertise and customer success stories.
- Offer fresh perspectives and insights.
To rise above the din.
Content as the bread and butter of Market Leadership
Content should be part of a framework— if you want to build market leadership.
Market leadership grows through a combination of:
- Product excellence,
- Customer experience,
- Superior advertising
- And operational efficiency.
Content marketing should reinforce these core competencies, not replace them.
B2B software companies can strengthen their market position by
First, developing a content strategy.
Second, make sure it is in sync with their business objectives.
It reflects the brand’s unique value proposition and why it is an industry leader.
Like a farmer sowing seeds on barren soil, expecting bountiful harvests, no strategy, no results. Content needs a roadmap.
To inbound or to outbound? That is the question.
As Patterson points out, Inbound marketing is a cornerstone of content marketing.
Valuable content attracts qualified leads, pushing them through the sales funnel.
Now, relying only on inbound is like waiting for fish to swim to your net.
Here’s what he says:
“You need outbound tactics that get your prospect’s attention, so that your inbound tactics lure them in.”
If you focus on inbound, you’re trying to skip to the end.
Losers do that.”
Ouch.
Outbound strategies are essential for casting a wider net.
- Targeted social media campaigns,
- industry influencer outreach,
- and well-built email campaigns,
can throw your content in front of the right eye.
The critique that inbound methods are insufficient shows the importance of outbound tactics.
To create a more dynamic marketing mix. That is.
This includes scaling up:
- Direct outreach,
- Partnerships,
- and engagement strategies.
That complement inbound efforts, ensuring an integrated approach to capturing and nurturing leads.
The Allure of Attraction: The power of empathy.
He is right in slamming content that fails to resonate with audiences.
It needs to speak to your audience’s emotional landscape, not only their intellectual needs.
So when prospects find your stuff, they feel you know about their struggles. And you become a trusted advisor, not just another mill.
B2B companies that focus on strategic, empathy-driven content marketing reap significant rewards. A key to successful content marketing lies in understanding what makes customers tick.
This matches the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework, an amazing tool for understanding customer motivations.
It identifies the “Jobs” – the challenges, frustrations, and aspirations – that drive customer behavior.
By creating content that addresses these challenges, you establish trust and attract leads. It positions your brand as a guide to overcoming them.
Branding 101. From “Meeh” to “Meehrvelous”
In “To Sell is Human,” author Daniel Pink says that understanding what ticks for B2B buyers is vital.
Pink talks a lot about the human side of selling—how empathy and understanding the buyer’s world can make all the difference.
This idea goes hand-in-hand with the Jobs to Be Done approach.
The theory isn’t about what products can do but what customers need them to do in their daily lives and how that product makes them feel.
Because customers remember, more than anything, how they felt.
When we mix Pink’s thoughts on empathy with the practical focus of the JTBD framework, we hit a sweet spot.
Our content starts to do more than talk to our customers; it speaks to them.
It’s telling exactly what someone needs to hear when they’re stuck and offering the right words to help them move forward.
This kind of content connects on an emotional level.
And they’ll go through the funnel.
By doing this, we don’t sell to our customers; we serve them.
We become less of a vendor and more of a trusted guide. That’s a powerful shift—from pushing products to solving real-world challenges.
Imagine two B2B software companies.
Company A churns out the kind of blog posts that Patterson targets, including those listing features.
The title? “Why our gadget beats the competition?”
Company B publishes in-depth white papers that dig with a shovel into industry pain points and the emotional toll they take on customers.
The title? “The Hidden Costs of Inefficient Software Development Processes”
Which resonates more?
You tell me.
By employing empathy, you become an archaeologist of the customer experience. You unearth not the “what” of their challenges but the emotional “how” and “why.”
Creating a content journey for your customers
Let’s return to Patterson’s assertion that content doesn’t make you a leader. Of course, content isn’t a magic elixir for overnight success.
There’s nothing like an overnight success.
But high-quality stuff establishes you as a thought leader.
It lets you anticipate your audience’s emotional state throughout their buyer’s journey.
Let’s explore:
Awareness moment: At this stage, your audience may feel overwhelmed or confused by their challenges. And options.
Content that acknowledges this and offers clear explanations calms everything and smooths the journey.
Consideration Stage: Your audience is looking for solutions here. A successful case study showing how your service helped similar customers builds trust and credibility.
Decision Stage: Here, your audience weighs options.
Content that addresses objections and shows a deep understanding of their needs makes you the most logical choice.
Metamorphosis: From Bland to Brand Champion, Infused with Empathy
Patterson criticizes the “become a media company” trope, suggesting it’s a recipe for disaster. There’s truth to his concern. Content, for content’s sake, is a vapid exercise.
But here’s the crucial distinction: becoming a content marketing powerhouse is not about mindless content creation.
“Selling more at a higher price than your competitors is what makes you a leader, as it always has.”
And we come back to strategy.
A planned content ecosystem that
aligns with your marketing objectives,
infused with true understanding of your audience.
That will make your audience remember how you made them feel.
Powerful stuff.
Go forth and prosper.
The Analytical Wordsmith 