Content marketing is the strategy, or strategies, implemented to attract, engage, and retain an audience to then be nurtured into customers. Even in our tech-focused age, the goal of B2B content marketers continues to be increasing their overall brand awareness through their many avenues of communication, such as their website, social media profiles, and general online advertising. But as your audience grows and changes, so should your rules of engagement.
The biggest shift in the new age of B2B content has been the push to “keep up” with the newest generation of B2B buyers. These “Digital Natives” now are more than half of the B2B buyers in the market today, and have forever shifted the approach to digital marketing and content creation. Because of this, it’s important to fully understand who your content marketing audience is and to meet your buyers wherever they are.
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The term Digital Natives refers to those who’ve grown up with access to rather pervasive technology and are more accustomed to the inner workings of digital devices, modern media, and content. Typically Millennials or Generation Z, Digital Natives are proficient in their use of technology and social media platforms like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok. Digital Natives entering the marketing space lead the charge with engagement and interest in short form content, digital creative platforms, and mobile apps for communication.
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The New Rules of Content Marketing helps B2B marketers better understand how to reach a new generation of buyers.
Digital Natives prioritize content that is engaging, authentic, easily digestible, and hyper-personalized. They aren’t as eager to give up their information in exchange for trials or gated content and instead display their desire for instant gratification based on some privacy concerns. To combat this, there are some strategies for B2B marketers to keep their new age buyers’ attention.
Top 6 Strategies for New Age B2B Marketing
In addition to re-thinking gated content, the top strategies to start adapting into your B2B marketing include offering unrestricted access, clearly highlighting your solution benefits, being transparent, providing teasers and trials, easy sign up, and diverse formatting. Below we dive further into each of these.
Offer Unrestricted Access
Allow your audience to view and engage with most, if not all, of your content without any mandatory registrations or sign ups. This might require an adjustment and surrendering of what you deem as your most valuable content. Releasing this content will lead to an increase in engagement as your audience might share it to their network and beyond.
Highlight Benefits
Use clear and concise messaging when communicating your solution’s benefits, especially in the case it’s content that you grant special access to or require registration for. These Digital Natives expect to know exactly what value your solution will bring them before even considering giving any of their information away.
Transparency
Transparency is crucial and highly valued by Digital Natives, particularly when you’re asking them to submit some of their private information. Privacy disclosures around exactly what your intentions are with their information will go a long way. This will lead to open and honest communication from both sides and a relationship built on trust.
Provide Teasers
Along with prioritizing transparency with your content, consider offering teasers or product summaries. This way your audience members can build excitement around your content or solution. Lean into content that is creative, entertaining, and enticing to get Digital Natives’ attention.
Enable Easy Registration
Establish an easy registration process if you do hold any of your content behind gated access. The first time a Digital Native feels they’re having to jump through hoops just to sign up for some content, they’ll likely abandon ship. Utilize features like auto-fill to make it as user friendly as possible.
Alternate Format Use
Present content through a range of channels and creative formats. This can include videos, infographics, interactive surveys, and more. This enables your audience to consume engaging and entertaining content without directly registering for it.
These strategies, along with personalized content will ensure you’re appealing to your new generation B2B buyers.
3 Benefits of Engaging with New Age B2B Buyers
Embracing these new age buyers can bring several benefits to marketers including long-term customer value, an overall increase of your customer experience and exposure through multiple channels. On top of these three benefits below, it’s normally regarded as best practice for marketers to always adapt alongside the evolving intersection of commerce and technology.
Customer Loyalty
When you’re sure to include new age buyers into your marketing strategy, you create an opportunity for brand loyalty to develop pretty early on. These Digital Natives will be generated and nurtured by your inclusive outreach, and their perception of your brand will only strengthen as their purchasing power increases over time.
Heightened Audience Experience
Having a customer-centric approach to marketing and lead generation, ensures that your customer’s and their experience with your brand is a good one from beginning to end. Authenticity and transparency goes a long way with these Digital Natives. You’ll build strong relationships and an invaluable amount of trust with your customers.
Multi-Channel Outreach
Engaging with Digital Natives will undoubtedly require marketers to demonstrate adaptability when it comes to technology trends. Your audience reach and exposure will automatically increase when you’re staying up to date on trendy apps, platforms, and content format.
Looking Forward: Meeting the Needs of Digital Natives
It’s critical for B2B marketers to appreciate the impact Digital Natives have on consumer trends. Practicing this agile responsiveness when it comes to your marketing strategy will demonstrate just how aware your brand is when it comes to its buyers and their content consumption habits. Even though it might feel as if you’re playing the long game with these prospects since they aren’t as eager to give up their information, the time and effort you put into it surely won’t go unnoticed by them.
