On the one hand, content marketing is just that — marketing. In some way, it has to be promotional, or it isn’t doing its job. But on the other hand, no one wants to sit down to read thousands of words of advertising, especially when we’re bombarded with it from all sides in our daily lives as it is. Readers want content that provides value: information, solutions to problems, and industry expertise.

So how do you strike that balance? How do you prevent your content marketing from being too “sales-y” — or not “sales-y” enough?

It’s something a lot of content marketers are struggling with: a DemandGen B2B Content Marketing Survey revealed that 57.8% of people polled think B2B content is too sales-heavy. That’s more than half. And with content marketing steadily growing in popularity, there is more content out there than ever before — a lot more than is actually being read. That means if your content marketing doesn’t match what B2B decision makers are looking for, it won’t get read at all.

Give your readers something
Readers want you to provide value. You can do this in a variety of ways:

• Free stuff — Whitepapers, webinars, and exclusive offers can keep readers coming back to your content.

• Solutions — Solve your readers’ problems in your content marketing and you’ll not only earn their readership now, but they’ll also view you as an expert in your industry.

• A reason to trust — If your content helps readers now for free, they’ll be more likely to trust you with their money later.

Powerful marketing tool
But in this scramble to give your readers what they want, don’t forget why you’re producing content marketing. What you produce needs to be readable and valuable, yes, but it also needs to be marketing your business.

• Determine goals — Decide what you want your content marketing to achieve, and shape your process around that. What good is it to have appealing content if it isn’t directed at a goal?

• Generate leads — The ultimate purpose of your content marketing is to generate leads — however you define them for your business. Make sure your content is optimized with that purpose in mind. (For example, make sure you have CTAs, and that they are clear.)

• Brand your content marketing — Let’s say a reader has a problem, and your blog post solves that problem. But later, when they have a similar problem, they can’t remember who it was that helped them in the first place. Brand your content marketing effectively so that the good reputation you’re building is attached to your business’s name!

Just because content is a marketing tool doesn’t mean it needs to read that way. However, don’t make the mistake of neglecting this powerful resource by failing to take advantage of what it can do for you.

Need help finding your content marketing balance? Proven Systems can help. Contact us by email or at (970) 223-6565 to learn how we can put together a marketing program that will hit the right note with your customers and your business.