Creating Content Customers Will Actually Read
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By George Stenitzer
Vice President of Communications
Tellabs
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Most marketers have jumped onto the content marketing bandwagon. But sadly, most
business-to-business content goes
unread. Why?
Good content marketing helps the buyer first. It speaks the buyer’s language. It reflects an understanding of the buyer’s met and unmet needs, worries and questions.
Not all content is created equal. Unfortunately, too much content pushes the product too soon or sells too hard – before even addressing the buyer’s need. Tell-and-sell can’t compete with content that buyers discover and find relevant.
Content marketing has driven more than a 30% increase in
Tellabs’ website traffic in the past 12 months. In fact, the
Tellabs blog alone generates more than ¼ of overall website traffic.
Tellabs’ business is to provide equipment and services that help customers succeed by advancing mobile and fiber-optic telecom networks. Our content focuses on issues that are relevant to service providers such as Verizon and Telefonica, and to enterprise IT departments.
Some of our most effective content is thought-provoking. Thought-provoking content challenges a buyer’s sense of the status quo. It provokes a buyer to consider whether today’s solution is good enough, or if it’s time to look around for new ideas.
Tellabs creates original content by partnering with industry analysts such as Strategy Analytics. Analysts help us detect future trends that impact our customers’ networks and businesses.
We commissioned three recent studies on future trends in mobile networks. The first highlighted an emerging industrywide problem, while the next two showed how to address the problem by applying a new technology.
The initial study showed that mobile operators are underinvesting in LTE mobile backhaul networks (which connect cell towers to networks). The underinvestment will create a “mobile backhaul gap” of 16 petabytes or $9.2 billion by the year 2017.
How big is 16 petabytes? That’s what it takes to download 200 years of HD movies all at the same time.
The backhaul gap leads to poor user experiences, prompting users to switch to competitors. But, here’s the good news: with each additional $1 invested in backhaul, mobile operators can retain users, avoid the cost of churn and save $4 in revenue.
Our second study showed that nearly half of the backhaul gap can be closed with a new technology, called software-defined networking (SDN). In fact, operators can save
$4 billion in capital expense with SDN.
Our third study showed how SDN can save mobile operators
$9 billion in operating expense. A single
infographic sums up all 3 studies.
Thought-provoking content drives
news media coverage. It builds readership – for example,
2 of the top 10 stories on the Total Telecom website feature Tellabs’ thought-provoking content.
Thought-provoking content offers the benefit of a long shelf life. Early in 2014, a major customer requested a study we did in 2011 on the
end of profitability.
We build content on the foundation of a one-page content marketing plan, a content schedule and a
consistent message. Tellabs serves up content in many forms – infographics,
videos,
blogs,
news releases,
magazines, digital and social media. So customers can get the length and form of content they want.
To succeed with thought-provoking content, create unique content that makes a buyer think. Then connect the buyer with Sales. For example, to see an executive summary of the latest study, a buyer must register on our website. To get the full study, a buyer needs to talk to Sales.
Focus on advancing a buyer into a conversation with Sales about future needs. Then, Sales and Marketing can parlay those conversations into paying customers.
About the Author
Since 2000, George has led Tellabs’ global marketing and communications team. He is responsible for global communications with customers, investors, employees, media and industry analysts. He focuses on content marketing to drive revenue generation.
BtoB magazine twice ranked George among its Best Marketers. The Content Marketing Institute honored him with a Content Marketing Award.
FierceCMO named him a Marketer to Watch. George serves on the Business Marketing Association national board as VP – thought leadership.
He has spoken on communications and marketing at conferences hosted by Content Marketing World, Frost & Sullivan, DemandCon, BtoB, the Business Marketing Association, and others. He previously served R.R. Donnelley as VP-communications and Ameritech as director-corporate positioning. He started his career as a newspaper reporter and editor.
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