The B2B Content Marketing Fail, aka “the Twinkie Effect”
Creating fresh, valuable content for your company’s website not only improves your search rankings and gives your brand a voice, it also shows your customers, your prospects and your industry that you have something to say. And, more importantly, it shows you’re listening.
Your Digital Content Lives Forever
‘Content is king” as they say. But there’s no reason to shout “long live the king” because digital content lives forever. And the more magnetic, engaging, and sharable your content is, the better it helps your B2B marketing efforts over time.
There Is, However, a Downside
I call it the “Twinkie Effect.” We’ve all seen it: That blog on a company’s site that has been abandoned for the past year or longer. The publishing date, is right there in many cases, along with the overly optimistic announcement about “our new blog.”
All outdated and dormant content, from dusty blogs and press releases to obsolete industry news and old-fashioned site design is like a shelf of old Twinkies. Visitors can still consume it and won’t die, but it won’t do them any good either. And they won’t be back.
How many business sites have you been to where it feels like the door was left open and the lights are on, but no one is home? There’s a welcome mat, some pictures on the walls and books on the shelves, but no one’s there. So you hang for a moment to look around, and then you leave. They never knew you were there and, apparently, don’t care.
Maybe you find a business or individual representing that business through social media such as Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. The colorful lineup of logos for each might even be displayed on the site. “Friend us on Facebook,” “Follow us on Twitter.” Why? The most recent post was months ago, and you can tell they don’t listen, engage or follow back. And if it’s active, it’s sometimes just a stream of cheap treats or robotic repeats. It’s nothing but promotional junk food.
What Are You Serving On Your Site Today?
Are you offering helpful and creative content via social media and inbound links? Is your site full of content that attracts and holds a visitor’s interest? Are you converting that traffic to leads and passing those leads to sales? Are you listening and learning from others in your industry, including your customers? Are you sharing your knowledge and adding personality, passion and promise to your brand’s positioning? If you can’t honestly answer most of these questions with a yes on a regular basis, and invest the time to show it, you aren’t ready for content marketing.
Here are a few helpful ideas for refreshing and/or repurposing older content and creating all new content that will attract and engage more visitors to your site and convert them to leads and customers.
The Secret Weapon in B2B Blogging: Historical Optimization
17 Free Ways To Create More Visual B2B Marketing Content
15 Tools For Finding, Hiring, and Managing a B2B Content Writer
Inbound Marketing Insights: Can The B2B Comment be Resurrected?
The Ten Step Redesign Checklist For A Better B2B Website
B2B Blogging: Beyond the Basics
How To Use Social Media To Find New Leads
If you can’t fill your site and your inbound social media with fresh and fulfilling content that is topical, relevant and as much for your visitor’s benefit as yours, it’s not a dynamic business site that attracts interest and converts leads. It’s just a shelf full of old Twinkies.
