In our data-driven industry, businesses have become so laser-focused on how the content they produce affects the bottom line that the incentive is now more about the format and less about the function.
Whether it’s finding the best SEO keywords or riding on the latest social media trends, the focus remains on the success we can measure, not on the unknown potential of original content that can inspire and move people.
Therefore, the function of engaging audiences has become a formula. A science. A proven methodology.
Ditch creativity and interrupt your consumer at all costs appears to be the current consensus, and if we can incorporate AI to do the work instead, then all the better, right?
However, the obsession with the format and the facts can force us to overlook what remains the most powerful form of content across all mediums.
Storytelling.
Stories are powerful because they stick in the memory and rouse emotions.
As American scientist Jennifer Aaker states, “Stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone.”
The Measurement Trap
“People are measuring the wrong things. They’re measuring clicks on the one side and brand outcomes on the other.”
Matt Potter believes brands need storytellers to help them evolve. Reversing a culture in the industry from interrupting what people are interested in, to being what they’re interested in.
How do we do this?
Firstly, with an external focus back to the audience, away from our internal understanding of marketing formulas and formats. He found through an experiment comparing marketing professionals and the public when asking about their experience of the content they showed.
On the one side, the marketers spoke in technical terms about formats and platforms. Things like “Short-form videos” and “50-word JPGs”.
On the other hand, the public communicated with emotional references to the content. They said, “It was heartbreaking”, “It stopped me in my tracks”, or “It enlightened me”.
The public spoke about emotional moments. These were things that changed their minds and had nothing to do with platforms and formats.
So, it’s no wonder that ads with emotional content performed nearly twice as well (31% vs. 16%) compared to those with rational content.
However, emotional connection doesn’t show up in our analytics. We can’t measure the impact it makes, and that’s the issue with storytelling in B2B because we struggle to prove its worth in terms of data and facts.
A model for measuring the impact of storytelling in B2B doesn’t yet exist or is much more complicated to integrate. However, the outcomes of good storytelling are real and much more impactful than we know.
Stop Interrupting. Start interesting.
“B2B consumers are not consumers. They’re humans. Brands talk to consumers about their thing. Consumers want the brand to talk to them about all the parts of their lives.”
Matt Potter believes one way B2B brand storytelling can reengage with audiences and prove its value to clients and directors is through thought leadership.
In his research, he detailed:
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50% of senior ODMs say that a company’s thought leadership directly leads to new business.
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63% of ODMs regard thought leadership as “one of the best ways to get a sense of the type and calibre of thinking an organisation is likely to deliver.”
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82% of ODMs agree that thought leadership increases trust in an organisation.
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79% of CXOs want thought leadership to identify new trends or issues.
With thought leadership to support our storytelling, this is one of the ways we can begin to tackle the “content crisis” currently dominating the B2B content marketing landscape.
Improve Your B2B Storytelling With the CMA
At the CMA, we aim to promote content marketing as an effective tool for businesses while ensuring its growth in our industry.
By joining our CMA membership, you will gain access to a professional network of content marketing experts with resources, events and awards, enriching your knowledge, skills and possibilities in the industry.
Whether keeping up with the latest trends, collaborating with fellow professionals or contributing to our global agenda, our membership offers fantastic opportunities for freelancers, brands, agencies and start-ups.
Get in touch for more details about how our membership can benefit your business.
