Creating Differentiated Content That Builds Trust (with John Bonini, Founder of Content Brands)
Feb 13, 2025
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John Bonini, founder of Content Brands, sheds light on the evolution of B2B content marketing. He discusses the dire consequences of relying on undifferentiated content, especially with the rise of AI. John emphasizes the need to treat content like a product and integrate audience feedback for trust-building. He articulates the importance of an interconnected content ecosystem and shares successful examples from companies like SparkToro and Buffer. Listeners will discover innovative strategies that create genuine connections and foster brand loyalty.
Addressing the issue of undifferentiated B2B content is crucial as reliance on AI amplifies the challenge of standing out.
Creating content that reflects unique insights and experiences from within the organization fosters meaningful engagement and trust with audiences.
Implementing a long-term content strategy that views content as a product helps build awareness and loyalty, resulting in valuable referrals.
Deep dives
The Concept of 95% Content
The podcast presents the concept of '95% content', which targets the majority of buyers who are not currently in the market but will be in the future. It emphasizes the importance of building trust and relationships with these potential customers through effective content marketing strategies. This approach acknowledges the shift in how consumers engage with content, as they tend to seek out informative and entertaining material rather than simply searching for product-specific information when they're ready to buy. The focus is on creating a pipeline of interested audiences rather than only converting leads that are directly in the purchasing phase.
Challenges of Undifferentiated Content
A major concern in B2B content marketing is the proliferation of undifferentiated content, which fails to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Marketers often resort to mimicking competitors based on trending keywords and analytics, leading to a homogenized approach that lacks innovation. This reliance on quantity over quality results in more noise and less effective content, hampering meaningful engagement with potential customers. Additionally, the advent of AI exacerbates these issues, making it even more challenging for brands to differentiate themselves in their content strategies.
Creating Differentiated Content
To overcome the limitations of undifferentiated content, brands are encouraged to focus on their unique insights, perspectives, and experiences when creating marketing material. This means starting with internal knowledge rather than just looking at competitors or keyword suggestions, thus allowing companies to leverage their distinct narratives. Incorporating storytelling and real-world experiences can enhance content appeal by informing, inspiring, or entertaining audiences, surpassing the traditional emphasis on purely educational content. Ultimately, highlighting what makes a brand’s approach unique is essential for achieving differentiation.
The Importance of Audience Engagement
Engaging directly with the target audience significantly contributes to developing relevant and appealing content. The podcast stresses the importance of gathering insights through conversations with customers, which can reveal what resonates with them and informs future content creation. This engagement can be a source of inspiration, leading to fresh ideas for posts, newsletters, and podcasts that reflect the audience's interests and needs. Such practices ultimately enhance trust and connection, ensuring that the content produced genuinely reflects the audience's preferences and experiences.
Long-term Strategy and Brand Awareness
A successful content strategy is framed as a long-term investment rather than just short-term lead generation. Brands that prioritize building awareness and affinity through consistent content efforts often find that their audience becomes familiar with their offerings over time, leading to stronger market positioning. Historical examples, like Wistia’s approach to content marketing, show how creating value for an audience can facilitate meaningful referrals and customer loyalty. Establishing a content ecosystem allows for synergy across different platforms, ultimately reinforcing brand presence and engagement.
In this episode of 95% Content, Erik Jacobson talks with John Bonini (Founder of Content Brands) about how B2B companies can create truly differentiated content that builds trust and affinity with their audience.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
The problem with undifferentiated content in B2B and why it's getting worse with AI
How to create truly differentiated content
Why starting with internal expertise and perspectives is crucial
The importance of treating content like a product
How to measure content success beyond traditional metrics
Why content should be an ecosystem rather than siloed channels
The value of content-based referrals and trust building
How to structure content teams and programs for success
The future of B2B content with the rise of creators
Examples of companies doing differentiated content well
Hatch is a video-first content agency that creates short-form video content, video podcasts, and YouTube videos for B2B companies who want to run an efficient content engine and be seen as the #1 choice to future buyers.
