Solidify Customer Certainty: 5 Documents that Put the Proof into Your B2B Marketing Campaign
By: Tim Schreyer
Tags: Copywriting Tips, Marketing

Photo by sps universal on Unsplash

Marketing should HELP your prospective customers make a decision.

With Business-To-Customer (B2C) marketing, you’re selling to an individual. Individuals are spontaneous, and they need marketing that holds their attention.

But with Business-To-Business (B2B) marketing, you’re selling to a committee. Committees can take months to make a decision, and they need marketing that relies on proof.

I’m not talking about customer testimonials. Testimonials are nice, but you can’t trust them to resolve your next customer’s concerns. A simple quote can never be strong enough to give the proof a committee requires.

I’m talking about documentation. A B2B marketing campaign is more than a website or a sales letter. B2B marketing requires several documents.

To convince a committee, your marketing documents must provide several kinds of proof :

proof that you are a thought-leader

proof that you solve customers’ problems

proof that customers have good experiences with you

proof that you are a leading expert

proof that you want your customers to succeed

Let’s look at the documents that can provide this proof.

1) Use White Papers to Prove You are a Thought-Leader

Establish your role as a thought-leader by writing White Papers. White papers show customers how to solve difficult problems, and are usually 10 pages long.

A white paper uses research to report solutions to a problem. Don’t mention your product, but make sure your product implements the best of these solutions.

Use white papers for lead-generation, in exchange for contact information. Customers like white papers because they are valuable and don’t pressure them into a sale.

2) Use Case Studies to Prove You Solve Customers’ Problems

Emphasize your high success rate by writing Case Studies. Case studies show how your product continues to solve your customers’ problems. They are usually 2 pages long.

A case study is a story that shows your customer’s journey, from a problem, to a solution, to its benefits. It can even show how you are benefiting your customer’s customers.

Use case studies throughout the sales process. They work well for lead-generation and for convincing higher-level decision-makers.

3) Use Customer Stories to Prove Customers have Good Experiences With You

Highlight how satisfied your customers are, by posting Customer Stories on your blog. Customer stories are usually 750 words long.

A customer story is like a case study, but it is also different. A customer story is about your customer’s impressions. A case study is about the problem you solved for your customer.

Use customer stories on your blog. They will attract visitors to your website and guide them to your product information.

4) Use Pillar Posts to Prove You are THE EXPERT in Your Industry

Now let’s aim for the stars! Don’t settle for being a thought-leader. Write a Pillar Post to stake your claim as the thought-leader in your industry!

A pillar post is a VERY long blog post and usually has chapters. It can be like a white paper, or it can be a product manual, or it can have other uses. It’s title usually begins with “The Ultimate Guide To…”

Use pillar posts on your blog. Use them to help customers overcome hurdles and become experts with your products.

5) Use Ebooks to Prove You are Dedicated to Your Customers’ Success

Our final proof-providing document is the ebook. Write an ebook to show your dedication to your customers’ success. Ebooks are usually more than 20 pages long and have no upper limit.

Ebooks serve a wide variety of purposes. They can be textbooks about standards and procedures. They can even be manuals for your products. Their purpose is to educate your customers.

Use ebooks to keep customers engaged. Offer them to prospects, current customers, and past customers.

This Is What Proof Looks Like!

In marketing we make claims about how good our products are, and we try to prove the validity of those claims.

But that isn’t the only proof B2B customers are looking for. They are looking for much more.

Imagine the fears your customers struggle with when they consider purchasing from you. At the lowest level, they are afraid of what will go wrong if the product doesn’t solve their problem. On a higher level, they are afraid of what may happen to their career if they make the wrong decision.

You need to convince prospective customers that none of these fears will come true. That’s the proof they need.

When you’re able to prove this — when you’re able to conquer their fears and galvanize their certainty — that’s when you’ll find leads and prospects who are anxious to buy your products!

So use white papers, case studies, customer stories, pillar posts, and ebooks to put the proof into all your marketing campaigns!