Powerful B2B Content: Using Brand Journalism to Create Compelling and Authentic Storytelling

Description

Guarantee your content marketing engages customers, builds trust and converts more, with this unique guide to using brand journalism to enhance B2B content, written by the former television news journalist for the BBC, Sky and ITN, Gay Flashman. Global audiences are sceptical about advertising content, banner ads and promotional messaging at the best of times. In the B2B space, building an authentic brand is even harder because buying decisions are more complicated and take much longer. Building brand trust and credibility requires time and effort. Addressing these changes, Powerful B2B Content will help readers understand the importance of building a brand narrative and demonstrates how successful organizations can create brand journalism that has influence and impact. Using the rigour of journalistic practices to construct content that is developed and crafted with a journalist's sensibility, this book will help any B2B company to ensure its stories are engaging and eye-catching, so they can develop trust and attract the attention of the right audiences. Building on many years' experience in award-winning newsrooms, Gay Flashman explains: - What makes a great story? - What audiences want to hear; - And shows the most effective ways to deliver it By demonstrating how to create focused content that is tailored to a B2B audience, this book will help any b2b marketers or communicators to listen, observe and understand their customer's goals, to deliver an experience customers know they can trust. Cover Contents List of figures and tables About the author Foreword Acknowledgements 01 Why use brand journalism as part of your content marketing mix? Making your brand a contender A crisis of trust The opportunity: brand purpose The complex path to a sale Finding ways to connect The rise of brand purpose Notes 02 A newsroom approach: defining brand journalism for the b2b marketer Brand journalism: a definition How to create brand journalism Approaches to story creation Notes 03 Building your storytelling strategy Creating your approach Define your goals and outcomes Map your audience Agree your style and tone Find your rhythm Develop a commissioning process Notes 04 Finding the narrative: telling the stories that matter Sourcing stories with impact Which stories should your organization create? Finding stories that resonate Planet: Researching the conversation ecosystem Purpose: Leading with your values People: Demonstrating your human side Process: Researching your business or industry environment Product: Your business making a difference Don’t forget ‘the brand’ Notes 05 Story mining: uncovering your powerful brand journalism Establishing your process Building a range of story types Sense-checking with an editorial board Know your rivals Notes 06 Choosing your format: audience needs and the power of text Planning your approach How to start writing great content Choosing the right approach Arresting the scroll with your content Notes 07 Choosing your format: developing visual, video and audio content Video delivering brand journalism Short-form social videos Interview video Live video coverage Using imagery for your complex storytelling Audio: the rise of podcasting Notes 08 Content hubs: finding a home for your stories Taking the blog to the next level The standalone brand name Find the right stories Create a clear structure Notes 09 Distribution and amplification: growing loyal audiences Optimize organic distribution Integrate search Max out on social media Build with paid distribution Other paid strategies Other paid approaches Notes 10 Thought leadership: insight from your people Establish your vision and outcomes Developing your talent pool Employees hold the key Thought leadership inspiration Content success factors Ideation and creation support Notes 11 Measuring impact: building a metrics framework Investing for the long term Measurement throughout the customer journey Stretching the value Notes 12 Bringing your newsroom to life Finding the smarts Outsourcing of content The perfect team Reflecting the newsroom structure Notes Index