Why Is Empathy So Important for the B2B Content Marketing Business?

 

Source: InPursuit Research

We, humans, are selfish by nature. So, empathy is not something that comes naturally to us. Most B2B content marketing firms care about their products and focus on getting sales. They are unaware of the advantages of using empathy while marketing their goods.

Empathy only works when marketing is focused on the benefits derived from a product. Because it's common for people to post content on websites and social networks, features have become outdated. B2B firms need to show empathy in their content to stand out from the crowd.

Why do we need empathy? 

"64% of U.S. consumers and 59% of all consumers feel companies have lost touch with the human element of customer experience." These are astonishing results from a study conducted by PwC. For a B2B company, empathy has become a must-have. Brands need to prioritize and take extra steps to understand their target audience.

Content marketing cannot give results if brands ignore the audience's problems. If they cannot persuade their customers with their content, it will cause problems. Customers do not make impulsive purchases. First, they research the product and brand, then seek specific solutions for their troubles. Only after they are sure about the product and brand do they buy the product.

Brands do not become experts at empathy right away. It takes time, but one can get better by paying close attention to their customers' reactions to the content. Here are a few actions that your brand can use to improve empathy:

1. Identify your Target Audience

The first step in marketing is to identify your target audience. When you understand your target audience, you can divide it into smaller groups. It will help in distinguishing which group needs what type of content. Some may read long-form content while some prefer short-form. 

Grouping similar individuals makes it easier for you to prepare specific types of content. You then decide to create content that each group can empathize with. Not everyone will empathize or read each piece of content. When divided, it becomes easier to recognize individuals who read your content in every group. 

2. Sympathy vs. Empathy

Source: learngrammar.net

Most B2B businesses make the mistake of confusing empathy with sympathy. You begin by understanding the difference between empathy and sympathy. Sympathy is feeling pity or sorrow. Empathy is about placing yourself in other people's shoes. Once you do that, you connect them with your perceptions.

When your business produces such content, you begin to empathize with your audience. It results in acknowledging your audience's priorities. You can then convince them that you are genuinely interested in what they say. Concentrate on developing good relations with your audience. They will automatically become your clients in the future.

3. Content Audit

To build bonds with your audience, you need relatable and good content. A content audit is a strategy for coming up with ideas for new content. Conducting an audit means looking for concepts and hypotheses in the existing content. Then you construct new perspectives with them. It is easier to create new content pieces and discover hidden ideas from your existing content. 

You can go through your Google Analytics to look for popular content. It will make you understand what your audience loves the most, and you can make notes about it. There must be some content styles or topics that your audience loves the most. Try recreating them and offering new and improved suggestions to your target audience. 

4. Content Strategy

Source: SEMRUSH

You have to be more strategic when creating content for a business-to-business target audience. 80% of businesses want practical, relevant content before they buy any product. For this, thorough research needs to be a must.

Hot and trending topics are easier to produce content. But when it comes to your product, you carefully select content you want your audience to read. Delivering content that your audience loves will likely inspire empathy. Also, remember to do keyword and search research. It will go a long way in building empathy within your content. 

5. Humanize the Content

In content marketing, businesses must ignore the morbid fascination with selling products. They need to concentrate on creating content that caters to their target audience. You can share motivational and success stories to interact with your target audience. People love these tales, and it will build engagement on your socials. You can produce case studies based on instances where your product or service succeeded. By sharing consumer-related content, you let your current clients suggest you to others. 

Customers easily relate to real-life specimens. It captivates your audience as they connect with you and your brand. This builds trust and creates empathy within your audience. As Roger Schank said, "Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories."

Conclusion

Research shows people only retain 10% of information from data and stats. More than 70% of the information is retained from stories and tales. So your content must hook your audience with stories that customers can relate to your products. Focus on building a connection with real people and be genuine and honest. People do not buy products and services. They buy stories, relationships, and connections. 

Written by Garima Jain