Episode Summary
In the engaging episode of The Anonymous Marketer, host Kirsti Lang welcomes Masooma Memon, a distinguished content marketer specializing in B2B SaaS, to dive into the nuances of bottom-of-funnel (BoFu) content strategies. The conversation begins with Kirsti introducing Masooma, highlighting her extensive experience in creating impactful content for notable brands such as Shopify, Vimeo, and Canon Lee. Masooma’s approach to content marketing, emphasizing the importance of interlinking pieces to guide readers through a brand’s offerings, sets the tone for a deep dive into effective BoFu tactics.
Masooma shares her insights on the often misunderstood marketing funnel, advocating for a dynamic approach that treats content as a comprehensive resource library. She underscores the power of storytelling and empathy in crafting content that positions the reader as the hero of their journey. The discussion illuminates the critical role of content in establishing trust and authority, particularly at the bottom of the funnel, where the focus shifts to demonstrating the product’s value in solving specific problems.
The conversation also touches on the importance of collaboration across sales, customer support, and product teams. Masooma stresses that understanding the product’s features, pain points, and jobs to be done is essential for creating content that effectively addresses potential hesitations and showcases the product’s benefits. This collaborative approach fosters a more engaging and convincing narrative that leads to conversions.
Listeners are encouraged to explore these insights further and contribute to the discussion by submitting their questions on content marketing challenges. To participate, visit the “Marketers in Demand” website at marketersindemand.com/anonymous. Here, you’ll find a form where you can share your biggest marketing hurdles, and Kirsti may invite an expert like Masooma to offer solutions in future episodes.
This episode is a must-listen for marketers looking to refine their content strategy and drive meaningful engagement at every stage of the marketing funnel.
Featured Guest
Key Insights
Embrace the Content Playground
Masooma advocates for a “content playground” approach, encouraging marketers to interlink pieces of content to guide readers through a brand’s offerings. This approach shifts the focus from a rigid marketing funnel to a dynamic resource library, fostering trust and authority in the brand. By emphasizing value-driven content and empathetic storytelling, brands can position themselves as trusted advisors, not just service providers.
Product-Led Content as a Strategy
The discussion highlights the significance of product-led content, particularly at the bottom of the funnel (BoFu). Masooma underscores the importance of subtly incorporating product mentions in top-performing pieces and future content plans. This strategy involves detailed product showcases, customer success stories, and leveraging webinars to introduce real-world applications. It’s about creating content that not only informs but also demonstrates the product’s value in solving specific problems.
Collaboration for Content Conversion
Masooma suggests that effective BoFu content requires collaboration across sales, customer support, and product teams to understand the product’s features, pain points, and jobs to be done. This collaboration enables the creation of content that addresses potential hesitations and showcases the product’s benefits in meeting customer needs. By focusing on benefits over features and addressing hesitations directly in content, brands can foster a more engaging and convincing narrative that leads to conversions.
Episode Highlights
The Essence of Top Funnel Content
Masooma Memon highlights the role of top-funnel content in establishing brand authority and educating potential customers without going into product specifics. This stage focuses on brand awareness, subtly introducing the brand’s offerings while prioritizing education over sales. She emphasizes the importance of positioning the brand as a thought leader and a reliable source of information related to its business area.
“Top funnel is mostly content where you’re creating awareness about what you do as a brand […] but it’s just superficially talking about the product not too much detail because you at this point in time, you are establishing yourself as an authority.”
Leveraging Internal Creators for Authentic Content
The conversation transitions to the significance of leveraging internal creators to produce genuine and relatable content. Masooma stresses the impact of employee advocacy and personal branding on content authenticity and reach. By encouraging employees to share their experiences and insights, brands can foster a more authentic connection with their audience, enhancing trust and engagement.
“So, if they are creating internal creators. And I see this happening, for example, the SEMrush team does that. You could call it creating internal creators, or you could call it having an employee advocacy program.”
The Role of Case Studies and Customer Storytelling
Masooma and Kirsti discuss the transformation of traditional case studies into compelling customer stories. They both advocate for a storytelling approach that focuses on the customer’s journey and success, rather than just the product. This method shifts the narrative to show how products enable customer success, thereby creating a more emotionally engaging and relatable content piece.
“Case studies are such a great way to do that and I often feel like they’re a missed opportunity because we tend to focus so much on the numbers.”
Bridging B2B and B2C Content Strategies
The discussion explores how B2B brands can adopt B2C content strategies, particularly focusing on humanizing the brand and product showcases. Masooma suggests that incorporating the human element, through feature tutorials by founders or team members, can demystify products and foster a closer connection with the audience. This approach also includes leveraging personal branding and creative partnerships to enhance trust and relatability.
“Less salesy but pure product education and not hesitating from talking about the tool in an educational way.”