“The biggest mistake I see with marketing is companies talk too much about their own products and services.”

As the author of 7 books, David Meerman Scott brings tremendous knowledge, real-world insights and infectious energy to the stage. As yesterday’s opening keynote atContent2Conversion in Scottsdale, David challenged the audience to set the bar higher with their content marketing efforts. In his own words, “B2B doesn’t have to stand for Be-Too-Boring.” I couldn’t agree more!

Below I share a few of Scott’s New Rules, including how the B2B buying process has changed, the importance of real-time engagement, and how content marketing just might land you on an Antarctic journey.

The Problem: Wrong Content, Wrong Message, Wrong Buyer

Customers don’t care about brands and services. At least, not as much as those same brands and services think they do. And they sure don’t like what content marketers are producing, on the whole. According to Forrester, 87% of B2B marketers struggle to produce content that engages their buyers. Let’s all pause there (and face palm). On the other side of the equation, 65% of B2B buyers report vendors should curb sales messages, and focus on improving the quality of their content. It certainly sounds like we’re all in agreement.

As David pointed out yesterday, “Many marketers steeped in the tradition of product advertising naturally feel drawn to prattle on and on about their products and services. But I have news for you. Nobody cares.”

If Nobody Cares, Why Do We Keep Producing the Same Content?

If content marketers know their content is ineffective, and the buyers want higher quality content, why do B2B marketers keep producing the same old stuff? David believes it all boils down to fear.  Here are some key things that get in the way of change:

• Culture is tough to change
• Convincing superiors to take risks is tough
• It’s hard to operationalize new techniques

But if you want to succeed, you’ll have to start producing content that speaks to your audience’s needs. Here’s how:

Rule #1: Understand That the Way People are Buying Has Changed