A business or individual announces something only they really care about, a few colleague hit ‘like’ and maybe a couple of loyal followers, but that’s it.
Is this sort of content worth the effort? It can be if you add value and/or a human element to give it broader appeal and something tangible for your audience to connect with.
Here are some ideas for how to flip a boring business announcement, turn it into something more interesting and boost engagement.
Announcement: We have a new website, logo or branding
Let’s be honest, the fact that you’ve got a new website or branding is of little interest unless you work in marketing or are going to remove all the vowels from your name like Abrdn did.
It won’t materially impact anyone’s scroll.
But you could add value by lifting the lid on how you got to the finished site/branding.
Are there versions that were dismissed? What were the highs and lows? It’s an opportunity to inject some all-important personality into your story.
Think about how you could make it useful to your audience. That could be lessons learned from the process or something you’ve learned about your business as a consequence.
Behind-the-scenes content is also good for helping people get to know you and your business and may well resonate with others who’ve been through a similar process.
Alternatively, how is your new website useful to your audience: ‘Our new website means you can more easily find all our tips on retrofit…’
Announcement: I’m doing something normal/unremarkable
This could be a day spent at a different office, attending a networking event, or another type of business gathering.
Make it interesting by painting a picture of what it was like being there (bonus for adding a bit of drama).
Did you hear anything particularly interesting or learn anything?
Avoid generic comments – ‘interesting chat about sustainability’ – which tell your audience nothing.
Being specific might spark comments under your post, which could turn into a new conversation.
Talk about who was there and a bit about what you talked about (people are nosey, and it’s an opportunity to be entertaining.) Share an amusing anecdote or random fact.
Think about revealing something of yourself, if not something specifically business-related or something about what it is like working where you work.
Your content is an advert to potential employees as well as clients.
Announcement: I published an article/blog/case study/white paper
This is a relatively easy one. The fact that you’ve written something isn’t the story; it’s what’s in it that is the interesting bit, so start with that.
Think of the target audience for the piece and why they might find it helpful or interesting, and then use that as a teaser to get people to click through.
What question or questions do you answer in the piece? What three things might they learn about?
Provide enough information to intrigue and make people want to learn more without revealing everything.
And remember, for all of these types of posts, you only need 2-3 paragraphs, just think about a piece of insight or interest you can add.
Do you have a type of post that you struggle to make interesting?
Sign up for my fortnightly email newsletter, the B2B Content Clinic
You might also like to read:
Being different: Audience engagement lessons from lemons
4 thoughts on “How to make boring B2B content more engaging”