SEPTEMBER 20188n a B2B setting, the lifecycle of closing a deal--from initial enquiry to making a commitment to buy--averages about three months. However, according to Forrest-er research, it's interesting to note that 70­90 percent of a B2B buyer's journey is complete before the pros-pect engages a vendor. This is where content takes the all-important role. Consumers engage on an average of 11.4 pieces of content prior to mak-ing a purchase and are 5X times more dependent on content than they were five years ago. It is the right content that will channel the success of your marketing plan. What then is the right content that will engage your customer in a B2B purchase decision process? Content that Builds Emotional ConnectB2C marketing has long followed the model of building brand identity through emotionally evocative content. When it comes to B2B marketing, it's often assumed that a more rational and business-like approach works bet-ter in influencing clients because B2B content is created with emphasis on value, cost, and quality. The emotional connections are never brought in. But, whether in B2B or B2C, at the end of the day, it's all about H2H or the human-to-human connect. In a 2017 cross-industry branding study from CEB, now Gartner, which involved more than 3,000 B2B cus-tomers, the key theme that emerged was the importance of focusing on B2B buyers as individual human be-ings with emotions. Content needs to be crafted to engage the 71 percent of buyers who buy the product or service because they see a personal value in a B2B purchase. General Electric (GE), IBM, Cisco, and Caterpillar are brands that use the emotional connect to create engaging content that appeals to the emotions. These companies market high-end medical equipment, big data technol-ogies, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and heavy-duty construction equip-ment with engaging and visually rich stories that are underlined with an emotional connect.Content that Connects with MillennialsIn a little under a decade, by 2027, India's millenni-al generation will boost the nation's labour force to emerge as the world's largest. The millennials, classi-fied as the population between the ages of 18 and 35, will change traditional B2B marketing to suit the new landscape. Content will have to take on a snackable bite-sized format to address this digitally empowered mobile generation. BUILDING THE RIGHT CONTENT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO MARKETING SUCCESSIN MY OPINIONIBy Peter Yorke, CEO, Yorke Communications Private LimitedYorke Communications Private Limited is an organization that builds content marketing programs for both internal and external audiencesPeter Yorke
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