There is a huge opportunity for brands to distinguish themselves with a clear message and original content that aligns with their core value propositions.

Stop asking content marketing writers what their rate is! It varies wildly based on each project, plus this becomes a game of chicken where we have to figure out why your budget is. Just tell us!

I just wrote a blog post about applying Know Your Customer principles to AI agents and, hoo boy, this is a whole can of worms for companies that aren't keeping up with automation security.

Here's the white paper (PDF): assets-global.website-files.com/607ef2937114...

My experience shows that you don’t always need a writer with deep expertise in your field—just someone who’s curious and intelligent enough to get the lay of the land, grasp what matters, and write about it well.

The resulting white paper focused on best practices for outside plant (OSP) engineering and construction, providing the audience with evidence of the the company’s expertise and educating them on issues to consider at the same time. All those leads showed that my research and instincts were spot-on.

Armed with their answers, I was then able to research more specific topics, like how technology is used for field documentation, permit and regulatory requirements, and statistics on supply chain and labor force issues (did you know there's a skilled labor shortage in construction?).

I didn’t need to become an expert myself, I just needed to be able to ask smart, informed questions about what I didn’t know. That gave me enough to conduct in-depth interviews with three subject matter experts at the company: the heads of business development, engineering, and construction.

Then I searched for industry sites and publications to read up these types of projects and what they entailed. Because the paper was aimed mainly at non-technical audiences, I didn’t worry too much about the finer details.

The white paper was aimed at rural municipalities interested in taking advantage of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, an FCC initiative investing billions of dollars to bring broadband access to underserved areas. I put on my journalist's hat and started there, reading data sheets and reports.

I wrote a white paper that got a construction company almost 100 solid leads in just six months . . . despite me not knowing anything about the industry when I started.

Here’s how I did it.

Ew

You can chase the algorithm all you want, but without those basics, you're always going to be trying to catch up instead of leading the way.

I suspect marketing teams are feeling the same way. What "works" isn't consistent—you think you broke the code and then the LinkedIn algorithm changes or Google does another update.

One thing I do know: people will always yearn for good stories, powerful outcomes, and an authentic, unique voice.

Marketing is changing so fast, it's hard to know where to focus my energy and efforts. Should I double-down on long-form, research-heavy content? Offer different services? Niche down into ever-more-specific business categories?

Still from the 2016 movie Everybdy Wants Some!!: six guys and a woman dressed in 1980s clothing in front of a frat house

Why yes, I did reference Richard Linklater's 2016 movie "Everybody Wants Some!!" in my latest B2B content marketing newsletter.

Not a subscriber? You're missing out.

www.heatherkenny.com/newsletter

B2B brands lose credibility as only 30% focus on author expertise. Build EEAT to enhance trust and visibility in search results.

https://lttr.ai/AlrDs

#B2B #Marketing #Technology

Me: Ugh, I hate short-form content.

Me when I do short-form content: Actually this is pretty fun, like a word puzzle.

Since content marketing (and marketing in general) seems to be in chaos, I'm going to start posting the most unhinged takes on LinkedIn and see what happens.

Just got off a networking call with other B2B content marketing writers, and the mood is pretty grim.

a man with a national geographic logo on the bottom right ALT: a man with a national geographic logo on the bottom right

Me following up with warm leads

image from Heated Rivalry: Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov staring at each other on the ice.

Am I going to write about the popularity of the tv show Heated Rivalry can apply to content marketing in my next newsletter?

Yes. Yes I am.

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When a content platform emails you about your services with a ton of info about working with them that includes everything but their rates 🙄

Screenshot of a job description for a content writer position at Aronson Advertising with a salary range of $36544 to $109042

That’s . . . quite a range.

It sounds pretty boring IMO

New blog post: how I became the Executive Whisperer. www.heatherkenny.com/blog/the-exe...

Heather Kenny on AI, Nonprofits & Storytelling | Faith, Fortune, or Fiction Series YouTube video by My Nonprofit AI

I was excited to do this video with Nonprophet Advisors' Mike Mitchell talking about AI and writing: how it helps with the process, how it might hinder creativity, and more. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDjo...

Also, this made it crystal clear that this person was not actually very knowledgeable about SEO.

I did respond and point these things out in a professional manner. Normally I wouldn't bother but I thought it might be a learning opportunity for this person. 🤷‍♀️

I'm not averse to constructive feedback, but not when it's implied that I was trying to lie about my experience.

I approach everyone in good faith, and it's what I expect in response. I don't think that's too much to ask.