How to Provide Value Through Content

I have a rule with our GTM team - in EVERYTHING we do, we ask the question "is this providing value". If the answer is no, we scrap it and change course. If you're sending an email (cold outbound, event follow up, nurture, webinar invite, etc), what value is the recipient getting? 99.9% of the times it's nothing. There's an ask (or as we marketers like to say, "a CTA" 😆) and now maybe there's even a veneer of "personalization". When you invite people to a dinner, outside of the free food, what *value* are you providing? If they don't walk away with something they can act on (new tactic, mental framework, connection who can help them) there's no value. When you create a piece of content, the reader better finish having learned something. Better yet, include a checklist, template, guide, etc that they can leverage after they read your piece. When you follow up after an event or webinar (a particular area I see people fall down), jumping from "thanks for attending" to "can we schedule a meeting" is NOT providing value. If the topic was, for example, "Future of ABM in the Age of AI", the follow up could be "here's our 4-part guide on scaling your ABM program in under a month". That's valuable. If you operate with the constant goal of providing value at every step, I absolutely guarantee it will turn into engagement and pipeline.

I've had five conversations so far this month with organizations concerned about declining SEO rankings caused by AI search. That makes it a trending topic in my world! I'd already started doing research about what is and isn't working in real time, and when I contacted previous content strategy clients I discovered that the strategies I'd created for them are still working. Their rankings are holding steady. Have you noticed a drop in your search rankings? AI-driven search results—like generative answers and featured snippets—are becoming the norm and it’s changing how content gets displayed and found. If your content is guided by an SEO-driven content strategy, it's time to make some changes. Here’s how a well-rounded, audience-first content strategy can help you stay ahead: 1. Focus on Your Audience, Not Just SEO SEO still matters, but if you’re crafting content just to check off SEO boxes, you’re missing out. AI-powered search is prioritizing content that truly addresses what your audience is searching for. When you focus on delivering value and answering real questions, you naturally align with what search engines—and people—are looking for. 2. Go Deep with Content Pillars and Clusters To stand out in AI-driven search, depth and breadth are key. A content strategy built around pillars (your core topics) and clusters (supporting, related content) helps you cover topics thoroughly and become a trusted source of information. Not only will this boost your rankings, but it also keeps your audience engaged with valuable, interconnected content. 3. Build Authority with Valuable, Consistent Content AI search favors authoritative sources. That means it’s time to make your expertise known through consistent, high-quality content. For businesses, this establishes you as the go-to resource in your industry. For freelancers, helping clients build authority can make your services indispensable. 4. Optimize for AI Features AI results often pull from well-organized, structured content like FAQs and how-to guides. By incorporating these elements into your strategy, you increase the chances of your content being featured in AI search results, driving more visibility and traffic. The bottom line is if you’re a business trying to stay visible or a freelancer looking to offer a cutting-edge service, now’s the time to shift your focus from SEO-driven content to audience-focused strategy. SEO is still relevant, but focusing on the audience and optimizing for AI search (which is honestly just good content practices) are what will get you ahead of the curve. ********************************************************************** Want to learn more about content strategy? The next Mastering Content Strategy Bootcamp is November 4 - 8. I’ve updated the content to include more information about how you can use AI in the content strategy process. I’d love to have you join me! 

Confession time. I used to believe any video content was good content. I was wrong. I thought flashy edits and fast cuts were key. But they often led to mixed results and viewer fatigue.  • Overwhelming visuals distracted from the message.   The result? Inconsistent engagement and unpredictable results. It's really all about...   1. Building Genuine Relationships:  • Shifted focus from flashy to meaningful.  • Put clients’ needs at the centre.  2. Asking the Right Questions:  • Understand what the audience truly wants.  • Deliver customized, relevant content.  3. Providing Value First:  • Offer upfront value to build trust.  • Create content that truly helps.  4. Embracing Transparency:  • Be honest and clear in communication.  • Set realistic expectations with the audience.  5. Focusing on Solutions, Not Sales:  • Concentrate on solving problems.  • Engage viewers with useful insights.  6. Listening More Than Talking:  • Practice active listening to understand needs.  • Provide empathetic and relevant solutions. It took time and learning, but the positive outcomes are clear. Better engagement, stronger connections, and a loyal audience. Core values now focus on client needs and building genuine relationships. The impact is clear, and I teach these principles to others. Prioritize meaningful content over flashy edits. Focus on delivering real value. What’s the most challenging part of creating engaging content for your company? Share your thoughts in the comments. PS: DM me ‘VIDEO’ to work together and elevate your content game.

I just logged into a client's Klaviyo account (a Norwegian health brand selling wellness gadgets). What I saw shocked me: Their top-performing email each month was consistent: a long-form, plain text problem-solution email titled "Simple daily habits for pain relief." – Some context – This email doesn't push products. It simply offers 1-4 practical tips for their target audience of older adults. It’s pretty obvious why this works. You're not asking anything from the customer. You're simply providing value and helping them improve their lives. That builds trust. We've seen this work particularly well in health-related niches, but the concept can be applied broadly. A skincare brand could do "5 tips to transform your complexion." A fitness company could share "3 at-home exercises to relieve back pain." The possibilities are endless. In fact, we've seen success with a variation on this for clients who have blogs. The email teases valuable blog content, enticing readers to click through to the full post on the website. Again, it's all about delivering real value. When you consistently show up as a trusted resource, not just another company hawking products, customers naturally gravitate toward you. And the sales often follow (but that's not the primary goal of these emails). It's about playing the long game. Building relationships. Becoming a valued part of your audience's life. So if you're not already experimenting with this type of value-first, long-form email content, it's worth testing. The results might surprise you. #email #ecommerce #emailmarketing

This year, my LinkedIn content has generated $1.5M+ in ARR. Content is the lifeblood of B2B marketing. It basically IS marketing at this point. We tell our B2B clients all the time: no amount of clever search or display ads are going to magically manifest buyers. Today, businesses and brands make decisions based on: • Thorough, self-directed research • Credibility established over time • Word of mouth reviews + referrals • Demonstrable value, for free Now my silly little posts on LinkedIn don't check all those boxes, but they might trigger enough reach, frequency, and value for folks to get interested enough to talk to us. And when they do, that's when we hit them with a freight train of extreme value, for free. The "marketing audit" is pretty standard practice, but the reason Power is able to generate tremendous revenue with simple B2B fundamentals is because our audits are extremely thorough: • Deep customer analysis with 3PD identity matching • Modeled incrementality by marketing tactic • Customer and unit economics analysis (LTV:CAC) • Financial analysis + forecast with ROI • Competitor, ICP, + landscape analysis And all of that is before we even get into the marketing tactics, tech stack, and overall product market fit. Prospective clients are shocked at how comprehensive and strategic our audits are, something we could easily charge six figures for. But we do it for free, as part of a sales pitch, so that we can demonstrate the caliber of our work. That, in and of itself, is "content." We give that to the brand, they pass it around, they talk about it with their friends and colleagues at other brands, eventually a PE firm gets a hold of it, and they come knocking. All of that starts with a LinkedIn post or blog article, but supported by an engine designed to produce highly valuable content customized to the needs of our audience. My advice on how to scale your B2B business, especially in a services industry? • Produce a LOT of high quality content • Provide an extreme amount of value, for free • Establish yourself as an expert • Be incredibly transparent and build in public Customers and clients are getting more and more discerning. Put down your Salesforce Attribution report and start looking at the volume and quality of content you're producing instead. Search ads won't get you there (alone), but demonstrable expertise will. #b2b #contentmarketing #thoughtleadership #arr

One common theme among content strategies: it’s always better when there’s subject matter experts involved. But anyone that’s had to make it happen knows it’s easier said than done.  If someone is at the subject matter expert levels, odds are they’re pretty busy. Writing (at least writing for marketing) isn’t their focus, and they might not see why it’s part of it their role. But without their input, content can lack that extra insight that makes it valuable. So how do you make it happen? Highlight what’s in it for them. Whether it’s strengthening their personal brand, getting internal recognition, or becoming a trusted voice in their industry, show them the benefits of getting involved. Even better if you can show success stats from someone else. Take the heavy lifting off their plate. Don’t ask for a fully drafted article. Help them get it across the line by creating a draft that just needs their edits and sign-off. Adapt to their preferences. Some love seeing their name on a byline in a big publication,  others prefer to have lots of social engagement. Understanding their drivers makes it more likely to be adopted. Make it count. If possible, tie content contributions to performance goals or incentives. This is often a top-down initiative that shows leadership values content. Particularly when billable hours are involved, it’s important efforts are acknowledged or rewarded. For those of you working with SMEs—what’s worked well for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. 👇 #copywriting #contentstrategy

Last week, a Data & Analytics Director joked no one was bingeing his content. So I skimmed his feed. While the content was good, he made 1 critical mistake I see over and over again. His content didn't have defined value. He was churning out novel content in every post...  Smart takes.  Relevant insights. But I was left without a clear impression of the value he would deliver to me on a regular basis. ^That’s the problem most content has. When people find a solid post, they’ll scroll your content and wonder: → Is it useful to me? → What do I get from following you? → Can I trust that you’ll keep showing up? If they can’t answer those fast, they bounce. Two of my favorite ways to think about are: 1.  “A subscription is the promise of the regular delivery of well-defined value.” – Ben Thompson Swap in "follow" for subscription and this applies to all content: → Your content needs to be valuable → Your value needs to be well-defined → You have to deliver regularly → You can't break your promise 2. “Content is a product.” – Emily Kramer Content must be treated like a product: → Define the target customer → Understand the customer's problems → Solve the customer's problem → Make the value clear → Build trust by setting—and exceeding—expectations Most content engines don’t fail because the output is bad. They fail because the output is haphazard. There’s no clear promise and no reason to come back. 👋 I’m on a mission to master content strategy for B2B execs. I publish my findings weekly. Follow + learn with me in public.

The mistake? Prioritizing tactics over people. Our top article was written in 5 minutes—here’s what I learned ↓ When we started June.so, I had zero experience with SEO. So I turned to the experts. They told me there’s a method. It usually looks like this: 1. Warm up your domain authority (boost with backlinks if needed) 2. Identify keywords your ICP cares about. 3. Focus on keywords with good traffic & low competition 4. Wait to see which articles gain traction - iterate on winners This playbook can work. But somehow, not always... And it’s far from the only approach! The issue is that it doesn’t start with the people. Or the problem they’re trying to solve. It starts with tactics and processes. Using tools that suggest "keywords". Keywords you’ve never heard of. Or that your customers have never mentioned. >> So what happens when you flip the script? What happens when you write about things you care about? And would read? The answer is often a better outcome 🪄 If you look at our emerging SEO strategy, it’s clear. Some of our best-performing articles didn’t start with keyword research. Like our "Tailwind CSS Masonry Layout" article. My cofounder wrote it in about 10 minutes. He was trying to create a cool mosaic for our content section. But struggled and had to write some code to make it work. He then turned those learnings into an article. Turns out, many others had the same problem! Today, this article drives 1,000 visits per month. Not bad for 200 words written in 10 minutes. ______ One thing in tech keeps fascinating me. No matter what discipline you work in, the same thing moves the needle. >> Delivering value to the people. SEO is evolving a lot lately. But people remain at the core. The truth hasn’t changed. If you write about something you're genuinely interested in. That others haven’t covered—or that you cover in a superior way. People will notice. It’s always about the people. It always has been. Whether you’re publishing content. Supporting a ticket. Or sending cold emails. Only when you deliver value to people, and treat them as you'd treat yourself, will you see results. Hope this helps 💜 Enzo #seo