How to Create Mouth-Watering Content? B2B Customer Interviews

Any one with a computer, internet access, and a semi-coherent thought in their head (original or otherwise) can create content. A quick gander at just about anything on the internet clearly proves this. Creating content that’s intriguing, relevant, and useful isn’t quite as easy. Content creation in the B2B world that encapsulates these 3 elements is even tougher. Understanding a prospect’s problems, goals, and motivations is not simply ideal, but absolutely necessary in ensuring your content doesn’t just reach them, but drives them to engage with your company further.

The Pitfalls of Simple Intrigue

It’s easy to catch someone’s interest.

What do a nearsighted gynecologist and a puppy have in common?

Intrigued, right? Do you want to learn more about how I can help you with your marketing research? Doubtful. Do you want to know the answer to the joke? Google it, you filthy animal.

Intriguing content will only get you so far. It needs to be relevant and useful in order to keep potential customers engaged. Conducting B2B customer interviews is the best route to creating content that keeps prospects wanting more. Without research interviews, you’re just guessing at what potential clients want to see.

Who to Interview

1. Your customers, past and present. Devote the most focus on your best customers.

2. Lost opportunities.

3. Potential clients you believe are ideal.

While you’re current and previous clients are typically the easiest to nail down for an interview, the latter two often take a bit more convincing in scheduling an interview. The following article discusses how to sweetly strong-arm them into agreeing to speak with you.

How to Interview

First, let’s be clear – an email is NOT a tool for research interviews. Emailing someone a list of questions, regardless of how detailed they might be, is still just a survey. The phone interview (or in-person, only if the contact makes the request) is the best method. The following techniques will help you achieve great results:

• Have a clear and detailed interview plan. Arrange your questions in an order that will best facilitate a coherent story unfolding from the interviewee.

• While it’s important to have a list of essential questions, this does not mean the interview needs to follow a strict, structured format. Let the conversation go where it will and just go with the flow.

• Record the conversation! This is extremely important when the interview will be used to create a case study. Attempting to jot down verbatim notes will degrade the quality and natural flow of the conversation at hand.

• Channel your inner Terry Gross. Make the person comfortable, inject some humor, and most importantly, actively listen.

Want to see our Voice of Customer interviews in action? Email info@capstonecalling.com