WHAT B2B MARKETING CAN LEARN FROM M-LOGGING AND GIN...
Last week I found myself in deepest darkest Somerset (along with my friend Kathryn, founder of online kids' clothing store, Desmond Elephant). We were at The FmlyStore, Bruton, (Selfish Mother's HQ) attending an event to celebrate the launch of Hurrah For Gin, Katie Kirby's latest book - The Daily Struggles of Archie Adams. Effortlessly on point, the evening sponsored by Sipsmith Gin, cleverly combined a business networking workshop, hosted by blogzine and logo clothing brand, Selfish Mother.
The event attracted a hoard of passionate mloggers (mum-bloggers) and members of the parenting lifestyle business community, keen to learn how Katie engineered a humble blog into a lucrative brand and multiple book deal. Clearly, Hurrah for Gin’s success is a story of steely determination and savvy business acumen - Katie identified a gap in the market and was swift to bridge it.
With irreverent humour, Katie admits to plugging away for two years without seeing any tangible outcomes. Unwittingly, her stealth approach was amassing a dedicated army of loyal recruits and ramping up a viral ground-swell which propelled Hurrah For Gin into the parent-blogger stratosphere. Thanks to cartoons such as 'The Seven Stages of Sleep Deprivation' and 'The Scratch 'n' Sniff Approach to Children's Dressing', she now has 100,000+ visitors every month and a growing range of merchandise to support her online endeavours.
So what can a night sipping gin, and mingling with mloggers teach us about B2B content marketing? Quite a lot actually, (blame the gin...!)
'The Seven Scratch n Sniff Stages of B2B Content Marketing:'
1. Single-minded
Katie’s story captures the zeitgeist of modern day parenting. She clearly understands the wants, needs and behaviour of her audience. Hurrah For Gin is single-minded with its mission to appeal to sleep-deprived, time poor parents of young children and makes no apology. It doesn’t deviate from this objective and everything it says and does comes back to this premise.
2. Relevant
The content (humour) is simple and immediate – it ignites an instantaneous rapport and connection with the brand. It evokes the need to share and connect with like-minded individuals.
3. Timing
Content is easy to digest and delivered in bite-size chunks. Most popular posts are scheduled and shared in the evening when the captive audience is actively online at home - in this case on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
4. Differentiate
Hurrah For Gin has an unmistakable brand identity - crudely drawn black and white stick men. It's what sets it apart. Content must embody brand and business objectives and underpin your unique proposition. In B2B, crafting differentiated messages to suit segmented audiences as well as the platforms and channels they’re presented on is equally important.
5. Authenticity
Hurrah For Gin (if you ignore the trolls) has become a respected voice and is a great example of peer-to-peer marketing. Content is straight from the mouth of a mother, who openly talks about the common struggles and challenges. Katie's tone is consistent, unapologetic and direct. You know she is telling the truth, because she is a parent and has experienced the things she writes about firsthand. This garners trust and advocacy within her community.
6. Passion
Katie's passion is undeniable and is demonstrated through her stalwart time and commitment to Hurrah For Gin, which hardly ever has any down time - the brand is always 'on' and the stream of social content is unfaltering. Her audience has come to expect her frequency of posts and consequently Hurrah For Gin is a brand which understands the plight of parenting. Katie clearly writes from a place of knowledge and understanding which exudes her passion for the job and her audience.
7. Visual
Not to withstand a good cliche, pictures speak a thousand words and used properly can significantly enhance your social communications and engagements. Hurrah For Gin is ostensibly image based which gets over the messages without the need for too many words or jargon. Similarly, B2B research shows that posts unaccompanied by a striking image or simple infographic are much less likely to be shared.
To discuss your specific B2B PR, Marketing and Content requirements drop us a line at: lucy@herdpr.co.uk