Four Types of B2B Shows (and when to use them)
By: Todd Clouser

The problem with most B2B content isn't that it's boring, but that it's forgettable.

Creating B2B "shows" is all about solving problems for your audience while presenting the information in an interesting and memorable way. So how do you go about creating shows and when should each be used? 

Well, that's what we're going to talk about this week, starting with what I call "Customer-Problem Shows."

1. Customer-Problem Shows

When it comes to solving customer problems most people think about Customer Success. But there's an interesting intersection of content and success where marketers can play a big role in retention.

Talk to your CS team and determine the top few recurring problems that customers have and build a series dedicated to those things. 

At AudiencePlus, we get a lot of questions around:

• Content distribution (and getting the most out of each episode)
• Showing ROI on content
• Creating compelling thumbnails (and titles)

We've taken each one of these topics and approached an external expert to create recurring content in the form of a show on each. 

Not only will this give the Success team time back in their day, but it helps the customer be successful.

When to use: In a time where retention is arguably more important that acquisition, this should be part of everyone's content strategy. The beauty of customer-problem shows is that often times prospects are having the same problems.

2. ABM Shows

Some of the best content you can create is content that is directed at a specific prospect, but that the entire community can benefit from.

There are all different types of ABM shows. Some of the most common are interview podcasts where you invite someone from target accounts on to the show for a chat. 

But interview-based podcasts aren't the only type of ABM show.

Take a known problem in the industry that is related to the problems you solve. Then find target accounts and create content on how you would solve that problem for them. Package it up with a memorable concept and distribute to the masses (and directly to them).

Bonus points if you involve the audience and prospects to source these for you. Let them be the ones to start the conversation!

When to use: If you need to start with content that is going to provide immediate ROI that is easily attributable, this is where you should start.

3. Product Shows

Some of the best product marketing is done when the product is integrated into everyday content, without feeling like you're pitching the product.

How do you do that?

Step 1: Pick a common problem your audience has.

Step 2: Pick a feature of your product that helps solve that problem.

Step 3: Create a concept that blends the problem and the feature to educate the audience on how to fix the problem.

The trick to making good product shows is by making the feature essential to the concept of the show. It won't feel like a product pitch, because the product is fundamental to the show. 

LavenderLand's Jen vs. Will is a good example of a product show. Each episode would be a product-based-challenge that Jen Allen-Knuth and Will Aitken would compete in. The show was built around the (faux)hatred that the two had for each other, complete with trash talk in every intro and a punishment for the loser at the end of each episode.

When to use: The product show is a great choice when you have the common problem of people know who you are, but not what you do. 

4. The Brand Show

The brand show is what a lot of us are used to. You take your narrative or things that you know your audience cares about and you talk about those things. 

This type of show is built to get you in front of the right group of people. 

My favorite way to build out a brand show is:

• Break out the personas within your target audience
• Have 1:1 conversations with people in those groups and ask them "What are you having trouble with where's there's not a lot of content?"
• Bucket those responses and stack rank them by persona
• Create an entire show (not just an episode) around those specific problems

The one thing you need to be careful with the brand show is that it can often lead to the problem that we just mentioned the product show can fix (people knowing you, but not knowing what you do).

No matter what type of show you start with, the common theme between all of them is that you are solving a very specific problem that your audience has. Keep that at the center of what you do and pick the rest by determining exactly what it is you're trying to achieve with your content.

If you have any questions, feel free to respond to this email or shoot me a DM on LinkedIn.