Precision is a word we often hear in the context of modern-day military operations. News coverage brings a continuous stream of commentary about “precision bombing” campaigns. Officials often boast about the “pinpoint accuracy” of bombs dropped from Nighthawk stealth fighters and Mach 6 spy drones. In fact, precision seems to be the defining word of any war in which bombs and missiles are programmed with the exact coordinates of their targets and guided there by GPS satellites.
Precision is the quality of being accurate and exact. Precision tools are used for accurate and exact measurements. Precision components adhere to a set of accurate and exact standards. Precision clocks keep accurate and exact time.
The bestselling business book Precision Marketing, authored nearly a decade ago by our CEO, explored how, by utilizing the right set of technology platforms and data analytics capabilities, companies can deliver “accurate and exact” marketing messages to consumers at a narrow customer segment or even an individual customer level. Precision marketing has since moved to the mainstream, with the enabling technologies having rapidly evolved and proliferated in the intervening years.
Now with the growing emphasis on inbound marketing and content marketing comes a related concept. It’s one that we at Starfleet Media call precision content.
The idea is simple: decision makers who are in the market to purchase a specific solution are searching for whitepapers, eBooks and research reports that speak to their needs at a granular level. And while some B2B companies may be inclined to publish content assets about the broader category, in order to attract a larger audience (“if you want to catch more fish, then cast a wider net”), such assets may be viewed as less relevant and therefore not worth the trouble of downloading.
The power of specificity in content marketing is something every company should keep in mind. This is especially important for companies that operate in niche markets, where the target audiences may be looking for information and insights at a very granular level.
Unfortunately, not all marketers recognize the importance of using precision content to zero in on their best targets. Posting whitepapers, eBooks and research reports that are much broader in scope than their specific offerings is bound to be a mistake, resulting in missed opportunities — and also a stockpile of useless leads on which marketing and sales resources are likely to waste a significant amount of time and effort.
By contrast, content assets like Smart Decision Guides that align specifically with a company’s go-to-market message, the benefits it delivers to the marketplace and how it aims to educate its target prospects are sure to achieve the desired business results when it comes to generating qualified leads. In this case, less is definitely more.