Creating value-packed product content: a tech marketer’s guide

By Afton Brazzoni

You’ve just landed a shiny new content marketing role. Your colleagues in product marketing are as excited as you are, because they’ve been waiting for ages to create a series of product content. They’re timing your arrival down to the minute — no pressure!

If like many B2B content marketers, you’re used to writing thought leadership pieces, product-led content may be less familiar territory. But there’s no need to pull the stress snacks out of your desk drawer just yet. In this guide, we’ll deliver product content writing backup from our real-world client experience, including:

• Content marketing vs. product marketing

• Why product content deserves space in your strategy

• How to create product-led content people actually want to read

• 6 examples of product marketing content

• 3 resources for product content writers

Content marketing vs. product marketing

In the era of demand generation, content marketing has become increasingly focused on building brand affinity. Metrics regarding leads, sales and return on investment will always be important, but B2B marketers are doubling down on the inherent value of stories and thought leadership with the power to define and reinforce distinct market positioning.

Product marketing, in contrast, is focused on promoting a specific product (or suite of products) rather than an overarching brand. Its main purpose is to drive adoption and sales. Creating product content is just one tactic in the product marketer’s toolbox — descriptions, demos and pricing information also play a key role — and this is where product and content marketing intersect.

Why product content deserves space in your strategy

If your B2B content marketing strategy has always steered clear of directly talking about your company’s tech, it might be time to turn your attention to product marketing and sales enablement. Here are six reasons why:

• Drives awareness: Content and product marketers both want to boost awareness. Product-led content marketing will help you do exactly that by building recognition of your tech and its unique selling points among your target audience. The key is to do this in a way that highlights your competitive advantage. Shine a spotlight on the features that set your product apart and the business outcomes they drive, making it clear why potential customers should choose your solution over alternatives.

• Improves search rankings: Focusing on product content writing is an opportunity to amplify your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Targeted product-related keywords can help improve your search rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find your product when they search for solutions in your niche.

• Generates qualified leads: More leads ≠ better. Higher quality leads = better. SaaS products and other tech typically require a certain level of education for potential buyers to determine whether the product is a fit for them and how it will add value to their business. Product marketing content can give your audience the context they need to understand whether booking a demo is the best use of their time (and your team’s time).

• Supports sales enablement: Product content can be a gold mine for your sales team, as long as you take the time to gather their insights before you create it. This way, they’ll be able to use the content in their pitches and prospect calls, simplifying their ability to communicate the value of your tech and address specific customer needs.

• Promotes data-driven decision-making: Product-led content marketing can help you gather data on how users interact with your tech, creating a feedback loop that generates ideas for new content. How? By actively sharing product content and encouraging user feedback, you can gain insights into how customers are using your software and what challenges they face. This can also inform your product development roadmap and help you continuously improve your offerings.

• Reduces churn: Product content can help streamline and improve user onboarding, increase engagement, and keep churn low. Resources like video tutorials, FAQs and guides can empower existing customers to get the most out of your product. Regular updates, new feature announcements, and best practices content can also keep them engaged and satisfied with your solution.

How to create product content people actually want to read

You already know that to create scroll-stopping content, you need customer insight. This is the best way to accurately reflect what resonates most with customers in your marketing. Let’s walk through four ways you can gain this invaluable knowledge.

1. Review customer feedback. This can give you visibility into what users like, dislike and wish to see in your B2B tech company’s product. 

Start by collecting feedback from sources like customer surveys, support tickets, social media mentions, product reviews and emails from users. Ensure you have a systematic way to aggregate this feedback — otherwise, it’ll become a bigger mess than your inbox after your last vacation!

Consider categorizing the feedback into different types, such as feature requests, bug reports, positive feedback and negative feedback. Then, prioritize each piece of feedback based on factors like the frequency of mentions, the severity of the issue and the alignment with your product roadmap and company goals.

Be sure to also consider the user personas and segments of your customer base. Some feedback might be more relevant to certain user groups, so prioritize accordingly. The aim is to end up with a few key themes to address in your content.

2. Analyze existing case studies and use cases. Reviewing use cases and reading customer stories will help you spot any gaps in your content. It will also give you ideas for angles to expand upon in future product marketing and sales enablement content.

For example, if you see a theme across customer stories that indicates a 2x boost in efficiency after using your product, you might decide to create a new piece of content that not only highlights these achievements, but also explains the strategies, features and best practices that led to those outcomes. 

Or, if your customer stories showcase instances where your product improved data flow by integrating with other tools, you can create content around this angle. Explore the integration capabilities of your product, provide implementation guides and discuss the benefits of a well-connected tech stack.

3. Work closely with your customer support team. They have firsthand knowledge of the issues customers face, and can provide a wealth of information about common questions and concerns. 

However, your support team is also busy, so be clear in your communication with them. Explain that you’re looking to create product content that directly addresses customer concerns and helps improve user experience. And, provide them with your existing product content so they can understand what's already available. 

Here are seven questions you can include in your content creation workflow to ask your support team:

• What are the most common questions and issues customers encounter?

• Which problems are more complex and require in-depth responses?

• Are there seasonal trends or spikes in support tickets? 

• What are the top feature requests or enhancement suggestions?

• What are the misconceptions or misunderstandings about the product?

• What are the pain points in the onboarding process?

• What feedback do you hear from customers who may not be satisfied with the product?

4. Shadow your sales and customer success teams. This can help you understand the sales process, objections and customer journeys. As always, be respectful of their time and ensure you have a clear schedule for when and how you'll be participating.

Pay close attention to how the sales team interacts with prospects. Observe how they present the product, its features and the value it offers. Watch for common objections and how your colleagues in sales address them. Learn about the criteria they use to qualify leads and prospects. And, take note of the sales collateral or other content they use during the process — as well as where gaps might exist that you can help fill

Next, shadow the customer success team during the post-sales phase. Find out how they onboard customers to your software and what resources they use to help users get started. Learn about the common challenges customers face in adopting and using your product effectively. Take note of recurring feedback and feature requests. And, ask the team which customers make the best case study interviewees and why, in their eyes.

Beyond customer research

There are a few other ways you can up your understanding of your software to create A+ product-led content marketing assets. Here’s a quick rundown.

• Attend product demos and training sessions to get a hands-on understanding of the features and functionality.

• Regularly engage with the product development team to learn more about the roadmap, new features and improvements through subject matter expert interviews.

• Start using the software as if you were a customer, so you can experience it from their perspective, uncovering pain points and benefits.

• Study the competition to understand how your tech compares to similar offerings in the market — and identify what sets it apart.

• Review user manuals, documentation and FAQs for in-depth knowledge about how to use the product effectively.

• Stay updated on industry trends and standards so you can see how your product fits into the broader tech landscape.

6 examples of product marketing content

Every product content writer needs a little inspiration. We’ve curated this list of examples from client projects that our team at Scribe National has personally rolled up our sleeves to write, plus a few external sources.

1. Kitchen Printer vs. KDS: Which Solution is Right for Your Restaurant? [TouchBistro]

This blog post explores the key differences between traditional kitchen printers and modern kitchen display system (KDS) technology, presenting the benefits and drawbacks of each. It highlights how a KDS can revolutionize kitchen operations for restaurants and includes a call to action linking to TouchBistro’s KDS product page, where readers can learn more.

2. Paylocity vs. Whirks: What’s the Difference? [Whirks]

This comparison guide is similar to the TouchBistro blog post, but takes a more direct approach in pitting two specific products against one another. It starts by providing an overview of each company and their services, then dives into the pros and cons of the respective Paylocity and Whirks solutions. The call to action guides readers to another article on five questions to ask a payroll provider, continuing to nurture them along the path to purchase.

3. How Co:Create Increased Iteration Speed 14x with Retool [Retool]

This case study tells the story of Retool customer Co:Create, establishing the latter brand as the protagonist and Retool as a supporting character. This subtle approach to showcasing Retool’s products allows the customer’s experience to shine through, making for a transparent and authentic read that doesn’t feel salesy. The call to action invites readers to book a demo.

4. Microsoft Surface Pro 9 featuring Bri Hall

This product video taps into the power of influencer marketing. In the clip, artist Bri Hall uses the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 to create an illustration of herself as a superhero. Showing the product in action while Bri discusses its benefits in a conversational way makes this video a product content specialist’s dream.

5. Hidden Costs of Lower-Quality Interactive Displays [SMART Technologies]

This white paper is teeming with original research from subject matter expert interviews, and while it’s a strong thought leadership piece, it also presents SMART’s interactive displays as the ideal choice for EdTech buyers. Comprehensive data tells a compelling story that makes the case for the high-quality SMART product as the more cost-effective option in the long run.

6. How to Choose a Talent Development Platform Solution That Actually Drives ROI [SkillCycle]

This blog post tackles the pervasive issues of change management and succession planning that so many organizations face today. However, it takes the conversation a step further than an editorial piece of content would, and presents SkillCycle’s talent development system as the solution — including six steps companies can take to implement this kind of tech. 

3 resources for product content writers

We’ve now covered an overview of content marketing vs. product marketing and discussed why product content deserves space in your strategy. You’ve got 10 tips for creating product-led content your audience will devour, plus real-world examples to give you a head start.

Want to dive deeper into your journey as a product content specialist? These resources are worth a look.

• Ebook: Exploring the Fundamentals of Compelling Product Storytelling by the Product Marketing Alliance covers how to optimize your storytelling, empower advocate storytellers and more.

• Slack channel: ProductLed is a community with more than 15,000 members where you can learn, share and get answers.

• Courses: Reforge offers a library full of product marketing courses. While they’re geared toward product marketers, they can also help you better understand this field as a content marketer.

Hit your targets with creative product content

Whether your objective is to build awareness or drive sales of a specific product, high-quality original content can help you hit your targets. At Scribe National, our mission is to rise to the challenge.

Our boutique content studio’s journalistic approach and research-driven process are central to getting you results. We’ve had the pleasure of providing B2B content writing services to over 80 clients since 2019, including tech unicorns like Pipe, Retool and Wealthsimple, and others among Canada’s 50 fastest-growing companies like TouchBistro.

If you're ready to work with a small-but-mighty content studio that understands you and your customers — and that will never feel like a faceless agency — get in touch.