APAC Perspectives on Regional Content Development
An interview with Marcelo Loustau, Head of Demand, APAC – MOI Global
Content development is an essential part of any tech vendor’s marketing strategy, and yet often marketers struggle with creating content that will best engage their buyers. This can be especially tough for regional and country marketers who typically lack the resources to effectively build material that addresses the unique needs of their local markets. Marcelo Loustau is the Head of Demand, APAC for the B2B tech agency MOI Global. Based on nearly a decade in technology sales and marketing, Marcelo shared a few thoughts on how the best marketers in region are building effective content marketing strategies.
Content development is an essential part of any tech vendor’s marketing strategy, and yet often marketers struggle with creating content that will best engage their buyers. This can be especially tough for regional and country marketers who typically lack the resources to effectively build material that addresses the unique needs of their local markets. Marcelo Loustau is the Head of Demand, APAC for the B2B tech agency What are some of the pitfalls that tech vendors should avoid when planning content?
There are three key issues here. The first issue is not putting the customer is at the centre of the content. I’ve seen a lot of content developed with more of a focus on how it will help to drive leads versus how it will benefit the customer. If you’re producing valuable content, you shouldn’t need to worry as much about generating leads as they will come to you on their own. Next, the content doesn’t create an experience. Strong content is good, but strong content consumed in a way that creates an experience is better. Finally, is it fit-for-purpose? I think each asset should be designed with a specific prospect in mind, that you will reach via specific channels, and who will take specific actions as a result. I have seen many assets created to be used as ‘multi-purpose’ without consideration as to how the user will consume it in different scenarios.
We keep hearing about bite-sized content being attractive. Do you agree that content should be shorter in length to make it more consumable?
I think by design shorter length content is inherently more consumable. For instance, an infographic summarising the main points of a twenty-page whitepaper is more consumable. Though, it’s important to remember that the change in format also changes what you should expect from the reader. Generally speaking, the response from the reader will equate to the effort it took to consume the content. I would add that bite-size content is also more consumable because you can distribute it via more channels and therefore your target audience is likely to have an easier time finding it. An example of this would be a 30-second video that could be posted to YouTube, and subsequently adapted to LinkedIn, and Facebook, or a display ad unit served programmatically.
What’s your feeling on content that compares your solution to a competitive offering?
My feeling is that we need to see more of it, and that it’s an area where vendors tend to tread too carefully. I understand that publishing such content can be contentious, but if you put the client first you can build a case on why you need it. I’ve seen enough research to say that buyers want this type of content because it helps them make decisions. I think most vendors would prefer to save such content for their sales teams where it can be managed favourably, but with so much purchase research done independently of sales and online, vendors risk losing control of the narrative if they don’t make this content available to their buyers.
What are some ways that organisations with limited resources can implement a strong local content marketing strategy?
This is a great question and a key challenge for most customers. Repurposing global assets is typically the first option, though it’s still not likely to be as impactful as developing purpose-built local content. Another option is to consider user-generated content if it fits the tone of the campaign and platform/channel on which it is to be distributed. One strategy that is very much on trend this year is to partner with an influencer or key opinion leader to co-create content and leverage their reach, and in some cases, their database, for distribution.
Prior to working at MOI Global, Marcelo held several sales positions in the industry including at TechTarget.
This blog provides unique perspectives and expertise based on our direct experiences within the APAC market and is designed to be a resource for marketers targeting or working directly within this market.
APAC, content marketing, global marketing, localization
