Achieving cut through content is trickier than ever, and it’s rare to find new and innovative approaches among the noise – and that’s why Darren Higham reached out to me following my panel participation on ‘Hacking Content: Strategies to Captivate in a Fast-Moving Tech Space’ to learn more about my perspective and methods on how to create dynamic marketing stories that scale with your business.

Darren interviewed me about how to create dynamic marketing stories that scale with your business. I loved our conversation and I am thrilled to now be able to share it with you – especially if you are a marketing nerd like myself, or if you are a business leader looking for inspiration on how to expand your target audience content and engagement. Let me know if any of this sparked an idea or comment in your head. Don’t keep it to yourself, please share!

The Idea For A Different Way Of Creating And Delivering Content

Q: “How do you approach developing a content or messaging strategy for a B2B tech company?”

“The starting point,” Louise explained, “was to map out what stories the company actually has to tell. We all understand what problems we’re here to solve—but how do we communicate that in a way that’s easy for someone to grasp when they’re hearing about us for the first time?”

With nearly a decade of experience in B2B tech, Louise has observed a common challenge: “We often operate inside marketing bubbles. We’re so immersed in our own messaging and products that we assume it’s just as obvious to others. But that’s rarely the case.”

She emphasized the importance of shifting perspective: “We need to approach content from the audience’s point of view. It takes multiple touchpoints—delivered in different formats—for people to begin recognizing and resonating with a message.”

That mindset is a strong foundation for strategy. But execution matters too. “The next step is to keep the core messaging simple,” Louise said. “It should be educational, entertaining, and focused on solving real problems. And if a 10-year-old can understand it, that’s usually a good sign you’re onto something attention-grabbing.”

Q: What has been a typical example of an existing story you were working with, and did it need changing?

“A typical story-shifting scenario,” Louise explained, “is when a tech startup transitions into a larger global enterprise—and especially if it goes public. That’s a hyper-growth phase. If you’re on that trajectory, continued success depends on your ability to adapt your messaging to the evolving market environment. That means your story needs to change.”

“In startup mode, the focus is often on product and technical features,” she said. “That approach works well early on—it helps you build a group of customer champions who can contribute to case studies, influence product development, and help boost your reputation within the industry.”

“But as you grow into an enterprise-level company, the narrative needs to shift,” Louise continued. “It’s less about the product itself and more about the business and strategic problems you’re solving. Your audience changes too—now you’re speaking to a broader, more senior set of decision-makers. So your storytelling must evolve to speak their language.”

One tactic Louise recommends is incorporating external industry voices: “For example, in the cybersecurity space, bringing in an independent cybercrime expert to demonstrate how a large enterprise might be breached—step by step—can be incredibly impactful. This kind of content doesn’t talk about your company at all. It’s entirely focused on the problem and where the vulnerabilities lie.”

“And that,” she emphasized, “is the key. When your content starts by framing the problem clearly—without pitching a solution right away—you’re much more likely to spark meaningful conversations and eventually position your offering as the natural next step.”

Q: Do you need or have internal buy-in to this change of approach, knowing that you are also about to swim in far bigger competitive waters?

“I haven’t encountered this as an internal challenge,” Louise said. “But I think it’s important to frame this shift as an evolution in approach, not a completely new strategy. Product and technical content still matters—it plays a critical role further down the buying funnel. But now we also need to layer in higher-level themes to connect with a broader buying group.”

When asked about competitive positioning, Louise emphasized the importance of awareness. “You should always keep an eye on competitors—their messaging, their positioning—and one of the best places to do that is at key industry events, where everything is on display. Then the question becomes: how do we stand out?”

“In a mature and saturated market like cybersecurity, that’s a tough ask,” she acknowledged. “So do you lead with your USPs? Or do you tell a compelling story about the problem, and then attach your USPs to that?”

“Definitely the latter,” Louise affirmed. “You have to keep sight of the fact that your product is just one part of a much bigger business puzzle. It’s crucial to understand how you contribute to wider business goals.”

That’s why, for Louise, close collaboration with sales is non-negotiable. “I always say: marketing opens, sales closes. We need each other to succeed. When marketing and sales operate as true partners, go-to-market strategies become far more effective.”

She added, “I’ve been lucky to work with sales teams and leadership who truly value what marketing brings to the table. But I think part of that comes down to how you approach the relationship. Before doing any marketing ‘magic,’ I’d like to ask: What’s working for you? Where are the friction points? What can we do to speed things up? That kind of input creates co-ownership of the process.”

And it doesn’t stop there. “That ongoing collaboration has helped reshape and refine campaigns—not just before launch, but throughout and even after they go live,” Louise said. “It leads to better outcomes, stronger alignment, and ultimately, more impact.”

Q: Was there ever also a need to cover off wider industry-related issues?

“Absolutely,” Louise said. “Any organisation needs to participate in broader conversations that address universal pain points—like regulatory compliance. This is especially relevant now, and will become even more critical with new EU data regulations coming into effect. These changes impact every business, no matter the industry.”

She continued, “The key is to step into existing conversations and demonstrate how your organisation can help alleviate these challenges efficiently and cost-effectively—rather than simply pushing your technology. That’s how you cut through the noise and create space for a meaningful dialogue.”

When asked how she tackles content execution—especially considering the resource and skill gaps often found in marketing teams—Louise responded with enthusiasm: “This is where it gets exciting. Once you’ve aligned with sales and know what works, it becomes about bridging ideas and executing them in a scalable way.”

“I often start with a webinar,” she explained. “Featuring a subject matter expert, analyst, or external industry voice. From that one webinar, you can generate a full suite of content: white papers, blog posts, short-form videos for YouTube or social, landing page content, SEO/SEM support—the list goes on.”

“This approach allows you to scale your content production and constantly test what performs best across different channels,” Louise said. “And when you focus on consistently delivering high-quality content, it surrounds your audience with clear, relevant messaging—until it truly starts to stick.”

Q: How long have you been implementing this strategy?

“I’ve been doing this for many years now—long before I entered the B2B tech space,” Louise said. “But it’s a continuous process of learning and adapting, always aligned with organisational changes and evolving sales needs.”

She explained that success in marketing isn’t about a static strategy: “It’s a constant evolution. That could mean anything from refining small tactical elements to launching comprehensive campaigns—all designed to consistently support both sales efforts and broader business goals.”

Q: Were there any significant learnings from your early webinars that shaped your current approach?

“Audience segmentation is absolutely crucial,” Louise said. “I see this mistake quite often—and I’ll admit, I’ve made it myself in the past. We sometimes blur the lines between thought leadership and product demos. That might resonate with a technical audience, but it often misses the mark with strategic decision-makers—or the other way around.”

She emphasized the importance of tailoring your approach: “When you’re targeting strategic decision-makers, you want to lead with subject matter expertise and industry insight. Then you can lightly introduce your solution as part of the broader conversation. The goal is to spark deeper engagement, not deliver a full pitch up front.”

“Very rarely,” Louise added, “should a single piece of content be aimed at everyone. One-size-fits-all messaging just doesn’t work when you’re speaking to diverse stakeholders with different priorities and pain points.”

Q: Do you maintain an always-on approach alongside specific campaigns, and how does that integrate with digital marketing efforts?

“Yes, always-on programs play a supportive role alongside broader campaigns,” Louise explained. “Campaigns may shift quarterly, biannually, or annually—but digital engagement and nurturing should be continuous.”

She emphasized the importance of coordination: “These programs only work well when there’s tight collaboration across teams. That includes aligning with digital channels and working strategically with third-party vendors.”

“For real effectiveness,” Louise said, “you need ongoing alignment between product marketing, content marketing, and digital marketing. When all those elements are connected, the result is a cohesive and high-impact marketing engine.”

Q: So once this ecosystem is starting to demonstrate its worth and is supported by senior management, what’s next? Is it a case of rinse and repeat or are you able to further evolve the principles you’ve put in place?

“It really flows in alignment with the business’s needs,” Louise said. “There are always new and evolving goals to meet in the months and years ahead, and your strategy has to remain flexible to support that.”

“As a marketing organisation, there’s always pressure to deliver more,” she continued. “But once you’ve proven that the model works, you earn the opportunity to refine it—and gain a degree of control over how it’s deployed.”

“That’s the part I find really exciting,” Louise added. “Being able to adapt and evolve a successful strategy in step with the business is where the real impact happens.”

In summary:

• Creating fully-formed and simple-to-understand stories around your solutions and how organisations can benefit is critical to any content strategy
• Ensure the stories are focused on the problem and attach your USPs as a solution – not the other way around
• Don’t be afraid to try new things; remember if they don’t work it’s part of a key test-and-learn approach which will inform your strategy in the right ways
• Repurpose, repurpose and repurpose; time spent on ‘hero’ content such as webinars can be reshaped into a myriad of different content
• Don’t be a silo Part 1: fold your content into messaging for any digital campaign support and shift your focus where necessary to dovetail across the wider marketing effort
• Don’t be a silo Part 2: encourage a close working approach with the Sales organisation which nurtures mutual understanding and a ‘single-goal’ mentality
• Have fun with it – once you have proven an approach works it should provide a platform for further interesting approaches

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Thank you for reading my blog. If you need help with building a high-impact, scalable marketing strategy, let’s talk. I can advise, consult or create for you. Contact me here and let’s have a conversation about how I can help you build your momentum.