Relevance of content in B2B publications

"B2B publications.....well no one reads them" is an often heard statement.....more so from many of my colleagues who have worked with me through my 11 year stint in the B2B media industry. While B2B media commands only a fraction of the advertising pie in the industry in India, the cost economics works well in its favor to give a much lower break even point and higher margins compared to any B2C publication - primarily because one can do with a smaller team and lower circulation (as most of it is controlled). Most of the publications survive by re-hashing press releases some even creating lengthy stories (albeit boring and wholesomely irrelevant at times) just to catch a client's attention.....hoping he would see it as a favor to place advertisements in the publications. Many go to lengths to offer a red carpet to the client - you order and we can help you with it - interviews, company profiles, custom case studies and very often glorifying duds as well, all in the hope of making that extra buck. Very often, some clients with deep pockets wriggle out what they want - typical mafiadom as they wield great powers to influence their peers in the industry as well. The reason for their behavior is simple....they view publications more as an advertising catalogue that a reader would flip through in five minutes rather than making time to read through what is written. Ask yourself, would you spend time on anything that does not add value to your life or business?

While this route helps get in all the numbers without an iota of remorse - i still continue to question the very basis of these thoughts; more so as i am on the other side of the table today and have been scurrying to find good genuine data pertaining to the industry i am in. Here is my wish list that can actually help me in what i am doing and possibly make me a fan of any publication who can cater to my needs....

• In a cost intensive industry such as ours, every bit of analysis to reduce costs will buy my attention
• Sectoral research - done methodically and with rigor to provide me with key analysis, inference and a path forward will force me to spend time or even quote it in all my meetings to make my planning simpler
• Intensive study of changes in technology and its implication there of can help me gain a competitive advantage by being an early adoptor
• Analysing a particular issue by quoting from say ten case studies and studying the pattern in detail to draw conclusions

These are just a few to quote. The age old formula of stickiness of content is easily forgotten as it is the hard path to stand tall and be on your own. It takes immense effort to reach a pinnacle but alas only few follow the path to the top.

I wish to quote what many gurus in marketing have repeated a zillion times over.....it is important to create entry barriers by doing something that will take a competitor ages to catch up.