Nobody Reads: 5 Ways to Streamline Content for Modern Audiences

Nobody reads. Or at least not the way marketers think they do. Business-to-business (B2B) audiences float between search results, AI summaries, emails, social posts and online influencers. And it’s all in an effort to answer three questions: Does this apply to me? Can I trust it? What do I do next?

Fortunately, B2B audiences still want information. And not just information—they want detail. They compare specifications, validate solutions and build consensus across teams. But before they read, they scan. According to Nielsen Norman Group, people rarely read web content word for word. And to make matters worse, Demand Gen Report's 2024 Content Preferences Benchmark Survey points to a related issue for B2B marketers: too much content, not enough value.

So, how do marketers balance the tendency of B2B audiences to scan content against the need to give them sufficiently valuable information? We need to make content easier to access, evaluate and use. Here are five ways to do it.

1. Lead with the problem

Before you write, identify what your B2B reader is trying to achieve. Are they trying to understand a technology? Compare products? Defend a recommendation? That answer should shape the entire piece, from title to call-to-action. For example, a communication entitled, "A Comprehensive Overview of Predictive Maintenance" implies that a reader may need to invest a significant amount of time before finding a solution to their problem. On the other hand, "How Plant Teams Can Reduce Unplanned Downtime" earns attention faster by promising specific answers to a problem.

This is even more important in complex industries, where one topic can mean different things to different stakeholders: engineers may need proof, managers may be seeking risk reduction and operations may require improved efficiency. If the value of an article, post, email or other communication is not clearly stated up front, the reader may not engage with your piece, much less reach the content they were hoping to find.

2. Turn paragraphs into pathways

Make your communications intentionally easy to scan. Create engaging headlines. Break up long paragraphs. Use bullets to summarize information. And then test it: If someone only reads your headlines and the first sentence under each, would they still understand what you’re trying to communicate?

For B2B marketers, this scannable structure has the side benefit of providing sales teams with sharable content, while also allowing subject matter experts to review documents faster and helping search engines and AI to better understand your content. For more on the importance of making your content indexable online, see our post on winning visibility in the age of AI search.

3. Add depth in layers

Streamlined content doesn’t have to be shallow content. Audiences in complex industries often need more depth than average to get their questions answered. But they don’t need it all at once. A better way to structure your content is to think in layers:

• Start with the problem.
• Explain how you can solve their problem.
• Provide proof of your solution.
• Offer the next, deeper asset.

A new product launch communication may begin with the problem the product is trying to solve, a comparison table could quickly convey how the solution addresses the problem and a link to specifications or a technical white paper might provide additional details. The point is, we don’t need to remove complexity; we simply need to provide a clearer path through it.

4. Write for the room

Strong content tends to travel: a facility manager may forward it to procurement, a distributor may pull language into an email or a sales rep may use a chart for a presentation. And that’s a good thing. A simple way to facilitate this is by building communications with “modular” pieces that different potential audiences can use. Consider including items like an executive summary, an FAQ section, a comparison chart or a benefits callout.

The buying process is not simple, and neither are the audiences. Content should help the entire decision-making group move with confidence, not just a single member. Check out our guide to marketing to complex industries to learn more about this growing reality.

5. Make the next step unmissable

If nobody makes it to the end of your communication, and your call-to-action (CTA) only lives at the bottom of it, your next step will never be acted upon. That’s why calls-to-action should appear where they are useful – not just where people expect them. Some readers may need a product guide. Other readers may need a comparison tool or a case study. Perhaps some readers are ready to speak with an expert.

Regardless of the location, a good CTA should feel like a partner ready to help, not a salesperson making a pitch. A core-content approach that assimilates all relevant content into a single document approved by key stakeholders can make the process of creating compelling CTAs easier. You can read more about this approach in: Making the Most of Your B2B Content Creation Resources.

Simple, not simplistic

The best B2B content is less like a lecture and more like a decision-making tool. It respects the reader’s time, anticipates questions and gives technical audiences enough detail to help them build trust. Yes, you can keep the details that make your solutions credible. Just make it easier for audiences to identify the problem you can solve, to understand how you are the best solution to that problem and to consider taking the next step.

Need help simplifying a complex story without watering it down? Let's talk about building content that gives your audience information they can use and that will actually get read.