To celebrate the Content Bureau’s 20th anniversary, we’re seeking wisdom from 20 rock star clients whose serious B2B marketing cred, brains, and heart have always inspired us. Next up: Dan Ahern.
- Name: Dan Ahern
- In: San Francisco
- Hired the Content Bureau at: Autodesk
- For: Tech marketing content
- One word to describe the Content Bureau: Reliable
- Best marketing asset ever produced: Customer video testimonials
- Why: There’s no better person to market your products than a happy customer! In customer videos, there are elements of emotion, joy, even laughter that are very humanizing and authentic. At Autodesk, we’ve found that 2-3 minute, unscripted, interview-style videos are best. If the content is really compelling, people will actually watch a longer video—up to 6 minutes.
- Biggest challenge facing B2B marketers today: Standing out from all the other content out there. It’s one thing to find your audience—it’s another to capture their attention.
- B2B marketers of the future should: Ensure that every message they send explains why this is important, and why the audience should care. Those two are my North Star.
- Sales and marketing: Are more collaborative now. There are shared elements of the customer journey that shouldn’t be separated.
- If some extra budget fell into my lap, I’d produce: Video testimonials!
- Where I go to learn: I’m currently in internal comms, and learn a lot from the IABC. Books Made to Stick and Farsighted are favorites.
- Smart ask: That we treat employee communications with the same level of professionalism and investment as customer communications. Your employees are your first and most important audience. The more they understand about how their work contributes to the company strategy, the more engaged, productive, and profitable they are.
We’re wrapping up our 20th anniversary blog series with Dan Ahern—one of our oldest clients who has also become one of my most trusted thought partners and beloved friends. Here’s to 20 more years!
Want to discuss anything here? Call me, or check out our technology marketing services.
