It’s no secret that increasing brand awareness of your B2B SaaS through quality content — whether on your own channels or partners’ — is a powerful way to boost your brand's visibility and credibility, and capture new prospects into your funnel.
The introduction of AI in digital content creation has become increasingly common in the content production process in 2024. And while AI might offer efficiency and scalability in some areas, it presents challenges in others — particularly in maintaining authenticity and credibility. In 2024, AI can be a powerful tool to use in your editorial process — but it’s not yet at stage where it can take on actual content creation well.
So, how can we preserve trust and genuine connection in partnerships content?
In this article, we share:
- How human-centric partner content can restore authenticity in B2B communications
- Strategies for creating partnerships content
- Long-term benefits of leaning into human-led authenticity
Related: How to talk to partners and prospects without AI chatbots.
The erosion of trust in an AI-driven world
The increased use of AI in B2B marketing has changed the industry; to some degree, it’s been around for a while, but it comes with more bells and whistles now. To be fair, AI does help us automate some of the content marketing processes, freeing up the time of partner managers and partners alike to focus on other strategy and other priorities things. How nice.
But this shift has raised concerns about the trustworthiness and reliability of digital content, in general. AI-generated content often lacks personal insights, critical thinking and may propagate biases, leading to low- or no-value content and surface-level engagement.
Seasoned journalist turned PartnerStack Editor-in-Chief, Chloe Tse, heads content at the ecosystem company. She shares her apprehensions, “People are losing trust because of AI content. There’s less sourcing, less quoting... Good content is born out of critical thinking, which AI doesn’t provide.”
The erosion of trust in B2B content underscores the need for a human touch — or better, a human thought, especially when credibility and detailed expertise are paramount.
The power of human-centric partner content
B2B partnerships content — when based on human experiences and expert knowledge — offers a data-based, value-packed alternative to AI-generated articles that supports both audience engagement and targets ICP.
Tse explains that good content should be “anchored in credible data and the expertise of those who have lived and breathed the appropriate subject matter” in order to create realistic benchmarks for the industry. This is also true for partnership content.
For example, a successful piece of partnerships content might be a detailed case study where industry experts discuss their hands-on experiences with integrations built to connect two industry-leading SaaS products. It combines the authentic interest of an audience and the target interests of an ideal customer profile within it.
Or, it could be an industry-focused guide posted to their site (with an affiliate link) that highlights the benefits of your SaaS product. It provides relevant information for the reader while also creating a path to purchase the tech being discussed.
These approaches inform and engage overlapping audiences by providing real-world applications that help co-market and co-sell products to the end users. Meanwhile, the tactile insights can be leveraged by partners and partner managers who can learn and apply them to their own go-to-market strategies.
Strategies for creating trustworthy partnerships content
Crafting strong and reliable partnerships content involves blending human expertise with data-driven strategies that resonate with an audience that may feel less familiar. This balance is essential when appealing to B2B audiences who are seeking quick, credible information that will optimize their program ROI, fast. Partnership content allows you to tap into relevant audiences that overlap with your product’s best interest and are clever ways of surfacing solutions to your future prospects.
Here are some practical strategies:
Select the right partners
When creating collaborative partner marketing content, choose partners who share a commitment to authenticity and quality. Partner referrals and testimonials are most effective when they’re genuine and backed up by strong performance data.
And when it comes to partnering up in your niche, do so with those who meet your professional standards — and don’t just enlist partners for the sake of it. Be mindful when recruiting your first 100 revenue generating partners and be thoughtful as you outline the partnership activities and co-marketing opportunities.
Tse emphasizes PartnerStack’s commitment is to bring the best content to professionals and set them up for success by providing the resources for understanding stronger approaches when it comes to launching or scaling your content program. PartnerStack has spoken to the best industry experts to help educate partnership professionals for content spanning articles, case studies and guides.
If you don’t already have partners in mind to co-create content with, PartnerStack can facilitate these connections. Tse says, “PartnerStack’s Network showcases publishers and creators who are ready to partner, helping to bypass the cold pitch and connect with the right partners.”
Blend data with authentic storytelling
As we’ve mentioned already, data is critical, but the story behind the data makes content engaging. A great story is essential to getting featured and makes for the most natural partner content. Combine factual, proven information with compelling narratives to create content that informs and captivates your audience.
Related: Access data-driven insights through PartnerStack’s Research Lab.
The long-term benefits of trust-based partnerships
Building content partnerships based on trust has long-term benefits, like sustained audience engagement, improved brand reputation and enhanced customer loyalty.
Tse highlights the importance of these relationships: “The best partnerships are a win-win, where both parties generate revenue, ensuring a lasting relationship that benefits everyone involved.”
Long-term partnerships foster trust and contribute to a more resilient marketing strategy, capable of adapting to changes in the industry and the potential challenges posed by AI technologies.
Embracing the human touch in B2B marketing
As AI continues to shape (or infiltrate; you choose) the content creation landscape, the importance of maintaining authenticity and trust becomes more and more critical.
Human-centric partner content — backed by data and enriched with expert insights and personal storytelling — offers a path to bridging the trust gap in B2B marketing.
Businesses can create content that resonates deeply with their audience by prioritizing genuine connections and credible information.
Marketers are encouraged to reassess their content creation strategies and embrace more human-centered approaches to build lasting trust and credibility in their communications.
It’s time to bring the human element back into B2B content marketing.
Read more: Critical points of trust within your ecosystem.
