Two out of three B2B buyers strongly agree that the use of more data and research would improve the quality of the content provided by vendors, according to Demand Gen Report data. There’s plenty of other research to support the common-sense notion that buyers will prefer content the feels authoritative and trustworthy over content that’s sales-y. Case studies are rated the most valuable form of content for the B2B buyer — twice as valuable as blog posts. That doesn’t mean that blogs aren’t valuable — but it does suggest that buyers will value blog posts more when they’re built around data and research.
Trusted video content based on data and research
In general, I’m not a big fan of infographics — so many of them puff dubious data and fishy sources. But infographics based on a vendor’s own data and research seem relatively trustworthy, as will videos based on the infographic. And bite-size animations based an infographic’s graphics can broaden the reach and impact of the material in social media.
Women’s voices more trustworthy than men’s?
I reported some time back on a study that found the perceived “trustworthiness” female narrators to be higher than that of males (Which Type of Voice Actor Should You Use for Your Explainer Video?) I recently ran across an enjoyable post by professional voice actor Debbie Grattan, 6 Reasons People Trust a Female Voice Over Male Voices. She makes her case with fun tidbits like this:
The clear, melodic nature of the female voice can also play a role in the trust it instills, as can the fact that female and male voices are processed in different parts of the brain. A University of Sheffield study found female voices are processed in the auditory region of the brain, the same area that processes music. Male voices are processed in the back of the brain in an area known as the “mind’s eye.”
I think the quality of the writing, direction, and professional skill of the narrator count for a lot more than gender (or the relative trustworthiness of the mind’s eye vs. music :-). But you might like to see who you trust — try listening to this excerpt from the same 2-Minute Explainer video we wrote and directed, recorded by two first-rate professional narrators.
