simply designed to boast about the company’s results. “Good marketing starts with empathy, not ego,” she says. “Customers don’t care how great your machinery is unless it solves a specific problem or pain point for them.” Inconsistency is also something that can impact the effectiveness of promotional content in Stephenson’s view, particularly online. “A single flurry of posts doesn’t build a brand,” she explains. “Consistency beats intensity every time.” A key part of Stephenson’s methodology is creating marketing output that isn’t simply focused on getting the most clicks or advertising core products but is of genuine value. As Stephenson deftly puts it: “Be ruthlessly useful. “Whether it’s your company blog, communications to trade press, or on social media channels, post content that addresses market needs and solves the real problems your customers face. For example, how to hit innovation or recyclability targets, prep files for faster turnaround, or navigate new regulations. Education earns attention.” more detail, saying: “Audience definition helps you focus on your best customer targets and what they care about. Channel strategy decides where you show up. The content plan maps what you’ll say and when. “Finally, measurement closes the loop: are you building awareness, driving customer engagement or generating leads? If you're not measuring it, you're guessing, and if any of this is going to cost you money to implement, what return on marketing investment are you achieving?” When working with new clients, Think B2B focuses on finding what it labels as the company’s ‘brand archetype’. Stephenson describes this concept, saying: “Your archetype is the lens through which your company speaks, acts, and connects with the market. “Whether you’re a ‘caregiver’ brand that builds trust through reassurance, for example, or a ‘rebel’ that challenges the status quo, that identity should inform everything from tone of voice to campaign messaging.” Once a brand identity is established, then content can be built with that identity in mind. But Stephenson points out a number of pitfalls that businesses fall into when creating and sharing this content. This includes scattershot marketing that is 72 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk July / August 2025 - Issue 355 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS It takes 50 milliseconds for someone to form an opinion about a company based on its online presence
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