Not every company sells the new,  “cool” product that makes the top of  their target customer’s “must-have” wishlist. Sometimes a particular product or solution only becomes of interest when the buyer has discovered a previously unidentified need and has already begun researching options. At this point, the buyer knows what problem they want to solve but doesn’t know which solution or vendor will have the answer.

This creates an opportunity to use content to market your products and services. Pairing educational or thought leadership content with distribution  can get your brand noticed by relevant audiences and persuade them to choose your product over the competition.

For companies that sell practical solutions, it can be difficult to find the right stories to tell – but it’s not impossible. Take a look at this content release from ACCO® Brands Corporation titled, “The Next Corporate Data Breach May Be in Your Trash Can.” The ultimate goal of this release was to promote Swingline’s Stack-and-Shred™ line of auto-feed shredders, but the hook used appeals to a current and top-of-mind issue for many potential customers (data security and identity theft). Pairing that hook with an interesting story and research makes it a worthwhile and informative read.

Additional elements that make this an effective content release are:

• A tweetable, eye-catching headline that makes the content inviting to read.
• An infographic presenting key findings of the survey that extends the social reach of this story.
• Written “inverted pyramid style,” the release begins with the most important information first and continues on as an editorial piece.
• An executive quote that humanizes the brand and promotes company thought leadership.
• A bold, numbered list draws the eye towards the bottom of the release and to the key benefits of this product.

So even though your product might not be considered “cool,” your content still can be! Congrats to ACCO® Brands Corporation on a job well done!