If marketers built monuments for annoying talking points, then any version of: "B2B content needs to stand out!" would be Mount Rushmore. Not because the message is wrong, but because it's impractical. You can find hundreds of articles on the topic. Nearly all have 4 unhelpful things in common:
They don't feature B2B companies, but global consumer brands like Nike and Apple.
Their examples aren't even content, but brand advertising campaigns.
They only show you the flashiest content that requires huge budgets.
And the worst of all — the messengers don't practice what they preach.
This created a myth that B2B companies below $100M in revenue can't make memorable and standout content. I wrote this article not only to inspire you, but also to show you what's realistically possible.
Memorable B2B content is made of 3 ingredients: unique insights, creative framing, and distinctiveness. This article focuses on creative framing examples to avoid confusion.
What on earth is creative framing?
A lot of B2B content simply transmits information. But unless it contains some truly unique insights, it's nearly impossible to stand out. Creative framing solves this!
As the name suggests, creative framing means framing your content piece in creative ways — so that it stands out and more buyers remember it. It goes beyond using catchy hooks or writing in an active voice. Creative framing is about making your content conceptually more engaging and differentiated. Some marketers simply call this "creative", because it works on the same principle as ad creative.
You can apply creative framing by adding a twist to your insightful content (like framing an expert interview as a comic strip), or by making a creative concept become a content piece itself, even if it isn't insightful (like an entertaining video about your product).
Here are 11 examples of creative framing, in no particular order.
How do you make memorable content about a topic like involuntary churn? ActiveCampaign Postmark found a way with Dun Dun Dunning. It's a short comic book about Dunning, an owl hero who defeats Churn, a prankster skunk.
This isn't a gimmick. It's a smart branding move that ties Postmark to dunning emails and reducing churn. When buyers remember Dun Dun Dunning, they'll associate ActiveCampaign Postmark with an important use case.
P.S. Check out Dun Dun Dunning's behind-the-scenes plan, by Fio Dossetto.
She was ActiveCampaign Postmark's Brand and Editorial Lead at the time.
2. HockeyStack
Hockeystack has a video series called Level Up. It's about Obaid Durrani, Hockeystack's Head of Brand and Content, sharing marketing advice and ideas... while streaming video games!
This creative framing concept isn't expensive or hard to do, but it's still very memorable. It also stands out. I'm pretty sure I've never seen any other B2B SaaS company do anything similar.
3. Wynter
Wynter is a target market insights platform for B2B SaaS. The good people at Wynter have a "Do You Even Resonate?" show built on an original concept. Instead of simply sharing insights about website messaging, the show host Peep Laja goes hands-on with Wynter itself.
He picks a B2B brand and then puts its website messaging to the test with real ICPs. After considering user feedback and message scores, Peep then offers his practical advice on how to improve.
4. Superside
Superside has an interactive design leadership quiz. It's sort of like a horoscope. It tells you what kind of creative you are. Everything about it screams: "Superside knows me!"
They bring creative types to life with fun character visuals. Plus, it's helpful. Each creative type gets its own landing page, with a personalized offer for Superside's career guide.
This is another example that shouldn't require a big budget.
5. Foleon
Year in review reports usually aren't very interesting.. for a good reason. If you try hard to make it interesting, you can distract from the insights. Even worse, you might hurt your report's credibility.
Foleon's 2023 Year in Review report is framed as an interactive document with animated data visualizations that make it engaging to read. They also have human touches that make a world of difference — like a video message from Foleon's CEO, clever metaphors that put data into context, and even a Hall of Fame section celebrating Foleon's users.
This is a great example of making content stand out in a conservative way.
6. Litmus
Litmus framed this email in a creative and memorable way by committing to the Halloween character. They've got creepy illustrations and language like "Silence your send anxiety." If you're feeling brave, there's also a "lights off" mode that adds to the experience.
I think Litmus nailed the Halloween theme without making it cheesy or distracting from the message.
P.S. The email is in vertical format, so I couldn't fit everything in the screenshot. See the full email here!
7. Unit21
The Fraud Fighters Manual by Unit21 is one of the most interesting e-books I've ever seen. It combines deep insights with distorted visuals, engaging fraudster archetypes, cinematic storytelling, and more.
Although I'm not the target audience, this e-book deserves a spot on this list for how it's framed.
8. Paddle
Paddle Studios has a show called Boxed Out. It's based on a unique concept: walking in the buyer's shoes. The show hosts buy from popular DTC subscription brands, and then cancel their subscriptions to see what happens. From there, the hosts suggest how to improve customer experience and retention.
Boxed Out has high production value. The insights are rich too, because the hosts (and the narrator) dig into the history, data, and operational nuances of the brands they're analyzing.
9. Rattle
A B2B marketer mentions LinkedIn posts about events. What comes to your mind? If you're like me, you think of a dark blue color scheme, hexagons that hint technology, or maybe a stock image of a handshake. You usually ignore and forget this content.
But not Rattle. Check out this post where they thanked the experts who contributed to an event. Rattle shared an image of their dinosaur mascot, Sir Ding-a-lot, putting all these experts on a "do not eat" list.
This is just one example of how Rattle makes their LinkedIn content stand out — even for everyday topics like event updates.
10. Wellhub (formerly Gympass)
Wellhub's Murder in HR is a podcast starring actors Kate Mara and Brett Gelman. It's framed as a mystery story about Jemma, who just started working at a company. One of her colleagues got killed during a meeting. Now Jemma and Nicholas, the Chief People Officer, have to figure out who did it.
Murder in HR is a smart strategic move, on top of being creative and memorable. According to the B2B content studio that produced this podcast, Caspian Studios, crime and mystery are among the most popular podcast genres. Few B2B companies are tapping into into that white space.
P.S. If you're curious, Caspian Studios wrote an article that gives you more behind-the-scenes context.
11. Ceros
Ceros provides a tool for designing interactive content. I assume they used it to make this content piece: "Creative Lessons From SpongeBob Squarepants".
It takes you to Bikini Bottom, a place where SpongeBob and his friends live. You can click on various landmarks. Each of them reveals unique insights. I don't know how to label this content piece. Is it an article, a microsite, or a whitepaper? Maybe it doesn't matter. What matters is that it's wildly different and memorable. Me talking about it doesn't do it justice — so go ahead. See it for yourself.
Honorable mentions
Case studies normally focus on the buyers. That's why I was intrigued by the self-interview twist Jasper did with their article: "How Jasper's CMO Uses Jasper."
You don't see this every day. A story of someone who knows the product inside and out. I also felt it added credibility to Jasper in a "We practice what we preach!" kind of way. Well played.
This is me, the marketer who wrote this article. I never talk about things I haven't done. So without further ado, here's a standout content piece I made on behalf of ButterDocs.
This LinkedIn post promoted the problems our ideal buyers aren't fully aware of, like inefficient content writing enablement. Instead of simply ranting about these problems, I framed it as a story of Mel, a fictional B2B SaaS content marketer forced to play the Squid Game. The Squid Game represents these problems. They're so absurd, you'd think they're a sick joke. But they're not.
The Content Squid Game post got 180+ likes, had people in our ICP directly message me, and it earned new users for ButterDocs.
Wrapping up
No, standout content isn't a luxury for B2B companies below $100M in revenue. And contrary to the popular narrative, standing out doesn't equal being funny. You don't have to make your team record TikTok skits if that isn't your thing. These examples prove there are many ways to make your content stand out and be memorable.
It sounds cliché, but all you need is creativity, commitment, and the courage to try. If you have that, you're far ahead of your competitors who wouldn't dare make content like this.
P.S. If you come across more standout B2B content examples, please share them with me!
I'm Haris Spahic. I make standout content for B2B SaaS companies.
If you enjoyed reading this, check out more of my articles.
I talk about standout B2B content on LinkedIn. Let's connect there!
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