Here’s a truth that might sting a bit: most B2B content fails because we’re all making assumptions about what our customers care about. Sure, we have buyer personas. We’ve got market research. But when was the last time you actually sat down and listened to how your ideal customers think about their challenges?

The Expensive Assumption

“The most expensive mistake in B2B marketing is creating content based on what we think our customers care about,” explains Rich Rowe, Co-founder of Eloquent. “The gap between our assumptions and reality is where budgets go to die.”

One of our software clients had spent months creating detailed content about their technical capabilities. The writing was sharp. The insights were solid. But engagement was flat. Why? Because when we interviewed their customers, we discovered they cared far more about implementation risks and internal buy-in than technical specifications.

What Customer Interviews Really Reveal

Here’s what fascinates me about customer interviews: they consistently reveal that what keeps our customers up at night isn’t what we think it is. The conscious, rational challenges they talk about in meetings? That’s just the surface. The real gold lies in understanding their emotional drivers – the career risks, peer pressures, and organisational dynamics that shape their decisions.

“When you truly understand both the logical and emotional considerations of your customers’ world, B2B content creation becomes dramatically easier,” notes Richard Rowe. “Suddenly you’re not just creating content – you’re addressing real concerns that actually drive decisions.”

The Signals You’re Missing

Want to know what great customer interviews reveal? Here’s what we consistently uncover:

• The actual language customers use to describe their challenges
• The hidden emotional drivers behind seemingly logical decisions
• The real barriers to purchase that never show up in sales calls
• The subtle differences between what customers say and what they mean
• The true decision-making dynamics within their organisations

Making Interviews Work

The secret to great customer interviews isn’t simply asking questions, but rather it’s asking the right questions in the right way. Our research shows that:

• You need to talk to both winners (customers who chose you) and losses (those who didn’t).
• The first five minutes of answers are usually just the surface level – the gold comes after that.
• The most revealing insights often come from seemingly casual asides.
• Understanding the emotional subtext matters more than capturing exact quotes.

Turning Insights Into B2B Content That Works

The beautiful thing about customer interviews is that they transform your content from educated guesses into precision strikes. When you understand exactly how your audience thinks about their challenges, you can:

• Create content that feels eerily relevant to their situation
• Address the real objections holding back purchase decisions
• Speak to both emotional and logical drivers
• Map content perfectly to their buyer journey
• Build trust through genuine understanding

Time to Get Real

If you’re planning your content strategy without recent customer interviews, you’re essentially playing darts blindfolded. Sure, you might hit the target occasionally, but wouldn’t you rather know exactly where to aim?
Ready to discover what your customers are really thinking? Let’s talk about how to turn their insights into content that actually drives decisions.