Novus aims to help brands raise B2B content standard with new hire

Edwards joins Novus as director of content marketing and training. She was formerly responsible for Microsoft Asia’s industry analyst-relations programme, which saw her recognised as one of the world’s top three analyst-relations professionals. LinkedIn Singapore also recognised her as a ‘Top 100 Social Seller’.

Novus chief executive Simon Cholmeley said Edwards’ appointment adds “a strategic B2B layer to our client engagements”. He added that her expertise in social media also puts Novus in a position to “inspire business executives to embrace the power of social media”.

Edwards said she is passionate about two areas: the ability of content marketing to transform how businesses address customers, and helping businesses use social media as an effective means of communicating.

Riding the B2B content wave

More brands are moving to align content with their marketing messaging, particularly in the B2B space, and as a result, Cholmeley said, he sees increasing opportunities to help companies manage their content assets. It is a case of "taking old school processes and bringing them into the multiplatform world", he said.

70 per cent of Novus's clients operate primarily in the B2C space. Accounts include Colgate, Great Eastern Life and Banyan Tree. Bringing complicated B2B stories to life poses a challenge, and understanding a B2B company's end-users is critical, Cholmeley said.

Cholmeley said he was optimistic that 2015 would see content enter the mainstream of marketing activities. But he noted the importance of building advocacy for content programmes at the top of an organisation. That often requires training, he added.

"We think this is the year that we'll see lots of people asking for education as to how to best use content," he said. Edwards is trained to get people to "buy into" content, he said, and a major part of her role will be persuading big brands to buy in as well. "A lot are still inward-focused with their content," he said. "It's a big investment in time and it has to come from the top."