If you're a B2B business, or even a B2C business in certain domains, subject matter
expertise
can be a big factor in who you hire for marketing or content writing. But given the
costs, and sometimes the scarcity, involved with hiring subject matter experts (SMEs),
it's worth examining how much such expertise really matters to
marketing content
effectiveness.
But before we get to that, we must first distinguish subject matter expertise from
subject matter fluency.
What Is Subject Matter Expertise?
True subject matter experts know four things. They know how something is made. They
know all the key components of that thing. They know how that thing works (and perhaps
how the components work). And they're up to date on the latest developments, news, and
gossip related to that thing.
When it comes to B2B and some B2C fields, such expertise in an industry is usually
obtained by working in it, or by being a journalist or analyst covering it, though many
B2C fields also have amateur or semi-professional enthusiasts who could also be
considered SMEs.
Most professional marketing writers, even if they've worked client-side in a single
industry/domain for quite a while, are not true subject matter experts.
I worked client-side for eight years in telecoms, and by the end of my time there, I'm
confident I knew as much about the industry as any marketing writer in the world, but I
still wasn't a subject matter expert.
I couldn't give a 50-minute talk on an advanced topic to a group of industry experts and
give unrehearsed answers to their questions afterwards. I hadn't mastered all four of
those aforementioned criteria from stem to stern either. Ppeople who do are usually engineers,
longtime product marketers and owners, salespeople, and executives.
Instead of being a subject matter expert, I was subject matter fluent.
What Is Subject Matter Fluency?
This is an intermediate level of understanding where you've mastered some of those four
aforementioned criteria but not all, or you know a little about each but are master of
none. You can follow the industry discourse, but you can't really advance it (not without
a true SME's help).
You know your way around, and you're aware of what you don't know. And while you can't
teach advanced topics to pros, you can teach the basics to newbies, and this is really
important, because much of B2B content
and
copywriting is essentially teaching the basics
to newbies.
Is SME Content Writing Always Better?
Subject matter expertise certainly saves time while writing (by minimizing your need to
research) and lends authority, and it'll certainly help you stand out from
AI-generated content.
However, it is not always advantageous to have an SME write for you, even if you're
selling something technical, and you'll still probably need a professional marketing writer
or editor checking the content an SME gives you. There are three key reasons for this.
1. SMEs Tend To Ramble
Even if their prose is reasonably good, SMEs are often a little too generous with their
expertise, and often don't structure their writing logically or coherently, making it hard
to follow, by bots, layfolk, or even other experts.
2. SMEs Can Be Too Geeky
When allowed to choose topics, SMEs often choose geeky ones only a few other experts in the
world would want to read about, thus lowering your content's potential reach and engagement
(it's best if you already have an email list of other interested experts if you go this
route).
3. SMEs Aren't Always Part of the Marketing Program
SMEs may not know your marketing goals or messaging, so they sometimes write things you don't
want them to write or that contradict what others have written for the brand.
As to when to let an SME write, think about it this way. There is content meant for
consumption on the buyer's journey (usually meant to move prospects down the funnel) and
there is content meant for consumption between buyer's journeys (when prospects are not
presently buying).
You generally want professional marketing writers making your buyer's journey stuff, because
this content must convey what your marketing leaders want said, and most of it (but not all)
should be understandable to technical and non-technical folk alike. And marketing writers tend
to have a better grip on things like SEO and audience perceptions and/or psychology than
SMEs.
Subject matter experts, on the other hand, can write
awareness content (usually
blogs) for
the time between buyer's journeys. In fact, most of your blogs should probably be written by
SMEs. However, I wouldn't let them write about whatever they want to.
I'd probably feed them some topics that your marketing and SEO people want covered, while
giving them the freedom to choose some article topics of their own.
However, if you're lucky enough to have an in-house SME with a knack for marketing writing,
you might want to let them write some of your
consideration and/or
lead-gen content.
Such content might be something like "Seven Problems Solved By the Model XYZ." Or it might be
something very technical, like a deep dive into some proprietary tech you use. Or it might be
something relying on first-hand experience, like a case study or product selector questions.
Having such an SME is nice, but relying on them can be tricky, as they tend to be only available
intermittently. They may write something, and then go unresponsive for two months while they
circle the world attending tradeshows, making this something of a mixed blessing.
In general, SME writing is most useful when you're selling to other SMEs, making it most
applicable in geeky industries like software development, 3D printing, crypto, or regulated
industries that have their own language, like law or healthcare.
Beyond that, and beyond what's already been mentioned, subject matter fluency is usually enough
in most B2B industries.
If you're looking to grow the pie, you need writers who still remember what it's like to not be
part of the pie, and if you want to persuade non-technical decision makers (usually half or
more of the
buying committee), key
benefits for your products and solutions must be in plain English.
There Is No "SMEs vs. Content Writers" by the Way
Some articles out there that address the same question as this one frame the issue as "subject
matter experts vs. content writers."
This is a false distinction. Plenty of content writers are ex-journos or former industry
participants who are in fact SMEs. So don't get lulled into buying this either/or distinction
just because it has SEO appeal. Look at the resume. Look at the portfolio to see who is an SME
and who isn't.
Do your homework.
