Spoiler alert: marketing content can help your sales team close deals. But, it’s all about strategy when it comes to providing your sales teams with the right content. So how is this done? And what types of content will help them?
It’s essential to first understand the importance of aligning the sales and marketing teams. We know there can be a lot of finger pointing between the two groups, but as my colleague Rachel Sullivan simply put it, “Cut it out and get on the same page.” Both parties must realize they are working toward the same goal. The reality is a lack of marketing and sales alignment can create an unnecessary barrier to closing deals.
Once the alignment is established, look at some of the types of content that supports leads, gives your company a competitive edge and frames you as an industry leader:
- Create a content library that supports leads.
Today, more than ever, the foundation of sales is relationship building, and it’s more of an art than it is a science. Personalization is key to this – and it builds trust between the lead and the sales rep. We know it’s almost impossible for the marketing team to produce content for every single scenario, but the team can provide a library of customizable templates of content broken down by industry, pain point and product or service feature. In order to do this, the marketing team must develop buyer personas based on sales intel, which in the end will attract the right leads.
- Develop content to educate sales leads.
A great tool to move a prospect closer to a buying decision is content focused on prospects’ specific pain points or wants, via infographics, guides or e-books. The right e-book, for example, can help ensure the leads that eventually go to sales are more likely to be wowed by the product or service, because marketing found leads with the right pain points. Choose your topics based on data. To do this, look to see what was successful about your other content and ask yourself:
- What were your most-read blogs?
- Which site and landing pages are your most popular?
- Which email marketing campaigns resonate most with your audience?
- Showcase your company’s work with case studies.
Case studies are an indispensable resource and one of the first assets a serious sales lead will request from your sales rep. Share compelling stories of the team’s work that are engaging, understandable and highlight the results the customer achieved to enhance the chances of closing that deal.
- Secured media coverage? Share it.
Earned and owned media – press coverage and a corporate blog, for example – helps prospects find you and figure out if they might want to do business with you. You can better measure the impact of that content and reap even greater rewards from it by involving your sales team. When reps know how to use content, they’ll learn which assets resonate best, and they’ll win over more prospects who are ready to make buying decisions.
Need more help creating content to feed your sales pipeline? Check out our e-book on the five must-do marketing initiatives.
Spoiler alert: marketing content can help your sales team close deals. But, it’s all about strategy when it comes to providing your sales teams with the right content. So how is this done? And what types of content will help them?
It’s essential to first understand the importance of aligning the sales and marketing teams. We know there can be a lot of finger pointing between the two groups, but as my colleague Rachel Sullivan simply put it, “Cut it out and get on the same page.” Both parties must realize they are working toward the same goal. The reality is a lack of marketing and sales alignment can create an unnecessary barrier to closing deals.
Once the alignment is established, look at some of the types of content that supports leads, gives your company a competitive edge and frames you as an industry leader:
Today, more than ever, the foundation of sales is relationship building, and it’s more of an art than it is a science. Personalization is key to this – and it builds trust between the lead and the sales rep. We know it’s almost impossible for the marketing team to produce content for every single scenario, but the team can provide a library of customizable templates of content broken down by industry, pain point and product or service feature. In order to do this, the marketing team must develop buyer personas based on sales intel, which in the end will attract the right leads.
A great tool to move a prospect closer to a buying decision is content focused on prospects’ specific pain points or wants, via infographics, guides or e-books. The right e-book, for example, can help ensure the leads that eventually go to sales are more likely to be wowed by the product or service, because marketing found leads with the right pain points. Choose your topics based on data. To do this, look to see what was successful about your other content and ask yourself:
Case studies are an indispensable resource and one of the first assets a serious sales lead will request from your sales rep. Share compelling stories of the team’s work that are engaging, understandable and highlight the results the customer achieved to enhance the chances of closing that deal.
Earned and owned media – press coverage and a corporate blog, for example – helps prospects find you and figure out if they might want to do business with you. You can better measure the impact of that content and reap even greater rewards from it by involving your sales team. When reps know how to use content, they’ll learn which assets resonate best, and they’ll win over more prospects who are ready to make buying decisions.
Need more help creating content to feed your sales pipeline? Check out our e-book on the five must-do marketing initiatives.