What is the best approach to ensure engagement with a buyer at the right time, with the right message?
With so much choice now available, it takes between 8 and 12 touch points to fully engage a buyer on the sales journey. So, once interest has been established, a content marketing approach plays a crucial role in positioning a brand as a thought leader, which is vital to building trust and credibility with a buyer.
To be seen as a thought leader it is important you blend your brand story with content that is relevant to the buyer. Content such as blogs, eBooks, webinars, and social media play key roles in building brand credibility. The timing of when and how a buyer receives content is another important factor to consider. This is where marketing automation platforms such Hubspot come into their own as they allow you to consistently deliver the relevant content at the right time.
Ultimately, brands that are credible have a better chance of winning business faster and growing customer revenue over a sustained period of time.
Ultimately, brands that are credible have a better chance of winning business faster and growing customer revenue over a sustained period of time.
How can organisations tighten the bond between marketing and sales to facilitate better results?
It's important not to think of sales and marketing as two separate functions, or as is often the case sales vs marketing! The key to success is to create sales and marketing teams both aligned to the same strategy.
To further tighten the bond, consider positioning your salespeople as thought leaders. There are a number of benefits in doing this. Firstly, by making marketing and sales teams work closer together in a strategic capacity you build a better level of collaboration and trust. Secondly, by creating content and assets together against an agreed plan, you dramatically improve the chances of joint success.
To turn your sales function into a team of thought leaders there are a number options to consider: writing articles which showcases their understanding of a particular industry challenge or topic, creating video content and hosting webinars are just some of the activities that you could be doing. However, the key thing to remember here is that salespeople will need support. Expecting them to write 500 word articles is unrealistic given that their primary role is to sell. If you are serious about using this strategy, ensure that you have adequate resource to follow through on your plan.
Ultimately, having greater alignment and collaboration between sales and marketing results in better content, and a more credible sales function. People buy from people who know what they're talking about, and in today’s digitalized era, the pressure to do that is greater than ever.
Having greater alignment and collaboration between sales and marketing results in better content, and a more credible sales function.
ROBERT KENNY
Head of Marketing
VYPR
Vypr is the UK's leading innovation intelligence and performance accelerator: software that sits on the desktops of product developers, marketers and retailers throughout the UK. Every week, they test 1000's of products with consumers: providing effective tools and techniques – built on data and behavioural science – that deliver cost-effective, fast, reliable, and consumer-led intelligence to improve purchase intent and accelerate product performance.
