3 Ways Content Can Connect Marketing And Sales

I am going to forsake modesty here and say that I have a pretty firm grasp on the importance of aligning sales and marketing within a company, especially in the water and wastewater market.  At Water Online we sell based on what we can do to help manufacturers market their products and services. Those manufacturers subsequently sell those products and services to the engineers and operators in the marketplace.  I’ve heard both sides talk about the importance of communication between the departments but both still shy away from any meeting or conversation relating to strategic alignment.

In fact, according to a recent study by Demand Gen, 49% of marketers and sales executives agree that communication is the biggest challenge in aligning teams.  So why haven’t we found a solution yet?

Research also shows that business revenue increases exponentially when marketing and sales can communicate clearly and work together for the betterment of the manufacturer and brand. Clearly, aligning the two departments is a must but why is it so hard to accomplish? The answer, I believe, is clarity around goals.  Here are ways content can help achieve many of the common goals shared by the departments that are often times at odds but nonetheless on the same mission. 

Content = Leads

The Demand Gen study asked sales managers what they most wanted from marketing. To no one’s surprise the top answer was better quality leads, followed closely by the legacy answer, more leads.

Let’s talk about their first answer before tackling the second.  I’ve written a few times about how the buyer’s journey has changed drastically over the last 10-15 years.  However many companies still market to those buyers, at least in part, the same way they did 25 years ago.  What sense does that make?  Today’s buyers will be 70% of the way through making their buying decision before EVER talking to your company.  That speaks to the overwhelming importance of providing compelling and informative content to support that journey.  Only by walking with the buyer through this process can you expect to have a quality connection and thus a quality lead.

With quantity of leads still being important, especially in a market driven by rep firms, engineered systems and long sales cycles, let’s take a quick look at the comparables.  A mere 25 years ago, print and display ads were the mainstream method for marketing messages and budgets.  Today, their popularity has waned substantially.  Think about how many leads you get from a display ad…five? Ten if you’re REALLY lucky?

When you create and distribute to your audience informative and educational content, expectations for lead generation can be anywhere from the hundreds to the thousands.  Content can also help manufacturers gauge where they buyer is in the sales cycles and buying process.  In other words, content equals better quality leads and more of them… period…. exclamation point…end of discussion.

Help Make the Introduction

Content is an introduction tool that helps sales managers avoid the uncomfortable cold call or walk up appointment.  In the worst kept secret in the history of business, buyers much prefer to deal with people and brands they are familiar with.  Additionally, they will not take time out of their day to read about how wonderful a product or brand is and will always opt to give their attention to a message that speaks to them not at them (there’s a difference). 

Content helps make an introduction without the abruptness of being blindsided by an unexpected sales call or visit.  Use it and your sales team can build off that foundation rather than start from scratch.

Data is Key

By examining the what and when in terms of a prospect consuming content, both marketing and sales can learn a tremendous amount of details that can be used to achieve their respective goals.  What a prospect consumes might tell a marketer what they will likely consume next as they go along their journey.  The “what” may also tell a sales manager how the prospect would like to be followed up with and when they would welcome a sales call.  

It’s important that we work together and everyone knows that and wants the same thing.  What’s important is to take the time to understand how to fix any derailed alignments between these two groups and within your company in order to achieve maximum revenue.  After all, revenue is something ALL departments care about.