3 Ways Content Marketing And Brand Publishing Can Help Sales Close Deals
It’s the oldest story ever told in the business world. The sales department gets the laudable internal attention and resources and marketing is forced to live in its shadow and often times given 2nd class citizenship. But why? Marketing is just as responsible for driving revenue as the sales department. The sales team wouldn’t have leads to nurture and close if it wasn’t for your content marketing efforts.
What’s the secret to getting content marketing noticed as a key revenue generator? Utilizing it in actual sales activities is without doubt the most direct and effective answer. Here are three suggestions to help the sales team lean into utilizing content and brand publishing within the actual sales process itself.
1) Your sales managers need to build a digital relationship with prospects
As face-to-face appointments continue to decline (sorry distributors), inside sales teams are being utilized more frequently by water and wastewater manufacturers. Why? First, according to VC David Skok, inside sales teams (even remote ones) are up to 90% less expensive than field reps. Second, nearly half of municipalities feel ready to accept a more remote selling experience, at least in the beginning stages.
2) Your sales managers need to be seen as thought leaders
The number one reason why a municipality, engineering firm or industrial prospect won’t interact with your company is because they believe that it would result in a waste of their time. There is no interest in talking to a sales rep about your products. On the flip side, they are interested in talking with a market/though leader about a solution. According to LinkedIn research, 92% engage IF the person is known as an industry thought leader. That ratio would certainly lead to more appointments for your reps and team.
Help them publish their own content. Give them the data, heck even write it for them (or have someone write it for them). Let them add their own introduction, spin, data, comments, theories, experience and then help them publish it. LinkedIn, internal e-mail lists, external industry newsletters, blogs, etc. all provide great opportunities to bring that content and those prospects they target together.
3) Your sales managers need to stay top-of-mind between long touchpoints
Most of the goods sold in this industry are engineered solutions. The larger the price point the greater the likelihood that reps will need to navigate LONG sales cycles, which in turn requires multiple touchpoints.
Utilizing helpful and informational content instead of the ole’ “Hey, it’s Joe Smith and I’m just checking in” or the even more annoying “just touching base” e-mails give prospects a value added reason to continue communication.
In conclusion, by helping your sales team create and distribute meaningful content you will also be building a rock solid business case for how content marketing and brand publishing drives revenue and increases sales for your company.