Marketing teams focus on building content to fuel the top-of-the funnel and increase the number of prospects. Sales teams, on the other hand, focus on bottom-of-the-funnel content which will drive conversions. By this logic, it’s easy to dismiss the need for any real alignment between the content needs for both departments. However, buyers go through this journey differently. As per a study by Accenture , 94% of B2B buyers admit to conducting online research before making a buying decision. 95% of buyers choose a provider who provides them with relevant content throughout their buying journey.
It’s clear then that there is a need for building bridges between the marketing and sales team who can work together to create or redesign content which keeps the customer close, at every step. It is no surprise that B2B organizations, which have successfully aligned sales and marketing operations achieve 24% faster three-year revenue growth.
Creating a win-win scenario between these two departments requires open and fluid conversations. It is therefore important to set up brainstorming sessions, where both teams share their wins (what has worked well in the past), analyse their failures (what could have been done better) and share what they already know (customer needs, pain points, most frequently asked questions).
Marketing teams can work closely with front-line staff to create the following 7 types of sales enablement content, which will become effective conversion tools:
- Case studies or real customer testimonials
A Hawkeye study found that 77% of the buyers in the evaluation stage say that testimonials and case studies are the most influential types of content!
It’s no surprise, because buyers want to hear how – real customers who were facing a similar problem as theirs found a solution through the product on offer. Case studies are a powerful tool to build connections, add credibility and establish relevance in the buyer’s mind.
Having a handy repository of case studies and customer testimonials across different personas, across various industries or verticals, across each stage of the buyer’s journey, would be a sales representative’s delight.
2. Educational content for every stage of the buyer’s journey
Marketing teams are adept at creating blogs, e-books, and whitepapers, which provide a plethora of information for buyers in the awareness stage. However, many specifics can be curated out of this existing content and made relevant at the purchase decision stage. For example, re-designing infographics calling out the most relevant features of the product could be handed out by sales during their conversation with customers.
Creating short sales enablement videos could be a much faster way to foster engagement. According to Forrester, a minute of video is worth 1.8 million written words. Designing specific demo videos with top features/specific use cases can prove to be highly useful for sales in the closing stages.
3. Customer query handling documents
A quick survey with sales would give marketing an insight into the most frequently asked questions by customers during enquiry stage. These discussions can identify key concern areas for buyers, as well as pinpoint reasons for losing the sale to a competitor.
Interestingly, a lot of the content which can be used to address the above customer concerns can be found in the bottom-of-the-funnel content, which already exists in organizations. However, the same might not be available in a customer-friendly format.
Which sales rep would mind having a readily available ‘customer handling document’ based on existing process documents/product spec sheets, that provides answers to very specific questions in a short and concise manner? Re-designed to be consumed by the sales teams and customers alike. Same content. New avatar.
4. Quick reference sheets
Apart from detailed educational material like blogs, e-books, videos, sales teams could also benefit with short-form content. Single page documents highlighting product features, specific problems the product can solve, any unique differentiators, will act as content capsules for conversions. Not only could these be shared with customers, but also be usable by the sales reps themselves while talking to prospects.
These reference guides could also be a compilation of the social marketing content, which has proved to be impactful in customer engagement.
5. Competitor guides and analysis
Marketing teams use various research formats to stay updated on competitors. Bringing these insights into a crisp and updated format for sales teams would add to their expertise and assist in better conversions. Why? As per a recent B2B Buying process report, on an average, buyers evaluate between 3 and 5 vendors and suppliers before making a B2B buying decision. Therefore, competitor analysis that highlights both strengths and weaknesses can be used by sales reps to have proactive communication on competitors.
6. Sales closure guides
Sales scripts have been one of the traditional methods of driving conversations and conversions at the bottom of the funnel. These act as broad guidelines/talking points for sales reps to engage with customers. Marketing teams can add value by enhancing these sales scripts with updated, relevant content which connect seamlessly with buyer needs.
Curating parts of all the other sales enablement content, in the form of ‘closure guides’ for use by sales reps who are communicating with buyers in the final stages is an effective way of maintaining omnichannel consistency. An effective guide needs continual updates to reinforce the segments that are working and to fine-tune those points that are not delivering results.
7. Onboarding sales content
Marketing teams create detailed content for building buyer awareness. The same content can be adapted to training and onboarding content for new sales teams. These items clearly define the brand’s voice, the brand’s differentiators and brand positioning, to help quickly bring new sales reps on board. A large part of the educational content such as product training guides, product demo videos, short-form content like selling tips, understanding buyer’s journey and solutions that work, can be provided in the onboarding stage itself to ensure sales teams are adequately equipped to engage and influence customers from the start. These also form a part of the knowledge building repository of a strong salesforce.