Blogs…eBooks…webinars…special reports…case studies…social media posts…and more. There are many different types of marketing content that your business can create.
The point of all of this content is usually to share information in order to attract and engage potential customers, and to stay top of mind with existing customers. Content can be used to generate leads for your sales team, and it can also be used by your sales team to turn those leads into sales.
Assuming, that is, all that great content you’re producing is actually being used.
Can your team members quickly find your content?
I once read a study that said the number one reason why salespeople do not make use of marketing content is that they can’t find it! They know it’s in the system somewhere, but they have no idea where.
If you’ve got this problem, the solution is to create a content library, with everything clearly titled and then categorized by product and purpose.
How can your salespeople use your marketing content?
Once everyone can quickly find your content, the next step is to encourage them to make use of it. Depending on what type of content you have created, here are some ideas for how your salespeople can use it to help turn prospects into customers:
#1: Establish themselves as experts – Many prospects who avoid “salespeople” are interested in getting advice from a knowledgeable expert in the field. To help establish their expertise, have your salespeople write their own introduction to your content and then share it on their social media channels.
#2: Address prospects’ specific information needs – Make this easy for your sales team. Give them a chart that lists all of your content for each product or service and the stages of the sales funnel (awareness, evaluation, purchase) for which it is best suited.
#3: Stay top of mind – It can take some prospects a long time to work their way through the sales process. Meanwhile, content can keep your company top of mind.
#4: Help the prospect sell internally – Perhaps the prospect is already sold on your product, but now needs to get three others on board, too. The salesperson can provide content the prospect would find helpful for making the internal sale.
#5: Make the purchase decision easy – People want to feel confident that you will deliver on your promises. Case studies, testimonials, buying guides, comparison sheets and other content can provide the proof that they need.