Partner with Sales to Create Better Content Marketing

The B2B buying process has shifted, with online marketing content taking on a bigger role as buyers conduct their own research prior to having a conversation with a company’s sales reps. In fact, a Gartner study found B2B buyers are typically 57% of the way to a buying decision before actively engaging with Sales.

Obviously, a lot is riding on having the right resources and information available to prospects when and where it’s relevant to them. Marketers develop content strategies to attract leads and then help prospective buyers along their decision paths until they’re ready for Sales. But if that content isn’t developed through a close partnership with Sales, it’s much less likely to produce the results your company needs.

Marketers and salespeople have different perspectives and skill sets. That can lead to conflict, especially in terms of long- and short-terms goals, views on brand identity, and definitions of “quality” leads. However, each group has unique insights to share and the most successful campaigns result from both sides taking time to listen.

What Sales Brings to Content Marketing

The Sales team has direct experience with prospects and customers that can’t be duplicated in any other way. Ask about:

• Common objections and how the salesperson overcomes them.
• Frequently asked questions at various stages of the buying process.
• Product or process information that is difficult to explain to prospects.
• Who is usually involved in the decision process.
• Typical length of the sales cycle.
• Reasons for lost sales.
• Sales strategies that have been successful.

Marketing Brings Insights to Sales

Sales teams typically acknowledge Marketing is a good resource for “making things look good,” but their expertise goes far beyond this.

• Knowledge of the wide range of channels and media available and how each is best applied.
• Converting product feature statements to benefits relevant to the target buyer.
• A focus on the big picture regarding the company’s brand.
• Third-party and in-house research.
• Database analysis for improved targeting and identifying opportunities.
• Competitor research and tracking.
• Creative development — writing and design that appeals to prospects.

Sales and Marketing Produce Better Content Together

When Marketing has insight into the buying process, they can create content customized to the various buying stages and different roles involved in the decision. This type of content delivers higher quality leads to Sales, who then have a better chance of closing deals. A strong working relationship between the two areas leads to open communication and in the long run, better results for your company. Take time to do the following:

• Agree on definitions — what is a good target, a marketing qualified lead (MQL), and a sales qualified lead (SQL)? 
• Agree on specific goals, balancing lead generation expectations with anticipated conversion rates and sales goals…while staying within the marketing budget. Define what is considered a “successful” campaign.
• Work together to identify keyword phrases potential customers might search for that are relevant to your products and services.
• Discuss tools, training, and content Marketing can develop that might enable the Sales team to improve conversions. 
• Agree on how to use testing to improve results, knowing some tests will be failures but a better-performing offer has greater long-term results.
• If possible, connect content to revenue through a CRM or other technology.
• Monitor usage of existing content; if pieces are not being used, is it because they are not relevant or do people not know they’re available? 
• Share customer success stories and explore case study opportunities based on these.
• Maintain regular communication. A regular meeting or project-based kickoffs provide an opportunity for brainstorming and issue identification. 

The purpose of content marketing is to increase brand awareness, improve search engine rankings, and build interest and loyalty. Incorporating these strategies into a lead generation and nurturing program pays off with qualified leads ready for a more personalized sales interaction. Working together, Marketing and Sales can improve content development and overall business results.