Are your wondering what all the talk surrounding content is all about? Wondering how it facilitates selling?
Content is king. We are bombarded by content. In fact, when you Google ‘content’ you receive more than 5 billion results. Every marketer in the world is taking content. Why? It works.
I know business owners who can tell you how long it will take to close a sale based on how much content people downloaded and viewed online. Smart marketing, no doubt.
So what’s the problem?
If you actually do have a content strategy, congratulations, because content without a strategy just adds to the clutter and isn’t helping your company. Part of a good content strategy involves bringing everyone in your company into the fold with your plan, from the top down. Buy-in at all levels is important to keeping your content alive and viral. I wonder, though, are your business development, account managers, inside sales people as smart as your content is? They need to understand why you market with content and how content supports their efforts. They need to realize that they have to read and understand the content you produce. Why?
The sales process has changed—it’s now educational and consultative, not cold calls and sales pitches, yet most sales professionals have not made the shift. Revenue generators (aka sales) may need an education on the value of using content to compress a qualified sales cycle.
If you and/or your team can’t take your content and apply it to the person you are talking to (the buyer), share real-life stories and help your buyers connect the dots, you are doomed. Content is a tool, an asset that you can use to help others solve their problems. If you don’t use content and understand its place in the conversation, step out of the way. Let others do the heavy lifting. You have dated yourself and your organization. Remember buyers are 70% along in their decision making process before they engage a salesperson.
Your company doesn’t create original content? No worries. Make a plan to do so, but in the meantime, use the content from your trade or professional association, from industry and general interest sources. It still works and shows that you are cultivating useful and valuable content for your followers. It’s third-party content that validates you in a different way.
Learn today how content is critical to your success, individually and organizationally. If you don’t share an article, a case study, a video, a blog post and only depend on your charming personality and sales sheets, your quota will loom larger than ever.
Share your content, here’s how—
- Read it all. Read your company’s blog and other original content every day. Know when to use it.
- Share it on LinkedIn. Post it to your network, groups, and/or individuals you are and are not connected to.
- Print it and weave it into a conversation.
- Add a link to your email signature or create a hyperlink with the title and send it out to those who will find it beneficial.
- Personalize your content experience and know what people are interested in.
Content is king but quickly becomes as the court jester when not used to further good conversations and sales. How are you using your content to generate leads and business?
Find out how to use LinkedIn as part of your content marketing plan. Click here.
