Here’s a common misconception: content is a great marketing tool used for generating leads. Okay, this has some truth to it, but not entirely. Because content isn’t meant for just getting leads. One of the best strategies your sales team can borrow from marketing is content.
Research shows that sales reps spend about 15% of their day leaving voicemails and only 20% of all sales emails are ever opened. That’s where content comes into play, as research shows that decision makers touch at least five pieces of content before they buy. Here’s how salespeople can take advantage of content and use it to close more deals.Content as a conversation piece
If you’ve ever found yourself at a loss of words when writing that first sales email, content can serve as an interesting conversation piece. Strike up a conversation by simply sharing a blog article or a video that offer tips on a problem they may be experiencing, while in the meantime positioning yourself as an industry thought leader. Once your prospect is further down the sales cycle, you can use personalized content to be even more relevant.
According to an article by Hubspot, here are some other ideas you can try out using content to land that first sales call:
- Build custom landing pages that populate the prospect’s name, company logo, and value props catered to their business needs.
- Host a live workshop that walks through industry best practices and helps troubleshoot common issues.
Nurture your relationships
Don’t let your current customer base forget you exist, or even worse, move on to someone new. Research shows that the average business loses around 20% of its customers each year by failing to attend to customer relationships. [Hubspot] You can use content to nurture these relationships by sending out information throughout the customer life cycle, such as monthly newsletters or industry updates. This is also a great time to invite your customers to provide a testimonial.
Instant Follow-Ups
If you’re like most companies, your sales team probably doesn’t have the bandwidth to generate a well-crafted follow-up email after each interaction. Fortunately, email automation has simplified the process and content has strengthened it. Drip emails allow sales reps to trigger a series of emails designed to keep prospects engaged with video demos, case studies, podcasts, etc.
Ready to start closing more deals with great content? We’re here to help. Just ask On-Target!.
