Like most people, the term “content marketing” might throw you off. The name suggests that only marketers have a stake in content, when nothing could be further from the truth. Content fuels your sales engine, and though the marketing team develops and executes the strategy, a strong content marketing machine requires input from every department to function.
Your marketing team might create a brilliant content campaign, but it won’t do much good if it isn’t the right information for your audience. Other departments interact with customers at distinct touchpoints and gain insider information on specific pain points and objections that arise throughout the client lifespan.
By taking a holistic approach to content, your marketing team can leverage the knowledge of every department to craft content that guides prospects through the buyer’s journey. Your sales and account management teams will learn new ways to educate and delight current clients. And by making your team members more accessible through published content, you’ll establish credibility and trust with readers.
Various departments need to lend their knowledge and collaborate with marketing to create content that closes sales. Here’s how your staff’s expertise can impact each stage of the sales funnel:
Top of the Funnel
Potential customers are just getting to know your company at this stage. You want attention-grabbing, shareable content to hook those who are identifying a problem. Publishing articles that stem from personal experience and expand on overarching industry news and trends will spark brand awareness and plant the seed for a specific need.
Depending on your industry, you need key employees to push out relevant content that educates readers and entices them to visit your blog or site. By reading different staff perspectives, prospects will also forge a personal connection with your team and recognize its knowledge across the board.
When readers find your site, it’s important to offer them something valuable — a free e-book about your industry or a whitepaper you’ve recently published. These “appetizer” offers will trigger their cravings for more in-depth content. Collect their names and email addresses with automated marketing software before they download the gated content so you can use that information to continue building the relationship in the next phase of the buyer’s journey.
Middle of the funnel
This is where you’ll serve your entrées. Nurture these newly garnered leads by giving them more in-depth content, articles, and reports that drill down to the specifics of different industry issues. Reveal how your company can solve their problems. Thoughtful, informative, and accessible content boosts customer confidence and generates excitement about a potential partnership.
At this point, you should also share what your company is doing differently than others, which is where company-wide collaboration comes in. IT can provide content detailing upcoming product innovations, and other team members can reveal tips and tricks that add value to readers and showcase your team’s expertise. The more connected prospects feel to you and your team, the more qualified and likely they’ll be to choose your company when the time comes.
Bottom of the funnel
Marketing and sales teams should work hand-in-hand to close sales with prospects at the bottom of the funnel. Offer more intensive content, such as case studies, testimonials, or a free trial to alleviate any lingering doubts. Your salespeople know the obstacles that prospects often face this late in the game and can help marketing write content that speaks to them. Account managers can point marketing to the best clients for testimonials to demonstrate the real value of your offering.
People ultimately buy from brands they trust, and to build a strong reputation, you need to take a transparent, holistic approach to sales. You have the knowledge to navigate prospects past each road bump they come across in the buyer’s journey. You just need to enlist the help of the people who know your company best.
John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a company that specializes in extracting expertise and managing knowledge to fuel marketing efforts.
