the B2B Marcom Mind
November 2008
Hi Subscribers,
Work has slowed some for me and I've finally been able to get around to working on my own marketing, as well as continued research on marketing for B2B. If you have any favorite B2B marketing blogs, send them to me and I'll collect them and publish them next time.
I'm sure you're already aware that it takes as variety of marcom materials to support the sales cycle. It's always interesting to see how they all fit together. This month's headline article discusses the need for a complete library of resources. Next is my five tips for marketing in tough times, followed by this month's book review, which is all about selling to corporations, something all marketers should have a good understanding and appreciation for.
Always open for feedback. Too short? Too long? Too high level? Topic ideas? Resources you'd like to share? Send them along!
See you in December,
Terri Rylander
LinkedIn B2B Marcom Group Manager
Freelance B2B Marcom Writer
There is only one way... to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it.
~Dale Carnegie
Are There Holes in your Content Library?
This month's quote seems like it ought to be the mantra for B2B or any other kind of marketing. We create content to influence and persuade, and effective marketing programs require a variety of content to help drive prospects into and through the sales cycle.
Most B2B sales cycles are long. Prospects spend a long time researching products and vendors, and it takes time to establish credibility and trust. Most of that research will be done through online and printed content.
In order to ensure your prospects have the information they need, when they need it, you should have content for all stages of the sales cycle. Following the typical AIDA concept, there are content types that support each stage. By no means is this list comprehensive, but it does give you an idea about how different types of content fit together:
Awareness – Prospects are exposed to products and services through articles and content found either online through third-party expert sites, or in print through industry trade journals. Prospects may also receive e-mails or attend webinars.
Interest – Once the prospect is interested in a product and ready to learn more, they often visit the company Web site to get specific information. Well-written Web content and downloadable product collateral is a must.
Desire – At this stage, the prospect has shown interest in the product, is actively researching, and is open to learning solution details. They want to know that the company has a complete understanding of the issue and how to solve it. White papers are the perfect medium for offering these kinds of details and create vendor credibility.
Action – As prospects get closer to taking action, they begin to research the company. They want to know that the company has been successful implementing solutions with other customers in similar situations. Case studies or success stories provide proof that the company has experienced success and the customer’s environment is much better as a result.
Given it takes a number of touches to influence a decision maker, providing them with content relevant to their needs will help accelerate the cycle, in addition to helping build their relationship with you, including credibility and trust.
5 Tips for Marketing in a Down Economy
Marketing is often first to lose budget because it is the softest of all business expenses. It’s easy for the CFO to ask marketing to turn down their efforts in order to save money in the short term. This means that projects and their requested resources get put on hold. But, pulling back on campaigns and content development only serve to put your company further from the prospect’s mind.
Here are five tips to help keep the ball rolling when times get tough:
1. Reallocate a higher portion of the marketing budget towards lead generation. Branding and brand recognition are great, but it’s imperative to keep your prospects heading into and through the sales funnel. With marketing budgets being cut, sales teams are often told to “sell harder.” Unless they have new leads continually coming in, selling harder just won’t be enough.
2. Reduce costs by using project-based contractors. One of the most typical knee-jerk reactions to changes in the economy is a hiring freeze. That means no new headcount and often no replacement headcount. You're asked to do more with less. Hiring contractors or freelancers can be more efficient and often hits the project expense category and not the overall departmental staffing budget.
3. Accelerate the pipeline with relevant content. Adjust your content to reflect today’s economic reality. Use facts and figures that help support reduced total cost of ownership (TCO). Just do so carefully and subtly, so as not to change your overall value proposition.
4. Produce more content, not less. Now is not the time to pull back on marketing efforts and content development. Make sure you have a full complement of content resources to support the sales cycle (see article). While your competitors pull back and disappear from the scene, this is your chance to stay in front of your prospects with new and timely content.
5. Measure everything to prove out your budget. Prove that your marketing efforts are generating leads. Use specialized tracking URLs and landing pages for content downloads to capture traffic and prospect contact information. Have an automated process in place to get this to your sales force immediately. The hotter the lead, the better the response.
As marketers, we’re generally considered creative types, and times like this call for some creative thinking to keep the sales engine humming. So, as we move through this tough economic time and you’re being asked to do more with less, how will you adjust?
Book Review
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As marketers, we often work in support of our sales teams, but most of us have never been in sales ourselves. Selling to Big Companies is equally informative to B2B marketers, even though it is written to people in sales.
The book begins by describing corporate decision makers and what they are looking for, before moving into the importance of developing a solid value proposition. |
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The third section is devoted to campaign strategies, which is probably most applicable to marketers. The book wraps up with ways to break through the corporate barriers, and how to manage initial and ongoing accounts. The author, Jill Konrath, is one of the foremost experts on B2B sales. She is a regular speaker at conferences, offers corporate sales training, and maintains a blog on Selling to Big Companies. |
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