By Craig Klein, SalesNexus.com CEO
Whatever your business is, you are probably hyperaware that today’s buyers are quite different than they were a few short years ago. This is true in both the business to consumer and the business to business worlds. Buyers are empowered by information yet they are thirsty for more information from you.
Two terms have become part of every marketer’s vocabulary:
- Content Marketing
- Inbound Marketing
Some say there is a difference between the terms, but in truth, they are not different at all.
What it boils down to is this:
Future customers will only respond to a company that creates value for their sales leads before they expect a purchase from them.
A recent article in Forbes stated that most businesses focus on the problems of navigating Google and the challenge of beating competitors while the real battle moves your indifferent sales leads from the common state of disinterest to taking action to purchase.
Do You Know Why Sales Leads are Disinterested?
Sales leads are totally overwhelmed by the number of messages vying for their attention. The endless noise causes them to block out messages about products and services they might really love. Instead of hearing about how you can help them, they respond defensively. They resent you even contacting them and consider any sales pitch as bad.
A method that has been proven to be profitable fully recognizes this disinterest. It is called either inbound or content marketing. This method offers total control to message-weary sales leads.
By using informative content sent to the sales lead, you have been transformed within the minds of your prospects. Instead of the “big bad sales pusher”, you have become helpful, authoritative, and knowledgeable. When the sales lead is ready to make a decision to purchase, they make an “inbound” contact with the provider and, in turn, make a purchase.
Win the War for Attention
If you have not tried this approach, the concept of inbound marketing may sound like a fairy tale cooked up by a corporate marketing manager that never speaks to an actual customer. If your company is already using these tactics, you are probably adding to your content marketing budget for 2014 because it simply works.
Here are some of the reasons mentioned in the Forbes article:
- Builds relationships with prospects and customers
- Contacts only those who have given permission to be reached
- Focuses on the goal of becoming a trusted and valued resource
In addition, it is critical that you know your market and that your information is relevant. CRM metrics can help.
Approach Sales Leads with Strategy
Today’s successful companies are able to overcome indifference by moving from invisibility to being “front of mind” at the time the purchase is made. When your company has been invisible, any contact feels like a stranger knocking on your door. After you have built trust with content materials over time, you are more like a knowledgeable, trusted friend.
There are several steps in the transformation:
- Get Their Attention
Anyone who creates headlines and attention grabbers needs to be constantly honing their craft.
- Show Up at the Right Place
If you are in the wrong place, it doesn’t matter how good you are at getting attention. A great headline for a book club may not get the attention of someone who is a gun collector.
- Use the Right Media
Again, some audiences are more likely to respond to a video while others prefer a well-written article.
- Show That You Care
Effective, targeted messages express empathy about the needs of the reader without pushing a solution.
Inbound marketing based on useful content requires you to be both knowledgeable and responsive to the sales lead. The buyer is empowered with the choice about which messages get through to them. Use your CRM to learn everything you can about your current customers and sales leads. Measure responses and consistently adjust your communication to fit their engagement.
Craig Klein is the founder/CEO of SalesNexus.com which is a leading provider of CRM, email marketing, and lead generation solutions for business-2-business sales teams.
