CONTENT MARKETING AND
SALES EFFECTIVENESS
SURVEY
ESTABLISH A COHESIVE, TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION STREAM BETWEEN YOUR
SALES TEAM AND MARKETING DEPARTMENT
Our main objective was to understand what is working and what is not in terms of your
content marketing strategy. Furthermore, to identify where the gap lies between the provocative
content and thought leadership marketing creates and your sales team’s ability to use that
content to find new customers, win opportunities, and grow strategic accounts.
RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY RICHARDSON
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS
• Sales reps do not understand your company’s content marketing strategy.
• Your sales reps and managers are reading and reviewing your content, but are struggling to find value that is easily transferrable to your customers. • Your content’s purpose is not meeting the objectives
and initiatives of your sales team.
• Although thought provoking, your content is not assisting sales reps and managers throughout the selling process.
• Sales reps and managers are looking for content that is relevant and applicable to the solutions your company sells.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Establish a two-way communication stream between your sales team and marketing department. • Supply content that enables your sales team.
• Connect your sales teams with your marketing efforts – establish integration and identify any existing blind spots. • Tightly align marketing initiatives to specific sales goals and objectives to generate more high-quality leads. • Recognize the need for a collaborative effort between marketing and sales, and ask for feedback.
We have outlined additional detail in the following pages of this report. As you consider your content marketing strategy, we encourage you to think from the perspective of your sales team and your marketing team, in hopes of more closely aligning the two to generate more opportunities.
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
WHY:
Our main objective was to understand what is working and what is not in terms of your content marketing strategy. Furthermore, to identify where the gap lies between the provocative content and thought leadership marketing creates and your sales team’s ability to use that content to find new customers, win opportunities, and grow strategic accounts.
WE ALSO AIM TO:
• Analyze the effectiveness of your content marketing strategy. • Detect blind spots between your sales team and marketing efforts.
WHEN:
Q1 2013HOW:
We conducted an online survey geared towards sales managers and reps
WITH WHOM:
We collaborated with Selling Power™ Magazine to bring you this survey
SURVEY PARTICIPANTS:
Over 400 responses from sales managers and reps were collected
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Nearly 50% of your sales reps and more than 1/3 of your managers do not understand your content marketing strategy.
IMPLICATIONS:
• 57% of sales pipelines are generated by marketing*. • Without an understanding, your sales reps and
managers cannot employ an “Always Be Sharing” attitude.
• Your company is missing out on the following benefits: • Continuous learning among sales team.
• Credibility as a trusted resource.
I UNDERSTAND MY
COMPANY’S CONTENT
MARKETING STRATEGY.
50
%
SALES REPS
MANAGERS
AGREE DISAGREE
46%
54%
35%
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Much of what you publish and sponsor is being read, but nearly 1/4 of sales reps do not read your content at all.
IMPLICATIONS:
• Lack of integration and communication between sales and marketing leads to missed opportunities.
• Without reading the content, sales reps are less informed.
• According to Genius.com, 66% of buyers indicate that “consistent and relevant communication provided by both sales and marketing organizations” is a key influence in choosing a solution provider.
I READ THE CONTENT MY
COMPANY PUBLISHES OR
SPONSORS.
SALES REPS
MANAGERS
AGREE DISAGREE
23%
77%
17%
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Only 2/3 of your sales reps believe your content is valuable and relevant to your customers, while
more than 1/4 of managers do not agree.
IMPLICATIONS:
• Lack of preparation for sales presentations, buyer interactions, and conversions.
• It is possible that your sales reps and managers do not know how to use your content effectively in the sales process.
• Your sales reps may be spending more time trying to find valuable content, decreasing their efficiency and adding on more time to close the deal.
THE CONTENT MY
COMPANY PUBLISHES
IS VALUABLE TO OUR
CUSTOMERS.
SALES REPS
MANAGERS
35%
65%
26%
THE CONTENT MY
COMPANY PUBLISHES
HELPS TO:
25%
75%
31%
69%
22%
78%
31%
69%
63%
37%
67%
33%
48%
52%
57%
43%
50%
50%
59%
41%
49%
51%
58%
42%
DIFFERENTIATE OUR BRAND CREATE MARKET AWARENESS GENERATE QUALIFIED LEADS RETAIN KEY ACCOUNTS GROW KEY ACCOUNTS IMPROVE MY SALES EFFECTIVENESS Your content is NOT supporting lead generation for sales reps or managers.SALES REPS AGREE SALES REPS DISAGREE
MANAGERS AGREE MANAGERS DISAGREE
CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES
I AM CONFIDENT IN USING
THOUGHT PROVOKING
CONTENT TO:
39%
61%
46%
54%
36%
64%
50%
50%
36%
64%
51%
49%
41%
59%
60%
40%
47%
53%
56%
44%
64%
36%
71%
29%
SUPPORT MY PROSPECTING EFFORTS CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES INFLUENCE EXISTING OPPORTUNITIES TO MY FAVOR MOTIVATE CUSTOMERS TO BUY DISRUPT A CUSTOMER’S MINDSET UPSELL EXISTINGCUSTOMERS Is your content
ASSISTING your sales reps and managers beyond the first stage of the sales cycle?
HOW CAN YOUR COMPANY BETTER HELP
YOU USE THOUGHT PROVOKING CONTENT
TO SUPPPORT YOUR SELLING EFFORTS?
64%
36%
48%
52%
80%
20%
77%
23%
41%
59%
43%
57%
49%
51%
35%
65%
61%
39%
49%
51%
54%
46%
54%
46%
61%
39%
60%
40%
63%
37%
53%
47%
65%
35%
SELF PUBLISH CONTENT MORE FREQUENTLY
LICENSE THOUGHT PROVOKING CONTENT AND RESEARCH MORE FREQUENTLY IMPROVE CONTENT RELEVANCE TO OUR CUSTOMERS
BETTER INFORM ME WHEN WE RELEASE NEW CONTENT
HELP ME BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THOUGHT PROVOKING CONTENT TO WIN DEALS HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW
THIS CONTENT RELATES TO OUR CUSTOMERS HELP ME BETTER UNDERSTAND
HOW TO USE THOUGHT PROVOKING CONTENT TO PROSPECT
HELP ME BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THOUGHT CREATE A STRONGER LINK BETWEEN THE CONTENT AND THE SOLUTIONS WE SELL
“I don’t need more, I need
