Hiring the perfect sales person. Easier said than done. Even the best organizations have horror stories of seemingly good sales hires gone bad. Selling is tough. Prospects are hard to reach. Competition is fierce. Sales costs add up. So what's the right answer? It may not be a sales person at all.
Why Content Marketing Works Better Than Your Sales Force
Content communicates in ways your sales force can't. It increases brand awareness and elevates your position in the industry. But that's only the start. Here's why content marketing works better than your salesforce.
Content Marketing Bypasses Voice Mail And Connects With Prospects
In both business and consumer settings, people rarely answer phone calls. Especially if it's from a number they don't know. A prospect may listen to your voice mail but direct interactions rarely occur.
However, just like a phone call from a familiar number, effective content encourages a consumer to engage.
Well Written Content Works 24/7/365
Waiting to board a plane. In line at the grocery store. At halftime of their kid's soccer game. Smart phones allow us to access work at any time of day or night - 71% of smart phone users sleep with their phone! Content that educates and builds understanding impact buyers and influencers in a way that a sales rep can't.
Evergreen Content Sells For Years
How to guides, tutorials, testimonials, videos and infographics can all serve prospects now and well into the future. And with a sales turnover rates averaging 15 - 30%, content will provide long-lasting expertise unlike reps that have moved on and been forgotten.
Content Has Multiple Personalities
And for a sales rep, that's typically not a good thing! But, it is for content. A single topic can be transformed to multiple formats including videos, blog posts, social media posts, newsletter articles and more. Your audience accesses content based on value and convenience. So, it's essential to build your content in multiple forms. Whether it’s recording a video for your prospect to watch on the go with their mobile device, sharing a post on LinkedIn or writing an article for a trade magazine, developing multiple forms of a single content topic increases the impact of each one at very little additional cost.
Content Knows No Geographic Boundaries
Content travels regionally, nationally and internationally without airline fares or hotel stays. Quoted in publications, linked in blog posts, forwarded by readers and liked by followers, useful content journeys to destinations, uncovering prospects that you previously didn't know or target.
Content Connects With Numerous C-Levels, Users, Buyers And Influencers
A single piece of content reaches multiple contacts with varying responsibilities, across job functions and in unique organizations. A persuasive, authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic that presents a problem and provides a solution, AKA, a white paper, connects and educates prospects at all levels. Case studies and use case examples demonstrate capabilities in action. Content that demonstrates how your organization fits with a prospect leads to more interested prospects.
Why Your Next Sales Hire Shouldn't Be A Sales Person
These are just a few reasons why content marketing works better than a sales rep. But, does content marketing generate more sales volume than an effective sales rep?
Absolutely not.
However, before investing in another rep that guarantees a book of business, a book that never materializes, divert budget dollars to content. Highly effective at informing, building understanding and advancing a potential buyer to the consideration phase, it connects with prospects and makes your best reps more effective.
And when it's done really well, the prospect will even pick up the phone when you call!
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