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Content Marketing Demand Generation digital marketing marketing Marketing Management social content marketing social media selling

Why Content Marketing Is Still a Crucial Growth Method in Sales

Content marketing has become a staple for most companies – whether Fortune 500s or new startups.  Much like the gargantuan oak tree began from a tiny acorn, content marketing is the same – so important and valuable that even the latest businesses can use it to their advantage.

Everyone is familiar with content marketing. Why? Why is content marketing powerful? What benefits can you expect? How do you do it?

How Content Impacts Your Marketing and Sales Strategies

How Content Impacts Your Marketing and Sales Strategies

All content is not created equal. Some of it is just plain bad.

We know this because we’ve seen it firsthand: in our content and the content we see from other businesses. And when there’s terrible content on the internet, people stop trusting your brand. They don’t want to give you their money or their time anymore.

Think about the last few articles you read. Were they short? Were they long? How did you feel about them?

Like most people, you felt the longer articles were more thorough. However, you also felt shorter articles were more concise and direct. Do you think about how much better it feels to know the author has been consistent over time? Or taking time to make sure every word was important and well-crafted?

No doubt writing quality content takes time—but it’s worth it. Because when your audience can see how much effort goes into each piece of content, they will feel much more invested in what you have to say. When they see your consistency, they’ll know they can trust this information and expect more from you in future pieces of content!

Capturing Attention

Great content can be used in many ways to grow your business. It can help build customer relationships, generate leads, and increase sales. But how do you know if your content is effective?

To keep your audience engaged, you need to understand their needs, wants, and desires. This means you need to know what they’re looking for in a product or service like yours. When you understand this, developing content that will resonate with them and help them feel connected with your brand is easy.

When creating great content, you must ensure that everything is focused on one goal: attracting new customers while retaining existing ones. The best way to do this is by creating quality content that educates them about your brand or product line without being too salesy or promotional-sounding; this will help build trust between you and your readers, so they’ll want to continue reading more from you in the future!

Quality content is the key to success on social media

Social Media Traction

As a business owner, you know how difficult it can be to get noticed on Facebook and Twitter. You’ve probably tried posting funny photos, links to articles that will interest your followers and clients, or even updates about what’s going on in your personal life. But did any of those things work?

It’s time to change your approach. Instead of posting random updates that no one cares about, focus on creating quality content that will attract the people who matter most to your business: your customers!

Quality content is the key to success on social media because it allows you to connect with potential customers in a way that feels genuine and authentic—and they’ll trust you because of it. Even better? 

Quality content stands out from the noise online, which means more people are likely to see it than if you were just trying to get clicks by posting clickbait titles or sharing outdated memes. 

Online presence is essential because it allows people to learn more about what makes your company different from others in its industry—and why they should do business with YOU instead of someone else.

Lead Generation

When you write blog posts, infographics, and other content that is helpful to your audience and solves their problems, they will want to read it. This helps them feel they know what they’re doing regarding your products or services. They’ll be more likely to make purchases from you because they trust you and what you have to offer.

In addition to generating leads, content marketing is also an excellent way to get more views on your website. For example, when people see what kind of information you share on social media or through email newsletters, they might click over and check out more details about what you have available for sale. 

This can help increase traffic on your site, which may lead them down a path towards becoming paying customers for whatever it is that you sell!

SEO

If you want people to find your site when they search for specific information or products, then it makes sense that you would like to create content that is as relevant as possible.

This doesn’t mean that every page on your website needs to provide information about every product or service you offer—but it does mean that if someone searches for something specific on Google and finds your site near the top of the results page, they’re likely going to stick around long enough to see what else you have available.

The first step in SEO is to write great content, not just old content. Next, you must focus on creating helpful stuff that interests readers and makes them want to share it with their friends.

The second step is ensuring that when people search for things related to what you write about, they find your site first. That’s where keyword research comes in: you need to learn what words or phrases people use when they search for things related to your business to optimize your site for those terms (and avoid using them yourself).

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#S4LSocial social content marketing social media selling Social Selling Social Selling Toolkit Social Selling Training Twitter

How To Post Social Media Content Every Day Without Losing Your Mind, Passion, Or Unique Branding

Do you feel like you need to post every day on your social networks to keep up with the Joneses? And if so, do you think that could be a detriment to your business? Not necessarily. You can post every day and maintain quality, variety, and value. It isn’t always easy to conceive ideas for new content every day, but there are ways to make it easier.

The 3 (Not-So) Secret Ingredients to Daily Social Media Content

To build a solid online presence and gain followers, post quality content regularly, with variety in your posts and value for your readers.

Quality. Variety. Value. These three variables, when combined, create top-notch blog posts. Don’t worry about keyword density or backlinks. Instead, focus on creating fascinating blog posts that people will link to naturally. Google’s Panda update rewards this sort of content because Google knows that your readers will naturally want to share or link to great content.

Quality Comes First.

Quality Comes First.

It’s a common misconception that you have to post more content to gain more followers. But the truth is that posting high-quality content will bring people back for more.

No matter how often your material gets shared on social media, people will stop viewing it and go elsewhere if it lacks quality. Quality is the key to creating solid relationships with your audience, and it’s what makes them want to keep coming back for more.

If you want to be seen as an expert, or just a credible source of information, you need to make sure that everything you post is high-quality. Your content needs to be researched, well-written and accurate. If it isn’t, no one will take you seriously, and they certainly won’t trust your opinions or advice!

Variety Comes Next.

Variety Comes Next.

We know you’re busy, so we don’t want to tell you this every day: posting the same thing every day is a bad idea.

There are a few reasons why. First, it gets boring—your followers will get bored and stop following you if they see the same thing repeatedly. Second, it’s not suitable for your brand—you want people to be excited about what you post, and if they can’t even remember what you posted yesterday because it was the same as today, how excited can they get?

So how do you make sure that doesn’t happen? We recommend posting 3-4 different kinds of posts throughout the week. How many depends on your industry—if your followers are in the tech industry, then maybe only one post per week is enough; but if they’re in retail or fashion, then perhaps two or three times per day might be necessary!

Your audience is looking for a variety of content that will help them with their daily lives. If all you do is post about how excellent your product is and why they should buy it, they’re going to get bored with what you offer.

People want more than just sales pitches from brands—they want something that helps them understand their problems and gives them advice on how to solve them.

You need to mix things up a bit! Some days, you can post a link to an article relevant to your business and industry. Other days, you can post a picture of something funny or cute. Sometimes, it’s even okay to post something that makes you happy! If all else fails, think about what would make other people like the posts they see in their feed—and then go with that.

Finally, Provide Value.

Finally, Provide Value.

Here’s the thing: If you’re not providing value to your followers, then what are you doing?

Your followers follow you because they want to learn something new and be inspired. They want to see what you’re up to in your business, but they also wish for tips and tricks to help them in their careers and personal lives.

So what do they get when they see a bunch of selfies and the same old sales pitches? Not much.

You need to give your followers something that will improve something for them. That’s where the real magic happens—when you give people something that makes their lives better, no matter how small or insignificant it seems.

The most important thing you can do as a brand is to give your followers something to make them feel valued.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of posting just to post—but if you’re not providing any kind of value in the posts you share, what are you even doing? What’s the point?

If you don’t have anything valuable to say or give to your followers, then why are they following you in the first place?

The answer: They want to be inspired, informed, and entertained by your content. And if they’re not getting that from you, well—they’re going somewhere else.

Conclusion

You’ve probably heard this before: you have to put in the time to see results.

It’s true—and especially true when it comes to content creation. When you’re trying to build a brand and gain followers, you’re building up trust. And you do that by showing your audience that you know what you’re talking about and that they can trust what you say.

That means creating quality content that tells your story, educates your audience, and gives them something they want or need.  It also means editing each piece of content, so it’s as accurate and polished as possible before publishing.

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Sales Inspiration sales performance sales pipeline Sales Play Sales Process sales skills sales strategy social content marketing social media selling Social Selling Social Selling Tools Social Selling Training Technology video video selling

Prospecting Videos: 5 Proven Strategies To Increase Turnover

If your job was to prospect for potential clients looking to buy from your company, what strategies can you use to help close more deals? 

Ten years ago, just about any business owner that possessed a camcorder, a tripod, and the ability to turn on the recorder could film a commercial. These days, video marketing needs a little more creativity and professionalism. Video offers a personal touch when communicating with prospects and lets them know that you care enough to put in extra effort for them.

How To Prospect Using Video: Our Top Tips

How To Prospect Using Video: Keep ‘Em Short, Simple, Sweet.

#1: Keep ‘Em Short, Simple, Sweet.

A sales prospecting video is the first impression, so it must be top-notch.

If you’re looking to create a video that will truly stand out, then it’s essential to follow these guidelines:

Keep it short and sweet. Keep your sales prospecting videos under two minutes. This ensures you can get your point across without overwhelming your customer.

Make sure your script is on point and tight. A poorly written script for a sales prospecting video can lead to even worse results than no video. You want to make sure you’re saying what you need to say to get those prospects on board with your brand message and sales pitch.

Keep it simple and easy to understand. Don’t overcomplicate things by being fancy or clever — it won’t work in this situation! Everything about this video makes sense for your audience, from start to finish.

How To Prospect Using Video: Always Leave a CTA.

#2: Always Leave a CTA.

A call to action (CTA) is simply an instruction that encourages people to take some kind of action. This could be signing up for something, buying a product, or even sharing the video with their friends.

It can be anything from signing up for a newsletter, downloading an ebook, sharing, subscribing, or following you on social media.

There are many ways of including a call to action in your video. Here are some ideas:

  • At the beginning of your video – If you want people to take action at the end of your video (for example, subscribe or share), then it’s best to include the CTA in the beginning. This way, viewers will remember what they’re supposed to do when they reach the end of your video.
  • In the end – This is probably how most people include CTAs in their videos. You can either ask directly for viewers to take action (for example, “please subscribe”) or use a subtle hint – for instance, by saying something like “make sure you don’t miss out on our next video.” You can also leave it up to the viewer’s imagination by asking, “what should we talk about next?”
How To Prospect Using Video: Be Prepared. Have a Script Ready.

#3: Be Prepared. Have a Script Ready.

We’ve all been there. You’re recording a video, and you realize that you don’t know what you’re going to say.

It’s not a good feeling, and it can make the difference between a successful video and one that flops.

To avoid this scenario in your videos, write down your talking points before recording. When it comes time to record, you’ll be prepared with ideas for what to say next.

This can be as simple as writing down bullet points on paper or in a word processor — whatever works best for you.

It’s common for people to get nervous about being on camera and forget what they want to say, so you must have everything written down ahead of time.

You can use bullet points or complete sentences, but it’s best if the notes are short and concise. Don’t worry about the length of the talking points — just get the main points out there.

Once you’ve written down your talking points, you’ll need to memorize them. Practice saying them out loud until they feel natural. If you’re not sure how to practice, try reciting them while driving or doing chores around your house.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask someone else for help if they notice something that needs fixing or improving in your presentation style. You’ll be surprised at how better people will react when they see that you’re trying hard — not just winging it!

How To Prospect Using Video: Connect with Your Audience.

#4: Connect with Your Audience.

When speaking to someone on camera, your eyes are the most essential part of your body. When you talk to your audience on camera, make sure that you look at them as they watch what’s happening in front of them with interest and focus.

When we speak to someone, there’s an unconscious connection between our eyes and theirs. To make it work in a video, simply turn the camera toward yourself to capture your face from the side while you’re talking. Then, turn the camera back toward whoever is listening to you so they can see what you see onscreen.

The viewer will be able to see that connection between their eyes and yours through this process — making it easier for them to feel like they know who you are and what you’re experiencing together in real-time. 

Because video is an emotional medium, it’s important that your viewers feel connected to you through their feelings about what’s happening onscreen — rather than just watching passively from an outsider’s perspective.

How To Prospect Using Video: Add Some Personality To Your Videos!

#5: Add Some Personality To Your Videos!

A sales prospecting video is one of the best ways to get your message to your target audience in a way that they can relate to. It’s a great way to show off your personality, and it offers you an opportunity to be yourself.

For example, if you’re a consultant, you might want to show how easy it is for people to reach out and ask you questions. Maybe you want to explain why you do what you do, or perhaps you just want to give some tips on how they can get started on their businesses.

If you’re a freelancer or contractor, your prospecting videos should focus on why clients should hire you instead of everyone else offering similar services. Show them why they should choose you over all the other options!

When producing a sales prospecting video, it’s tempting to use stock images and generic music. You may think that having a generic look will help as many people hear your message as possible.

That might be true, but it also means that your prospects will be less likely to pay attention. If they’ve seen a million videos just like yours, they’ll tune out before you get started.

The best way to promote yourself is to show off who you are through the videos you create. Don’t hide behind the camera or pretend that you’re someone else — let your personality shine through so that prospects can see who they’re dealing with.

Here are some tips to achieve this:

Show off your office space. 

This is a great way to give prospects a chance to see what working at your company would look like, but it also gives them a chance to see where the work they do every day happens. If you have any cool features like slide shows or other office amenities, definitely include those!

Have fun with it! 

This is an opportunity for you and your team members to be themselves—show off their personalities and let people get to know them better. This can help build trust with viewers since they’ll be able to see that they’re dealing with real people who care about what they do.

Use humor whenever possible!

It goes without saying: people love humor, especially when it’s used effectively—and the best part is that there’s no wrong way to do it! Just make sure that whatever jokes or puns you use are appropriate for the audience you’re reaching out to

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Blog social content marketing Social Selling

Why Do B2B Sellers Need to Share Content on Social Media?

One of the questions salespeople might be asking is this: Why do I need to bother with posting and sharing content on social media? Isn’t that the marketing team’s job?

Traditionally, that makes sense. However, modern selling is changing the landscape of prospecting and closing deals.

B2B sellers have to be on social media platforms to connect with their existing customers, build relationships with new people, and establish themselves as authoritative players in their industry. 

Regularly sharing relevant content can help them build and maintain rapport with their existing and potential customers and improve their company’s reputation and brand awareness.

Who Needs to Share Social Media Content?

If you have a role in sales enablement, SDR, business operations, VP of sales, or other positions similar to these, you have to share content regularly.

This is especially important if you’re in the B2B sales industry. 

LinkedIn and Twitter are two of the essential social platforms for reaching out to prospects and maintaining relationships.

Here’s our COO, Amar Sheth, on why sharing content online is an absolute necessity as a B2B seller:

Why Do You – a Seller – Need to Share Content?

67% of B2B buyers are now visiting LinkedIn profiles

If you aren’t doing it yet, you are likely missing out on opportunities for sales and networking.

By sharing the right type of content and interacting with your audience consistently, you not only craft better awareness for your sales team or company—you are also keeping yourself open whenever new opportunities arise.

Did you know that the “Activity” tab is the fifth most checked-out portion on your LinkedIn profile?

This is the section where you can see what posts you’ve been sharing. It’s better to see that section filled with relevant content than not.

Different types of content can help you resonate with your target audience. Doing social media content work can help you, in the short term, get more clicks to your website, increase brand awareness, and grow your immediate network. And in the long run, it can lead to more sales conversations, deals closed, and the growth of your sales pipeline. You need to keep in mind these reasons whenever you perform social media sharing tasks (looking for content, sharing the content, and scheduling future content).

82% of buyers viewed at least five pieces of content from a winning vendor.

Forrester

95% of buyers chose vendors that provided content that helped guide them through every stage of their buying process.

Demand Gen Report

In addition to opening up opportunities for pipeline growth, there is also the obvious benefit of converting your content to actual sales. Buyers are more likely to purchase from trustworthy and reliable vendors and have established authority in their industry.

What Content Should You Share?

So you’re convinced that sharing content on social media is essential for your sales process. The next thing you need to figure out is which types of content you’re going to share. 

It’s generally accepted and commonly done for salespeople to share third-party content.

This reflects content – and information – that you as an individual find interesting. It should also, of course, be relevant to your field and industry. This type of content is something that you should actively seek out and share regularly.

Marketing teams follow a general 80-20 rule in content sharing. This means they share 80% third-party content and 20% promotional or company content. In B2B, however, these ratios can differ depending on how much high-level educational or professional content your company produces.

Sellers, in particular, need to be vigilant about sharing data, products, and even sales pitches. What you need to do instead is to provide content from outside sources regularly. This gives your audiences and target market an idea that you are a hub of information and knowledge and that they can trust you as an authority in your field.

In addition to this, you can list the sources of content where you can get your daily social media shares. Gather the publications and other sources that are relevant to your industry. You can even ask customers directly (i.e., What publications do you read to stay up-to-date for your role and/or industry?).

Your sales team can also work together with your marketing team. Ask the people in charge of marketing and social media for sources and content that you can share on your LinkedIn pages. These people are expected to keep themselves updated with the latest in your industry, so they will be a valuable resource for you.

Sharing relevant curated content lets your audience know that you take time each day to keep up-to-date with news and trends in your industry. It shows you’re looking for the best ways to offer added value to them without a sales agenda each time.

The Takeaway

Almost any sales enablement team will succeed if they make content the foundation of their social selling practices. Having relevant and useful customer-facing content can establish the seller’s authority and improve the level of relationships between them and their customers.

Keep in mind that while content matters, having the correct type of content (in context) matters more. When planning out your sales process, remember that customer-facing content that becomes part of the customer journey can be the secret to success, especially in such a dynamic buyer-driven environment.

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Blog digital sales Digital Selling digital selling training Sales and Marketing sales fundamentals sales transformation social content marketing social media selling Social Selling social selling companies Social Selling Training

To jump, or not jump – off the “digital sales cliff” without a parachute?

Digital sales cliff

Today I was with a Global 50 conglomerate’s learning and development (L&D) team talking about making the big plunge into digital sales. The sales team has been selling face-to-face in nearly 100% of their accounts – at the detriment of a bloated CAC (Cost of Customer Acquisition). As their L&D team puts it “we’re spending thousands to make thousands from many of our customers – it’s counter-productive”. This digital sales transformation is about to become a sweeping, universal change for the company. We’re talking about 1,000’s of sales professionals moving from 100% face-to-face, to 80% inside & 20% face-to-face with key accounts. I decided to write this blog from the voice of the customers and their key concerns about this transition.