Like many of my peers, my first “real” job was in the 1990s. It was a more simple time when Concord jets still flew from London to New York in under 3 hours, September 11 was an ordinary day on the calendar, and Anthrax was known as an 80s metal band, not a deadly powder.
I spent most of my work hours hustling. I would be in my car or on my phone, calling or calling on existing clients and potential customers. The sales strategy was basic; there wasn’t much strategy at all. I was taught to approach any business – without much targeting – and sell them my product by highlighting its benefits over the competition. The challenge was that I wasn’t always speaking to the decision-makers, and my “sales kit” consisted of piles of marketing materials. This scattershot approach resulted in high volume with a low success rate, probably less than 25 percent. I was young, energetic, driven – and unsuccessful. Busyness was not generating business.
Today, everything is a bit less simple. Technology has transformed the sales landscape for both sales representatives and buyers. The traditional sales tactics are no longer effective, and sales reps must adapt to the new buyer-led process. In addition, the internet has given buyers access to vast amounts of information, and they now research solutions before sitting through sales pitches.
To stay ahead, salespeople must adopt inbound marketing strategies and attract new clients with targeted and engaging content. Identifying your ideal customer and delivering valuable information is crucial to success. In a recent report, two-thirds of marketers shared that content marketing has been effective for their business, making it a critical strategy for sales success.
So how should you start?
Begin with your website and your blog.
Start by revamping your website and including case studies that showcase successful client experiences. Make sure the website is visually appealing and engaging. You may want to consider hiring a specialized freelancer or two if you’re not familiar with website design.
It’s also essential to keep your blog updated with relevant topics and share your company’s culture and business enhancements. If you don’t already have a blog, start one. Create a content calendar and publish posts on a regular schedule. Choose subjects relevant to your business and your customers. Engage with employees and colleagues to harvest topics and ideas for content. Again, you may want to hire a contracted writer to assist with copy creation or editing.
Does a blog seem overwhelming? It might be, but this chore has plenty of benefits. Invest the time to create your publishing schedule, determine topics, and plan ahead for the whole quarter – or the whole year. Consider partnering with a complementary business and sharing each other’s blogs or collaborating on content. Building and following a routine, working with partners, or engaging with a freelance expert for help will make this task easier.
Update your social media accounts – all of them.
In addition to your website and blog, optimizing your social media channels is crucial. Don’t get stuck in the rut of only using one platform, but don’t blanket copy-and-pasted content across all outlets simultaneously. Make sure to post unique, relevant content to each app, and be mindful of the audience on each channel. Share tips, tricks, resources, and highlights from your blog.
Dig a little deeper and create custom resources.
Providing online resources, such as white papers, is also a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field and attract customers. If you’re hesitant about sharing this type of content, remind yourself that we’re focusing on getting away from traditional sales tactics. We’re attracting inbound customers.
Give relevant content to your audience for free without commitment. Don’t think of it as giving away your expertise. Instead, realize it is giving potential customers a sample of what they’ll get when they work with your company. Use an email collection tool as the currency for the content, collect their email in exchange for the information. Then, follow up with a scheduled, content-rich newsletter. Use the newsletter to reinforce the concept that you are the expert that they need.
Get camera-ready and add progressive new content.
Next, consider videos. Video content is another powerful tool for attracting and retaining customers. You don’t need to be an expert to create videos. Today, people prefer authentic videos over highly edited or produced. Simply, build a list of relevant topics and create compelling scripts. Content is crucial. Use similar topics as your blogs and social media and craft new and unique content that engages a whole new audience.
The sales landscape is constantly changing; to be successful, you must adapt to these changes. Embrace inbound marketing, optimize your website and social media channels, and be open to adjusting your strategy. Take the time to research inbound marketing trends and be ready to evolve as you grow.
Social content, white paper research, newsletter creation, and videos all take time; don’t rush it. Collaborate and share resources. Set realistic deadlines for creating the plan for each strategy you plan to employ. Then, execute according to that plan. If you find yourself falling behind, consider it as another opportunity to lean into partners, peers, your network, or freelance resources. The investment in contracted experts could be worth the savings in headaches and stress, and your new focus on embracing inbound marketing may exponentially grow your revenue from new and existing customers.
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