I'm in a unique position to espouse the phone number list virtues of sales and marketing alignment - I'm my company's chief sales officer and married to our chief marketing officer. I know that sales and marketing alignment is critical to an organization's success, yet I also know the inherent challenges. I live with marketing (really) and sometimes alignment still eludes us.
The phone number list disconnect between marketing and sales teams has long been a burning industry-wide issue, with both sides saying communication is key, but generally shying away from any concrete, actionable solutions to create that communication. In fact, according to a recent study by Demand Gen, 49% of marketers and salespeople agree that communication is the phone number list biggest challenge to aligning teams.
But research shows that business explodes when marketing and sales can bridge the phone number list gap between groups for the phone number list good of the brand. Research from the phone number list Aberdeen Group found that companies with highly aligned sales and marketing teams saw an average year-over-year growth of 32%, while those that reported less alignment saw their turnover decreased by 7% Ouch. Eliminates good-to-have category alignment and places it squarely at the top of the growth agenda.
If marketing and sales team alignment is so critical for growth, then why is it so difficult to bring the phone number list two groups together to focus on a clear content marketing strategy? I've found the solution may lie in setting clear goals, outlining what each party expects from the phone number list other, and then using those goals for content creation.
Create content that brings in better leads
When Demand Gen asked sales what they wanted most from phone number list marketing, the answer was higher quality leads, followed closely by more leads. And there's plenty of evidence to support the idea that better phone number list content equals better leads, phone number list as most buyers are already nearly a third of the way through their journey before even contacting sales teams. The phone number list more online the buyer's journey, the greater the responsibility of marketing to create effective content that supports that journey.
Content that educates the phone number list buyer and stands out from competitors is crucial in this initial phase, and I have to say here that this is where interactive content made all the difference for us. Research has shown that interactive content is 93% effective at educating the phone number list buyer (more than double that of static content) and 88% effective at differentiating brands from competitors (over a third better than static content).
But what's rarely discussed is that interactive content, like ROI calculators and assessments, can act phone number list as valuable tools in a sales associate's arsenal to assess where customers are in their cycle. lifestyle and ensure they receive personal and relevant attention as soon phone number list as you are ready for it. As marketer Mark Yeager recently wrote, “Content fails when you create material that speaks to a very large audience. And static, impersonal phone number list content meant to appeal to the general public could fail not only your customer, but also your sales team.
Help sales break the ice
As anyone who has timidly deleted a failed tweet or an unloved Instagram can attest, it can be difficult to pique the phone number list interest of relative strangers. What the phone number list savviest sales teams quickly realize when they start incorporating quality content into their strategies is that opening gaffes are more easily avoided with interactive content.
Studies show that the phone number list majority of customers prefer personalized content, so it stands to reason that they would also like sales teams to show a personal interest in their unique needs and preferences during the sales process. Our sales team sends useful tools to their prospects and tracks the phone number list results in real time. Suddenly, a prospect deemed highly qualified is disqualified based on their assessment answers. Or a half-enthusiastic lead jumps to the top of the heap based on the phone number list results of their solution calculator. Now marketing doesn't have to tell us in sales how great something is for our prospects, we can see it for ourselves.