There is a major chasm in content marketing.
A whopping 85% of B2B marketers say that lead generation is their #1 goal. Given the effort and resources that go into this discipline, that’s an excellent goal to have. Unfortunately, 61% of those same marketers also list lead generation as their #1 problem.
Clearly, something is getting lost in translation.
That lead gen is both the top priority and the main point for B2B marketers highlights a long-standing issue within the space: marketers simply don’t understand their prospect’s behavior.
Knowing that this is such a prominent problem for businesses, we partnered with our client and friends at 190West to provide B2B marketers with the background and tools they need to succeed.
To give you an idea of what David and Tom spoke about, here’s a taste of what they discuss:
Put Your Content Where Your Buyers Already Are
It might sound simple, but this is a major key to success.
It’s one thing to publish content focused on a brand-centric initiative where you’d like, but when you’re aiming to generate leads, placement matters. What also matters, as David mentions, is data capture — first-party data capture.
“If you’re not capturing first-party, fully-permissioned data from these users”, David said, “you’re interpreting signals (which is valuable), but you really don’t have a sense as to whether it’s Jane or Joe inside of a certain organization.”
Having this first-party data, specifically, gives you the chance to see the “last mile” of the prospect journey, enabling businesses to truly understand where they’re coming from and what their interests and intentions are.
Don’t Jump the Sales Gun
Every lead is not created equally. Sure, your CRM might score them equally given their attributes, but does that really mean they can be handled the same way? As Tom Prendergast describes it, each lead has its own unique conversion path — and you should treat it as such.
“Sometimes folks need everything re-presented to them,” Tom said. Based on where a prospect consumed your content, it’s entirely possible you’ll need to do this anyway, but it’s crucial to remember that where they meet you will impact wherein the nurture path they land.
“What we’ve actually found,” Tom said, “prospects take more time to consume content that they’ve downloaded outside of your website or blog, compared to if they downloaded the same content on your website or blog. If you think about it, this likely puts them at the earlier stages in the nurturing cycle or they might just be doing their due diligence.”
Keep Sales in the Loop
We know that the relationships between sales and marketing in every business have its own unique dynamic, but strong alignment is key to moving a company forward. As Tom said in the webinar, “sales can be invaluable when it comes to information.”
“One of the things that we do with clients,” he continued, “is that we talk to their Sales folks and tell them what the story is.” In most cases, leads aren’t ready to buy right now. But by setting the table for where leads are in the funnel and how they came into the system, everyone gets to play on the same field. “By doing this we are building a future pipeline — and for Sales, that should be music to their ears.”
“With proper nurturing and by setting them up, we can now build out that pipeline together.”
Get The Key to Translating Content into Lead Generation Success
The blueprint that David and Tom layout in this webinar is one that can empower your lead gen to go from good to great — and we want to make sure your company is one of the businesses that benefit from their experience and expertise.
Register for Winning B2B Content Outcomes today and learn about the best ways to unlock your lead gen potential on-demand.