Sales and marketing are two different concepts that are used interchangeably. This is mainly because most companies use sales and marketing teams together. Most marketing personnel are also in charge of sales; however, if we look at it, marketing is completely different from sales, and we are here to prove it.
However, since most of the marketing teams work with the sales teams, this magical combination brings more revenue for companies.
Experts say that before starting your marketing or designing a sales strategy, try to understand the differences and then see how you can leverage the difference to your advantage.
Marketing is all about attracting people by telling them about your company, your brand, your product, and the services that you are offering. When your brand becomes recognizable, the goal of marketing is complete.
In doing so, most marketing companies come up with controversial and sometimes bizarre ideas. The marketing team believes that there is no right and wrong recognition. The goal is to make the brand famous by bringing a lot of eyeballs to the products or services they offer.
You will see them leveraging people who are controversial or who are trending. This might sometimes clash with the culture, image, and overall product.
Their goal is to create hype around the brand, so more and more people get to see the product. On the contrary, if we look at sales, their goal is to get the money out of the customer’s pocket. The recognition will do no good if the customer is not ready to pay.
The goal is that the customer gets to use the product and service. Previously the product or service purchase was considered the first step. However, as more companies are moving towards trial periods, the assistance used now comes first, and then comes purchasing.
The goal of sales is to make a transaction. If the prospect is ready to pay and become a customer, this will be considered the ultimate win.
The success of the product is not entirely dependent on the marketing of the product unless we do not focus on sales as well. It is safe to say that marketing and sales are intertwined and must be considered.
These steps become even more important when considering B2B business models. Unlike B2B businesses, where you have a large audience pool and need to charm the people through marketing, B2B marketing is a little different.
Within the B2B marketing style, you need to be precise because the targeted audience is small, and everything must go professionally.
Your marketing strategy will be planned in a way that will help you target other companies professionally. In the case of B2B marketing, controversial points and affiliation with the wrong influencers can destroy the brand completely. Your marketing strategy needs to be laser-focused and audience-oriented, so you do not end up working on a marketing strategy that will become vague for your audience.
In some cases, if you craft your marketing strategy carefully, you can also help the sales. One of the best techniques is to use your content marketing strategy and align it according to sales.
The goal will be to work on content marketing focusing on awareness and then scoop out the maximum number of prospects and lure them to the sales funnel. You will benefit from all aspects by carefully aligning your sales and marketing. Some of the most common benefits include:
- Marketing and sales alignment will help you generate more sales with the loyal customer that can help you maximize profit margins in the long run
- This strategy will also help you to get to the customer-focused planning so your customer feels more welcomed.
- This strategy is very good for increasing the ROI with targeted offers
- Marketing and sales are usually down via different channels so you will benefit from the multi-channel campaign with a versatile buyer persona.
If you are a beginner and struggling with so much information right now, buckle up because we will help you narrow down your content marketing ideas to seven versatile ideas.
One thing to keep in mind is that your content marketing strategy should know how to break the monotony. When we talk about marketing content, it is no longer just blogs and articles. It also consists of eBooks, reports, case studies, research, videos, tutorials, step-by-step guides, and infographics.
These content ideas are ideal for B2B business models and B2C. With clever customization, you can also adjust these ideas according to the brand.
Make Case Studies You Focus
When you unify sales and marketing, you need to offer something professional, yet it gives off an impression that you are being transparent with your client. The first sales and marketing content idea is a case study.
These case studies will not only offer an opportunity to relate with the customers, but they will also offer them a peek into the value of the product or service you are offering. This will be educational for the prospects without making them realize that you are pushing them toward decision-making.
Research shows that case studies help with improving conversion rates.
You are not only raising awareness through it, but you are also showcasing unique selling points in terms of problem-solving. The key is to market your product like it is solving a problem.
The trick here is to display these case studies on the homepage of your website so they can be accessible to everyone.
Podcasts
Music has always been a source of joy for us. However, things are changing now. Most of us want to switch off the music and listen to something that offers us information without making us feel dumb. This is where podcasts come in.
Most people listen to podcasts on their way to the office, so you are technically helping them know about a new skill or product they will need.
Experts say podcasts will soon take over books and magazines, and we see that happening now. For business marketing, weekly podcasts can be very effective and help you generate a lot of buzz around your business.
Downloadable Content
We have seen companies acting stingy when it comes to knowledge. This might be good if you share technical knowledge that you have invested in, and no one else has. However, things are changing now. We can never become gatekeepers of knowledge without suffering serious consequences.
Companies usually block download options, allowing users only to reach their page if they want to read the content. This means you are convincing the client to have 24/7 access to the internet.
A simple option is to offer downloadable content that anyone can read on the go. This will help you bring more traffic and have a long marketing life and eventually bring more sales to you.
Use Webinars
Webinars are a very good source of generating sales and spreading the word. The use of webinars has significantly increased for multiple reasons, but now they are a dominant option in marketing and sales.
Webinars are very effective, yet they are extremely inexpensive. Small businesses with very limited marketing budgets can also use webinars for marketing and sales purposes.
Webinars are a very good source of creating a community. Researchers explain that selling something to people makes ownership, but it doesn’t offer a sense of belonging. With community building through webinars, you will submit a sense of belonging to the user.
Community building will also help the company improve their product and services, which will help them stand out from the rest of the brands in the market. Most companies offering services have a content webinar schedule where they help the users get accustomed to the new features and offer them live demos.
In such a competitive market where almost everyone is trying their hands on different strategies, a good webinar schedule will surely help you improve your sales.
Offer Spotlight to Your Customers
In the world of social media, everyone craves attention. Most businesses and brands offer billions of dollars to get some spotlight. However, they come off as attention-seeking businesses with very little to offer.
On the contrary, things can easily change if you offer your customers a spotlight and highlight their stories. From a marketing point of view, these testimonials offer a very rare insight into the client’s relationship with the product. This helps promote business and convince new clients to come on board.
If you have a B2B business model, you must approach some of the decision-makers in the business who have used your product. Usually, service-based companies with a B2B business model must seek direct approval from the people sitting at the management level of another company.
Beginners’ Guides Are Important
Most companies offering tech-based services struggle with content ideas. The main reason is that tech is a dry subject, and only tech-savvy people will be interested in tech details. On the contrary, these companies have a broader audience targeting people just starting their tech journey.
You will need a step-by-step guide to help the users know about new features so they can easily get accustomed to the product. Most people looking for a product introduction usually need guidance, so these easy step-by-step guides become a vital source of information for them.
Beginners’ guides are especially popular for companies with tech-based products. Usually, the features are broad, and the customer finds it difficult to understand everything in one go. These steps by step guides help the customer get a detailed insight into everything.
Online Groups and Communities
As human beings, we always crave a sense of belonging. We want to become a part of something big. However, most businesses try to sell your product by telling you they will help you stand out.
This might appeal to some people, but if you tell them they will become a part of a community that is better than others, this will bring you more revenue. Online groups and communities offer you the same services by letting you create a sense of family.
You can further use these communities and share knowledge about your products and services. This will help you make a channel of direct interaction so you can share information directly.
Bottom Line
In summary, content marketing will become useless if it doesn’t generate sales. However, acknowledging the difference between both is very important. For good content ideas that align with your sales and marketing strategy, you must explore and see what is becoming more popular.
This will bring you to podcasts, video-based content, testimonials, pdfs, one-on-one discussions, online demos, and more. You can use these ideas to fill your content calendar and see the sales floodgates open for your business.
