tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794386793170803972.post5796088864862421978..comments2024-01-22T07:31:42.008-05:00Comments on Digital Body Language: The Content Gap - Lead Nurturing and Content CreationSteven Woodshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06376596253100522418noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794386793170803972.post-77754409651266607002009-12-18T04:47:40.175-05:002009-12-18T04:47:40.175-05:00This post answered a question I've been strugg...This post answered a question I've been struggling with for a long time: "How can we make our lead funnel better?". <br /><br />Improving the Decision part is something that I was vaguely aware, however this post made it very clear. <br /><br />I would be keen to hear what worked for other companies to improve this part.<br /><br />1 thing I see is that when we get better at marketing automation, we free up time and have the ability to review tactics that will allow us to improve this critical part. Social Media could be very helpful if you can get your customers to speak up about your products.Kurt Gielenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06925428652078148087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794386793170803972.post-70961911988221386782009-12-15T15:06:53.364-05:002009-12-15T15:06:53.364-05:00This question brings into sharp focus the whole is...This question brings into sharp focus the whole issue of the alignment of sales and marketing. And demonstrates the challenges Steven raised previously about moving from a company-centric sales funnel to a buyer-centric buying funnel.<br /><br />In my experience a lot of sales repsin technical fields, know an awful lot about the product - a Systems Engineer in many companies is pretty much the subject matter expert...<br /><br />Because they are in sales, they know how to position their product in the discussion. Yet as the post points out, they don't have the time, incentive or necessarily the communication skills to create this content on their own.<br /><br />This is something I am conducting a survey on right now.<br /><br />Feel free to participate: http://bit.ly/6wQhziChristopher Korodynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794386793170803972.post-61288898886811284812009-12-11T20:31:42.363-05:002009-12-11T20:31:42.363-05:00Stephanie,
great point on the case study format - ...Stephanie,<br />great point on the case study format - I would very much agree from my own reading preferences. Much more can be gotten out of a story of lessons learned, than an "aren't we great" story of solving problems flawlessly.<br />Thanks for sharing,<br />SteveSteven Woodshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06376596253100522418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794386793170803972.post-46161261009172572792009-12-10T22:00:53.499-05:002009-12-10T22:00:53.499-05:00Steve,
Great exploration of an issue that leaves m...Steve,<br />Great exploration of an issue that leaves marketers -- and prospects -- frustrated. It gets back to the age-old issue of B2B companies needing to break free of the product-centric perspective and putting themselves in the buyer's shoes. As you point out, it all starts with a deep understanding of the buying process and various stakeholders. <br /><br />To add to Mike's comment -- earlier in the year, Scott Vaughan of TechWeb polled a group of CIOs about what marketers could do better. Turns out the standard "problem-solution-results" case-study formula doesn't resonate with IT evaluators and decision makers. One element they'd like to see in case studies is a section on "lessons learned" while implementing the solution. Just another example of how marketers have an opportunity to address a gap in the content library, as well as set themselves apart by being forthright about the good, the bad, and the ugly.<br /><br />Best,<br />StephanieStephanie Tiltonhttp://www.savvyb2bmarketing.com/auth/profile/97131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794386793170803972.post-41251273104640011672009-12-10T15:26:40.597-05:002009-12-10T15:26:40.597-05:00Mike,
thanks for that - great point/thoughts on us...Mike,<br />thanks for that - great point/thoughts on using competitive info in the middle of the funnel. Very delicate balance for any marketers as it definitely could be interpreted either positively or negatively. Will be interesting to see how it evolves.<br />SteveSteven Woodshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06376596253100522418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7794386793170803972.post-83133541810093747232009-12-10T12:59:06.844-05:002009-12-10T12:59:06.844-05:00This blog post makes an excellent point that all m...This blog post makes an excellent point that all marketers should be challenged with.<br /><br />Many companies are now taking about having a "content strategy" to address this gap. "Content" refers to information and experiences the prospect values. With that in mind, the key to success rests in investing time to truly understand the customer's buying process, then mapping content to it.<br /><br />A case in point was offered during a CIO panel discussion at a recent Tech Target event. When asked about what content they valued most during the <i>consideration stage</i>, they pointed to product comparison data -- something that many companies are reluctant to do. (After all, why promote a competitive product?) Their point being that they will find out the comparisons anyway; yet, it would be emmensely helpful to have this data available and offered by product companies. They went further to suggest that one company slamming another would be seen as a marketing attack and would backfire on the company producing such content. And one CIO said that any company who provided helpful "education" on product comparison that was honest in sharing data would be viewed as a reputable company with high integrity. Something that could likely tip the scales in their favor during the decision process.<br /><br />For more info on this feedback, <a href="http://marketingcampaigndevelopment.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/content-the-buying-process/" rel="nofollow"> click here</a>Mike Gospehttp://marketingcampaigndevelopment.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com