A new infographic posted by Salesforce has highlighted the importance of investing in quality content marketing. Its own stats show that 70% of consumers now like to get to know a company via articles rather than ads, while 85% seek trusted content as part of the decision-making process.
Salesforce claims that customers engage with around 12 pieces of content such as blog posts, videos, social media posts and images before they purchase a particular product or service, adding that “content marketing is an important tool for sales teams. With it, prospects throughout the sales funnel, as well as current customers develop a better relationship with your company.”
Marketing and sales
Almost nine in ten B2B companies are now using content marketing to supplement their sales strategies. Marketers know the vital role digital content plays in communicating with and reaching a target audience, but the Salesforce infographic also shows that there needs be to a symmetry between both marketing and sales for content to be at its most effective. Creating a culture where these divisions work together on content benefits the business.
Organisational goals
Lead generation, sales and lead nurturing are the top three organisation goals for B2B content. This reinforces the viewpoint that sales teams should be invested in content creation, as this can enable companies to establish a personalised process and push prospects along the buying cycle. In addition, salespeople using social media are much more likely to outperform peers that are not on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.
Salesforce believes that developing a robust content strategy is key to long-term success in the digital age, as it has a beneficial knock-on effect on a number of factors. Your customers will find helpful content you have posted via search engines and will begin to see your company as a “likeable expert.” They will then return to your site more frequently and stay longer to read and enjoy new content, which helps to build both trust and credibility. Most importantly, people consuming content on a regular basis are much more likely to buy your services and products.
