by Fronetics | Nov 26, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Current Events, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
Here’s how content can help support sales during the seven stages of the sales cycle, including personalization and building last relationships.
The sales process is often an uphill journey with lots of unexpected bumps along the way. Sales teams are all too familiar with these obstacles, but they don’t have to face these challenges alone.
Arm your sales rep with content to educate prospects during specific points in the purchasing process, and it will build his or her reputation as a knowledge source. That can be the difference in getting a foot in the door, advancing through the final stages of a purchasers’ decision, or closing a deal.
[bctt tweet=”Sales and marketing can work together to create a better understanding of the buyer’s journey, make updates on buyers insights, and brainstorm solutions to bottlenecks in the sales funnel.” username=”Fronetics”]
Strong communication between sales and marketing can help achieve big-picture goals when it comes to creating content. These teams can work together to create a better understanding of the buyer’s journey, make updates on buyers insights, and brainstorm solutions to bottlenecks in the sales funnel.
You need to take a close look at your sales process and be strategic about the times when content would be helpful — as well as the types of content that will successfully assist sales reps in educating and informing prospects. Here’s how content can support sales in each of the 7 stages in the sales cycle:
Video: 7 Stages in the Sales Cycle Content Can Help
Takeaway
Don’t forget how important it is for sales teams to be armed with informative, relevant content to support the sales cycle. It’s not enough to just produce content, sales teams need to be ready to provide this content to potential customers at every point of contact.
Want help identifying what content your supply chain and logistics company can provide to your sales team? Let us help.
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by Fronetics | Nov 15, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
The popularity of video marketing is on the rise, and savvy supply chain marketers are using this medium to tell their brand’s story, broaden their audience, and generate leads.
Video is the most popular form of content being consumed online today — and it shows no sign of slowing down. Smart supply chain marketers are developing a visual storytelling strategy that offers consistent delivery of valuable content.
Wyzowl’s The State of Video Marketing in 2018 provides a lot of data and an excellent overview of video marketing. Read on for our key takeaways.
Video usage is continuing to grow
Not only are more and more businesses using video as a marketing tool, and planning to continue to do so, but a majority of businesses that don’t use video plan to start doing so this year. This means that supply chain marketing will continue to expand in this more visual direction. Marketers should adjust their strategies to favor content that lends itself to this kind of storytelling.
Of course, it doesn’t take a survey to know that video is taking over the way we consume content. If you use the internet, you’re bound to have seen the significant uptick in video content over the past three years. This medium is now a central part of how we live, and it’s not going anywhere.
When it comes to user experience, video adds a tremendous amount of value. In fact, when both video and text are available on the same page, Wyzowl found that 72 percent of people reported that they would rather use video to learn about a product or service.
[bctt tweet=”When both video and text are available on the same page, Wyzowl found that 72% of people reported that they would rather use video to learn about a product or service.” username=”Fronetics”]
What does this mean for your marketing strategy? The obvious answer is use more video content. Consider accompanying data-heavy blog posts with explanatory animated videos, conducting and sharing video interviews with executives or industry leaders, or turning a case-study into an animated video presentation.
Sharing is everything
Creating compelling video is only half the battle — the next step is making sure it gets to the widest possible segment of your audience. You might think that it’s just cat videos that get shared on social media, but according to Wyzowl, “if you create video content that your specific audience enjoys, 83 percent of consumers would consider sharing it with their friends.”
So, what makes content share-worthy? There aren’t really any gimmicks here. What you need is quality, well-researched content that visually engages viewers. At Fronetics, we’ve written extensively about video marketing. Here are a few posts that may interest you if you’re curious about how video can fit into your content strategy.
by Fronetics | Nov 13, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Data/Analytics, Logistics, Marketing, Strategy, Supply Chain
The results are in: Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant value for many business sectors. But what are the most effective ways to apply AI to your supply chain management company?
Executives of many leading companies are looking for ways to integrate AI into their operations. A recent McKinsey & Co. study estimates that 40% of the potential value associated with data analytics today comes from techniques called “deep learning.” Deep learning refers to AI that can monitor a system and make adjustments rather than simply repeate a single task. Industry use of deep learning techniques remains relatively low as companies determine how best to use AI to meet business needs.
[bctt tweet=”Using AI this way can improve forecasting accuracy by 10-20%, allowing companies to reduce inventory costs by as much as 5% and generate 2-3% increased revenue.” username=”Fronetics”]
Supply chain management is one of the business sectors that can get the most value out of deep learning techniques. Brick-and-mortar retailers tend to see a 1-2% increase in sales revenue when they use AI to personalize promotions based on customer data analytics. Supply chain management organizations can expect to see greater benefit from AI that forecasts demand by analyzing the underlying market factors. Using AI this way can improve forecasting accuracy by 10-20%, allowing companies to reduce inventory costs by as much as 5% and generate 2-3% increased revenue.
In addition to reducing inventory costs in supply chain management organizations, deep learning can create trillions of dollars in value in marketing and sales revenue and save costs through predictive maintenance. The best way to determine how AI can serve your needs is to look at how your organization uses traditional analytics techniques: AI can often provide higher performance in conducting analytics and introduce additional layers of analysis. The technology is always improving, so the potential value for companies adopting deep learning techniques is expected to continue to rise.
There are, however, obstacles facing companies looking for ways to use AI techniques. It is essential to plan for the security and privacy issues of data analytics. Deep learning works best with large-scale datasets, which not all organizations can assemble or access. The level of expertise necessary to implement and service AI technology comes with added expenses, but determining the right way to apply AI to your organization makes these costs and challenges a rewarding investment.
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by Fronetics | Nov 6, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Strategy, Supply Chain
Here’s how content can help support sales during the seven stages of the sales cycle, including personalization and building last relationships.
The sales process is often a complicated journey that includes uphill climbs and unexpected roadblocks. Sales teams are all too familiar with these obstacles, but they don’t have to fight these battles alone.
Arm a sales rep with targeted content to share with prospects during specific moments in the purchasing process, and it will build his or her reputation as a knowledgeable resource. That can be the key to getting a foot in the door, advancing through the final stages of a purchasers’ decision, or closing the deal.
Strong communication between sales and marketing can help achieve big-picture goals when it comes to creating content, including:
- mutual understanding of the buyer’s journey
- updated prospect insights that can affect future marketing content
- brainstorming content solutions to bottlenecks in the sales funnel
Let content support the sales cycle by demonstrating the business value of your product or solution.
Here are examples of how content can assist your sales team throughout the seven stages of the sales process, even when the sales journey goes off course.
Infographic: 7 Stages in the Sales Cycle Content Can Help
(Made with Canva)
Takeaway
According to DemandGen’s survey, 75% of buyers said that content had a significant impact on which vendor they chose. And that’s not all, 89% of respondents stated they selected brands that provided content that made it easier to demonstrate ROI and/or build a business case for their purchase.
These numbers highlight how important it is for sales teams to be armed with informative, relevant content to support the sales cycle. It’s not enough to just produce content, sale teams need to be ready to provide this content to potential customers at every point of contact.
Want help identifying what content your supply chain and logistics company can provide to your sales team? Let us help.
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by Fronetics | Nov 1, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Manufacturing & Distribution, Marketing, Supply Chain
Case studies are a perfect way to organize and present hard facts about your products and services — and they continue to be one of the most effective types of content out there.
A recent study shows that case studies far outperform other types of content. The DemandGen 2017 Content Preferences Survey Report found that 78% of B2B buyers used vendor case studies as part of their purchasing decisions in the past 12 months. 89% of B2B marketers consider customer testimonials and case studies to be the most effective kind of content to convert buyers.
Buyers are looking to “benchmark their own experiences against others who’ve tackled similar challenges,” concluded DemandGen’s report. Data is powerful stuff, and buyers know it. In fact, DemandGen’s survey indicated 48% of buyers not only prefer case studies but find them to be the most valuable type of content for research. 57% even said that they would register and share information in exchange for case studies.
Why the case study?
Beyond the obvious answer that data is important to buyers, why do they respond so well to this type of content? According to Frank Cespedes, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and author of Aligning Strategy and Sales, ultimately, buyers are less interested in theory than practice: “Buyers, especially B2B buyers, want to know what others are doing with your product, not what they might do to improve productivity or other outcomes.”
[bctt tweet=”Yes, case studies are highly effective, but their success is predicated on your reputation as a thought leader and source of knowledge and expertise.” username=”Fronetics”]
As a side-note, before you jump ship on aspects of your content marketing strategy, like blogs, social media, webinars, etc., that focus on sharing ideas rather than just data, consider this: even the most impactful case study is only as useful as the totality of your brand’s content. In other words, yes, case studies are highly effective, but their success is predicated on your reputation as a thought leader and source of knowledge and expertise.
What makes a case study effective?
Not all case studies are created equal. Data presented in a confusing or incomplete way, for example, doesn’t pack the kind of punch needed to demonstrate exactly how your products and services help your buyers. A good case study should prompt the reader to explore your brand and the rest of your content. Ultimately, the goal is to show your prospect that making a change in their process will lead to better results.
As you design a case study, think about giving buyers the tools to present your products and services to decision-makers within their business. “Especially in B2B contexts,” says Cespedes, “buyers must justify a decision to others in the organization who have competing priorities for limited funds.” This is where a compelling case study comes in. Show your potential buyers how other organizations benefit from your offerings, and they have the tools to make a case for your business.
Case studies are proven to be well worth the time and energy needed to produce them. Recommendations and data from real customers have a powerful impact and should continue to be a significant component of your overall content marketing strategy.
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