Driving Prospects through the Sales Funnel

Moving prospects through the sales funnel requires pulling them from the awareness phase to interest, then consideration, evaluation and finally purchase. No matter what industry you’re in, you have competitors whose solutions might also be in the running for a prospective buyer.

So how can you encourage buyers to select your product or service? While the quality of your product or service is obviously a main consideration, there’s more to it than that. Today’s B2B buyers want to do business with like-minded organisations that will prioritise their needs and help them tackle the obstacles they face on a daily basis. Showcasing your expertise in the initial phases of the buyer’s journey is crucial. But so is continuing to demonstrate your dedication to the customer once they’ve invested in your brand.

Read on to learn more about the types of content you can create to drive purchases and customer satisfaction.

Developing Quality B2B Content

Regularly developing high-quality content is instrumental for educating prospects in order to drive first-time purchases and supporting customers in order to encourage repeat business and referrals. Consider the following types of content to achieve both goals:

• Bylined articles.

Before creating content that will be published via a credible source like a magazine, journal, online publication or blog, it’s important to research which are most trusted among your target audience. This will ensure your content is being seen by the right people. Then, determine which experts within your organisation will be the face of your content. Who will be a good brand ambassador? Are there people in your organisation who already have a strong following on LinkedIn or are known in the industry? This person might be a product manager, a research and development leader, the CEO or an expert in their particular field, like infection prevention, network security or occupational safety. Consult with them on the latest trends, research and best practices to regularly develop articles that will help your target audience overcome their greatest challenges, discover a new way of doing business or learn more about important topics of concern. Once content is published, be sure to promote it on your corporate social media channels and have the author leverage their network to showcase the content as well.

• Videos.

If done right, videos are both engaging and educational. Consider developing a case study video that highlights how your solutions are being used at a customer’s site to improve their operation. It’s a great opportunity to show the product or service in use and helps prospects envision their own success. You can also create product videos that highlight the innovation’s main features and specs or even tips for troubleshooting or maintaining the product over time. When customers have resources that support their ongoing use of a product, they’re much more likely to want to invest.

• Case studies.

Written case studies are another important addition to your lead generation toolbox. Outline the customer’s challenge, the solution (i.e. your product or service) and then the results they’ve realised since implementation. Focus on both qualitative and quantitative results and consider laying them out in a bulleted format for easy reading. Include images whenever possible to bring the story to life. Case studies make great content for your website and can also be pitched to many industry trade publications or featured as a paid advertorial. Plus, because they put your customers front and center, they’re ideal for strengthening these relationships.

• Webinars.

People can more easily recall information when it’s in a visual format, which is why webinars are such an amazing tool for driving leads. Webinars enable you to share useful tips supplemented with charts, graphics, videos and more. They also allow your organisation to showcase subject matter experts, and even invite customers and partners to join in on the conversation. Focus on evergreen topics that will be relevant over the long term. After the live event, feature a lead generation form on your website so that you can collect information from those who download the webinar recording.

• E-books.

Is there a particularly complex subject that your brand wants to highlight? An e-book or white paper is the perfect forum for sharing detailed information that might be too lengthy for an article or blog. The best e-books are those that combine copy with compelling images and citations so that readers can explore further if they’d like. E-books can be featured as gated content on your website or left ungated to make them more easily accessible.

Enticing B2B Buyers

B2B buyers do their research before making an investment for their business. Thus, organisations need to make it easier than ever for buyers to understand their products and services and how their respective industry is evolving. Developing high-quality content such as articles, videos, case studies, webinars and more gives prospects and customers a clear idea of your business and how you can support their businesses.

Need help generating a steady cadence of content to reach B2B buyers? Mulberry Marketing has more than 25 years of experience and can help your brand stand out from the competition. Reach out to our team today!

 

Jess Messenger is an Account Director at Mulberry Marketing Communications, an award-winning full-service B2B communications agency based in Chicago, London and Australia. She enjoys developing PR campaign strategies and writing for B2B audiences across numerous verticals such as retail, foodservice and healthcare.