“SiriusDecisions estimates that the buyer’s journey is 70% complete by the time a sales person is contacted.” – Eloqua’s Grande Guide to Sales Enablement
Let’s pause here and take that in.
70% of your sales funnel happens before you even know you have a prospective buyer.
If you’ve been in marketing for even a few years, that statistic is a little mind-blowing. I mean, we knew it was coming. The internet has made information so easy to get and easy to give out. And this trend has been ramping up for years.
But now it’s here. 70% of the buyer’s journey happens before you meet your prospect. Which means your buyer is in control of the process. And your marketing team is responsible for the first impression (and often the second impression, and the third impression) that buyer has of your company. Your sales team comes in much farther down the funnel.
What does this mean for modern marketers?
A few posts ago, we talked about mapping out the new sales funnel, being realistic about how buyers are getting to our sales teams and what touch points they hit along the way, and getting strategic about engaging with those customers every step of the way.
Today, let’s talk a little more about that engagement.
Because engagement is now priority one. It has to be, in a market saturated with advertisements from anything and everything, all competing for your buyer’s attention.
So, how do we create engagement?
If engagement is priority one, the next step for each of us (marketers) is to identify what creates engagement with our particular brand, product, or service. This is where content strategists, detailed research, and a little A/B testing can come in handy. And it’s also where we’ve seen over and over and over again that content marketing wins the day.
People love stories. They want to work with people—and brands—they know and love. They crave connection.
And with blogs, social media, eBooks, webinars, and so many other content marketing tools at our fingertips, it’s become easier than ever to give them those stories.
The power of content marketing
So here’s your next homework assignment.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to check out our quick (3 minute) video about the power of content. We spoke to top content experts at a variety of companies—asking them about the power of content. And boy did we get some excellent answers.
Watch it now:
And, if you haven’t already downloaded our free eBook on how content drives the buyer down your sales funnel, there’s no time like the present.
As always, we’d love to hear from you.
What’s your take on the new role of marketing and the power of content? Think about your own buying process: where do you start your search for new products and services? What dilemmas are you facing as you try to shift to keep up with the new buying cycle?
Let us know in the comments below.