Leveraging Marketing Collateral as a Salesperson
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Tiffany Garden
Creating the right mix of marketing collateral is a process of trial and error. What do you do once you have your marketing collateral? You need to optimize it to work to the advantage of your sales team. Sales, especially B2B sales, is as much of an art as it is a science. Finding the right mix of marketing collateral takes time, experimentation and plain old luck. When you know what types of marketing collateral work best with the B2B market, you can fine tune what you have in your sales toolbox in order to get the prospects and leads that you need. Here are several types of marketing collateral to consider using the next time you seek out new customers for your company.
White Papers and Case Studies
White papers and case studies take an in-depth look at the real life solutions that your product or service provides. Potential B2B clients look for this marketing collateral to get as much information as possible on a product, especially its practical uses. The downside of white papers and case studies, however, is that they are significantly longer and more difficult to put together than other forms of marketing material. Some leads may prefer to not take that much time reading over your information. The studies and research used to put together a white paper can be used in other types of marketing collateral as well. Marketo makes extensive use of white papers and case studies to show customers the benefits of their service. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 51 percent of B2B marketing takes place through white papers, while 58 percent use case studies.
PowerPoint Presentations
PowerPoint presentations are best for B2B customers who prefer a visual approach over sitting down and reading through a lengthy white paper. You mix hard facts with eye-catching images, graphics and other multi-media approaches for your marketing. A powerPoint presentation can be as long or short as you want, provided you are getting across enough information for your prospects to make a buying decision. This Desk.com presentation is geared towards business clients using Salesforce and looking for better customer service support.
Fact and Data Sheets
Some B2B clients don't have the time to read through a white paper or the patience to let you set up a presentation. Your best bet with these clients is to condense the important facts down into one page fact or data sheets. These sheets get right to the point without any bells and whistles. It's a hard-sell type of marketing collateral that depends on the customer already knowing the practical uses of your products and services. If they need more information, try to direct them to a white paper or case study that answers their question. Here's a fact sheet that Dell uses for its OEM services. References: (1) http://blogs.adamsoftware.net/Sales_&_Marketing/WhyMarketingTechnologyisEssentialforB2BDemandGeneration.aspx(2) http://garlickdesign.com/uncategorized/8-collateral-pieces-essential-for-any-business.php(3) http://savvyb2bmarketing.com/blog/entry/842651/tmi-how-much-is-too-much-for-b2b-marketing-collateral(4) http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090119/FREE/301199969/1363(5) http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2011/12/2012-b2b-content-marketing-research/
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