The Content Continuum: Winning The Hidden Sales Cycle With The Right Answer
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This document discusses the content continuum model for developing an effective content marketing strategy. It presents a framework of buyer journey stages called "toll gates" where content marketers must answer critical questions to move buyers along the purchase process. It emphasizes the importance of creating "fit" content that directly addresses buyers' problems and needs at each stage. The presentation recommends marketers identify their buyers' key questions, make content solution-focused, extend engagement through sales, and measure impact based on moving buyers through the content continuum stages.
The Content Continuum: Winning The Hidden Sales Cycle With The Right Answer
- 1. PRESENTED BY! #C2C14! The Content Continuum! Winning the Hidden Sales Cycle with the Right Answer! ! ! !
- 2. 2 VALUE
- 3. 3 PLEASE QUEUE UP THIS VIDEO AT 2M15S Play: http://youtu.be/cV0tCphFMr8?t=2m15s
- 4. 4 OUR VALUE EXCHANGE A framework for developing a content marketing strategy that matters in the context of demand gen Look at and beyond assets Tons of data
- 5. 5 CONTENT CONTINUUM • This is the story of the content continuum. How companies win the hidden sales cycles along the road to revenue. • Each toll gate represents a milestone moment in the buyer’s journey. To achieve the value exchange, content marketers must successfully answer the buyer’s question.
- 6. 6 PACE: ABERDEEN’S MATURITY CLASS FRAMEWORK ! PRESSURES ACTIONS CAPABILITIES ENABLERS External and internal forces that impact an organization’s market position, competitiveness, or business operations. The strategic approaches that an organization takes in response to industry pressures. The business competencies (organization, process, etc…) required to execute corporate strategy. The key technology solutions required to support the organization’s business practices. What are Best-in-Class Companies doing differently? What pitfalls are they avoiding? Why are they achieving greater success? What technologies and services are enabling them to succeed?
- 7. 7 TRIP KUCERA VP & CMO-in- Residence Aberdeen Group / Harte Hanks Over 15 years experience in B2B Marketing Industry Experience: ➔ Sr. Research Analyst; Aberdeen Group ➔ Corporate Communications; Successfactors / Plateau ➔ Corporate Communications; LogMeIn ➔ Product Marketng; Progress Software ➔ PR; Sonic Software Principle Marketing Research Analyst Lead Aberdeen’ client delivery & success team
- 8. 8 Today's Road to Value The Content Continuum Recap: Hidden Sales Cycle Content Competition What’s the Question? Content Marketing Stats Recommendations
- 9. 9 ControlofMessage&Visibility Competitors Content + Community Marketer (You) Discovery Consideration Evaluation Selection What’s my problem? How do I solve this? What tools do I need for success? What are the risks? REVISITING THE HIDDEN SALES CYCLEANSWER THE QUESTION Marketing’s Imperative: Get Vision-Shaping Content In the Path of the Buyer
- 13. 13 CONTENT VS. ATTENTION Availability of Attention Content Competition
- 14. 14 THREE “Fs” OF CONTENT SUCCESS • Fine – Beautiful, smart, highly-creative content will find an audience. • Fit – Content must have utility to be effective. Beautiful content that doesn’t move the buyer to action (eventually) isn’t going to be seen as beautiful for long. • Findable– Being there is 90% of success… (but Google takes care of this, right?)
- 15. 15 A BIAS FOR FIT AS SUSTAINABLE DIFFERENTIATOR
- 16. HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE FIT?
- 18. 18 BUT BEST-IN-CLASS ARE BETTER AT IT
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- 24. 24 WHAT ARE CRITICAL QUESTIONS? • The question must be answered to progress through the gate stage (or false positive results) • Questions are often implied, if not explicit (especially in early stages) • The answer is generally contained in content (especially in early stages) • Some buyers may pass go (they may already know the answer)
- 25. 25 WHAT’S THE QUESTION? Buyer’s stage: Discovery! ! Critical questions: What don’t I know? How can I be successful at work? What skills do I need to be competitive?! ! Content criteria: vision forming, challenges status quo, benchmarks performance (generally shorter-form) ! ! !
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- 29. 29 WHAT’S THE QUESTION? Buyer’s stage: Consideration! ! Critical questions: Which problem should I solve now? How do I solve the problem? Which capabilities are important?! ! Content criteria: Capabilities and best practices (buyer begins to become mental user), use-case examples (longer-form content emerges)!
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- 31. 31 CONTENT’S ROLE IN LEAD NURTURING
- 32. 32 CONTENT’S ROLE IN LEAD SCORING
- 33. 33 WHAT’S THE QUESTION? Buyer’s stage: Evaluation! ! Critical questions: Who can help me solve this problem? How can I reduce risk, maximize ROI?! ! Content criteria: Solution- centric; ROI (risk of doing nothing perceived as higher than risk of action)! !
- 34. 34 WHAT’S THE QUESTION? Buyer’s stage: Selection! ! Critical questions: How will I succeed? Are we making the right choice? ! ! Content criteria: Customer success, peer-driven insights! !
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- 38. 38 CONTENT ANALYTICS WORK IN PROGRESS
- 39. 39 RECOMMENDATIONS • Consider your buyers’ information needs – they’re critical questions – at each stage of the discovery/ decision cycle • Make content more than clever (create bias in favor of your solution) • Extend the conversation thru to Sales • Measure the impact of content based on this model
- 40. PRESENTED BY! #C2C14! THANK YOU! For more information on this and other topics, please visit aberdeen.com!