Written by: Vickie Sullivan | November 05, 2024
Content Marketing for Sales: Data Shows You Should Engage Buyers Early
In today’s B2B landscape, content marketing for sales is proving to be a game-changer. It’s playing a key role as sellers shift the focus from targeting ready-to-buy prospects to engaging buyers earlier.
While conventional sales wisdom emphasizes waiting until prospects are closer to a decision, research from B2B sales training company RAINGroup shows buyers want seller input well before they’re ready to make a purchase.
In fact, buyers want to hear from sellers when they’re:
- Looking for new ideas to drive stronger results (71%)
- Actively looking for a solution to fix what is broken or solve a problem (62%)
- Identifying and evaluating possible providers (54%)
- Analyzing a situation and its causes (49%)
In all those scenarios, content marketing for sales can guide buyer engagement early in the process. The key, though, is to lead with future possibilities for the buyer in your content and during sales conversations, not offer ways to fix what is broken. You can influence the analysis, but you should not explore the causes of their problems during sales conversations.
These findings justify what I see on the ground: Buyers do their own research, and your content influences their response to your outreach. It’s time to recognize the critical role of content marketing for sales in shaping buyer decisions and driving engagement early in the sales journey.
Listen: Content Marketing That Influences Buyers
Now Read This:
- How B2B Buyers Decide Who to Work With
- Strategic Sounding Boards Give Real-World Advice for When the Rubber Meets the Road