If content marketing is part of your overall marketing strategy (it absolutely SHOULD be, of course), and you understand how engagement + nurturing = sales, then you know that your outbound communication to prospects and existing customers should keep overt sales pitches to a minimum. But what does “to a minimum” actually mean?
Some experts, like the gurus at the Content Marketing Institute, recommend that at most 50% of your messaging should be sales-focused. We wholeheartedly agree. In fact, with the right content, promoted in the right way, through the right channels, we believe you can be successful with a number much lower than that.
Tongue Tied
At this point, you may be thinking, “But if we’re not talking about our products or services and their benefits, what can we talk about?” You’re not alone. That’s a question that virtually every company shifting to content marketing asks. Here are some ideas to get the wheels turning:
- Industry updates — Share some insight on the latest happenings in your market.
- Forms, checklists, etc. — Anything (other than your product or service) that you can provide that helps someone do their job better is much appreciated. (Bonus! these types of content are frequently shared.)
- Educational info — Be the first to understand the latest technology, the updated methodology, etc. and then pass along your newly-acquired expertise to your audience.
- Surveys — Sometimes your customers and prospects don’t want to hear from you, they just want to be heard. Give them an easy way to do that.
- Humor — While you don’t want to overdo it here, there’s nothing wrong with occasionally sharing something funny. People like to see that your company is actually a collection of people.
Sales without Selling
OK, the idea that you can sell without selling at all may be a little far-fetched. After attracting, engaging, and educating prospects with great content, you will ultimately have to close the deal. But if your communications keep the sales pitches to a minimum, and instead are geared toward helping your prospects and customers, you’ll find that you earn people’s trust and loyalty much more quickly. And what’s more, on those occasions when you make the tactical decision to send out something salesy, you’ll find those pieces are far more effective as well.
