Adapting and innovating isn’t a choice in the world of marketing, it’s a necessity. Marketers have to embrace change to keep up with the pace. Popular marketing platforms and social media channels have proven to be effective. But they’re not the be-all and end-all of digital marketing. There’s currently a gap between common platforms and the digital sales room, a new frontier that promises an exciting avenue for marketers.
Now, it’s more important than ever to look at how we elevate the digital sales room to the same level as these other marketing channels. In this post, you’ll find a clear roadmap to help you achieve that. You’ll also learn how changing the way you create content can help your organization win more deals and improve your sales productivity metrics.
Rethinking marketing content for the digital age
What goes into transforming the approach to content for the digital sales room? These are three of the major components to consider.
Content strategy
The landscape of content creation is undergoing a major shift. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t cut it anymore, and buyers struggle to find the information they need. Research from Gartner shows that this leads to a 30% decline in customers’ ability to reach a purchase decision at all. It also causes a 42% reduction in the likelihood of their purchasing a premium product.
Content needs to be adaptable, informed, and tailored to the varying needs and preferences of prospects. This means you have to start with a deeper understanding of who your audience is and what they want from you. From education to evaluation, experience, and expansion. Each phase calls for unique content forms and messages.
For example, the educational phase might feature blogs with research and statistics to help prospects understand a product, industry, or solution. The evaluation phase, however, demands more detailed, technical, and solution-oriented content. This strategic construction of content across the buyer’s journey is a new way forward for marketers.
Content publishing
Methods for content publication and distribution are evolving too. Large assets are now often broken down into smaller, digestible chunks. For example, the content of a whitepaper might be broken down into blog posts or made into a short video series.
The digital sales room is a perfect platform for these forms of content. It offers a space, similar to a social media feed, that makes information consumption less overwhelming for prospects. This new approach to publishing promises a more engaging future for content. It also helps marketers create content that salespeople use. All while making it easier than ever to deliver personalized, relevant assets to buyers.
Content metrics
The importance of accurate metrics in digital marketing cannot be overstated. However, in the context of the digital sales room, marketers need to go beyond traditional metrics like win rates and pipeline conversions.
Engagement metrics hold the key to understanding prospect behavior. For example, knowing how much time a prospect spends on specific slides or how many times they’ve watched a video can provide invaluable insights. With the granular buyer sentiment and engagement data from the digital sales room, marketers have access to a wealth of new metrics to guide their strategies.
How marketing can connect the dots for prospects in the digital sales room
It’s clear that digital sales room requires a thoughtful and dedicated approach to content creation, publishing, and analytics. When you take this route, the content you create can act as a helpful guide. It can empower buyers to go from learning about your brand to making a decision about what they’d like to purchase.
By reimagining content for the digital sales room, marketers can build a more engaging, personalized, and effective connection with prospects. They can create assets that speak directly to prospects’ needs and pain points. Then, the available data makes it possible to continually refine the content and adjust the creation process.
From short videos to product demos and slide decks, various formats can cater to prospects’ preferences. This dynamic method for content offers a tailored experience for each prospect, which enhances conversion potential.
The marketing funnel and the digital sales room
An important thing to remember is that the digital sales room isn’t just relevant for a single stage in the marketing funnel. It plays a crucial role across the entire spectrum, especially past the awareness stage. Once a prospect “raises their hand” to indicate interest, the digital sales room becomes a powerful tool. Here’s a closer look at the impact it can have at each stage:
Consideration stage: Once your prospects have become aware of your offerings and are considering them, the digital sales room becomes an information destination. You may provide resources like videos, eBooks, or reports to show them you understand the problems they’re facing. Presenting these details before a meeting will also help you get ahead of questions and objections.
Decision stage: The digital sales room is crucial when prospects are ready to make a purchase decision. Incorporating product demos, solution briefs, and other personalized recommendations can guide the journey.
Retention and advocacy: Post-purchase, the digital sales room transitions into an engagement hub for customer support, guides, and more. You can also encourage customers to provide feedback and give them an opportunity to share what they love about your product or service with others.
It’s time for you to see what’s possible in the digital sales room
The digital sales room stands as a new frontier in marketing. It offers untapped potential for enhanced prospect engagement and conversion. Its value in the marketing funnel extends beyond a single stage for lead nurturing and conversion. As long as you have to processes in place to embrace the platform and maximize its power.
If you want to take the next step and learn how to enable your teams with modern digital sales rooms, training, coaching, and content, talk to one of our sales enablement experts. SalesHood powers fast-growing companies with our purpose-built, all-in-one sales enablement platform by activating revenue teams to improve sales effectiveness and efficiency.
Get more sales and marketing insights by making one of these posts your next read:
How Buyer Enablement Drives the Lead-To-Customer Journey
