Consumer trust is essential for success in the digital era

Consumer buying behaviors have undergone significant transformation over the past decade, blurring the line between "marketing" and "sales". Presently, approximately 70% of customers make purchasing decisions before engaging with a company directly, rendering traditional marketing and sales strategies ineffective. The emphasis has shifted towards "inbound" marketing, where valuable content is provided to consumers, enticing them to seek out the company, rather than relying on outdated "outbound" approaches centered around chasing potential customers with unsolicited sales pitches.

Marcus Sheridan exemplified the power of inbound marketing when he rescued his pool company from bankruptcy during the Great Recession. He strategically rebranded his company as an authoritative voice in the industry. By publishing informative content such as swimming pool reviews and addressing common buyer queries, Sheridan successfully built trust with consumers, ultimately attracting their business.

“They Ask, You Answer” is a customer-focused approach that places your business around the goals, questions, feelings, and fears of your target customers. Your success depends on knowing which customers are the best fit for your company. Learn to let go of potential customers whose needs you cannot meet effectively. Concentrate on those who will trust you, refer you to others, and spend their money with you.

In the past, brands could depend on consumers being unaware, claiming their product was better than others, even if it wasn’t. Today’s consumers have the means to research and learn about the quality of what you offer.

High-quality content boosts sales teams in seven distinct ways

By focusing on content creation and addressing consumers' most common questions, you gain several advantages.

1-Enhanced Understanding of Your Target Audience– Meeting customer queries and addressing their interests necessitates cultivating an empathetic comprehension of their concerns, aspirations, challenges, and predicaments

2-Refined Messaging Strategies â€“ Developing content aids in clarifying optimal responses to frequently asked questions, empowering sales personnel to discern potent messaging tactics for real-time customer engagements.

3-Enriched Resources for Conveying Your Vision – Internal videos and articles serve as valuable resources for new hires seeking insights into your company's culture and principles.

4-Alignment Between Sales and Marketing Efforts– Sales professionals can leverage marketing collateral during the sales process, utilizing consumer education to guide potential buyers through the sales funnel—a strategy known as assignment selling.

5-Insights Derived from Consumer Data– Interaction between sales representatives and potential customers allows for data analytics to reveal the content that specific customers find most engaging on your website, and develop a deeper understanding of current consumer concerns.

6-Establish Trust Early in the Customer Journey â€“ Sharing content with digital consumers at the outset develops before direct engagement with the sales team.

7-Streamlined Sales Cycles– By perusing company materials or watching videos, digital consumers lend support to your brand and trust your expertise, thereby potentially reducing the need for early-stage sales calls and shortening the sales cycle.

Assignment selling aids salespeople in assessing buyer compatibility efficiently

Content has the potential to reach countless people quickly, unlike traditional sales calls, which only connect salespeople with one person at a time. Your content works continuously, 365 days a year, without needing breaks for sick days or holidays. This “evergreen” content can attract new customers for years. Salespeople should remember that every email is a chance to share marketing content, which supports assignment selling. This builds trust by providing educational resources to your target audience.

If a salesperson encounters a prospect who stops responding after receiving a quote or proposal, the “They Ask, You Answer” strategy can help win them back. Instead of sending a desperate follow-up email, they should use it as an opportunity to share more content that helps the prospect decide if your company is the right fit. Remember, customers who don’t connect with your message are likely not the right fit for you.

Position as an industry authority by mastering five key areas.

Consumers focus on "The Big 5" when making buying decisions: 

1-Transparent Pricing and Costs

Be upfront and clear about your pricing structure to avoid frustrating potential buyers. Don't assume they'll understand complex fee structures; instead, clearly communicate any value-based fees. Confusion about pricing can drive customers away, so ensure transparency.

2-Address Potential Problems

Acknowledge and address consumer concerns about potential issues that may arise with your product or service. Position yourself as an expert by providing informative content on how to handle these issues effectively. Honesty and openness build trust with customers.

3-Encourage Comparisons

Recognize that consumers enjoy comparing different products and companies. Rather than solely promoting your own offerings, establish yourself as an expert by providing transparent comparisons and answering common customer questions. For instance, you could compare the pros and cons of fiberglass versus concrete swimming pools.

4-Honest Reviews and Recommendations

Direct potential customers to your competitors if they seek alternatives, and provide honest reviews of their products and services. Consider sharing these reviews publicly to position your company as an industry expert. Transparency in recommendations promotes trust with consumers.

5- "Best-in-Class"

Publish content that showcases the work of other companies without including your own. For example, create lists of products that exceed industry standards, thereby creating new referral sources for your business. This approach demonstrates integrity and positions your company as a trusted authority in the industry.

Shift culture is key for successful in-house content creation

Failure to make the necessary culture shifts when beginning to create content can hinder your business's growth. Companies that excel with the "They Ask, You Answer" approach typically have strong leadership buy-in and cross-departmental support. To position your company as a "thought leader," it's crucial to take control of content creation by in-sourcing it instead of relying solely on external talent. Hiring a dedicated content manager can further solidify this approach. Empowering employees with relevant expertise to establish editorial guidelines is essential for steering content creation effectively. Conducting a series of workshops and investing in long-term training efforts can help a unified, content-centric vision within the organization.

All individuals involved in content creation must understand the importance of delivering high-quality content. Achieving prominence in search engine results, such as Google's, hinges on the ability of your content to provide value to the searcher. There is tangible merit in identifying and addressing the frequently asked questions of your target audience. Generating valuable content often necessitates collaborative brainstorming sessions among team members.

To make the most of your content, invest in the right tools. Measure your “ROI” (return on investment) and track your leads' actions to see which content they’ve viewed. This helps you understand what buyers are looking for. Use analytics to continually improve your website content by testing what works and what doesn’t. This approach will show you which types of content attract leads and which ones do not convert.

Utilize seven video types to start sales effectively

Seven videos to elevate your sales closing rates:

1."The 80 Percent Video" – Brainstorm responses to the most common queries posed by customers to your sales team, roughly 80% of the time, regarding your key products or services. Share these insights through a video format.

2. Email Signature Videos– Encourage team members interacting directly with customers to incorporate a brief video introducing themselves, sharing personal tidbits, and expressing their passion for their role, thereby adding a human touch to your brand.

3. Service and Product Fit Videos– Develop videos delineating the specific needs of customers that align with your offerings, as well as those who might be better served elsewhere.

4. Landing Page Videos â€“ Enhance conversion rates by utilizing videos on landing pages, such as those featuring forms for quotes, to elucidate the sign-up process and provide valuable information to visitors.

5. Pricing and Cost Videos â€“ Address customer inquiries regarding pricing by elucidating the factors influencing costs, discussing market dynamics, and articulating your value proposition and pricing strategy.

6. Customer Journey Videos â€“ Secure consent from customers and showcase their experiences in videos that illustrate their progression from encountering a problem to discovering a solution through your company.

7. "Claims We Make" Videos– Validate the assertions made by your company, such as being the "best" in a particular service, by visually demonstrating their veracity through compelling video content.

Your website's quality impacts prospect retention and acquisition

Your website facilitates "self-select" options for customers, allowing them to choose products or services without engaging with a salesperson directly. Consider developing interactive self-selection tools on your website, enabling potential buyers to respond to questions and refine their searches accordingly. For instance, include a link to a quiz-style tool titled "Which plan is best for me?"

Ensure your homepage features a clean and simple design, facilitating easy navigation for customers to find precisely what they're seeking. Avoid lengthy paragraphs of text, instead focus on addressing the most common questions potential customers ask. Feature "premium" educational materials like buying guides, downloadable checklists, webinars, or white papers. Cater to different learning styles and preferences by presenting information both visually and textually. Offer "social proof" of your company's reliability by showcasing reviews from satisfied customers. Additionally, prioritize fast loading times for your site, as research indicates that 40% of visitors will leave if it takes more than three seconds to load.

Adapt to consumer needs with conversational marketing strategies

Marketers should adopt conversational marketing by facilitating one-on-one conversations between buyers and brands through various channels such as Slack, text, and live chats. Conversational marketing involves minimizing friction and effort on the customer journey while engaging with buyers on the technologies and platforms they prefer.

To succeed in conversational marketing, marketers need to adopt a "conversational mindset" and respond promptly to consumer queries. They should start by implementing small changes, such as integrating a chatbot or enabling live chat functionality on high-intent pages of their website, to experiment with different communication approaches before expanding further. This approach allows marketers to determine which methods are most effective before scaling up their efforts.