5 Ways to Use Content Marketing for Sales Enablement

Content marketing can seem like it can only function in the confines of the marketing industry but there is a multitude of ways that content marketing flourishes outside of its traditional role. One of these ways is sales enablement. Sales enablement allows you to create well thought out buyer personas which can encourage the sales process and thus result in plenty of conversions for your brand or business. 

Sales enablement can allow your brand to reach target customers that are high potential prospects. Understanding that the sales enablement process is weaved into content marketing ensures that you can increase sales and produce better results. 

Imagine a world where your sales team is armed with a treasure chest of valuable resources, each tailored to your ideal customer’s every need and inquiry. This is the magic of sales enablement, a strategic approach that equips your salesforce with the knowledge, tools, and content they need to navigate the buyer journey with ease. But in today’s information-rich landscape, simply providing tools isn’t enough. That’s where content marketing comes in, serving as a potent fuel that turbocharges your sales enablement efforts, transforming them from good to exceptional.

Pairing content marketing with sales enablement is like merging the power of a well-equipped army with the precision of targeted weaponry. Content marketing acts as your content arsenal, crafting compelling narratives, informative guides, and data-driven insights that resonate with your audience and address their pain points. Sales enablement, on the other hand, ensures this arsenal reaches the right hands at the right time, empowering your sales team to effectively wield this content to nurture leads, close deals, and ultimately drive revenue.

By weaving these two disciplines together, you create a synergistic force that amplifies the value of each. Content marketing provides the fuel for engagement and education, while sales enablement ensures its delivery at the most impactful moments in the buyer’s journey. This powerful combination unlocks a treasure trove of benefits, from increased brand awareness and lead generation to smoother sales cycles and higher conversion rates. So, get ready to unlock the full potential of your sales team with this potent duo, and watch your sales soar to new heights!

What is Sales Enablement? 

Sales enablement is, quite frankly, about educating your sales team. It provides them with the tools they need to effectively deliver presentations of your products or services to those who are potential customers. 

This strategic and ongoing process ensures your sales team has the content and training they need to actively engage with leads and helps contact the relevant parties with the correct material needed to turn them into conversions. 

Delivering your sales team the tools to educate prospects and deliver solutions to problems prospects may have ensured that sales calls are more efficient and you are able to spend more time selling.

 How to Use Content Marketing for Sales Enablement: 

In order to use content marketing effectively in sales enablement, you have to be prepared to deliver content to your sales team. This will require you to gather your resources and understand your target market. Creating sales enablement content can come in a variety of forms: 

• Infographics
• Email Campaigns
• Webinars 
• Case Studies 
• Customer Persona
• Whitepapers
• Guest Blogging
• Blogs
• Articles

With plenty of potentials to create content, you need to be filtering it around how your brand can deliver for a customer when they are dealing with a particular problem, educate prospects around your product or service, and provide valuable content for prospects to take back to their teams to discuss further. 

What Content Should I Use for Sales Enablement?

Taking stock of the content that you should be using in sales enablement allows you to curate the correct content marketing material to present to your sales team. Having content that interacts well with the sales funnel ensures that prospects turn into guaranteed conversions. 

1. Blog Posts 

Blog posts seem to be the most obvious way of communicating expertise to clients and your sales team. While content marketing and sales enablement content can sometimes differ, blogs can be curated to focus on sales parts of the funnel and help drive high prospects into leads. 

Using blog posts to educate and inform is a perfect tool for both B2B customers who may want to understand more about your process or how you can deliver for them in a long term capacity. 

Equally, blog posts can be easily accessed on shared company drives, so make sure that they are stored in a simple cloud-based system that the sales team can call on if they want to find a topic that they might need to brush up on. 

2. Sales Scripts 

Arguably, one of the most important pieces of content for sales enablement is sales scripts. One of the most important things to ensure is that your content is compliant with your sales scripts. Sometimes sales teams write scripts that move away from the content marketing message, so it is important that both are designed to complement each other. 

Sales that are based on misinformation or are lacking in materials usually fall through. To ensure that your sales team has all the information they need to deliver to the client, align your content with the sales scripts and see what can be improved. This is another great method for B2B but also B2C channels where your sales team might be selling a product or service directly to the consumer. 

Sales scripts should include consistent information with added educational content that secures the final purchase decision. They should also serve as a guide to the sales team, not read out unnaturally which could potentially alienate a client who now knows they are being sold to.

3. Case Studies

Case studies are a fantastic way to communicate to potential clients, whether they operate in B2C or B2B, about your potential offerings and what you can deliver as a business. It emphasises that you understand your customer’s struggles and that you are attempting to find solutions to their issues by presenting them with an enhanced understanding of their persona and how you delivered through your product or service.

This doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be written, case studies can be done in a variety of ways by combining video content with client testimonials. This type of content highlights the value that you can add to businesses and are an incredible benefit for those who are late-stage prospects. 

4. Competitor Research and Analysis

While it is gravely important that you create buyer personas to understand your target audience, it is also important to understand how the competition is marketing towards your customers. 

Learning how other brands are doing it gives you insight and more knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, and allows you to connect with an audience that they are potentially neglecting. 

5. Social Media Content 

Using social media content to deliver customers directly to your site is another brilliant way of incorporating content marketing for sales enablement. Social media provides a platform to actively and genuinely engage with your target audience, and conventional potential prospects into conversions. 

Whether you use a curated video or a how-to guide blog post, you can create meaningful content marketing that can be used to great effect by your sales team. Sales teams can actively engage with the content and sent it to a relevant audience if that is what is required. 

Content Marketing and Sales Enablement 

Content marketing can be incredibly influential in your sales process and can be an effective way of merging two teams who appear to have different roles. Creating high-quality, specific content that can be delivered to your sales team allows them to turn leads into sales through specialist knowledge and expertise. 

Creating quality content and ensuring that you have used content marketing for sales enablement enhances sales opportunities and ensures that your sales team are fully equipped to deliver clients and streamline their sales processes.

Content Marketing Tips:

Tip 1: Develop Buyer-Focused Content:

Example: Instead of generic blog posts, create in-depth guides addressing specific buyer pain points. For example, a SaaS company could produce a white paper on “5 Common Challenges in Managing Project Deadlines” and offer actionable solutions using their software.

Case Study: Marketo, a marketing automation platform, launched a content series called “Marketing Mavericks” featuring interviews with successful marketing leaders. This buyer-focused content provided valuable insights and best practices, leading to a 25% increase in qualified leads and a 10% boost in conversion rates.

Tip 2: Leverage Data-Driven Insights:

Example: Analyze website traffic and customer interactions to identify popular topics and content formats. Create interactive infographics or video explainers based on these insights to engage your audience and educate them about your product’s features and benefits.

Case Study: HubSpot, a CRM platform, analyzed customer support queries and found many users struggled with a specific feature. They created a series of short, animated explainer videos demonstrating the feature’s functionality. This resulted in a 30% reduction in support tickets related to that feature and a surge in product adoption.

Tip 3: Personalize Content for Different Stages of the Buyer’s Journey:

Example: Develop nurture sequences with targeted content for leads at different stages. Offer educational blog posts for awareness, case studies for consideration, and product demos for decision. Personalize the content with relevant data points and customer stories for maximum impact.

Case Study: Salesforce, a cloud-based CRM, implemented a personalized content marketing strategy using visitor behavior data. Their website dynamically displayed relevant content based on a visitor’s industry and interests, leading to a 20% increase in click-through rates and a 15% improvement in conversion rates for qualified leads.

Tip 4: Repurpose Content for Multiple Channels:

Example: A blog post can be repurposed into a podcast episode, social media infographic, or webinar presentation. This expands reach and reinforces key messages across different platforms, catering to diverse learning preferences.

Case Study: Cisco, a technology giant, created a comprehensive white paper on cloud security. They repurposed the content into bite-sized infographics, social media posts, and a series of short video tutorials. This multi-channel approach resulted in a 40% increase in website traffic and a 12% rise in leads generated from the cloud security content.

Tip 5: Track and Measure Results:

Example: Use analytics tools to monitor website traffic, lead generation, and customer engagement metrics after implementing content marketing initiatives. Analyze data to identify successful content types and topics, and adjust your strategy as needed to optimize results.

Case Study: Unbounce, a landing page software company, tracked website traffic and conversions after launching a new content series. They found one specific article generated significantly higher engagement and lead conversions. They leveraged this data to create more content on similar topics, leading to a 35% increase in overall leads generated from content marketing.

Updated Statistics for Ways to Use Content Marketing for Sales Enablement

Here are some updated statistics (all from 2023 sources) to strengthen your article:

Content Marketing ROI:

• Content marketing generates 3 times the leads per marketing dollar compared to traditional marketing (Source: HubSpot, 2023)
• Companies that prioritize content marketing see a 27.1% higher sales win rate (Source: Content Marketing Institute, 2023)
• 62% of marketers report that content marketing generates a fair or very good ROI (Source: Content Marketing Institute, 2023)

Sales Enablement Effectiveness:

• Organizations with a formal sales enablement function achieve a 49% win rate in their forecasted deals, compared to 35% for those without (Source: Sales Hacker, 2023)
• 84% of sales reps achieve their quotas when their employer incorporates a best-in-class sales enablement strategy (Source: Mediafly, 2023)
• Sales teams that utilize content marketing for lead generation see a 15% increase in conversion rate (Source: Marketo, 2023)

Additional Statistics:

• Global content consumption doubled in 2020 and is projected to continue growing (Source: Statista, 2023)
• 70% of B2B buyers consume content during the decision-making process (Source: Content Marketing Institute, 2023)
• 82% of customers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content (Source: Demand Metric, 2023)

Citation Tips:

• Use authoritative sources like industry reports, academic research, and reputable marketing publications.
• Include links to the source material for transparency and credibility.
• Consider using anchor text that accurately reflects the cited statistic for better readability.

Key Takeaways:

• Focus on buyer-centric content: Craft content that addresses your target audience’s specific pain points and challenges. Provide valuable insights, actionable solutions, and informative resources that guide them through the buyer journey.
• Leverage data-driven insights: Analyze customer behavior and website data to identify popular topics and preferred content formats. Tailor your content strategy based on these insights to ensure maximum engagement and resonate with your audience.
• Personalize the experience: Adapt your content to different stages of the buyer’s journey. Offer educational materials for awareness, case studies for consideration, and product demos for decision-making. Personalize messaging and data points to create a stronger connection.
• Repurpose and amplify: Don’t limit your content to one format. Transform blog posts into infographics, white papers into video explainers, and social media content into webinar presentations. This multi-channel approach expands reach and reinforces key messages.
• Track and measure results: Monitor website traffic, lead generation, and customer engagement metrics to assess the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts. Use data to identify successful content types and optimize your strategy for continuous improvement.

By implementing these key takeaways, you can transform your sales enablement strategy into a content-driven powerhouse. Empower your team with valuable resources, equip them to navigate the buyer journey with confidence, and watch your sales soar to new heights.

Remember, content marketing and sales enablement are not just tools; they are a winning formula for sustainable sales success in the information age. So, go forth, craft compelling content, and unleash the full potential of your sales force!

FAQ: Content Marketing for Sales Enablement – Your Questions Answered

Q: What are the biggest challenges of integrating content marketing and sales enablement?

A: Aligning content with specific sales objectives, measuring content ROI, and ensuring content is readily accessible and used by sales reps are some common challenges. This article offers strategies to overcome these hurdles.

Q: How much content should we create?

A: Quality trumps quantity. Focus on creating valuable, targeted content that resonates with your audience. Utilize repurposing strategies to maximize the reach of your existing content.

Q: What tools and platforms work best for content marketing and sales enablement?

A: There are numerous options depending on your budget and needs. Consider content management systems, marketing automation platforms, and sales enablement software to streamline content creation and distribution.

Q: How can we track the impact of our content marketing efforts on sales?

A: Utilize website analytics, CRM data, and lead generation metrics to assess content performance. Monitor engagement, conversion rates, and revenue generated from content-driven leads.

Q: Do I need a dedicated content marketing team for this?

A: Not necessarily. You can leverage existing resources or outsource content creation to agencies or freelancers. However, ensure clear collaboration between sales and marketing for content alignment.

Conclusion: Content Marketing – The Fuel for Sales Enablement Success

In today’s dynamic market, sales success hinges on providing valuable content that guides your ideal customers along their journey. By weaving content marketing into your sales enablement strategy, you equip your team with the knowledge, tools, and resources to engage, educate, and convert leads into loyal customers.