Companies that align marketing and sales teams produce incredible results. Businesses that have strong “smarketing” teams established generate 208% more revenue from marketing efforts.
Whereas a misalignment between the sales and marketing teams can cost B2B companies 10% or more of revenue each year.
One way marketing and sales teams can work together is through content along the sales funnel. And marketers, particularly, can help make sure this copy converts prospects.
75% of buyers want marketers to curb the sales speak, which means sales teams should let marketers take a stab at writing a lot of the copy that goes to prospects along the buyer journey.
Not just top of the funnel content
Most marketers mainly work at the top of the sales funnel during the awareness phase. Marketers write social media copy, blogs, public relations copy, and more at this stage. Businesses measure the amount of marketing qualified leads (MQLs) that come in to gauge how well a marketing campaign is performing.
The problem is that many businesses leave marketers only at the top of the funnel and keep the sales team measuring the rest of the sales funnel. However, marketers can be incredibly valuable at helping convert leads.
Sales content by marketers
Salespeople use certain content types to help push prospects down the sales funnel. And since marketers know the target buyer so well, they can write specific content in the tone and with the branding that the buyer wants.
Middle of the funnel content
Marketers can help write sales materials during this phase, such as:
- Internal website page copy
- Infographics
- Fact sheets
- Educational content such as eBooks
By working with the sales team, marketers can look at gaps in the sales funnel and fill them with content that converts leads. Plus, marketers know how to keep copy valuable, which it should always be for the buyer.
Bottom of the funnel content
At this phase, the buyer is likely deciding between a few companies. Strong content that builds trust is crucial at this stage, and marketers are well-prepared to create this content. They can write pieces such as:
- Case studies
- Targeted eBooks
- White papers
- Customer testimonials
- Competitor analysis
These pieces could make or break a buyer’s decision, so it’s a good idea to at least have a marketers input on the material.
Aligning sales and marketing
Businesses should no longer keep these two teams siloed. When sales and marketing teams are aligned, they are 67% better at closing deals. Marketers can learn from sales teams only when each team shares data.
For example, if marketers bring in hundreds of MQLs, but none of them convert to customers, marketers can adjust the campaign to bring in better leads for the sales teams to nurture. And since marketers are typically stellar writers, sales teams can have a helping hand in creating valuable content along the buyer journey.
To build a strong “smarketing” team, both sides should have a clear understanding of how a lead is nurtured down the funnel to become a client. This marketing-sales funnel is a crucial beginning to aligning the teams, which ultimately increases sales. Furthermore, if marketers are creating content, but they are unaware of the sales funnel, the sales team probably just throws this content out, resulting in wasted time and effort.
Aligning these teams will allow marketers to write content that informs and educates leads, which pushes them down the sales funnel to becoming clients.
By working with the sales team, marketers can write this sales copy that will ease the burden off of the salespeople who need content that converts.
