I attended a thought-provoking BMA dinner with a small group of senior-level marketers last night. One CMO in attendance bemoaned the fact that the greatest marketing tactics in the world simply weren’t moving the dial when it came to convincing one of their key segments – heads of procurement – to purchase their solution. In response to this statement, the peers in the room nodded in violent agreement, asking almost in unison how you reach this very unique audience via traditional marketing tools — advertising, glossy brochures, or social media to name a few.
With all the resources and marketing expertise at your fingertips, what’s a company to do when it comes to targeting an audience that is traditionally non-responsive? It’s simple: you check your traditional tools at the door, and you focus on the people you’re looking to compel.
Coincidentally, this is the foundation for any successful Sales Enablement initiative. Understand who you’re selling to – and who will influence those decisions within the buying organization. Spend time uncovering the profiles of these influencers to understand what they truly need, and what they’ll avoid at all costs. While a head of marketing or a head of sales may respond well to a traditional case study delivered by marketing, the reality is that a head of IT may discount the piece altogether based on the look/feel alone. Know who you’re selling to, and then be willing to respond accordingly. This is also one of the principles of Content Marketing, and it’s an idea that’s catching on.
I’d venture to take it one step further: as B2B marketers, our audience is also salespeople. With this in mind, we need to think about the messages and format that they need. This may mean delivering tools and content that are not “pretty” by a marketer’s standard… this may mean creating internal coaching tools instead of customer facing ones, or – even worse – all text materials with no branding elements whatsoever! It’s time to broaden the definition of marketing to include all types of communications that help us move the dial with prospects and customers. People are listening – inside and outside your company – if you’re speaking their language.
