Introduction
Marketing leaders find themselves at the forefront of a transformative era in B2B buying and selling. The landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, presenting monumental challenges — and opportunities. Buyers scrutinize every aspect of a potential purchase, demanding a seamless and personalized experience similar to that of B2C. And with buyers spending less time engaging directly with sellers, the role of content has emerged as a linchpin in the sales process, with unparalleled influence in shaping buyer perceptions and purchase decisions.
As content creators and message makers, marketing leaders play a pivotal role in enabling not just sales teams, but entire revenue organizations with tools and materials to thrive. The urgency is clear: Adapt and innovate, or risk falling behind in an environment where static approaches yield diminishing returns.
In light of these shifts, Mediafly surveyed 300 North American-based revenue professionals from enterprise companies spanning various industries. The aim was to uncover trends and insights that marketing leaders can harness to propel their teams towards success. Discover the key takeaways below, as well as actionable strategies and recommendations for optimizing marketing efforts and driving sustainable growth.
Embracing B2C Experiences in the B2B World
of B2B buyers expect the same experiences they have as consumers when making a business purchase.
Buyers are inundated with a deluge of outreach and information from vendors, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and fatigued. A staggering 80% of buyers now expect the same type of buying experience they enjoy in their “off-work” hours as consumers. To break through the noise and capture buyer attention, it’s imperative to deliver a personalized, B2C-esque experience that rivals the seamless interactions offered by industry giants like Netflix and Amazon.
This means:
- Seamless experiences across every channel (email, social, etc.)
- Precise content personalization and targeting
- Immersive, dynamic website experiences
This sophisticated approach requires aligning revenue teams around a single source of buyer data and leveraging insights to enable the entire revenue team.
of companies using direct, one-to-one personalization observed an increase in market share
By embracing these principles and prioritizing personalized, immersive experiences, you can position your organizations at the forefront of modern B2B selling — driving engagement, loyalty, and revenue growth.
Maximizing Impact in a Shrinking Sales Window
of the average buyer’s journey is spent with a seller.
More than ever before, sellers are finding themselves with increasingly less face time with buyers. Ninety-five percent of a buyer’s time is spent doing their own research and relying on online sources for information — making content the primary vehicle for engaging potential customers when reps can’t be physically present. Content must convey your value proposition and resonate with buyers’ unique needs to drive meaningful interactions and move deals forward.
Ensuring that content is accurate, up-to-date and compliant is paramount to reaching buyers effectively. Outdated or irrelevant content not only fails to captivate buyers, but can also jeopardize the success of deals. Personalized and impactful content is essential for connecting with diverse buyer personas and fostering meaningful engagement throughout the buyer’s journey.
Dynamic and immersive content demands that marketing materials go beyond static presentations to deliver interactive and engaging experiences. You must also ensure content remains on-brand and is consistently updated to reflect the latest messaging and positioning.
Empowering Sales with Effective Distribution
of organizations report that sellers are spending too much time creating and personalizing content.
Even the most impactful content is rendered ineffective if it’s unused and unseen. Sales teams continue to grapple with content-related challenges, presenting a golden opportunity for marketing to provide value and address these pain points in the year ahead.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Can sellers easily find content?
- Do they know how to use it?
- Do I know what content is being used when, how, and with which buyers?
If the answer to any of these is “no,” you’re not alone. We found the following as the top five challenges for revenue professionals regarding content:
A scalable content management solution can help unlock the full potential of your content. These serve as a centralized repository for all content, ensuring easier access for sellers and enabling them to quickly locate and leverage the most relevant materials for each unique sales scenario. Additionally, they offer real-time, relevant recommendations on which assets to use when for the most effective engagement.
These tools also support continuous improvement with visibility into content performance, including how, when, and with which customer assets are used — allowing you to better understand its impact. With these insights, you can refine your content strategy and ensure you remain at the forefront of driving customer engagement and revenue growth.
how much more likely high-performing organizations are to track the success of their sales content.
Bolstering Sales Content with a Value-Based Approach
Value is what speaks in today’s market. Help support your sales team by creating value-driven content that resonates deeply with buyers. This means going beyond product features to articulate clear and compelling value propositions that address customer needs and pain points. Gather feedback from both customers and reps in the field to ensure your content reflects real-world insights and experiences.
Have your content tell a story of the transformative impact your product can have on the buyer’s job and life. Paint a vivid picture of a future where the buyer’s challenges are overcome and their goals are realized through the use of your solution. By incorporating ROI calculations and supporting sales teams in creating business cases, you empower them to demonstrate the tangible value your product brings to the table. Top-performing companies have a 38% higher propensity to incorporate business value assessments into their sales cycle.
Bring this value into your content management program to create a seamless experience throughout the buyer’s journey. Consider a buyer’s needs at every stage of the buying process and develop content that tells a complete value story.
how much more likely high-performing organizations are to adopt value-selling methodologies.
Using a unified platform that organizes content by industry, stage, pain points, and other relevant criteria enables sellers to easily access the right materials whenever and wherever they need them.
Answer the Call: Unify Content for Revenue Growth
The role of a marketer extends beyond traditional boundaries, encompassing support across the entire customer journey. From attracting prospects to educating and persuading them to buy, marketing stands as the architect of engagement and influence. At the heart of it lies content — the lifeblood of effective communication and the vehicle by which brands connect with their audience.
Mediafly streamlines content management to align marketing and sales teams. By providing a unified platform that empowers sellers with the most impactful assets, Mediafly ensures that every interaction is optimized to drive engagement, foster trust, and fuel revenue growth.
