webcast: optimize your content marketing to facilitate the buyer's journey
DESCRIPTION
Although research indicates a significant 26% of annual marketing budgets are allocated to content marketing, only 41% find that the efforts are effective.Why the crisis in confidence and how can you insure that your content marketing investments are effective?This webinar, conducted by Tom Pisello, the ROI Guy & Chairman/Founder of Alinean, will discuss the latest content marketing research and the significance it has on setting your budget, driving strategy and tactics and optimizing return on investment.TRANSCRIPT
Optimize Your Content
Marketing to Facilitate
the Buyer's Journey
Tom Pisello, The ROI Guy
Chairman & Founder, Alinean
September 20, 2011
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 2
Our Speakers
Tom Pisello: The ROI Guy
– A 25-year career helping companies to get more business value from their IT and business investments
– Serial Entrepreneur
– Pundit & Blogger
– Chairman and Founder
• Alinean – Content Optimization w/ Interactive Smart Content and Value-Based Sales Enablement Tools
• Akonna – Social Media Marketing Competitive Benchmarking
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Agenda
1. The Significance of Content for Marketing & Sales Enablement
2. Top Content Challenges
3. New Content Optimization Strategies & Tactics
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The Significance of Content for Marketing & Sales Enablement
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51% increasing budget
over next 12 months
Content Spending and Tactics
Junta42 and MarketingProfs, 2010 Content Marketing Benchmark Survey
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 6
Top Content Marketing Challenges
Junta42 and MarketingProfs, 2010 Content Marketing Benchmark Survey
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 7
Crisis in Confidence?
Only 41% indicate
that their content
marketing efforts
are effective.
Junta42 and MarketingProfs, 2010 Content Marketing Benchmark Survey
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 8
Why The Content Marketing Crisis in Confidence?
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 9
Buyers Have Fundamentally and Permanently
Changed
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Longer Sales Cycles
Reduced Deal Size More Leads to Close Same
Amount of Business
Stalled Deals
Increased Competition More Stakeholders
Executive Scrutiny
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Quantifiable benefits
are mandatory
On average 90% of corporations surveyed require
quantifiable proof of bottom-line benefits on most
projects.
Quantifying value is
difficult for buyers
Two-thirds (65%) of buyers indicate that they do not
have the knowledge or tools needed to do business
value assessments and calculations.
Third party validation is
essential
Most trusted sources are: Industry Analysts (31.4%),
and Peers (28.7%).
Vendors lag as a trusted source for only 8.1%.
Buyers turn to vendors
for value proof points
81% of buyers expect vendors to quantify business
value of proposed solutions.
Source: IDC 2010, survey of 200 B2B buyers,
Sirius Decisions 2010 B-to-B Buyer Survey on trusted sources.
Frugalnomics: the new mantra for B2B Buyers
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 11
Describe the budgeting/approval process for most
recent solution purchase?
Determined potential impact throughother adopters and built a business
Budget was taken from another line itemafter need was established/clear
Budget was determined post multiplebids
Budget was allocated as part of a largerline item once need was established
Budget for project was approved andallocated during beginning of the year
26.7%
26.1%
20.6%
15.8%
10.9%
Demand Creation Specialists B2B Buyer Survey - 2011
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 12
How has the buying/decision-making process changed for
the most recent purchases vs. prior decisions?
Relied more on live customerfeedback/recommendations
More internal team members providedtheir input into decision process
Did more detailed analysis of costs/ROI ofsolution before finalizing the process
Utilized a wider variety of sources toresearch options
Took more time to research and considersolutions
48%
36%
34%
30%
21%
Multiple Responses Allowed
Demand Creation Specialists B2B Buyer Survey - 2011
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 13
Which Content is The Most Effective?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Early Middle Late
White papers
Peer referrals
Webinars
User Events
Analyst reports
Case Studies
Most often used to help make purchase decisions
Source: SiriusDecisions 2010
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Content Optimization Strategies & Tactics
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Fight Frugalnomics™ with Value Selling &
Marketing
Value Focus
Discussion:
• Prescriptive & Quantified
• Discover… Is customer
aware of issue?
• Diagnose… How bad is it?
• Quantify … Value of change
• Compare … Value vs. Status
Quo / Competition
Drive: Diagnostic Led: What
is issue & value of change?
Product Focus
Discussion:
• Customer knows issue
• Tie features / functions to needs
• Compares product alternatives
• Feature • Function • Price
Drive: Sales Led: Product
Driven
Solution Focus
Discussion:
• Customer knows issues &
desired outcome
• Questions to discover pain
points
• Recommend solution to
solve pain
Drive: Sales Led: Pain-Point
Driven
Solution
Provider Trusted Advisor Vendor
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 16
Making Content Relevant by Mapping to the
Buyer’s Journey
Buyer’s Journey
Discovery Consideration Decision Purchasing a Solution is a Complex Change Management Process
Need Help in Facilitating the Steps in the Process:
• Easier to Do Nothing than to Change
• More Stakeholders
• Competitive Agendas
• More Economic Scrutiny
Seeking Content that is:
• Consultative, Not a Sales Pitch
• Proactive
• Personalized and Concise: One-to-One
• More Relevant
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Content to Facilitate the Buyer’s Journey
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 18
Facilitating the Buyer’s Journey w/ Interactive
Smart Content & Diagnostic Sales Tools
BUYER’S JOURNEY
Interactive White Papers
Diagnostic Assessment Tools
ROI Analysis Tools TCO Comparison Tools
Create awareness
around a new problem
Align problem with
business issues; drive
urgency
Help buyer
identify needs in solving
the problem
Align solution
with specific sets of
business needs
Make the business case
for change
Validate/ reinforce choice
Prove best value
Loosening of the
status quo
Committing to change
Exploring possible solutions
Committing to a
solution
Justifying the
decision
Making the selection
Content Marketing & Sales Enablement Strategy
DISCOVERY CONSIDERATION DECISION
PROVOCATIVE APPROACH VALUE APPROACH
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 19
Interactive White Papers
• Interactive Profiling to Align Content
• Intelligent Quantitative & Qualitative Personalization
• Concise
• Increased Relevance
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 20
Diagnostic Assessment Tools
• Identify / Prioritize Issues and Recommend Solutions
• Survey to Identify Opportunities
• Peer / Leader Benchmarking
• Intelligent Roadmap Recommendations
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ROI Calculators & TCO Comparison Tools
• Quantify Cost of Doing Nothing
• Justify Solutions
• Differentiate Value
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Are You Ready to Optimize Your Content?
• Buyers Have Changed
– Purchase process is more complex
– More empowered, but overloaded
– More skeptical and frugal / economic focus
– Need help from solution providers
• Content Must be More Relevant to be Effective
– Facilitate the Buyer’s Journey
– Consultative & Concise
– Personalized / One-to-One
• New Content Marketing Needed to Drive Relevancy
– Interactive White Papers
– Diagnostic Assessment Tools
– ROI Calculators
– TCO Comparison Tools
© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 23
Next Steps
Content Optimization Assessment
http://www.alinean.com/COA
Best Practice Resource Center
http://fightfrugalnomics.com
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Questions?