Marketers and SEO experts from all over leverage content for their strategies, but far too often we see sales teams sweep content under the rug or half-ass it. Calls, meetings, and emails seem to exclusively rule in most sales environments, and if content is involved, it's only a small part, rather than a focus. If your sales team does have content then, well, that's awesome. But sales teams everywhere should always be looking to make it better or up-to-date.
Whether you're a sales content veteran who's looking to take things to the next level or a newcomer looking to get started, you've come to the right place.
Here are 5 Pieces of sales content you should be creating.
1. Sales Scripts
We still need to tread carefully here—nothing is more disingenuous than a salesperson reading off a stale script, and a robotic sales process can end up being mindless assembly line work. But hear me out: having a sales script doesn't mean you have to be less authentic, but it can bring structure and clarity for your entire sales team, allowing them to never, ever miss a point.
Having a sales script is a part of a full arsenal to fully equip your team, whether they're kick-ass sales veterans or new hires who want to hit the ground running. Your sales script will help foster an all-star team, rather than just a handful of all-star salespeople. And as your team scales, your script will help bring new talent up to speed faster and more efficiently.
As you build it out, enlist everyone in the team for the initial creation. Train your reps to really commit it to memory. As they practice and become more comfortable, they will know exactly how to address common pain points. After they know the script, they can later have the freedom to experiment with their own flare—after all, you don't want robots.
2. Product Videos
Video now appears in 70% of the top 100 search results listings, and viewers are anywhere from 64-85% more likely to make a purchase after watching a product video. And you know what? Product videos can be among the easiest to make, but they can continually drive up your results for as long as you continue to sell that product. It can be done as simply as this backpack video on Amazon or as elaborately as this dog bed video on Chewy.
3. Competitor Comparisons
There is a right and wrong way to build a competitor comparison chart.
You don't want to skimp on showing the kind of value you can give your prospects that is different (or even better) than your competitors. On the other hand, you don't want to embellish your services and horribly review your competitors. A) That's not classy, B) your prospects can see right through that, and C) that's an immediate way to drop your rapport.
That's not to say you shouldn't share the positive things about your company and services—you're still trying to sell to them.
But to build trust with your prospect, some honesty can go a very, very long way, even if that means shedding some light onto some of your product's limitations. In your competitor comparisons, don't shy away from giving credit where credit is due. Your comparison charts won't be the only thing your prospect uses to learn about their other options, so feel free to point out their obvious positives, too.
4. Sales Videos
I don't want to sugarcoat this for you: from concept to launch to optimization, sometimes creating a sales video can be a lot of work and resources upfront. But when finished, your videos can do the selling for you over and over and over again—and you'll save your sales team hours and hours of phone time.
We've found an awesome video that shares what we believe is a winning 8-step formula to creating an effective sales video. To summarize, here are the 8 steps (but I'd recommend watching the video to get all the details):
- Get Attention - If you don't "hook" your audience or grab their attention, they'll click away pretty fast. You can use a question, shocking statistic, or big promise to get them to keep watching
- Identify the Problem - Be sure to identify what problem it is your product or service can solve.
- Agitate the Problem - It's not enough to just identify the problem. Take a moment to address what happens if the problem goes unchecked or even worst case scenarios.
- Identify the Solution - The solution isn't you or your product, but rather what your prospects need to do or what needs to happen to solve the problem.
- Introduce the Product - Now, introduce your product and how it serves as the solution.
- Share Results and Benefits - Talk about all the great things about your product. What will your product do for your customer?
- Your Call-to-Action - After you've created the demand, give clear next steps to connect with you and buy.
- Social Proof - Include things like endorsements, testimonials, case studies, and reviews from existing buyers.
5. Post-Sale Content
With every piece of content you've created for prospects at the beginning of the buyer's journey all the way down to when they sign on the dotted line, we want you to lather, rinse, and repeat for your existing customers.
It costs you way more to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. Like, five times more. Most businesses can't afford to lose their existing clients, yet many businesses don't create content for them.
A simple "thank you" can earn a customer for life. It can take the form of an exclusive thank you video for your clients, a special gift, help docs, exclusive offers, an exclusive webinar, etc.
Final Thoughts
If there is one thing you take away from this post, it is this: don't shy away from video. It's 2018—if you haven't leveraged the power of video in sales, you're already falling behind. Adding a face and a voice makes the buying experience far more human than just words on a web page. For more sales enablement strategies, read our guide or reach out to one of us by clicking the button below. We're always happy to chat.
