Filling the Gap

We’re often asked to help companies put together their customer content strategy. To begin, we share our version of a well-known quadrant diagram to set a foundation for how we approach content in reference to the sales cycle. Each type of customer content has a place, but in formulating a strategy, one cannot confuse how various categories relate to each other from the perspective of the sales team.

As you can see, we plot each type of content in terms of level of candor and level of detail. Like any sort of relationship, the deeper you get in terms of commitment, the more you expect in the way of candor and detail. Website testimonials may serve well to move a “suspect” to a “lead,” but won’t help convert a “prospect” to a customer. Why? Because testimonials tend to be low on both candor and detail. However, they serve an important purpose for the inside sales team filling the pipeline.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, late stage, there are few content types that suffice when it comes to due diligence. Live customer interactions are ideal, but sole reliance on them isn’t a scalable approach. But granular, recorded one-on-one interviews and recorded reference forum calls (Q&A between one customer, many prospects) fill the need. They are, by design, far too candid and detailed for an early stage prospect.

Each Program is Different

We recognize that there are different flavors of, for instance, case studies. They range from the one page, 300-word summaries to 10-page ROI studies. If you were to plot each of the content types your program produces on this grid their positions could vary from ours, and that’s to be expected. Each customer reference program approaches things slightly differently. The value of going through the exercise, however, doesn’t change. It will help you understand where gaps exist relative to demand. You may have a gap and it’s intentional—i.e., sales people don’t need content support at that stage. The point, ultimately, is to be more thoughtful in the allocation of your finite content development budget.

The Importance of Measurement

After completing a thorough inventory and gap analysis it’s essential to build some form of measurement into your content management approach. Tracking use of content to revenue closed and understanding why certain, specific content items are used more often than others to close business is the closed loop that makes what is usually an art into more of a science. The most effective way to do that is by associating sales opportunity IDs to content use, and periodically reporting on revenue influenced.