B2B Founders and marketers can get a tad conceptual when it comes to talking about their buyers. And it makes sense! When you’re focused on selling high-volume, global solutions — it’s easy to lose the trees for the forest.

But a solid GTM Strategy requires you to come back down to Earth, which is to say, to remember that your customers are just people — who make purchasing decisions the same way anyone would, whether it’s for shampoo or medical devices.

That’s why it’s essential to imagine — and learn from — the imaginative journey through the “mind” of the buyer.

In this article, we will delve into the importance of understanding this fascinating process and uncover the key stages that buyers go through. So, hold on tight as we take you on a journey like no other!

Defining the Buyer’s Journey

Before we dive into the details, let’s start by defining what the Buyer’s Journey actually is. Simply put, it is the process that potential customers go through from the moment they become aware of a problem or need to the moment they make a purchase decision. It’s like a rollercoaster ride filled with emotions, questions, and lots of choices.

Imagine you’re standing at the entrance of a theme park, ready to embark on a thrilling adventure. The Buyer’s Journey is just like that, except instead of roller coasters and cotton candy, it’s filled with moments of discovery, consideration, and ultimately, decision-making. It’s a journey that takes individuals from a state of unawareness to becoming loyal customers.

So why is it essential for businesses to wrap their heads around the Buyer’s Journey? Well, hang on, and we’ll uncover the answers in the next section!

The Importance of Understanding the Buyer’s Journey

Understanding the Buyer’s Journey is like getting insider information on the world’s best-kept secret. It allows you to tailor your marketing efforts, create compelling types of content, and engage with your potential buyers at every stage. By being in sync with their needs and desires, you can meet them exactly where they are in the buying process.

Think of it as navigating through a maze. Without a map, you’re left stumbling in the dark, hoping to stumble upon the right path. But with a clear understanding of the Buyer’s Journey, you have a compass guiding you toward success. You can anticipate their questions, address their concerns, and ultimately, guide them towards making a purchase decision.

The Buyer’s Journey isn’t just a game of chance. It’s a game of strategy. And the better you understand it, the higher your chances of success.

Key Stages of the Buyer’s Journey

Every buyer goes through a unique adventure, braving various stages. To help you navigate this exciting journey, we’ve broken it down into four distinct stages: Awareness, Consideration, Decision, and the Post-Purchase Stage. Each of these stages presents its own set of challenges and opportunities. So, hold on tight as we examine each stage, one paragraph at a time.

Imagine yourself at the start of the Buyer’s Journey, standing at the entrance of a grand hall filled with possibilities. This is the Awareness stage, where potential customers become aware of a problem or need. It’s like stepping onto a platform, where individuals begin to notice the gap between where they currently stand and where they want to be. At this stage, your goal is to capture their attention, spark their curiosity, and make them realize that there is a solution to their problem.

As the journey progresses, we enter the Consideration stage. Here, buyers have identified their problem and are actively seeking solutions. They’re like explorers, venturing into uncharted territory, researching and evaluating different options. It’s your chance to showcase the unique value your product or service brings, highlighting how it can address their pain points and meet their specific needs. By providing valuable information and engaging content, you can position yourself as a trusted advisor, guiding them toward making an informed buying decision.

Next comes the Decision stage, where buyers are on the brink of making a purchase. They’ve narrowed down their options and are ready to choose the best fit for their needs. It’s like standing at a crossroads, weighing the pros and cons of each path. This is your opportunity to demonstrate why your offering is the superior choice. Showcasing testimonials, offering incentives, and providing a seamless buying experience can all help tip the scales in your favor.

But the journey doesn’t end with a purchase. The Post-Purchase Stage (this often overlooked stage of the buying journey) is where the real adventure begins. This is the moment when buyers transition from being customers to brand advocates. It’s like stepping off a thrilling ride, exhilarated and eager to share their experience with others. By providing exceptional post-purchase support, fostering customer loyalty, and encouraging feedback, you can turn your customers into brand ambassadors, driving future sales and growth.

The Buyer’s Journey is an exciting expedition that every business must embark on. By understanding its intricacies and incorporating it into your marketing strategy, you can create a seamless and engaging experience for your potential customers.

The Awareness Stage

Welcome to the land of discovery! The Awareness Stage is where it all begins. Buyers in this journey stage are in search of answers, trying to identify the problematic dragon that needs slaying. It’s crucial to identify your buyer’s problem accurately at this stage. After all, you can’t slay the dragon if you don’t know what it looks like!

Imagine stepping into a dense forest, the air thick with anticipation. As you cautiously make your way through the undergrowth, you can feel the excitement building within you. Every step brings you closer to uncovering the secrets of the mythical creature that has been wreaking havoc on the kingdom.

Identifying the Buyer’s Problem

The first step in the Awareness Stage is to help buyers identify their problem. Are they battling a pesky issue that’s been keeping them up at night? Maybe they’re in desperate need of a solution, but they’re not sure where to find it. By understanding your customer’s pain points, you can position yourself (through compelling content) as the knight in shining armor, ready to save the day.

Picture yourself sitting across from a troubled buyer, their eyes filled with uncertainty. You listen attentively as they pour out their frustrations, their words echoing in your mind. With each sentence, you gain a deeper understanding of the challenges they face and the obstacles that stand in their way. You become their confidant, their guide in this treacherous journey towards a solution.

How to Attract Buyers in the Awareness Stage?

Now that you’ve got their attention, it’s time to showcase your expertise. Provide them with valuable content that educates and sparks curiosity. Show them that you understand their problem better than anyone else. Take them on a magical journey through blog posts, videos, and social media content that leaves them hungry for more!

Imagine crafting a captivating blog post, each word carefully chosen to captivate the reader’s imagination. With every paragraph, you paint a vivid picture of their potential solutions, and all possibilities that lie ahead, inspiring them to take consider taking action.

With your content marketing strategy, you create a tapestry of engaging and informative content that entices and enthralls. Each piece of video content you produce is a window into a world of knowledge, where viewers can catch a glimpse of the transformative power that awaits them. The comments section buzzes with excitement as people share their own experiences, forming a community.

So, embrace the Awareness Stage with open arms. This key phase of the buyer journey should never be overlooked and is the place to showcase the best of your inbound marketing strategies. Embody the spirit of a seeker, a guide, and a storyteller. With every word you write and every piece of content you create, remember that you have the power to ignite the spark of curiosity in your prospective customer.

The Consideration Stage

Congrats, fearless warrior – you’ve made it to the Consideration Stage! Buyers here have moved past their initial discovery and are now actively exploring different solutions to their problem. It’s time for you to present them with compelling options that will make them go, “Eureka! This is exactly what I’ve been searching for!”

But what does the Consideration Stage really entail? It’s a critical phase in the buyer’s journey where potential customers are no longer just browsing. They have identified their pain points and are actively seeking solutions. They are hungry for information, and eager to find the perfect fit that will address their needs.

Presenting Possible Solutions to the Buyer

At this stage, your potential customers are actively evaluating different solutions. They want to weigh the pros and cons, compare options, and find the best fit for their needs. It’s your chance to showcase your unique selling points, highlight the benefits, and prove that your solution is the stuff dreams are made of.

Imagine this scenario: a buyer has finally recognized their need for a new CRM system. They have done their initial research and are now ready to dive deeper into the available options. They want to know how your CRM system can streamline their sales process, improve customer relationships, and ultimately boost their bottom line. This is your moment to shine.

Consider creating detailed product comparison charts, showcasing the features and functionalities of your CRM system alongside your competitors’. Provide in-depth case studies highlighting how your CRM has transformed similar businesses, showcasing real-life success stories. By presenting your potential customers with tangible evidence of the value your solution brings, you can help them make an informed decision. Whatever consideration stage content you choose,

Engaging Buyers in the Consideration Stage

Remember, knowledge is power! Engage with your buyers by providing them with educational content, case studies, or even personalized consultations. Show them the depth of your understanding, and they’ll be more likely to take a leap of faith with you.

Consider hosting webinars or workshops that delve into the intricacies of your solution. Offer whitepapers or eBooks that provide valuable insights into industry trends and best practices. By positioning yourself as a thought leader and a trusted advisor, you can build credibility and establish a strong rapport with your potential customers.

Personalization is key in the Consideration Stage. Take the time to understand your buyer’s unique pain points and tailor your messaging accordingly. Offer personalized consultations or demos to demonstrate how your solution can specifically address their needs. By showing that you truly understand their challenges and have a tailored solution, you can significantly increase your chances of conversion.

In conclusion, the Consideration Stage is a critical juncture in the buyer’s journey. It’s your opportunity to present your potential customers with compelling options, showcase your unique selling points, and engage with them on a deeper level. By providing educational content, case studies, and personalized consultations, you can build trust and position yourself as the ideal solution provider. So, embrace the Consideration Stage, fearless warrior, and guide your potential customers towards their “Eureka” moment!

The Decision Stage

You’ve come a long way, brave soul, and now you’ve reached the Decision Stage – the final showdown before the ultimate victory. The buyer is about to make their move, and it’s your job to show them why your solution is the hero they’ve been waiting for!

Convincing the Buyer to Choose Your Solution

When it comes to the Decision Stage, the name of the game is persuasion. Take a deep breath, flex your storytelling muscles, and paint a vivid picture of the positive outcomes your solution will bring using a variety of types of content. Focus on highlighting the unique value you bring to the table and why your offering is the best fit for their needs.

Strategies for Closing the Sale

To seal the deal, you need more than just a pretty speech from a sales rep. While your sales team does its work, your marketing team can also continue to provide relevant content. Offer incentives, provide guarantees, and create a sense of urgency that will lead your prospective buyers to take action. Discount coupons, limited-time offers, or even personalized messages of encouragement, using messaging geared to their buyer persona type can be the secret sauce that entices them to make the purchase.

Post-Purchase Stage

Congratulations! You’ve successfully guided the buyer through the entire buyer’s journey, and your B2B buyer has made a purchase. But the adventure doesn’t end here! It’s time to ensure buyer satisfaction and establish a long-lasting bond.

Ensuring Buyer Satisfaction After Purchase

Your buyer has chosen you as their champion – now it’s your turn to deliver! Provide exceptional customer service, go above and beyond their expectations, and address any concerns they may have. By ensuring their satisfaction, you’ll win their loyalty and turn them into raving fans.

Encouraging Repeat Business and Loyalty

The customer journey doesn’t end here; you want them by your side for the long haul. Offer loyalty programs, exclusive perks, or even create a community for your customers to interact with one another. Treat them like family with useful perks and engaging content, and they’ll keep coming back for more grand adventures!

And with that, dear adventurer, we have reached the end of our epic voyage through the Buyer’s Journey. We hope you’ve gained valuable insights into the inner workings of your potential customers’ minds. Now, go forth and conquer the market, armed with the knowledge of their journey!

The post How to Tailor Your B2B Marketing Process to the Stages of Your Buyer’s Journey appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

So, how can we identify and prioritize the most promising leads?

The answer lies in converting Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) to Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs).

Let’s take a closer look at MQLs and SQLs – two essential terms in the world of marketing and sales. By understanding the differences between them, you can develop a successful lead conversion strategy.

Understanding Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs)

When it comes to lead generation, it’s important to understand the difference between MQLs and SQLs. Let’s take a closer look.

MQLs are potential customers who have shown interest in our brand or service in some way – through filling out a form, subscribing to a newsletter, attending a webinar, or downloading a whitepaper. They’re usually at the top or middle of the sales funnel and not quite ready to make a purchase. That’s where nurturing comes in – by providing personalized content and campaigns, we can guide them down the funnel and turn them into SQLs.

On the other hand, SQLs are leads that have been qualified by the sales team. They have a clear intent to purchase, and have been assessed to be a good fit for our service, with the budget and authority to proceed with the purchase. They’re at the bottom of the sales funnel and ready to become customers.

The main difference between MQLs and SQLs is their readiness to purchase. By identifying and nurturing MQLs, we can move them down the funnel and convert them into SQLs. This helps us optimize our lead generation efforts and maximize our return on investment.

Once an MQL becomes an SQL, the sales team can take over and focus on closing the deal. This makes our sales process more efficient and effective.

In conclusion, understanding the difference between MQLs and SQLs is essential for any business that wants to improve its lead generation efforts and close more deals. By providing personalized content and campaigns to nurture MQLs, we can turn them into SQLs and increase our chances of success.

Why Lead Qualification is Crucial

Lead qualification is a vital process that can help your business align its marketing and sales efforts, improve conversion rates, and make the most efficient use of resources. By identifying Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), you can tailor your approach and nurture leads effectively.

Effective lead qualification can help you make the most of your time and resources. By focusing your efforts on the leads that are most likely to convert, you can improve your ROI and boost your bottom line.

Aligning Marketing and Sales Efforts

Lead qualification creates alignment between marketing and sales teams by defining MQLs and SQLs. This approach helps sales teams target the right leads and prioritize resources for the most appropriate leads. Moreover, lead qualification helps reduce the cost-per-lead and improve the overall return on investment (ROI).

Improving Lead Conversion Rates

Lead qualification helps improve lead conversion rates by ensuring that the sales team is targeting leads that are most likely to convert into customers. By investing in leads that are ready to purchase, businesses can streamline their sales process, reduce sales cycle length, and increase overall conversion rates. Also, lead qualification helps identify potential roadblocks in the sales process and address them proactively.

Ensuring Efficient Use of Resources

Lead qualification ensures efficient use of resources by directing attention to leads that are most likely to convert into customers. Businesses can avoid wasting time and effort, reducing costs. Also, lead qualification helps identify leads that require further nurturing or education before they are ready to make a purchase decision. By providing these leads with the necessary support, businesses can increase the likelihood of converting them into customers in the future.

Defining Criteria for MQL and SQL

Defining criteria for MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) and SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is a crucial step in any successful lead generation strategy. It helps align our sales and marketing teams, prioritize our resources and ultimately improve our conversion rates. Let’s explore the key steps involved in setting these criteria.

Identifying Key Buyer Personas

The first step is to identify our key buyer personas. This means understanding our ideal customers and their pain points, so we can create targeted campaigns that move them down the marketing and sales funnels. By creating detailed buyer personas, we can gain insights into their specific needs and challenges, which can inform our lead qualification criteria.

For example, if our target audience consists of small business owners looking for cost-effective solutions to manage their finances, our lead qualification criteria may prioritize leads who have engaged with content related to budgeting or financial management.

Determining Lead Scoring Metrics

Next, we need to determine lead scoring metrics. This involves ranking leads based on their engagement with our brand and their fit with our ideal customer profile. By assigning points to various lead activities such as website visits, content downloads, and other engagements, we can rank leads based on their engagement and prioritize our marketing efforts on those with the highest scores.

For instance, a lead who has downloaded a white-paper, attended a webinar, and visited our pricing page may receive a higher lead score than a lead who has only visited our homepage.

Establishing a Lead Qualification Framework

Finally, we need to establish a lead qualification framework that defines what constitutes an MQL and what actions are required before a lead can be upgraded to an SQL. This framework must be based on data-driven insights and continuously optimized to ensure maximum efficacy.

For example, an MQL may be defined as a lead who has engaged in multiple high-value activities and meets certain demographic criteria, while an SQL may be defined as a lead who has requested a product demo or spoken with a sales representative.

Overall, defining criteria for MQL and SQL requires a deep understanding of our target market and their behaviors. By following these steps and continuously refining our approach, we can ensure that our sales and marketing teams are aligned and working towards the same goals, resulting in more efficient lead generation and higher conversion rates.

The Conversion Process: From MQL to SQL

Step 1: Engaging with MQLs

The first step in converting an MQL to an SQL is to engage with them in a meaningful way. We can do this by providing valuable and relevant content, such as white-papers, webinars, and case studies. This builds trust and credibility with our leads, encouraging them to move closer to becoming an SQL.

Step 2: Assessing Readiness to Upgrade

After engaging with our MQLs, we need to assess their readiness to be upgraded to an SQL. Using lead scoring metrics, we can determine if the lead has demonstrated a high level of engagement and is ready to progress down the funnel.

Step 3: Smooth Handoff from Marketing to Sales

Once a lead is identified as an SQL, they are passed over to the sales team. To ensure a smooth transition, we must provide the sales team with a comprehensive history of the lead’s engagement with our brand. This information will help them to tailor their sales pitch to the lead’s specific needs and interests, making for a seamless and effective handoff process for the whole team.

Step 4: Effective Sales Follow-up and Conversion

The final step in the conversion process is for the sales team to follow up with the lead and convert them into a paying customer. The sales team needs to engage with the lead quickly and effectively, presenting them with a compelling offer that addresses their needs and concerns. By providing a clear value proposition, we can convince the lead to become a customer and further strengthen our relationship with them.

By following these steps, we can successfully convert MQLs to SQLs and increase our conversion rates. It is crucial to continuously evaluate and optimize our conversion process to ensure that we are providing our leads with the best possible experience.

Wrap-Up: Converting MQLs to SQLs for Better ROI

Converting MQLs to SQLs is vital for companies seeking to streamline their lead generation efforts and maximize ROI. By recognizing the difference between MQLs and SQLs and establishing a robust lead qualification framework, companies can focus on high-quality leads that are most likely to convert into customers. The conversion process necessitates close attention to detail, but with a data-driven approach and a well-defined strategy, companies can successfully turn their MQLs into SQLs and expand their customer base.

The post MQL to SQL Conversion: Your Guide to Turning Leads into Customers appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

According to a study, 63% of marketers see lead generation as their toughest challenge. Generating leads is a time-and-resource-intensive job with numerous moving parts. If the sales department does not agree with what you consider a lead, all that time and resources would be wasted. To prevent that, it’s crucial to create an effective system with distinct responsibilities.

It’s all about Demand Generation – Schedule a Free Demo Session to see how demand generation can work for your company

MQL vs SQL: What’s the difference?

Before moving on to learning the qualities of an effective lead handoff process. It’s crucial to be aware of the key differences between what defines a marketing and sales-qualified lead. A lot of people don’t understand the importance of properly defining MQLs and SQLs, and that’s where the problem begins.

A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is someone with the potential of becoming a paying customer down the line. These prospects understand your product/service and are interested in it. However, they’re not ready to make a purchase. Teams usually deal with MQLs by presenting additional marketing information and other targeted strategies to convert them.

Sales Qualified Leads (SQL) are potential customers who have shown real intent to buy your product/service. Any SQL gets thoroughly analyzed by both marketing and sales departments and then proceeds to the next stage in the sale process. In simple terms, a SQL is a potential customer right at the end of the marketing funnel and needs only a small nudge to become your paying customer.

Through proper understanding, you can create an effective process that delivers the best results. To get an idea, check out this template based on the lead handoff system we use at Step-Up. It follows the best practices established by industry leaders and ensures alignment by properly defining the responsibilities of both teams at different lifecycle stages.

5 essentials you must achieve with your MQL to SQL handoff process

It’s marketing’s job to maintain alignment between the departments and ensure a smooth process without any inconsistencies. By having a comprehensive system in place, you can avoid the most common issues and create an effective system for everyone. The following sections will take a look at 5 activities you can perform to create a seamless handoff process that leads to a better conversion rate.

1 – Establish common lead definitions

The definition of the lead is perhaps the biggest source of conflict between marketing and sales, so naturally, it should be addressed first.

A universal definition, agreed upon by the concerned department and C-suites, allows the department to monitor their performance on a company scale, and effectively implement control measures.

2 – Develop a vocabulary and define SLAs

Generally, sales teams compare any incoming leads against two essential factors; fit and interest. The Fit measures how well your business can serve the lead. On the other hand, interest determines how much of a priority your service/solution is for the lead. Marketers are responsible for defining lifecycle stages based on the above criteria. They also have to create lead categories and come up with the procedure of handling them. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is an important document that contains all that information. It ensures alignment and connects both marketing and sales through a structured approach.

3 – Ensure proper documentation

Another common reason why leads slip is an inefficient exchange of information between the sales and marketing teams. Awkward meetings, where sales members come with little or irrelevant information about the lead, can be avoided through a detailed documentation process.

4 – Get your timing right

Navigating in the B2B environment requires finesse and impeccable timing. You can have the most seamless handoff process and still fail to convert a lead due to bad timing. Generally, sales teams should initiate contact within 24 hours of qualifying a lead, but depending on the condition, this process can be expedited.

5 – Build a rapport with your lead

Another excellent approach with some leads is to keep the marketing team involved in the first meeting. Most B2B sales require a nurturing relationship before conversion, and the marketing team will already have a rapport with the lead. Moreover, this approach is more seamless and the progression seems more natural, which can be a plus point for some potential clients.

Key takeaways

The average lead acceptance rate in B2B companies is only 42%, and the main reason behind it is the misalignment between marketing and sales. Both of these departments are the cornerstone for any business’ success and the proximity of their operation can create conflicts. However, the successful execution of a handoff is necessary for your survival.

As a marketer, you are responsible for creating an effective blueprint of this execution process. With a universal vocabulary for both marketing and sales along with detailed responsibilities of each team. You’ll be able to successfully execute your strategies and start getting a return on your investment in the form of better conversion rates.

Schedule a Free Demo Session to see how demand generation can work for your company

The post MQL vs SQL: The lead handoff between marketing to sales appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

Many B2B and manufacturing companies struggle with finding the right approach for their company. In this article, we’ll provide you with our manufacturing marketing plan template, broken down in five simple steps.

Dive Deeper: The Global Growth Methodology for B2B and Manufacturing Companies

Smart Goal Setting

Time to get specific. The start of any solid marketing plan is setting SMART goals. This well-known acronym for goal setting (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) should be overarching throughout the whole marketing effort. Setting specific and measurable targets helps manufacturers identify the strong and weak points of their plan. This way they can gradually improve upon their marketing strategy and become more effective, pivoting towards actions that are the most effective.

Aligning Marketing & Sales

When working on creating a marketing plan for manufacturers, alignment of marketing and sales goals is required. Oftentimes businesses overlook this factor and marketers end up working towards vague targets such as website traffic and SEO ranking. This is just one example of many activities a marketer can carry out without knowing how it will practically affect the company’s bottom line when there is no alignment with sales. 

A good starting point is to define the required number of sales opportunities per period. Using that number and considering an assumed conversion rate, you will be able to define how many leads you need to capture through marketing. By setting goals in this fashion, marketing efforts will directly benefit the company in a clear and effective way.

Read more about our “Global Growth Methodology” here >>>

Setting an Annual Plan

Creating a marketing plan for manufacturing companies that is outlined for less than a full year is insufficient. Setting a full-year plan provides a structure that enables companies to move forward with marketing. It is most effective to segment the annual plan into 4 quarters, listing the general content topic and marketing direction for every quarter. This provides consistency and a better focus for the marketing efforts throughout the year.

This kind of annual plan is especially important for manufacturing companies who’s educational content will often involve highly technical industry jargon.

Creating a Detailed Quarterly Plan

Detailing Marketing Actions

The first step is to define the most impactful actions that will help reach our goals. Deciding which persona your company is targeting for each quarter and what content campaign is needed to run for lead generation. Moreover, it is important to have clear content and distribution plans. A content plan should include details beyond just the essence of the copy but also where will the relevant content be published. A checklist should be made for the factors to include for attracting the most qualified traffic to the website.

Creating a Content Plan

A clear content plan allows manufacturers to define exactly the content that will be created about each quarter’s topic. A well-thought-out quarterly content plan is the best way of ensuring systematic, timely publishing of high-quality content.

Defining KPI’s

Defining the quarter’s KPIs allows manufacturing companies to track marketing results. By working toward a KPI, marketers can focus on creating a funnel and specify which actions were most effective at converting leads to sales opportunities.

Measuring the Results

No amount of marketing effort is complete if it cannot be measured quickly and effectively. The recommended approach is to use a platform to track and analyze your marketing activities. Although many such platforms exist, we prefer using Hubspot because it provides us with tools to monitor and track results for any type of activity all in one place (for example social media, content, analytics, and SEO), all in one place.

Is Your Company In the Loop?

How effective is your company’s marketing plan? Does your strategy provide enough sales leads, separating you from the competition?

At StepUp, we offer marketing services designed specifically for B2B and manufacturing companies like yours. With a diverse team of seasoned inbound marketers and content specialists, we help build authority and create predictability for increased sales.

The post How To Create an Effective Marketing Plan For B2B and Manufacturing Companies appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

In this article, we’ll showcase the importance of involving an engineer in your marketing & sales processes. We’ll also present practical ways on how to utilize engineers to build trust and establish authority with your audience.

Dive Deeper: The Global Growth Methodology for Industrial Companies

How to Involve Engineers in Sales & Marketing

Content Creation

Technical content is very difficult to compose properly without a solid engineering background. Your audience – being technically versed – will spot errors, out of place information, and beating around the bush, in a heartbeat. These professionals tend to enjoy content that is concise, accurate, and to the point, which requires solid technical know-how.

That’s why for industrial manufacturing companies engaging in inbound marketing, should be involving their engineers in content creation. It is a proven effective way to deliver the type of specialized content required to build trust and resonate with your target audience. This will boost the effectiveness of all marketing materials, from blog posts and website content, to brochure ad copy.

Lead Qualification

Engineers can fully comprehend the technical aspects and details of your products and solutions. This means that they can reliably identify the characteristics of the companies for which your offerings could be a good fit. Engineers provide valuable insight, in setting the right parameters for lead identification and qualification.

Sales & Marketing Strategy

Engineers are not strangers to being involved in company purchasing decisions. This same process transfers to your sales & marketing strategy. Engineers can help with laying down the specifications for potential sales prospects and identifying decision-makers. This way you can address the right people within the right companies, optimizing your marketing efforts and increasing sales leads.

Sales Management

Once you are in advanced discussions with a lead, the challenge shifts from sales communication to finding the product and service that best fit their needs. Engineers have the technical know-how required to identify the needs of prospect customers, and propose the best solution. For this reason you may even consider turning engineers into sales representatives, providing bonuses for closing clients.

At StepUp we specialize in inbound marketing for industrial manufacturing companies,  always involving specialized engineers and technical writers for all our industrial content. Let’s discuss how we can help you establish trust and authority with your audience, increase sales and prospect conversions.

Read more about our “Global Growth Methodology” here >>>

The post Why Engineers Should Be Involved in Sales and Marketing appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

Industrial buyers aren’t your standard run-of-the-mill prospects. They are qualified professionals, highly informed on a subject before reaching a buying decision. Read on to see how this transforms the process of generating and converting industrial sales leads.

Learn more about our Inbound Marketing Methodology for B2B Industrial companies >>>

How To Generate Industrial Sales Leads?

1. Trade Shows

Trade shows are an excellent source of generating qualified industrial prospects. The best way to get the most out of the trade show is to plan ahead with Before, During, and After activities. Beforehand, you want to try to bring a team of people with sales skills and technical know-how. Also, you can prepare equipment and marketing materials fit for the trade show, as well as a set of qualifying questions to help with prospect identification.

During the show, avoid seeming pre-scripted or ‘salesy’ by building rapport and connecting with people before moving on to business. Present products & solutions fitting to their needs and seek a follow-up commitment for a call, appointment, or email, before saying goodbye.

After the show, establish trust and continued communication by promptly following up on leads and sending a thank you note along with any personalized materials discussed.

2. Website SEO & Organic Traffic

The importance of driving organic traffic to your website cannot be overstated. Practices like alternative image names and proper hierarchy structure are just a few items from a long list of SEO techniques required. Equally important is the content, requiring both keywords mastery and a well-written blog. The former means using suitable keywords, in the right places and in a strategic way. Regarding the latter, a blog with solid writing instills confidence and builds trust with your visitors, making them more prone to following a call to action and convert to sales leads.

3. Trade Magazines & PR

Trade magazines offer the option of both advertising and writing specialized pieces. When advertising, aim for a clean design that invites the reader to go through your ad. Increase ad engagement by prompting the reader to a call to action, such as contacting you. Publishing specialized pieces containing useful and original information is also effective. This way you come off as genuinely helpful, making your piece more credible and less like a sales pitch, gaining the reader’s trust.

4. Partner Newsletters

Effective partner newsletters employ professionally designed, aesthetically pleasing format with clear information hierarchy, that’s simple to browse through. Try framing the content based on your partner’s needs, while highlighting any promotional activities or calls to action. To optimize and focus on what works best, measure a newsletter’s performance in terms of audience reach and adapt accordingly.

5. Social Media (LinkedIn)

Social media platforms like LinkedIn are also a place where you may find and reach professionals. A paid strategy is direct advertising, which allows reaching prospective professionals in your industrial sector. An organic approach is posting updates regularly, which will be visible in all of your contacts feed. Similarly joining specialized groups allows you to share insights, demonstrate know-how, and expand your network. A key factor is keeping a steady rate of activity, appearing to your network’s feed regularly and building trust with your audience.

Converting Leads to Opportunities

You can benefit from the industrial sales leads generated, by converting them to sales opportunities through various techniques:

• Lead Nurturing Emails: Customized email campaigns that deliver targeted messages and help prospects move forward with the buying process.
• Social Media Branding by Remarketing: Remarketing is the practice of following your leads around the web with targeted ads, based on their history and browsing behavior. Combined with social media, it creates a strong brand presence, increasing brand credibility and awareness in the reader.
• Content Strategy: Keep your audience educated, updating them on the newest trends and technologies. This way you develop a trustworthy company image, instill faith and make prospects more likely to convert to opportunities.
• Direct Calling: Direct calling adds a personal touch in your communication. Especially for industrial leads, it can be beneficial as it can result in better understand your prospect’s needs.
• CRM Platform: CRMs help make the whole sales process easy to record and access, resulting in increased conversions.

Now, What are You Going to Do?

Generating industrial sales leads is only a small part of company growth. At StepUp we specialize in inbound marketing for B2B companies for more than 10 years. Visit our methodology page to see how we can help you establish and maintain a clear marketing and sales strategy, producing predictable growth for your company.

The post 5 Ways to Successfully Generate Industrial Sales Leads appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

To get the most out of your trade show investment, think of it as a complete marketing campaign rather than just an event. You’ll need to actively market your presence both before and during the trade show to ensure potential leads walk your way. Then you’ll want to follow up after the event to nurture your leads once the event is over. Done correctly, a trade show can be a great chance for you to talk with new potential customers, spend time with existing clients, and build your brand. Here are just three tips to maximize your ROI.

Pre-Show Marketing

Identify who you want to connect with at Agritech Israel and prepare a marketing campaign to reach out to them before the event. You may have an existing client or lead list that is your primary target or you may want to build a list. Your goal is to create a buzz around your company through email, press, and social media. You can promote promotional giveaways, an event you’re hosting, or new technology you’ll be showcasing to get people’s interest and make sure attendees see your brand name a few times before they arrive.

Be Different at the Show – Inside and Outside Your Booth

The location, size, and setup of your booth play a large part in whether people walking by notice your booth and feel invited to stop and chat for a few minutes. You want your booth to grab the attention of people passing by and encourage them to look closer. Don’t be afraid to do something different, bold, or wacky – a trade show is a great temporary environment to test out a new marketing strategy.

Don’t forget that the trade show itself is not just about the booth. Attendees often steal breaks to drink a coffee and check their Facebook and LinkedIn. Catch them online with focused paid campaigns and turn digital traffic into foot traffic with compelling offers related to the trade show – a demonstration, giveaway or personal consultation are all valuable offers. 

Follow Up Strategy

Once Agritech Israel (or your industry’s main trade show) is over, you want to make sure you continue to maximize the effort you spent at the trade show by promptly reaching out to leads. Your sales team should reach out to promising leads promptly and everyone should receive either an email or a letter from your company, or both, shortly after the event. You can continue to follow up with information they might find helpful such as white papers, company catalogs, and other educational content.

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Attending a trade show is a huge investment, so you want to ensure your strategy encompasses both pre- and post-show outreach in order to maximize the number of times a lead interacts with your brand and the ROI of the event. If you’re interested in working with an experienced industrial marketing agency that can help you design and implement a high-quality strategy and metrics to track its success, reach out to StepUp for a free marketing and sales strategy consultation.

The post If You are Planning for Agritech Israel (or Another B2B Trade Show), Remember 3 Key Tips for Maximum ROI appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

Set Clear Marketing Goals

Marketing is generally charged with creating a brand look and feel, boosting brand awareness, and bringing leads into the sales funnel. It’s important that the sales team understand the full scope of what marketing is responsible for handling and what specific metrics they aim to reach, especially when it comes to the last responsibility of bringing in leads for the sales team. Here you can set goals as to the number of leads, the parameters used to qualify leads, and what happens to nurture leads that aren’t yet ready for the full sales press.

Set Clear Sales Goals

The sales department is responsible for following up on sales leads, preparing RFQs, and closing sales. They often rely on marketing to bring in leads and marketing, in turn, is relying on sales to close those leads. Sales metrics should allow the business to track the source of the different leads that close by value as well as volume. Sales should also communicate with marketing the types of questions customers are asking so that marketing can create relevant content.

Written Commitment to Concrete Goals

An agreement is exactly that, both parties sit down and agree what they will do. This can be a wonderful, collaborative process between the marketing and sales departments and should result in some concrete, measurable goals each side will work to reach. These goals can then be revisited throughout the business cycle to see how each department is faring.

Develop Regular Reporting and Tracking

Managing a growing business means being able to digest large amounts of information quickly. Once your sales and marketing teams have set specific goals, come up with a periodic reporting timeframe and report format so that you can see how they’re progressing towards their stated goals.

Celebrate Achievement

Once you’ve set clear metrics both sides can track and work towards obtaining, you can tell exactly how people in sales and marketing are performing. So when they hit their goal numbers, motivate their continued performance by taking a little time to celebrate their success.

Making the time to prepare sales and marketing alignment will pay off in the long run as both departments will know exactly what is expected from them. If you hire an outside firm like StepUp Marketing to handle your businesses marketing needs, then aligning goals is an important first step in bringing us up to speed on how your business operates. If you’re interested in learning more about how StepUp Marketing can help you build a powerful marketing system, contact us for a free consultation.

The post 5 Reasons Why Your Manufacturing Business Needs a Sales and Marketing Alignment Agreement appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

Looking for ways to make follow up easier? Download our guide to email follow up after a trade show.

Start Marketing Pre-Show

By the time people are walking around the trade show and have a chance to see your booth, you want to make sure this is the third of fourth time they’ve heard of your brand and their mind will connect your booth with a familiar idea. This will drive more traffic to your booth and keep your sales team happy. The best way to approach this may vary depending on your industry and the size of your company, but providing valuable educational content via your website and email marketing campaigns will both position your company as an industry thought leader before the trade show, and build your mailing list so you can let as many people as possible know where you will be pre-show.

Consider adding a call-to-action below your company email signatures, directing contacts to sign up for meetings in advance, and even offering them a discount or special offer in exchange for pre-registration at events your company is running during the trade show.

Get a Good Location

If possible, scout the trade show a year before you plan to attend to figure out the best place to put your booth and sign up as early as possible to reserve the best spot. You don’t want to be off to the side were no one wanders. Another great strategy is to try and get a booth that’s close to one of the biggest sponsors of the event. They’ll likely attract a lot of foot traffic that will pause and look at your booth as they pass.

Prep Your Sales Team

Everyone who will be manning your booth needs to be familiar with your products and understand the main challenges of your target customers. If you have several junior associates supporting a few top salespeople, it’s important to teach the junior people how to qualify leads before passing them on to the senior sales people. Everyone should know what the post-show marketing plan is and encourage people who drop by the booth to swipe their contact badges to collect email addresses – or better yet have ipads set up in your booth to collect more extensive info and enter new leads into your CRM right on the spot.

Follow Up FAST

The leads you’ve collected from a trade show can be sales gold, but only if you capitalize efficiently on the follow up process. If you have a sales team, divide the leads among the sales team and ensure that individualized contact happens quickly.

Looking for ways to make follow up easier? Download our guide to email follow up after a trade show.

Collecting the right information at the trade show will also make this follow up process easier. If certain leads came to the trade show ready to purchase, it’s vital to collect this information (ideally through a form that syncs directly with your CRM) and to mark them as top priority for personal follow up (preferably within 24 hours after meeting them, and then again within 24 hours after the trade show ends). You can be sure you won’t be the only company contacting them, so it’s important to be the first! For less important leads, consider automating or semi-automating the follow up process with email templates.

Continue to Educate

While your sales team is following up with each lead, you also want to take advantage of the wealth of information you gained at the trade show to nurture some longer-term leads. Not everyone who visited your booth is ready to enter directly into your quoting process, so you want to make sure you keep your brand in front of them so that you’re their first thought when they reach that point. Follow up emails after the trade show and a well-planned, educational, value-added lead nurturing campaign are great ways to make this happen.

Marketing professionals like the team at StepUp can help you maximize your trade show follow up to ensure people who are interested stay informed and your brand stays top of mind. Reach out today to find out about the services we offer and learn more about how to maximize your trade show ROI.

The post Planning Your 2018 Trade Show Calendar? 5 Tips to Guarantee Your Trade Show ROI appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

The basic sales process remains the same, people want to buy from other individuals, so there still needs to be communication and conversation, even if this occurs in a digital format. You’re moving them along their buying journey and communicating with them just as you did in the past, you’re just doing it using technology and social networks.

Starting a Social Selling Process

Your sales process starts by finding people who may be interested in your product or service. You can leverage your social networks to do this by setting alerts that notify you based on different triggers. This could include when companies merge or a lead switches positions. You can also find leads by reaching into your own social network and mining it for connections. Technology makes it easy to track these relationships and changes, but you have to keep your network up to date and pay attention to it in order to leverage this data. Your goal is to surround the company and send different people within the organization multiple marketing touch points that are educational and useful.

Teaching your sales team this art this begins by working with your sales team to convey your brand digitally. Go through all their social profiles to ensure the brand message is consistent, uses the right keywords, and that their profiles are open and inviting. Have them review their profiles and messaging through a buyer-centric lens.

Refining Social Content

Once your team’s social profiles are in tune, look at the content they’re sending out. Is that messaging adding value and are they leveraging the information from their networks to know who is interested in what material? Is that material conveying a consistent brand message? Sometimes it helps to do a spot audit of one sales person’s biggest account to see how well they’re connecting with the account’s contacts on social media, how frequently they’re engaging, and what material they’re sharing. Then you can offer coaching on how to improve their techniques for the specific client that carries over to other accounts.

You know the sales process should never contain a message or email that doesn’t add value, either through educating or informing your customer. You can help your team accomplish this by giving them digital content to share on best practices, industry updates, and exciting news. Mix content you’ve created in house with content you’ve found to position your team as experts in your industry.

Once they’ve got the process and content figured out, work with your team to teach them how to develop their sales accounts by looking for new leads to add to their social networks. When the leads are in your network, you can track the content they’ve looked at or engaged with to determine where their interests are. Challenge your team to grow their social footprint by one person each day.

As a leader, you must be ahead of the curve in demonstrating these digital sales strategies to your team and showing how they are effective. Start by telling stories of how digital sales is working for specific customers, then begin to gather data to show it’s having a positive impact on the company as a whole.

Once you’ve started training your sales team, and you get some people having success implementing social selling, then bring your team together again and have them to teach each other the successful ways they’re implementing new strategies into their existing techniques. Nothing gets someone to master material faster than having to teach it.

If you’d like some help starting your digital selling strategy, check out our guide to email follow-up. It’s helped businesses in many different industries set up digital marketing and sales automation that increase efficiency and complement what is already working.

The post What is Social Selling and How Will it Turn Your Sales Team into Sales Leaders? appeared first on StepUp Marketing.