The Evolution of Online Content Availability
It wasn’t too long ago that self-service information availability about products and solutions was limited to only the messaging the company decided to post on their Website. Traditionally, salespeople were the logical next step if a buyer wanted to learn more about a company and its products. Salespeople were the go-to people for building relationships with potential customers.
Marketing was focused on pushing out whatever company-focused spin the executives decided the market should hear. Communication efforts were definitely cultivated from the inside out. Of course, that was easier because it was all about the company and its products—two things marketers knew like the backs of their hands.
Lead generation was considered a numbers game. Companies worked hard on the formulas that determined how many leads needed to be pumped into the top of the funnel to produce the percentage of customer conversions the sales team needed to meet revenue quotas. Due to the lack of alternative sources of information, this all worked pretty well—until the Internet changed everything.
The ability to publish and deliver information online more easily has enabled companies, big and small alike, to share a growing stream of content about every topic imaginable from an increasing array of sources. Finding information online has become so easy that your buyers’ habits have been forever altered. Research conducted by Focus found that 90 percent of B2B buyers prefer to consume information online. Your buyers are no longer
reliant upon your company for the information they need to solve problems, research options or determine which vendors to put on their short lists.
Today’s biggest marketing challenges are in determining how best to be found and listened to by our buyers, followed by how to keep their attention long enough to become a trusted resource for solving their highest priority issues.