Most of us have seen the benefits of content marketing – generating warm leads early in the sales process and positioning your company as experts. Now research by the DMA shows that 64% of marketers are blending content into their telemarketing.
Content marketing is the distribution of free knowledge in exchange for information and data from your prospects. Here are 5 ways to shake things up and mix content into your telemarketing programmes.
1. Invite to webinars
The standard procedure for promoting webinars is to do an email blast. And it works. But sometimes only half the people that register actually turn up. One of the six powers of persuasion is Consistency. People like to be consistent with what they say, therefore agreeing with your telemarketing agent to attend a webinar is far more powerful than clicking an email link.
Build a list of key people you really want to attend and send them an email invitation, but telephone all those that don’t open or click to register. Even those that open the email sometimes need a little nudge to register, and those that click but don’t register may have got distracted and need reminding.
2. Opt-in subscription
You may not have any new or relevant content now but you will no doubt have some in the future. At the end of every call, you should try and persuade contacts to subscribe to your content. Get permission to email or telephone them in the future with updates on new content and research.
The EU Data Regulation will make opt-in a requirement for contact with prospects from 2017 onwards. So start getting opt-in now, and remember that a good telemarketing agent can be a lot more persuasive than a tick-box on a web form.
3. Infographic snapshot
Infographics are a great way for prospects to digest the key headlines. So while you have them on the phone email them a relevant infographic to underline your main points (infographics also help give structure to the call).
Infographics are also great for sharing, so after you have checked the prospect has received it encourage them to pass it on to their colleagues (and get their colleagues’ names so you can call them as well).
4. Drive traffic to your knowledge page
Sometimes the proposition is way more complex and you need a heavyweight document like a white paper or a PowerPoint to get your point across. Directing the contact to a relevant section of your website, like the SCi Knowledge section, can help you provide further evidence to support your proposition.
Take the prospect on a tour of your website, highlighting all the (free?) content you have available and subtly position your firm as experts in the field.
5. Nurturing knowledge
Not everybody is ready to buy, nurturing plays an important part in lead generation. Fresh content is a perfect excuse to give them a call… “Have you seen our latest blog”, “Do you want to attend our next webinar”, “We have some new research in a white paper”.
Content used in this way can move the conversation from a repetitive call for BANT qualification to a consultative call where you are offering further expertise.
Over 200 marketing executives were consulted as part of a research project conducted by the DMA’s Contact Centre & Telemarketing Council and the main highlights are in my infographic titled ‘The Telephone Numbers’.
| New Book: Telemarketing kills kittens | |
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| An evidence based guide, so you can make informed decisions about one of the most controversial marketing tools in the digital age.
For B2B marketing executives, sales professionals and CEOs who want to improve sales & marketing results. Preview available on Amazon. |