With many of our clients, our outbound lead generation initiatives are an integrated part of marketing programs.
As the team picking up the phone and making outbound calls to B2B prospects, we see what works in marketing content – and, unfortunately, what doesn’t.
Too much of the time, marketers focus on the company’s message, forgetting that personalizing content and approach to outbound marketing is required to create a meaningful dialogue with a prospect, and the first step in successful lead generation.
We like what CEO of LeadMD, Justin Gray, has to say: “Personalization is a conversation. It’s relevance. It’s delivering the right message at the right time to the right person. Above all, it isn’t about you.”
In his recent article on MarketingProfs.com, Hyper-Personalization? Forget the ‘Hyper’ and Just Be Personal, Gray suggests posing a valuable question: Am I wasting my prospective client’s time with an irrelevant message?
Once you review your content, Gray maintains, you’ll be better equipped to authentically connect and ultimately convert those genuine connections into sales.
Content introspection may seem daunting initially, but Gray offers several suggestions on how to break the task down into more manageable inquiries. Here are two of JMS Elite’s recommended takeaways from Gray’s post:
Who Are Your Prospective Clients?
Data mining is a sophisticated tool for developing content; it can reveal important details about your potential customers. But there’s more to their story than buying behavior and long-term company strategy. If missed connections or dead-end sales cycles are putting undo pressure on your bottom line, then it’s time to get personal.
Gray proposes going beyond surface questions and digging into the “nitty-gritty details”:
For a number of our clients, we’ve found that the best way to get truly personal information is by making outbound calls to a broad range of clients and prospects – the happy ones and those who have voiced dissatisfaction.
The key to getting the information that will help you adjust your marketing is to remember that you’re not calling to ask them about your company’s products or services, at least not directly. Your goal here is to gather a more nuanced picture of them.
You can then use this information, combined with the data you’ve already collected, to create what Gray calls buyer personas. Those personas can then be translated into targeted customer content.
We have seen clients transform marketing content and strategies to drive lead generation programs that deliver, by starting with genuine connection through a conversation.
Are You Doing Enough to Tailor Your Content?
It’s time to calibrate that conversation. Connecting with your prospect isn’t about hyper personalization; it’s about authentic personalization. Complex human emotions drive decision-making and it’s important to remember that each client is managing a unique set of circumstances.
Chances are, however, that you’ve probably helped another client with similar challenges. We like Gray’s suggestion of having those case studies at the ready so that you’re prepared with the right foundational data.
At JMS Elite, we’ve found that having this information helps us tailor our focus with each new prospect and/or current client.
This is balanced by our commitment to always listen with fresh ears, genuinely seeking new information in order to establish a personalized relationship, rather than just assuming that case studies are relevant.
Another technique for personalizing your message is to consider a client’s organizational structure. A client surrounded by a large staff can probably benefit from additional or longer format content.
Alternately, as Gray points out, a client with little time to devote to research is best engaged using your most succinct material.
Whether the content is utilized online, or by engaging over the phone, it is in your best interest to modify the message for each client or situation.
Gray’s article highlights the continued importance of relevant content, authentic personalization, and engaging interactions.
At JMS Elite, it has been our experience that one can build upon those key points by implementing a strong outbound calling strategy.
Back to Gray’s point: “Personalization is a conversation.” And the surest way to close the deal is not via the digital communication our industry has become so accustomed to, but by picking up the phone and truly getting to know the executive on the other end of the line.
John
