In recent years, marketers have started sharing knowledge and information about their field. Following their lead, sales have adopted this approach and are evolving from Always Be Closing to Always Be Contributing. After all, to convince your target group and prospect that you have the best solution, you have to share information. Relevant information, you could argue about what exactly is relevant. We see that many IT companies share information. However, very often these companies have the attitude of sharing technical or feature related information. They are all very fond of convincing their audience that this technology, approach or solution is the best way forward. With the best of intentions, they believe they are sharing relevant information, disregarding that relevance is determined by their audience.
What is relevant to your target group?
1. Determine your target audience
Don’t take this first step lightly. You may think you know who your target audience is, but do you really? And do your colleagues feel that too? Write it down. This will help you focus. There is no such thing as a product for everyone. Not even toilet paper. That is why your first step is to really understand who your ideal customer is, and what kind of characteristics (profile) it has.
2. Divide into groups
Then it’s about creating target groups. By defining groups, whether in sites, companies, regions or activities, you can determine which topics are relevant in their experience. You can do this by taking a survey, doing research, or simply asking. The themes you want to use should be something your target audience struggles with and be forward-looking. We are all looking for something new. “We all want to learn what the future will look like and act accordingly.”
Therefore, share information about the trends you see in their market. That will grab the attention of your target audience. Another advantage of separating groups of potential customers is that you can create an in-group feeling. Build your brand and information to make people want to be part of your group.
3. Build and share knowledge
Once you know your groups and their information needs, you can work on building relevant content. On the internet, and social media, you can find articles, blogs, infographics, white papers and so on. Share your own opinion and knowledge about the theme. How can you be more relevant than all other information providers? Sharing real answers or insights about what your audience is struggling with is key. Stay unique and tell a story!
4. Stand out
Now here lies the real challenge. How do you stand out? Sharing new information about the future will surely lead to the start. Companies decide what to do now to profit in the future. It is therefore best not to share information about the speed of your current internet service, but more about what the digital disruption will require of the connectivity.
Why is 5G a hot topic in the telecom sector? You guessed it…!
With this kind of information you are already halfway there. Other methods to get noticed are to be creative in the way you publish and share information, or the visual aspects of it. This is all related. There is no specific platform to share information or design to use. Find your own unique way, which is part of your image.
Whatever you do or choose: surprise your audience!
Our brains want to be triggered by something new, something unexpected.
It is a combination of something your audience may never expect, but which nevertheless emphasizes the strength and recognisability of your brand.
Use an image, photo, one-liner, text or slogan that is different, unique, a surprise. Your contact person will not forget you.
Do you want more insights about the use of NeuroSales? Download our whitepaper: Unconscious influence in B2B Marketing & Sales
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