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The most quoted number in B2B marketing right now is that buyers are somewhere around 70 percent of the way through a purchase decision before they engage a salesperson. In the construction equipment world we would argue it is higher. A contractor who is shopping for a compact track loader has watched the walk-around videos, read the trade magazine comparison, asked two friends at the last association meeting and priced the attachments before the dealer ever hears their name.
Add to that the fact that the buying group is bigger than it used to be. An owner, an operator, a fleet manager, a finance person and often a safety lead all weigh in. Marketing is now responsible for reaching all of them, at every stage, whether or not sales is in the room.
That is the case for content marketing and public relations in one paragraph. Here is how we think about matching the work to the stage.
Buyers do most of their research long before they raise a hand.
At this stage the buyer does not know your brand, or does not know you make the product they need. Trade media editorial, trade show coverage and search are how they find you. Feature articles, application stories and new product announcements in the publications they trust do more here than any paid ad, because they carry a third party's credibility.
Now the buyer is comparing. They want specs, but they also want to know how the machine performs on a jobsite like theirs. Case studies, contributed technical articles, dealer and product manager Q&As and well-produced video answer those questions. This is also where your website has to work hard, including pricing and configuration information most manufacturers are still reluctant to publish.
When the list is down to two or three brands, the most persuasive content you own is a customer talking about their experience. Testimonials, job stories and customer videos belong on the website, in the dealer's hands and in the trade press. If you are not capturing them, your competition is.
A buyer who raises a hand deserves a fast, specific response. Landing pages with a clear next step, a dealer locator that works and sales materials that repeat the same messages the buyer has already read all keep the momentum you paid to create.
Only a small share of your market is in buy mode at any given moment. The rest are owners and operators who will buy again, recommend you or defect to a competitor. Newsletters, owner content, service tips and a steady stream of trade media coverage keep your brand in front of them until they are ready.
The funnel is not linear anymore. Buyers grab information at whatever stage they happen to be in, so the practical answer is to have something useful waiting at every stage and to keep it current. That is what a proactive public relations and content marketing program does.
If you would like help mapping your content to the way your customers buy, visit our ‣ page.