Don’t get us wrong – writing a White Paper aimed at your niche and choosing keywords that get you found is great.
But it’s the Nokia to Apple’s iPhone…you’re just not going to dominate.
In B2B, no one buys from a White Paper
Or an ad. Or your website.
What?! Then why are we paying for them???
People downloading White Papers are usually in the early stages of buying. They’re just researching and putting feelers out…
So how do they buy?
In B2B marketing, ads and SEO and websites are just the entry points or drivers into your marketing funnel. They’re still essential. But only the beginning.
Not every prospect is ready to buy right now, but it doesn’t mean you should ignore them. Because chances are they’ll buy in the next 6 months to a year. From you, or a competitor.
Now you get on their shortlist by staying in touch so they know who you are, and what you’re good at when they’re ready to buy. (LEAD NURTURING)
The practical stuff
Lead nurturing doesn’t mean giving prospects a hug. It’s about providing them with regular helpful content.
Without lead nurturing, all your ‘enquiries’ (such as white paper downloads), are just hand-raisers. They’re not ready for a sales call.
Some simple ideas:
- A follow up email after White Paper downloads with more great info, prompting them to subscribe to your newsletter
- Invite them to a webinar (after they’ve been on your email list for a while) – this gives a more human feel to your relationship and they can ask questions
- Invite them to an event – cement the relationship offline
Staying top of mind doesn’t have to be complicated. But it’s the strategy that makes you stand out through the noise and make it to the short list.
Sarah Wooltorton
Hi Sarah,
This is something that most businesses don’t want to do – its costly and time consuming – but its the difference between working hard and working smart.
On a different note..I’m currently involved in a charity project that is going global out of Australia.
We could use your experience and expertise…its good to put down on your CV. You work on it in your own time considering you can spare a couple of hours during the day once a week.
If you can…let me know…if you cannot…thats fine..still let me know.
Cheers