They Ask, You Answer

1. Embrace "They Ask, You Answer" as a business philosophy

Consumer ignorance is no longer a viable sales and marketing strategy.

Shift your mindset. "They Ask, You Answer" is more than a marketing tactic; it's a fundamental approach to business that prioritizes transparency and customer education. This philosophy recognizes that modern buyers conduct extensive online research before making purchasing decisions. By proactively addressing customer questions and concerns, businesses can build trust and establish themselves as industry leaders.

Transform your company culture. Implementing "They Ask, You Answer" requires buy-in from all departments, especially sales and marketing. Break down silos and encourage collaboration to create content that truly addresses customer needs. This approach not only improves your online presence but also enhances the overall customer experience, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty.

Overcome common objections. Many businesses hesitate to embrace this philosophy, fearing that sharing too much information will benefit competitors or deter potential customers. However, the reality is that consumers will find this information elsewhere if you don't provide it. By being the trusted source of information, you position your company as the go-to expert in your field.

2. Address The Big 5 topics to build trust and drive sales

Consumers do want to know what your business believes about these types of questions; otherwise, they wouldn't ask you the question in the first place.

Focus on critical topics. The Big 5 are the most common subjects that consumers research when making purchasing decisions:

• Cost and pricing
• Problems and negatives
• Comparisons and versus
• Reviews and ratings
• Best-in-class or best-of lists

Create comprehensive content. For each of these topics, develop in-depth articles, videos, and other content that thoroughly addresses customer questions and concerns. Be honest and transparent, even when discussing potential drawbacks or limitations of your products or services. This approach builds trust and demonstrates your commitment to helping customers make informed decisions.

Differentiate through transparency. By addressing these topics more comprehensively than your competitors, you'll stand out in your industry and attract more qualified leads. Remember, if you don't provide this information, your competitors will – and they'll likely win the business.

3. Implement assignment selling to qualify leads and shorten sales cycles

Homework (education) can tell us a lot about the prospect.

Educate before selling. Assignment selling involves providing potential customers with educational content before sales meetings. This approach ensures that prospects are well-informed about your products or services, leading to more productive conversations and shorter sales cycles.

Qualify leads effectively. By requiring prospects to review specific content before meetings, you can gauge their level of interest and commitment. Those who complete the "homework" are more likely to be serious buyers, allowing your sales team to focus their efforts on the most promising opportunities.

Customize the approach. Tailor the assigned content to each prospect's specific needs and concerns. This might include:

• Industry-specific case studies
• Product comparison guides
• Video demonstrations
• Pricing information

4. Create a culture of insourcing for authentic content creation

"Having someone on your team dedicated to producing content is invaluable. Many people work with agencies or outsource their content to freelancers. These people are never really going to understand your brand, your products, or services."

Leverage internal expertise. Insourcing involves using your existing employees' knowledge to create educational content. This approach results in more authentic, detailed, and accurate information that truly reflects your company's expertise and values.

Engage all departments. Encourage participation from various teams, including sales, customer service, and product development. Their firsthand experiences and insights are invaluable for creating content that resonates with your audience.

Benefits of insourcing:

• More accurate and detailed content
• Faster content production
• Improved employee engagement
• Stronger alignment between content and company values

5. Hire a dedicated content manager to drive your content strategy

Someone must own the content marketing efforts within the company, and that same person is key in involving everyone else.

Prioritize content creation. A full-time content manager ensures that your content strategy remains a top priority and is consistently executed. This role is crucial for maintaining the momentum of your "They Ask, You Answer" efforts.

Key responsibilities:

• Developing and managing the content calendar
• Coordinating with subject matter experts across the company
• Writing and editing content
• Overseeing content distribution and promotion
• Analyzing content performance and ROI

Seek the right skills. Look for candidates with strong writing and editing abilities, interview skills, and project management experience. Often, individuals with journalism backgrounds excel in this role due to their ability to extract information and tell compelling stories.

6. Leverage video content to humanize your brand and boost sales

Video is a sales initiative.

Prioritize sales-focused videos. The Selling 7 are video types that have the most significant impact on sales:

1. 80% Videos (addressing common questions)
2. Employee Bio Videos
3. Product/Service Fit Videos
4. Landing Page Videos
5. Cost Videos
6. Customer Journey Videos
7. "Claims We Make" Videos

Create a video-first culture. Encourage all team members to participate in video creation, from sales representatives to executives. Provide training and support to help employees become comfortable on camera.

Integrate video throughout the sales process. Use videos for:

• Pre-sales education
• Follow-up communications
• Addressing objections
• Demonstrating products or services

7. Design your website to prioritize buyer education and self-selection

Your goal with your homepage shouldn't be to "teach" visitors everything you want them to know.

Focus on user experience. Design your website to help visitors quickly find the information they're seeking. Prioritize clear navigation and intuitive user flows that guide visitors to relevant content based on their needs and stage in the buying process.

Key website priorities:

1. Clear homepage messaging and layout
2. Comprehensive educational content
3. Premium content offers
4. Balance of text and visual content
5. Self-selection tools
6. Social proof and testimonials
7. Fast site speed

Implement self-selection tools. Create interactive elements that allow visitors to customize their experience and receive personalized recommendations. This might include product configurators, pricing calculators, or guided questionnaires.

8. Measure ROI and optimize your digital marketing efforts

"We put in a lot of work, but we know how much money it made. And it was well worth it."

Track key metrics. Utilize tools like HubSpot or Google Analytics to measure the impact of your content marketing efforts. Focus on metrics such as:

• Website traffic
• Lead generation
• Conversion rates
• Revenue attributed to specific content

Analyze user behavior. Use advanced tracking to understand how visitors interact with your content, which pages they visit, and what actions they take. This information can help you optimize your content strategy and improve the user experience.

Continuously improve. Regularly review your content performance and make data-driven decisions to refine your strategy. Test different approaches, update existing content, and create new content based on your findings.

9. Adapt to the rise of real-time conversations and self-selection tools

We now expect to be able to ask questions of companies about their products and services online, and have that same real-time, conversational experience we have when we're asking our spouses, partners, and friends, "Hey, what's the plan for dinner tonight?"

Embrace conversational marketing. Implement chatbots and live chat features on your website to provide immediate assistance to visitors. This approach aligns with modern consumers' expectations for quick, personalized interactions.

Provide self-service options. Develop tools that allow customers to find answers and make decisions independently. This might include:

• Interactive product guides
• Pricing calculators
• Comparison tools
• FAQ databases

Balance automation and human touch. While self-service options are important, ensure that customers can easily connect with a human representative when needed. Train your team to provide seamless support across all channels, from chat to phone to email.

Last updated: August 8, 2024