2

3
4
6
8
11
15
21
26
29
32
Introduction
The Rise of Online Relationships
Lay the Foundation for a Strong Connection
Get to Know Your Buyer
Have a Game Plan
Catch Your Buyers Eye, Win Your Buyers Heart
Build Trust and Nurture Your New Relationship
Prove Youre the Perfect Match
Foster Continued Commitment
Youre Ready for Love!
Table of Contents
3
Introduction

Relationships are hard.
Just when youve fnally fgured them out, something shifts. She wont pick up the phone or
return your emails. Communicating with him is suddenly difcult. You constantly reach out to
keep conversations going. The two of you grow apart until, fnally, the relationship ends.

It doesnt have to be this way. Especially not for you, the modern marketer, and the buyers
you hold dear. In order to build lasting relationships and earn the opportunity to prove your
organization is the perfect ft, you need to learn how to communicate with buyers in a way
that sparks interest, cultivates trust, and keeps them around for the long haul.

But before we get into how you can build strong connections that move buyers toward I Do
[want to purchase your product], lets discuss why relationships between brands and buyers
have fundamentally changed.
4
The Rise of Online Relationships
Fifteen years ago, fostering good business relationships was diferent. You might strike
up a casual conversation at a tradeshow or perhaps a mutual acquaintance would make
introductions during a conference. Buyers would call you to learn more about your company.
If that went well, they would detail their priorities, wants, and needs more explicitly (often in
the form of an RFP) and you would have the opportunity to advocate your best products or
solutions, persuading them that you were, indeed, the best match.
But that was then.
Today, the internet has changed the way buyers discover solutions. More people are meeting
and researching vendors online than ever before. Your ideal customers are reading blog
posts and articles, checking Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profles, and forming
opinions based on what you say and share online. Before they call to get to know your
company better, they turn to Google for answers and information. If a competing vendor
appears smarter, more interesting, or more reliable than you, your buyers will reach out to
them frst.
These online engagements have changed the rules of buyer/brand communications. So how
can you and your company form meaningful relationships with buyers who are getting to know
you long before theyve been introduced?
By committing to buyer-centric content that entertains and supports at every stage of
the purchase funnel.
5
In this workbook, youll learn how to use content to build strong, long-lasting relationships with
your customers from awareness to advocacy. Each section comes with worksheets to help you
organize your thoughts and, ultimately, foster trust and commitment through content.

Content is a very important part of demand throughout our funnel...
Content drives a lot of website successes, opportunities, and ultimately
revenue.
-Dayna Rothman, Content Marketing Manager at Marketo
6
Lay the Foundation for a Strong
Connection
Self-Refection: Understanding Your
Strengths & Values
If you dont know yourself, you wont be able to identify your perfect match.
Think about it.
If you live for adventurous travel, why would you date someone who considers a hotel without
a pool roughing it? If you dont understand your values and goals, youre probably wasting
your time and energy on fruitless relationships.
The same principle applies to successful content marketing.
The frst step to building a strong, long-term relationship through content is to take a good,
hard look at your organization. That doesnt mean youre going to be creating content
about your company, but you have to understand your strengths and weaknesses so you can
showcase the great and improve on the less-than-great.

7
Get started by asking yourself (and your team) the following questions:
Where does our company excel?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What are our main points of value?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What are our main points of expertise?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What are our goals as an organization?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
The answers to these questions will help you identify the topics and tactics that will guide your
content marketing strategy.
8
Get to Know Your Buyer
Once youve gotten in touch with the real you, its time to fnd people with needs compatible
with your brands expertise. By identifying the key characteristics and concerns of your target
buyers and comparing them to the strengths of your organization, youll discover common
interests from which meaningful conversations (and content) can develop.
Defning Buyer Personas
There are certain telltale characteristics which make someone an attractive prospect. In dating,
its called your type. In content marketing, its called a buyer persona. Taking the time to
understand the people who most commonly enjoy a fruitful, long-term relationship with
your brand will help you understand what buyers truly want to know, instead of what
you think they want to know.
One of the biggest challenges marketers face is delivering interesting content that buyers
actually want to consume. Often, marketers fall into the trap of creating content that outlines
the benefts of specifc features or products. This is a major turn-of. After all, would you enjoy
a frst date with someone who spends the entire evening listing his or her best features?
To create content thats truly valuable you need to know what your buyers care about. Start by
writing down the explicit characteristics of your best customers and ideal buyers. There may
be several diferent types of people for many diferent products, or there may be just one. It all
depends on what youre bringing to the table and whom youre targeting. Begin with the most
consistent features (for example, ideal customers might be CEOs, ofce managers, football
fans, or frst-time homeowners) and fesh out additional details by asking yourself the following
questions for each of the buyer personas identifed:
9
What are their biggest pain points?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What are their everyday concerns? What keeps them up at night?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What are their hopes, dreams, and aspirations?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Mapping Out Buying Stages
Another critical piece to winning afection is the proper timing of your communications. For
example, Do you like pizza? and Do you want kids? are two questions that are appropriate at
very diferent points in a relationship.
The same principle applies to buyer relationships. As buyers move down the funnel and get
closer to committing to your organization, you need to anticipate the concerns that will arise
and address them with appropriate information and useful content.
As part of this exercise, map out each of the stages of the buyers journey, from top of the
funnel to right before close, and then through retention and upsell. Ask yourself:
What does each buyer persona care about at every stage of the funnel?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
How can we further exemplify our unique value proposition as buyers start to compare our
company against competitors?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Who else will be involved in our buyers decision? What types of topics do they care about?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Where your buyers interests and needs overlap with your organizations expertise is
known as the sweet spot. Within this intersection, youll fnd common ground on which to
engage in meaningful conversations.
10
Now its time to get to work! Take your buyer personas and the stages of the funnel, and fll out
the grids below to help you map your content to each buyers journey.
Buying Stages
[content topics]
Personas
Exercise 1
[stage one]
[persona one]
11
Have a Game Plan
When it comes to making a good and lasting impression,
theres no substitute for preparation. For example, the guy
who researches the best vegetarian restaurants in town
and makes a reservation in advance wont have to scramble
to deliver a perfect date for his plant-eating sweetheart.
Proper preparation means less room for error and, likely, a more positive experience.
Now, think about it in terms of content marketing. If you dont plan content that will make the
buyers experience enjoyable and cohesive, you wont be able to maximize the impact of your
campaigns.
Often, marketers feel overwhelmed by the amount of content they need to create to fuel their
marketing campaigns. But creating enough content doesnt have to be a struggle. In the next
section, youll learn how to make the most of each piece of content through careful planning.
Schedule Across the Calendar with Content Pillars
Every marketing department has annual and quarterly plans during which product arcs, theme
arcs, and important events are identifed. Start by organizing your content campaigns around
these key initiatives. It will ensure your content is cohesive, relevant to your buyers, and aligned
with business objectives.
Once you identify these big initiatives for upcoming quarters, plan out content pillars that align
with at least one of those initiatives. A content pillar is a large piece of content (such as a
...theres no substitute
for preparation.
12
guide or an eBook) that can be broken into many pieces of related content. The beauty
of a content pillar is that once created, it can fuel social media, provide fresh content for your
marketing automation campaigns, and fll your editorial calendar with content that serves your
organization and is also valuable to your buyers.
Want to see how many pieces of content a single pillar can produce? One standard sized
eBook can be broken down into:
4-7 blog posts from the text within the eBook
1-3 SlideShare presentations on the topics covered
2-5 videos of key thought leaders interviewed for the text
1-2 infographics and diagrams
1-3 webinars on the eBook topics
At least 1 blog post for every SlideShare presentation, video, infographic, and webinar
1-3 email campaigns within marketing automation software to engage buyers at diferent stages of
the funnel
100-250 social media shares across platforms promoting each of these large and small pieces of
content.
Thats a lot of content, and every one of those pieces can be used to connect with your target
buyers at various stages of the funnel. By engaging with buyers consistently throughout their
journey, youll stay top of mind. After all, you dont want your buyers to be lured away by a
competing suitor. You want them to keep coming back for more quality content.
Before we get into just how to distribute your content assets, take a minute to complete this
exercise. Ask yourself the following questions:
What content pillars do we already have completed or scheduled?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
How can we plan for content derived from these pillars?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What processes need to be in place to create content pillars that fll our editorial calendar and fuel
our marketing campaigns?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
13
The Marketo Way
Interview with Dayna Rothman, Content Marketing Manager at Marketo
With fun and informative content, the Marketo team has been known to sweep buyers of
their feet. To fnd out how they do it, we caught up with the person at the heart of the content
operation, Dayna Rothman, the Content Marketing Manager. Rothman and the team at
Marketo plan content campaigns in line with key initiatives in the organization:
This ensures that every content piece serves a purpose. None of their content sits unused,
because its all appropriately timed with the needs and goals of the company.
Marketo also focuses on large content assets and breaks them down into smaller chunks
of relevant content to share at all stages. When they created the Defnitive Guide to Social
Marketing, that single piece fueled distribution at the top, middle, and bottom of the funnel.
Here are all of the assets that came from a single and thorough content pillar, as well as the
results of this approach:
1 Defnitive Guide
Result: 100,000 total views, 654 conversions
1 shorter eBook
Result: 43,000 views
7 cheat sheets on specifc topics pulled from the guide
Result: 122,000 views
4 email promotions
Result: 6,787 downloads from emails
2 webinars
Result: 5,644 registrants, 1,156 attendees, 16,000 views of recorded assets
1 SlideShare presentation
Result: 6,746 views, 291 downloads
4 blog posts
Result: 819 reader shares
Hundreds of Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn shares
Result: 4,791 resulting clicks
We map our content to diferent product or theme arcs throughout the
year. Sometimes these arcs are centered around a product release, and
sometimes they are just focused on a core competency.
14
Now that youve seen how a single content asset can become many smaller derivative assets,
think through a content pillar youve already created or are planning to create.
Have one in mind? Great! Now, complete the exercise below to see how a single asset can fll
your editorial and social media calendars.
[content pillar]
[main derivative asset]
Exercise 2
[secondary derivative asset]
15
Catch Your Buyers Eye, Win Your
Buyers Heart
Reaching Buyers at the Top of
the Funnel
Say youre interested in a certain someone. This person is exactly your type, and everything
you know about them points to a perfect match. As is common these days, you take a look at
Facebook and notice this person eats at the same restaurant every Friday. So where will you be
next Friday? Come on, dont lie. Youll be at that restaurant, dressed in your best and bringing
your A-game.
Similarly, to strike up a relationship with the right people in a business context, you need to
continuously show up where theyre already hanging out.
How else will you get on their radar?
But even thats not enough. If you show up, you better
capture their attention and get your stories to stick.
Then, when presented with a related topic, theyll be
reminded of that hilarious tweet, the insightful blog post,
or the compelling infographic you shared with them.
The more often you catch your buyers attention and
they like what you have to say, the more likely theyll
be to engage in a deeper dialogue.
...to strike up a
relationship with the
right people in a
business context, you
need to continuously
show up where theyre
already hanging out.
16
Great top-of-the-funnel content includes social media shares, blog posts, webinars,
infographics, and eBooks. At this stage, people coming across your content might not know
anything about your company or the solutions you ofer. And thats fne. This is not the time
to push product-centric content. You want to let your buyers know that youre interested in
the same things they are, and start to earn their trust by providing valuable information that
resonates with their everyday lives.
But dont forget to have a little fun, too! Incorporate unique, playful content assets into your
strategy, such as fun visuals or videos, even if theyre not directly tied to a specifc arc. These
will help catch the eye of buyers at the top of the funnel and establish your organization as an
approachable and enjoyable resource.
Because your buyers are getting a frst glimpse of you at the top of the funnel, there are some
key ways you can stand out from the crowd.
Leveraging Infuencers
Who are you more likely to go on a date with: a complete stranger or someone introduced to
you through a friend?
Most people, including your buyers, feel more comfortable with someone whos associated
with a person they already trust. Because of this, infuencers are incredibly powerful when
it comes to establishing bonds at the top of the funnel. Once you start getting to know the
people who are considered thought leaders in your space, theyll be more willing to share your
content with their audiences (as long as its relevant...and good!). This brings new eyes and
trafc to your work and website, and it also fosters immediate trust by association.
Social Media and Content Distribution
Social media is one of the most obvious but efective methods of reaching your target buyers
at the top of the funnel. By sharing valuable information on platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter,
and Facebook, your buyers may opt in to follow you and receive regular updates on your
content.
And dont just talk about yourself. Share fun and interesting information from third-party
sources (particularly the ones your buyers care about). Comment or interact in a natural,
friendly way and take note of who responds (and to what). Use memes and references to pop
culture. If theres a network on which youve had particularly good engagement, take advantage
of sponsored posts or ads to stay in front of the right people.
17
SEO and Keyword Optimization
As we mentioned in the introduction, buyers are researching solutions online, often by typing
in keywords. When theyre looking for topics in that content sweet spot, you want to make
sure they fnd you. With that in mind, its important to optimize your content so youre showing
up in search.
But dont be shady. Its important to remember that as Google continues to update its
algorithm, black hat (meaning unethical or bad) SEO tactics, such as purchasing or swapping
links and keyword stufng, stop working. In fact, theyre penalized by Google. The best advice?
Write quality content for people, not robots. By writing in a natural voice about topics your
organization understands, youll earn links based on merit, which will build authority and
audience for the long-term.
Paid Ads and Content Syndication
Dont forget to leverage paid media and syndication. Instead of stale ads that drive to a boring
landing page, use online advertisements to promote your content. Its much less pushy and not
as intrusive, especially if your content provides value.
Syndication allows other sites to pull recently published content from your web feed and
distribute it to their audiences, which are preferably made up of your target buyers. Finding
syndication partners is an easy way to expand promotion of your content and to become
recognized as an important voice on those sweet spot topics.
Go Viral: Contests, Polls, and Surveys
In relationships, theres always give and take. So whats the business lesson? Think of creative
ways to ask for information or spur your followers and readers into action. Then, as a reward,
give them something theyll fnd valuable in return. For example, host a contest on your
Facebook page and give away a fun prize for a certain number of referrals. Make up a hashtag
for a bigger content pillar and throw a Twitter party, giving away prizes for participation.
Create surveys and reveal the summary of results once participants hit submit. If the topic is
interesting and the questions are well-written, even curiosity will drive more engagement and
sharing.
18
To drive more trafc and leads at the top of the funnel, ask yourself the following questions:
Who are the key infuencers in our space?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What platforms drive the most trafc and engagement with our target buyers?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What types of content work best on each of those platforms?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What keywords are already driving people to our content, and what terms might our target buyers
be using to fnd information?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Where can we syndicate our content?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
19
The Marketo Way
Interview with Dayna Rothman, Content Marketing Manager at Marketo
When it comes to catching the attention of buyers, Marketo knows how to dress up content
in perfect packages and distribute a good-looking result. Their content stands out with eye-
catching design, unique concepts, and relevant topics.
Marketo casts a big net, distributing their content far and wide. Here are just a few of the ways
that Rothman and her team share content at the top of the funnel:
Social Channels: We post new content on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest (if visual),
SlideShare (if visual), YouTube, and LinkedIn. We also use paid promotion behind these assets on
Facebook and Google.
Referral and sweepstakes on social: We leverage social to get our assets shared. We
often develop incentive-based sharing campaigns. Take a look at an example here of one of
our Facebook referral campaigns for one of our fun content pieces.
Demand Generation Email Promotion Programs: We distribute relevant content to specifc people
in our database based on persona, vertical, buying stage, and interest.
PPC Ads: We create landing pages and ofer our content assets for download using PPC ads.
Paid Email Programs: We work with relevant vendors and organizations to send out paid programs
ofering our assets to their databases.
Content Syndication: We work with reputable content syndicators to post our gated content pieces
on their sites and do paid email programs.
Webinars: We often host webinars that are centered on a content asset. Sometimes we will even
host two if the content is particularly robust.
Speaking Sessions: We take the content of a good asset and use it in a speaking session if
applicable.
As youve already seen, Marketo creates major content assets that are informative and
thorough. But on top of the serious stuf, they keep their content fresh, surprising, and playful:
We also integrate some chocolate cake pieces that might not
necessarily map to core business capabilities, but are fun pieces that
drive people to share our content on social channels.
For example, the Marketing Activity Book is full of creative exercises inspired by childhood
activities such as word hunts, paper dolls, mazes, connect-the-dots, and more. But theres one
key diference: its all about marketing.
20
So you know who your ideal match is. Now its time to investigate where they hang out. Do they
love Twitter and LinkedIn? Media publications? Industry blogs?
Make a list of where your buyers spend their time online. Next, circle the places your
organizations should show up to meet them.
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Take the places you circled above and answer the questions below:
Exercise 3
Place 1 _______________________________
Whos hanging out here?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What kind of content will you share here?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Place 2 _______________________________
Whos hanging out here?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What kind of content will you share here?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21
Build Trust and Nurture Your New
Relationship
Now that you have a plan in place for catching the eye of that perfect buyer, you need to prove
that you can be trusted. Why? Because once buyers recognize you as a valuable resource for
relevant information, theyll be more willing to listen to what you have to say. By fostering trust,
youll reach the next milestone in your blossoming relationship: your target buyers will give you
permission to communicate with them by sharing their contact information.
Regularly providing pieces of valuable and ungated content will help your buyers see you as an
expert on the topics that interest them. Consistent and high quality content establishes trust
and authority, so when they reach a gated piece of content on a topic they want to learn more
about, theyll be willing to exchange their email addresses and phone numbers for additional
insights.

Marketing Automation and Content Distribution
Once buyers enter the marketing automation system, you can start to get to know even more
about them as individuals. What types of content do they prefer? What topics interest them?
Are they showing interest in me, too?

At this point, its time to deliver that persona-targeted content youve created and to track the
buyers interest in your products and services based on their digital body language. In order to
do this efectively, you need to establish two key processes: lead nurturing and lead scoring.
22
Lead Nurturing
If a buyer has provided you with their contact information, theyve agreed to stay in touch with
you. After all, they wouldnt give their email address to just any random vendor, right? They
want updates, and to learn more about what you have to ofer.
But maybe it isnt the right time. Maybe theyre still in a relationship with your competitor, but
are starting to look around for other options. Perhaps they havent decided what they want
yet. By establishing persona and stage-based nurture tracks within your marketing automation
software, youll be able to stay in touch with them until theyre ready to make a move.
During these communications, send them content that
addresses the specifc questions they have at this point
in their journey and gives them the information and
reassurance they need to take the next step. Its all
about delivering the right message at the right time.
Lead Scoring
But how will you know theyre ready to take the relationship to the next level? The answer is
lead scoring. By identifying high-value characteristics and actions, you can score their
data and behavior accordingly. Or, conversely, you can also negatively score information that
indicates this buyer isnt a good match. Establishing these processes through your marketing
automation software enables you to track their progress down the funnel and then deliver
relevant content that will help them take the next step with you.
Ask yourself:
What can I do to better convert site visitors into leads?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What types of content should be a part of our nurture campaigns?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Do we have enough persona- and stage-based content for each of our buyers to fuel our nurture
tracks?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Its all about delivering
the right message at
the right time.
23
The Marketo Way
Interview with Dayna Rothman, Content Marketing Manager at Marketo
At the middle of the funnel, Marketo leverages both their technology and expertise to put
together carefully executed, scored, and automated campaigns with content. They use the
leads that are already in their database to send out email correspondence, either as email
blasts or nurture campaigns. The email blasts usually introduce a new event, product release,
or content piece, such as one of their Defnitive Guides, or an accelerator program when they
need additional opportunities.
Marketo also creates multiple nurture tracks based on persona, stage, vertical, and interests:
We use content in all of our nurture programs to move people down
the funnel based on continued interest, which we track based on email
conversion rates and hand-raisers.
And, as you just learned, its important to deliver content thats relevant to your buyers as they
progress through the stages of the funnel. Marketo organizes their programs so that, at the
middle of the funnel, leads start to get more specifc content relating to marketing automation
like buyers guides and templates. And if someone is downloading certain high-value assets or
clicks to get a demo, theyre contacted by sales.
24
Heres an exercise to help you organize the main priorities
for creating a successful lead scoring model. Go back to
your buyer personas. What are the most indicative
characteristics of a buyer? Which features and behaviors
are most telling? Get started with the checklist below.
Check of the boxes you think should be included in the lead scoring model. Next to each
checked-of score, mark whether the attribute is critical, important, infuential, or negative.
Individual-specifc
F Title
F Purchasing authority
F Level of manager (to whom
do they report?)
F Years of experience
F Type of email used (Gmail,
corporate, Yahoo)
F Years at current position
F Social network participation
F Social network connections
F Career interests
F Personal interests
F _____________________________
F _____________________________
Company-specifc
F Rankings/Stock Indexes:
Fortune 500/Inc
F Number of employees
F Company revenue
F Revenue growth (growing,
declining, etc)
F Number of divisions
F Number of products sold
(SKUs)
F Location
F Website trafc
F Organizational structure
(proprietorship, partner-
ship, corporation)
F Industry
F _____________________________
F _____________________________
Relationship
F Account type (potential vs.
actual)
F Customer
F Partner
F Competitor
F Prospect
F Previous relationship
F Ex-customer
F Lost opportunity
F Product(s) purchased
F Complementary technolo-
gies used (CRM, ESP, ERP,
CMS, MRM, MA)
F Lead source
F _____________________________
F _____________________________
Explicit Scores to Consider
Exercise 4
For a full list of lead
scoring rules, head to:
bit.ly/LeadScoringRules
25
F Livestreamed events
F Registered for
F Viewed
F Surveys
F Visited
F Completed
F Tradeshow
F Attended
F Watched demo
F Roadshow/Seminar
F Registered
F Attended
F _____________________________
F _____________________________
F Web pages
F Viewed landing page
F Viewed - product
specifc
F Viewed - pricing
F Viewed - customers or
reviews
F Viewed - multiple web
pages
F Search activity
F Searches for company
name
F Searches for product
name

F _____________________________
F _____________________________
F Community
F Submitted an idea
F Read about best
practices
F Podcasts
F Listened
F Subscribed
F Videocasts
F Viewed
F Downloaded
F _____________________________
F _____________________________
Behavior-Based Scores to Consider
F Email unsubscribe
F Non-product web visit
F Career page
F Investor page
F Leadership page
F Added to Do Not Call list
F Spam complaint
F _____________________________
F _____________________________
Bad Behaviors (Implicit Data)
Exercise 4, continued
26
Prove Youre the Perfect Match
Once a buyer has indicated theyre considering taking the plunge with your organization, you
need to use content to prove that you are, indeed, The One. At this point, the buyer has
reached a lead score that suggests theyre interested in the next step, or has raised their hand
to be contacted by sales.
Creating efective content for the bottom of the funnel
relies on good communication between marketing and
sales another relationship! You need to have a process
in place for communicating to the sales team about
new content, the themes of that content and who it
targets, and suggestions for how to use it successfully.
When delivered correctly, this content helps sales to be
seen as thought leaders and knowledgeable sources
of information. This perception will be key in the fnal
decision-making stages of your relationship.
Efective bottom-of-the-funnel content includes customer success stories and case
studies, pricing and data sheets, competitive comparison, third-party vendor profles,
and FAQs. Sales can use these pieces to reach out to a prospect on topics they know theyre
interested in and to better tailor their communications.
For example, a buyer may be worried about the security of their data. The lead may mention
this concern during a call, and the sales rep can provide content related to that specifc issue
and how your company ensures all information is secure. This builds trust and authority. It
When delivered
correctly, the content
at the bottom of the
funnel helps sales
be seen as thought
leaders
27
shows the buyer youre listening, that you care, and that youll take care of them if they do,
indeed, say Yes to your solution.
Ask yourself:
How can I establish a process to share new pieces of content with sales?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What types of content will help sales be seen as thought leaders?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What does a buyer need to know before they say Yes to our solution?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
The Marketo Way
Interview with Dayna Rothman, Content Marketing Manager at Marketo
Once buyers have reached the bottom of the funnel, the content turns more product-centric.
Why? Because the buyer is ready to know the make-or-break details about your products or
services, and your content needs to deliver that information. At this stage, Marketo employs
pricing sheets, data sheets, product-focused webinars, and content about other companies
who have used Marketo successfully.
But still, its important to keep persona in mind and to deliver helpful content thats specifc to
each buyer. For example, sharing a testimonial from a top customer in the same industry as
the potential buyer will be more efective than sharing the story of a company with completely
diferent needs and concerns. These customer stories help your buyers imagine what it would
be like to use your product or service, and bring the benefts to life. And look how many
testimonials Marketo has to share with their buyers! This is great bottom-of-the-funnel content
that enables your sales team to cultivate the fnal stages of a relationship before tying the knot.
28
For this exercise, get together with your sales team and create a list of the main questions
and concerns buyers have at the bottom of the funnel. Next, identify whether or not you have
a piece of content that addresses those issues. This will help close content gaps which, once
flled, will help your sales team be more successful.
Buyer questions
and concerns
Do you have a piece of content
that addresses these concerns?
(Yes/No)
If yes, what?
If no, what will you create?
Exercise 5
29
Foster Continued Commitment
Even when the deal is closed, your work isnt done. In a marriage, you have to keep bringing
home fowers, right? The same goes for communicating with and delighting buyers who are
now your customers. You want to make sure they continue to receive valuable information that
helps them to succeed as a customer so they feel satisfed and supported.
Also, keep clients happy, and theyll remain committed
to you and your organization. In order to build on their
trust so you can continue to share updates on new
products or features, be sure to share educational
content with your account management team and
incorporate this content into a specifc nurture track
for current customers. If you continue to provide useful
information to customers, theyll be more pleased with the experience, more likely to evolve
from a customer into an advocate, and more prone to refer others to your organization.
Three great types of content for continuing education are email campaigns designed for
your existing customer base, customer success webinars, and ongoing education in a
community format.
The key is to never stop communicating. Of course, no one
wants to be inundated with content, but if you can provide a
steady stream of information and education, you and your
customers will work together, happily ever after.
...keep clients happy,
and theyll remain
committed to you and
your organization.
...never stop
communicating.
30
Ask yourself:
How can we continue to communicate with current customers?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Once a deal is closed, what are the most common questions our account and support teams hear
and how can we create content around those topics?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What content will make our customers more successful?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
How can we deliver information on new features and products to current customers?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
The Marketo Way
Interview with Dayna Rothman, Content Marketing Manager at Marketo
Once a deal is done, communication doesnt stop at Marketo. In fact, they ofer a variety of
content to keep the relationship alive, ensuring customer satisfaction and success with the
product. Marketo uses a wide mix of content types to retain their customers, including email,
an active customer community for posting questions and fnding help or support, and hosting
customer-specifc webinars. Marketo also engages with customers face-to-face at their annual
user Summit and the Marketing Nation Roadshow tour, which travels across the country
throughout the year.
Below the funnel, its important to keep relationships warm and to provide the education
customers need to use the product or service to its maximum potential. Marketo also ofers
Marketo University, during which users are trained and certifed on their product. Below the
funnel, all of their content is used to retain customers and to keep them informed, happy, and
successful.
31
Customer questions
and concerns
Do you have a piece of content
that addresses these concerns?
(Yes/No)
If yes, what?
If no, what will you create?
For this exercise, frst determine your current tactics for communicating with your customers.
Work with your customer success and support teams to defne the main topics and concerns
arising for customers once a deal is completed.
What content assets do you already have, and what do you need to create? How will you
address the questions currently being answered on a one-of basis by customer success and
support?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
What current methods does your organization use to communicate with buyers below the
funnel?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 6
32
Youre Ready for Love!
Now, dear marketer, youre ready to build a long-term relationship with your buyers.
No longer will your eforts attract the random attentions of people who arent the right ft for
your organization. No longer will you struggle to fnd the right things to say, or run out of topics
that interest you both. Your relationships wont fzzle out before they ever get started.
Instead youll be partners in each others continued success. What could be better than that?
Marketing Software. Easy, Powerful, Complete.
Marketo (NASDAQ MKTO) uniquely provides an easy-to-use, powerful and complete
marketing software platform that propels fast-growing small companies and global
enterprises alike. Marketo marketing automation and sales efectiveness software
streamlines marketing processes, delivers more campaigns, generates more win-ready leads,
and improves sales performance. With proven technology, comprehensive services and expert
guidance, Marketo helps thousands of companies around the world turn marketing from a
cost center into a revenue driver.
www.marketo.com blog.marketo.com sales@marketo.com
Kapost, the worlds leading provider of content marketing software, enables brands to
produce the content they need to generate and nurture leads. The Kapost platform organizes
content marketing into a structured business process from planning and production through
distribution and analysis for the full range of content types including blog posts, white papers,
video, social media, landing pages, and emails.
www.kapost.com marketeer.kapost.com response@kapost.com