Ten Ways to Distribute Your Thought Leadership Marketing Collateral
So you have an awesome white paper... now what?
At bloomly, our team of copywriters and graphic designers work together to create marketing content for our clients. When our clients hire a FAM, our team can also help distribute those assets to teams at Salesforce.
But sometimes, we're just hired to create the assets and it's up to our clients to distribute them to the people that matter. We put together a list of 10 ways to distribute your marketing assets to make sure you're getting the most out of them.
First, it's important to understand what the asset is and who it's for. Once you know who the audience is, you can tailor your distribution to those people based on how you typically communicate and how they receive information. Here's a list of common marketing assets we create, and who should get them.
Most Common Marketing Assets & Who Should Get Them
White Paper
What is it: an in-depth knowledge piece that shares your expertise and insights on a particular industry challenge
Who should get it: Customers are your primary audience here. They are the ones who are looking for answers to the challenges they have and, if they're lucky, they'll come across your white paper. You can also share white papers with Salesforce industry leaders, especially if you have proprietary data from a study or survey your company did.
Customer Success Story
What is it: a case study told in story format that outlines the problems, solutions, and outcomes of your engagement with a customer
Who should get it: Everyone! Kidding (sort of). We like to say that "customer stories are currency at Salesforce" and there is a reason for that. Customer stories serve multiple purposes. First, they make complex technical solutions easy for sellers to understand and relay to non-technical stakeholders. Second, they help connect your brand emotionally to business success outcomes - when you can show the journey your customers went on with you, it triggers a familiarity in the reader's brain. They experience the challenges and the victories right along with your client and can put themselves in their shoes.
Pricing Worksheet
What is it: a 1-page document outlining pricing for modular services or products you offer
Who should get it: This document is ultimately for the customer, however it's a great sales enablement tool for your Salesforce partners as well. When they have an understanding of your pricing, they can have better conversations with their customers and set better expectations in advance. Plus, branded pricing worksheets ensure customers see your company name and seek you out for more information!
Company Overview Document
What is it: a 1-page document sharing general company information
Who should get it: This is a trick question! Your customers should have something to reference, and your Salesforce partners need one of these, too. But they should be different. Your overview is going to showcase how you can help them and what makes you a great partner, but your customers and Salesforce are going to need help with different things. This document should be highly tailored to the audience that's reading it.
Market Point of View Document
What is it: a 1-page document sharing your predictions or insights into an industry or market & how your company can solve the challenges customers are facing and will face
Who should get it: While it's important for your customers to know how well you understand their industry and market, this particular document is best shared with your Salesforce partners. Your goal is to show Salesforce that you are the premier expert in your niche and this document solidifies that.
Readiness Guide
What is it: a sales asset that helps pre-qualify a customer by determining their level of "readiness" for a new product or service you're offering
Who should get it: Ultimately, this document is for the customer. It helps your customer understand what they really need to succeed with your product or service and helps set expectations up front. However, you can provide a branded readiness guide to your Salesforce partners as a bonus tool to help them pre-qualify customers!
10 Ways to Distribute Your Marketing Assets
1) Share it on social media
LinkedIn is a great place to share thought leadership, because you can reach your partners, clients, and prospects. Make sure to create eye-catching imagery for your post, and feel free to share it a couple of times - just switch up the text each time.
Pro tip: if you're sharing your marketing collateral from your business page, make sure your team members repost it from their personal accounts to increase visibility.
2) Create a lead-capture landing page
Add a landing page to your website, or create one using your CRM or email marketing tool. This is our favorite idea for sharing proprietary information (like survey results you pulled together). The people who want to download your thought leadership collateral become leads, and right away you have something to talk to them about.
3) Email it to your partners
If you have a list of Salesforce contacts or ISVs (who have agreed to receiving marketing materials from you) go ahead and send them your new thought leadership pieces. We suggest including a link to a shared Google folder they can access at anytime so they don't have to dig through old emails.
4) Add it to your newsletter
If you have an email list, add your new marketing collateral to your next newsletter or blast. Make sure you segment your lists and sending pieces that are relevant to those audiences, and don't forget to write an awesome subject line!
5) Post it on your website
Your customers will check out your website before making a decision about working with you. Make their decision easy. Add your thought leadership pieces to your website, and make sure they're easy to find. Add a search bar, or separate pages to keep your marketing collateral organized.
6) Share it with your "besties" on slack
If you're not using slack yet, you might want to get on the train. You can create a channel specifically for your Salesforce contacts or for your clients, and send thought leadership pieces that help you communicate value to each of those audiences.
7) Include it in post-discovery call follow up
After learning about your client's biggest challenges, it's a great idea to send them a tailored piece of content. Choose a story, case study, or white paper that shows how you solved a similar problem, or showcases how well you understand your client's industry.
8) Add it to the AppExchange
Your customers, and your partners at Salesforce, want to have easy access to your best collateral. Adding customer stories, case studies, and data sheets to the AppExchange is a great way to get your marketing collateral seen by the people who matter most.
9) Get it printed nicely & mail it
Direct Mail is not dead! We've had enough screens over the past year and sometimes getting a nice piece of mail can be super exciting. If you have access to mailing addresses, you can send snail mail to your audience.
10) Share it to a community
If you're not sharing proprietary information (e.g. customer secrets or info you don't want other partners to know about) this is a great way to get your marketing assets out to your audience. You can share pieces in the Partner community, or in groups on LinkedIn.