Nataly Kelly's Blog

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

In current economic times, many companies are struggling to figure out how to keep their growth going strong amidst market slowdowns. This is especially true in some industries, like technology, which enjoyed an accelerated pace of growth in recent years, thanks to the forced digitization of many businesses during the pandemic. This phenomenon created abnormally high growth rates for some companies, which reset the idea of what was normal and sustainable, and artificially inflated market expectations.

But whether in times of economic boom or bane, growth initiatives within companies frequently fail. Leaders of areas of high potential for growth face one major challenge that underpins all others. It’s a challenge that is quite complex, but subtle (often invisible), and therefore not discussed very often: gaining mindshare.

Ironically, the areas of a business that have the highest potential for growth are not usually the ones that naturally get the most attention from everyone at a company. Instead, the area that constitutes the majority of revenue and customers tends to reign supreme. Unfortunately, those areas are also usually the slowest growers. Yet, when a particular area of business makes up the lion’s share of business operations, they also get more mindshare, and thus, the budgets and staff that tend to follow.

A fast-growing area of a business must gain enough mindshare to be top of mind. It can fuel a company’s growth, but without enough visibility, employees will not pay attention to it. When teams divert their gaze to the part of the business that makes up most of the revenue, instead of the fastest-growing areas, they fail to prioritize the areas of highest-growth potential. Then, businesses slow down. Sometimes they may even lumber to a complete halt.

Unfortunately, this common phenomenon within a company creates inertia, making it difficult for the larger business to ever pick up the pace of growth and accelerate. This predictable, gravitational pull tugs everyone toward the area of a business with the most revenue and customers, even if the biggest area happens to also be the slowest. While allowing a company to deprioritize the fastest-growing areas might seem to defy all business sense, most employees do not naturally want to focus on what will drive the highest growth for your business in the long term and create momentum. They tend to focus on the more familiar areas instead. As a result, the high-growth business area suffers, and the entire company misses the opportunity to truly accelerate velocity.

Three Ways the Battle for Mindshare Can Manifest

This common fight for mindshare shows up in several ways in businesses. Here are a few examples.

1. New Product Lines That Get Too Little Attention

Companies notoriously come up with new product lines, only to fail to properly support them to sufficiently so they can realize their full potential. When I oversaw new product development at a company that had most of its revenue concentrated in just two products, I had to continually advocate for mindshare — from salespeople, from marketing, from customer service, and so on — to get more attention on these new products that could enable more cross-sell opportunities for our top two revenue-producing product lines, new hooks into larger accounts to boost retention, and most importantly, generate net new revenue to keep the overall business growing.

2. New Markets Fight for Visibility in Global Businesses

As anyone who has worked within a global company will tell you, the same phenomenon commonly unfolds with international business too. At most global businesses, the domestic market enjoys most if not all of the mindshare at a company, but is rarely the fastest-growing market. Employees naturally shy away from the complex and the unknown that new foreign markets represent. They want to stay comfortable and focused on the familiar, their home market, which usually drives the majority of revenue. But when they do, they miss out on the areas that will yield the best overall growth for the company in the long term, which are frequently outside of their home market.

3. Recent Acquisitions Struggle to Get Any Sunlight

A third scenario where mindshare is difficult to garner, but vital to growth, is with mergers and acquisitions. Of the trillions of dollars spent annually on acquisitions, between 70 and 90% end in failure. Companies often acquire new businesses with the goal of keeping the revenue growth fire burning strong, only to find operational challenges ensue. So many of the companies that are acquired become deprioritized, orphaned, and neglected. When they don’t get sufficient mindshare, customers, employees, executives, and even investors lose out.

When I worked at a research and advisory firm with an M&A practice, we helped with financial due diligence, and to determine whether a business would be a good initial fit. But where we often saw the acquiring companies fall down and miss out on the true potential was later down the road. Even if they did a good job initially with integrating the new business into their overall structure, they often failed later on to support the newly-acquired, faster-growing area of the business, so it could get enough attention internally to keep fueling growth longer-term.

Strategies to Capture More Internal Mindshare

It’s not enough to politely ask for more support and sponsorship for high-growth areas of your business. The challenge of capturing more mindshare, especially in large companies, requires tactics that are much more specific and direct.

Here are some strategies I’ve used to keep the energy levels up for high-growth areas of business, and that you can employ to capture more internal mindshare to help your company grow.

1. Make the employees in the high-growth business area aware they have strong advocates

As a first and foundational step, you’ll need to focus on building trust with the employees in your overlooked but high-potential area of growth for your business. Meet with as many of them as you can, and not just existing leaders. Extend your efforts to build relationships as many layers deep as you can. The reason you should do this first is that if you don’t, employees can feel the gravitational pull. They know the area of business they’re associated with isn’t a high priority. Let them know they have champions who are going to help.

There will always be a percentage of leaders who are about to move on, and especially in areas of the business that don’t get enough attention. If you start creating relationships with these individuals and their direct reports as early as possible, you can support them and possibly even help retain key leaders. They need to know that you see their business value in the bigger picture, even if others don’t yet, and that you can see they have an integral role to play at your company in the long term.

2. Enable greater visibility for the high-growth business area

Cast a spotlight on the employees and leaders of your high-growth business area. Pull them into meetings with executives and allow them to shine. Make introductions and bring them into key conversations. By doing this, you are weaving them into the broader fabric of your company. Additionally, use your voice to promote their efforts in company communications channels, all-hands meetings, messaging channels, and so on.

And while it might seem a bit counter-intuitive, place them in cross-functional task forces that have little if anything to do with their area of the business. This will not only give them visibility in the least expected places, but allow them to contribute in ways that are non-traditional, perhaps giving them access to teams and departments they normally wouldn’t encounter. I’ve often referred to this as a “cross-pollination strategy,” in which I try to plant people from the high-growth business area in initiatives where they can gain exposure and make an impact, thereby drawing attention to the area of the business they’re most strongly associated with.

3. Infuse the goals of the high-growth business area into the broader organizational goals

No amount of work you do for visibility and advocacy is going to succeed if the high-growth business area doesn’t have targets that show up in the goals for other parts of the business. They simply won’t get the support they need if there isn’t shared accountability that extends beyond just their own business area. Teams around your company simply will not care about the part of your business that is contributing the highest levels of growth if it doesn’t show up in their own functional or team-based goals. It often takes time, but it’s incredibly important to ensure that other teams are valuing your highest-growth business area within their own KPIs and OKRs.

That said, this is not easy, because no one person, outside of the CEO or perhaps the COO, can possibly have the cross-functional reach to ensure that the fast-growing area of business is considered, let alone incorporated across all departments and teams that need to have it in mind. For this reason, turn to operational leaders and ideally executives who already have purview or influence across many different functions. Only then can you truly cascade the priorities of the fast-growing area of business into all the places that will require alignment in order to pave the way for success.

4. Piggyback the high-growth business area onto other important initiatives

One technique that can prove successful to help elevate mindshare for a high-growth business area is what I call the “hitch your wagon to a star” play. When you use this tactic, you clarify the important role the high-growth business area can play to fuel or enhance other popular initiatives at your company. Perhaps the CEO has a pet project and a new team focused on getting it off the ground, but the high-growth business area happens to have people with experience and knowledge in this area. Is there a way the high-growth business area can play a role in it? This often helps to forge new relationships to promote further integration, but also grants more visibility to key people from the high-growth business area along the way.

In order to have success with this technique, you’ll need to have your antennae finely tuned to the top priorities that already have buy-in. Also, you’ll need to make it clear that your fast-growing business area can help them achieve their goals. You might also need to think creatively in order to figure out where you have an “in” to connect the high-growth business area to the broader business. For example, let’s say your product development team has some key priorities on their roadmap for the year ahead. Will those initiatives make an outsized impact for the high-growth area at your company that can help the product team accomplish their goals? If so, size it up, make it clear and tangible, and approach the team to build a relationship and join forces.

5. Make human connections, even if it’s “just” one by one

You’ll need to take a hands-on approach to connecting individuals from the fast-growing area of business to the rest of the company. While tedious, this is critical work. People will be more likely to take the high-growth business area into account if they know people in that part of the company personally and can attach names and faces to the mission. Never underestimate the value of simply connecting people, and encouraging folks to build relationships, even if it’s just one at a time. It’s amazing how fast this can spark new energy and communication between disparate teams.

At one company, I created a program to simply “match-make” two people from our fastest-growing geographies with our domestic employees, in order to get them talking to each other with a virtual coffee chat of 30 minutes. Before long, more than 30% of the entire company had been introduced to someone in another part of the world they otherwise would have never met. It’s incredible how large numbers of small connections between teams can generate a massive input, especially if sustained long term. You might be tempted to think that such relationships should be built organically. But the reality is that people often need far more than a nudge. They need someone to directly manage this kind of program to make it happen. Be intentional to promote such efforts and oversee their execution and explain to employees why they are important for the financial viability and long-term growth of the business.

6. Keep the growth uplift metrics front and center

Whether it’s a new business unit, a recent acquisition, or your non-domestic business, you’ll want to keep a steady drumbeat going to ensure your employees, managers, and leaders continually hear about the metrics that matter, and why they are important to your overall growth. How many points of additional uplift did your overall company enjoy, thanks to the high-growth business area? Make it clear. Repeat this until it becomes a mantra. When you hear other people start to repeat it who didn’t hear it from you first, you’ll know you’ve succeeded at communicating the message!

Also, don’t be afraid to paint the negative picture of what will happen without continued focus on the high-growth area of business is lending to the broader company. Will the overall company slow down? What will that mean for your overall targets and long-term trajectory? Sometimes, fear of what can happen if you take your eye off the high-growth area of business can help underscore its importance. Continually keep those numbers in focus for everyone, so that they all remember how important this business area really is, and why it matters overall.

7. Engage multiple executive sponsors to sustain momentum

It takes an incredibly strong and passionate advocate to not only lead the rallying cry for any vital but low-visibility area of high growth at your company. It also takes sustained efforts over multiple years to truly get the fast-growing area of the business fully integrated into a company. Any leader of such an initiative cannot do so alone. They must first build consensus with other leaders and convince them to do the same. Only then can they keep people focused on the areas of highest growth potential.

For example, it takes a concentrated, multi-year effort and a whole lot of determination to get an entire business to lift its head up from focusing on just its domestic market, and to see the potential that new markets offer for global uplift. The same is true when integrating a newly acquired business into a larger company, or when you’re adding a new product into a larger product portfolio. Often, those leaders wear out, because the ongoing efforts to gain visibility become extremely taxing. It’s far easier to jump onto the bandwagon that already has more sunlight, than to keep fighting for the high-growth underdog. For that reason, make sure you work to engage many executive sponsors, and champions at many levels, so that the advocacy you’ve worked so hard to achieve for the areas of your companies that generate the greatest growth can continue. This way, your efforts can outlive you when you move on to the next challenge.

The post How Companies Accidentally Slow Down Their Growth appeared first on born to be global.

For marketing leaders and CMOs, deciding on the best approach to take when it comes to global digital marketing can be a daunting task. A crucial decision you’ll need to make is whether to focus on language or country. On this front, you’ll likely ask yourself things on this front related to a number of topics, like:

Demand generation. How do we decide which approaches to demand generation will be country-led vs. language-led, or should we do both?Product-led growth. What are the best ways to identify the user’s preferred language and country for marketing purposes, and should it be the same as their in-app preferences?Sales enablement. How do I choose which languages and countries to support with relevant case studies to build trust with prospects, and to support the sales team in closing more deals?Content marketing. At what point should we begin doing content marketing in other languages, and when we do, should we focus on just one country, or all countries that speak the language?Performance marketing. Do we begin targeting by country, language, or both, and if we add language into the mix, should we localize paid ads?Website structure. Should we stick with a global top-level domain (TLD), do we also need country code TLDs, or should we use country subdomains or subfolders/subdirectories instead?Social media. Which social media properties should we invest in for each region, and how do we determine what warrants a local or in-language social media channel vs. a global one?Product marketing. Which product marketing campaigns should we localize, how much should we adapt them, and for which countries and languages?

All of these questions might lead you to shake your head, or perhaps even throw your arms up and walk away. Marketing has already evolved to become increasingly complex in the past decade, with an increasing proliferation of channels, ongoing search algorithm changes, new technologies (including the current wave of new AI tools), and increased competition in many saturated channels. Add in language and country and culture, and it can make any marketer feel like their head is ready to explode.

So let’s start with the basics. A language-led strategy is one that targets specific languages, while a country-led strategy focuses on specific regions or countries. In this blog post, I’ll discuss why businesses at different growth stages should take different approaches when it comes to language or country-led strategies. I’ll also explain why you shouldn’t be daunted by this complexity, and instead, need to view it as a normal and gradual process that for most businesses, will simply build up over time, and will take many years (even decades), with constant iteration and evolution, to achieve global marketing (and business!) success.

Business Size and Stage Will Dictate Which Approach Works Best

Choosing between a language-led or country-led strategy for digital marketing can depend on the stage of growth your business is at, and where it’s headed next. Here’s a basic breakdown of which model is appropriate for each stage of growth.

Lean into Language If You’re at a Startup

Most startups have limited marketing resources, and should initially focus on a language-led approach. This approach will allow them to develop relevant content that appeals to their target audience and improve engagement rates. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t think a little bigger from the start. My general advice is that when you’re just starting out, you consider country as well as language in your up-front planning, even if you’ll only really be using language for your short-term execution.

Let’s take an example of a classic and common need that every marketing team runs into as their business begins to grow in other locations and needs arise in new languages.

Startup Example: Your sales reps in Latin America and Spain both need case studies, and have been translating some of them from English to Spanish themselves. Most of the customer case studies you have are with brands that are not known in these locations, and you only have enough budget to localize three of them. If you were using a country-led approach, you would develop net new case studies for brands known in, or based in, three specific countries, such as Mexico, Colombia, and Spain. But your budget is too small for that and you’re using a language-driven approach, so you opt to localize case studies with the best-known global logos instead, for the short term, so that all sales reps selling into Spanish-speaking countries can leverage those same case studies for now.

Small to Medium-Sized Businesses Need a Bit of Both

In general, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) should consider using a hybrid approach that combines both language and country-led strategies, as early in the life of their business as their budget allows. This approach will allow them to target specific regions where there is a high demand for their products or services and improve ROI while also providing content in the relevant languages. Let’s look at how, if the business we described above grew from startup into a larger SMB, the marketing team’s approach to case studies should evolve.

SMB Example: Your company is bigger and your presence in various regions is growing. Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking market for your LatAm sales team. You devote a small budget to developing two case studies with Mexican clients. One is a large, well-known brand in Mexico. The other is a multi-national with offices and brand awareness in Mexico as well as three other Latin American countries and Spain. This will help add to your sales team’s success in those countries, while the existing Spanish case studies will serve the reps when dealing with other Spanish-speaking customers from various other countries.

Go Country-First If You’re at a Large Corporation

Large corporations should use a country-led approach to target specific regions or countries where their products or services are in high demand. This approach can help establish brand recognition in the targeted regions and can be more cost-effective for large companies with larger marketing budgets. The challenge for many companies is that, at this stage, if they’ve built everything around a “language-only” model, it can be very hard to then add in the country aspect later. Let’s look at the case study example.

Large Corporation Example: The Marketing team now has case studies from various countries and languages, but the case study library wasn’t built to enable local sales reps to easily find and use these assets. There is no “filter” or “tagging” option by country or language, so reps use the search bar to try to find the case study in their language, but cannot easily find ones for their prospect’s target country. As a result, local sales reps have downloaded the various case studies onto their laptops, but are often using outdated case studies, some of which the company no longer even has permission to use anymore. The marketing team doesn’t have web development resources to fix this at the moment. Note: this is precisely why it’s important to “think global” from Day One! If you haven’t built an infrastructure that is global-friendly from the start, this is the classic problem you’ll find over and over later on, meaning waaaay more work (and cost) for your entire company later on, to the point that it often won’t get funding.

Global Enterprises Should Leverage Both Country and Language Heavily

Global enterprises should use a hybrid approach for digital marketing that combines both language and country-led strategies to appeal to a global audience. By doing so, they can ensure that their content is culturally relevant and resonates with their audience while also targeting regions where there is a high demand for their products or services. Importantly, by the time a company gets to this phase, if they don’t already have this sort of mindset in place, and if they haven’t taken the necessary steps to evolve, they’ll begin to stumble in local markets and see their growth slow down, usually due to a lack of emphasis on globalization earlier on in the life of the business. When they do get it right, however, it’s a beautiful thing to witness!

Global Enterprise Example: Sales reps now have plenty of case studies for all of the company’s focus countries and languages. They can easily filter or apply tags not only for industry, segment, and use case, but importantly, can find the localized versions of case studies with global applications, and can also find natively produced case studies that cater to just one country or region. All case studies are accessible to all reps around the world in a global system so they can be updated and maintained, and prospect views of these can be tracked to assist with lead scoring / attribution modeling, and help inform the overall functioning of revenue operations at large.

In summary, the approach your business should take towards digital marketing will depend on your growth stage and marketing goals, but it will also need to evolve significantly over time. Whether it is a language-led, country-led, or hybrid model, each approach has its own pros and cons. It’s essential to understand these and choose the approach that best aligns with your business goals and resources. By doing so, you can improve your digital marketing efforts, reach your target audience effectively, and help your business grow globally.

You might be asking yourself, “Can we begin, even as a start-up, with a fully hybrid model from Day One?” You can, if you’re keeping things super limited to just a few countries and languages. But most marketers at businesses with a strong online footprint and any sort of content marketing motion will find, even with the launch of just one language, that they suddenly have decent traffic from many countries they are not even intentionally targeting. (That’s what I see with this blog for example, which is just a side project of mine, and is only in English.)

Pros and Cons of Language-Led, Country-Led, and Hybrid Approaches

Now that you understand the basic advice about which approach to use at each stage of your company’s growth (and keeping in mind that there is no perfect “recipe” that will fit every company’s needs), let’s look at the Pros and Cons of each model too.

Pros and Cons of Language-Led Models

Pros:

Larger initial reach. A language-led approach allows businesses to target all of the countries and regions where a language might be spoken, which can help boost top-of-funnel metrics like website traffic.Easier and faster to implement. The language-led approach is easier to implement as it generally requires mostly language-related changes to marketing materials.Less expensive. Usually, doing anything that is more targeted to a given country or region will require more customization. For that reason, language-led approaches tend to be less costly at first.Early SEO benefits. While hybrid approaches are usually best for SEO, a language-led approach can improve SEO rankings as part of a solid overall strategy, without as much investment as country-led and hybrid approaches require.Improved customer experience. Providing relevant content in a customer’s native language improves the customer experience, so even if you cannot customize further with country, usually providing some content in another language is preferable to zero, so long as it’s high quality and truly useful to your customers.

Cons:

Limited effectiveness. A language-led approach can limit the reach of marketing efforts as it only targets specific language groups, not the most important countries for your business within those groups.Increased costs. While a language-led approach is less costly than a country-led approach in most cases, even if you’re only “translating” marketing materials, ensuring high quality will be costly. Companies often underestimate how expensive and time-consuning it is to localize marketing content, and are shocked when they learn it can cost nearly as much as it cost to create it in the source language.Cultural barriers. A language-led approach does not always consider cultural differences, and if you’re not considering variations that exist from country to country, within a language, it could leave your business at risk of misunderstandings and miscommunication.Increased complexity. While a language-led approach is simpler than a country-led or hybrid one, it will still add complexity to your marketing efforts, especially if you decide to conduct your marketing in multiple languages.Difficulties pivoting to country later on. A language-led approach can make it difficult to localize marketing efforts for specific regions later on.Pros and Cons of Country-Led Models

Pros:

Better targeting. A country-led approach allows businesses to better target a specific audience to achieve more concentrated impact, making a “bigger splash” in a “smaller pond.”Cultural relevance. A country-led approach can consider cultural differences, which can improve the relevance of marketing efforts.Increased trust. A country-led approach can increase trust among consumers as they see the business is familiar with the unique needs of their country, and in their local variant of the language.Improved localization. A country-led approach can make it easier to localize marketing efforts for specific regions. For example, if your product has limitations or doesn’t work the same way in every part of the world, a country-led approach can help you signal this in your product marketing materials.Better ROI. A country-led approach usually leads to much better ROI, especially when aligned with a clear country strategy, as it targets regions where there is a higher demand for the business’s products or services.

Cons:

Increased costs. Adapting marketing materials to specific regions can be costly, because they usually require more research, time, and staff.Limited language scope. A country-led approach limits marketing efforts to specific languages spoken in a region, so if you prioritize based on countries, you might address fewer languages as a result.Cultural misunderstandings. There can be incredible diversity within a country too, so a country-led approach can still result in cultural misunderstandings if not correctly researched and executed.Difficulty in implementation. A country-led approach can be difficult to implement for businesses targeting multiple countries.Reduced global appeal. A country-led approach may reduce global appeal as it focuses on specific countries only.Pros and Cons of a Hybrid Model

Pros:

Improved reach and targeting. A hybrid model allows your business to reach a wider audience while still enabling you refined targeting, as it combines language-led and country-led approaches.Cultural relevance. A hybrid model is often the best-suited for catching and solving for cultural differences, improving the relevance of your marketing efforts.Improved localization. A hybrid model usually makes it easier to localize marketing efforts for specific regions, since the target audience is more specific and well-defined.More flexibility. A hybrid model is generally much more flexible and adaptable than a single-focused approach (language or country alone).Better ROI. A hybrid model usually offers the best ROI by targeting regions with higher demand and cultural relevance, while reaching audiences in their native languages.

Cons:

Increased complexity. Using a hybrid approach means managing multiple campaigns that target different regions and languages, which can make it far more complex and time-consuming to manage. Particularly for marketing content, it can require extensive collaboration with both internal stakeholders and external vendors.Higher costs. A hybrid approach can be significantly more expensive than a country- or language-led approach, as businesses need to invest in resources to create content in different languages and create multiple campaigns targeting different regions. This often requires multiple teams working carefully in tandem with each other, such as a Marketing team and a separate Localization team.Difficulty measuring ROI. Measuring ROI for a hybrid approach can be challenging. Even when you can attribute which campaigns are generating revenue in which regions or languages, the investment in human costs is often hard to quantify. This can lead companies to under-invest in those regions, or make abrupt budget cuts that hurt their long-term performance, without even realizing they are doing so.Risk of brand dilution. A hybrid approach can dilute the brand message if the content created for different regions and languages is not consistent. It’s essential to maintain brand consistency across all campaigns to ensure that the brand message is not lost. That said, local campaigns also need the ability to tap into creativity to ensure they truly resonate locally too.Time-consuming. Managing multiple campaigns targeting different regions and languages can be time-consuming and can slow down launch processes, which may not be feasible for businesses that need to push out campaigns and updates at rapid speed.

In summary, every one of these models has its pros and cons. In general, if you jump into a hybrid model too early in the life of your business, you may not be able to absorb the complexity. But if you lean on a language-led model for too long, your business will start to stagnate at some point as you scale. For that reason, make sure you align your marketing efforts with your overall international growth strategy, and importantly, with your company’s plans for investing in each geo in the short and long term. When these things are all fully aligned, that gives you a great chance at success, no matter which stage of growth you’re at, and no matter which marketing approach outlined here you happen to use.

The post Should Your Digital Global Marketing Efforts Be Language-Led or Country-Focused? appeared first on born to be global.

Do you know the difference between content marketing and thought leadership content? Many people use these terms interchangeably, but they are actually two distinct types of content that serve different purposes in a marketing strategy. Content marketing is focused on creating valuable, informative, and engaging content that promotes a brand’s products or services, while thought leadership content is focused on providing unique insights, perspectives, and ideas on a particular topic or industry to establish the author or brand as an authority in the field.

In this blog post, we will dive deeper into the key differences between content marketing and thought leadership content and explore how you can use each type of content to achieve your marketing goals.

Differences Between Thought Leadership vs. Content Marketing

Content marketing is a type of marketing that involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience, ultimately driving profitable customer action. You can use content marketing as a strategy to provide helpful and informative content that engages and educates the audience, builds trust, and ultimately leads to a sale or conversion.

Thought leadership content, on the other hand, is focused on establishing an individual or organization as an expert in a particular industry or field. Thought leadership content aims to position the author or organization as a trusted authority on a topic, providing insights, opinions, and perspectives that are not readily available elsewhere. Thought leadership content is typically educational and informative, but it also challenges conventional thinking and provides unique perspectives on industry trends and issues.

Here are five major ways that content marketing is different from thought leadership content:

Focus. The primary focus of content marketing is to promote a brand’s products or services, whereas the primary focus of thought leadership content is to establish the author or brand as an authority in the industry.Depth. Content marketing content is typically more surface-level and designed to be easily digestible, while thought leadership content is typically more in-depth and focused on providing unique insights and perspectives on a particular topic or industry.Audience. Content marketing content is typically aimed at a broader audience and may be designed to attract new customers or increase brand awareness, while thought leadership content is typically aimed at a more specialized audience, such as industry professionals or experts.Format. Content marketing content can take many forms, such as blog posts, social media posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, and more, while thought leadership content is often more research-based and may take the form of whitepapers, case studies, research reports, and other longer-form content.Goals. The goals of content marketing and thought leadership content can be different. The goal of content marketing is often to drive conversions, such as sales or sign-ups, while the goal of thought leadership content is often to build credibility and establish a brand or individual as an authority in the industry.

While content marketing and thought leadership content share some similarities, such as the need for high-quality and engaging content, the main difference is the intent behind the content. Content marketing is designed to drive profitable customer action, while thought leadership content is focused on building credibility and authority within a specific industry or field.

Which Comes First, Content Marketing or Thought Leadership?

If you’re in the earliest stages of ramping up your marketing, you should first focus on creating content marketing content to help the business grow. Content marketing is an effective way to create awareness and interest in a brand’s products or services, especially in the early stages when the brand is still building its reputation and credibility.

Content marketing content can take many forms, such as blog posts, social media posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, and more. By creating valuable, informative, and engaging content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience, you can attract more visitors to your website, build your email list, and create a loyal following of fans and advocates.

Once you have established a solid foundation of content marketing content and built an audience, you can then begin to invest in thought leadership content to help establish your brand as a leader in the industry. Thought leadership content is typically more in-depth, research-based, and focused on providing unique insights and perspectives on a particular topic or industry.

By investing in content marketing content first and then gradually expanding into thought leadership content, you can create a comprehensive marketing strategy that addresses both the practical needs of your target audience and the long-term credibility and reputation of your brand.

How Thought Leadership and Content Marketing Map to the Funnel Stages

At the top of the marketing funnel, where potential customers are becoming aware of a brand and its offerings, content marketing can be used to attract and engage this audience. Content marketing can take the form of blog posts, social media content, infographics, and videos that provide useful information about the brand’s products or services. The goal is to create content that will capture the attention of potential customers and keep them engaged.

As potential customers move further down the funnel and begin considering their options, thought leadership content can be used to establish the brand as a credible and authoritative source of information. This type of content can take the form of whitepapers, research studies, case studies, and industry reports that provide in-depth analysis and insights on relevant topics. The goal is to build trust and credibility with potential customers, positioning the brand as a leader in its industry.

Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, where potential customers are making purchasing decisions, content marketing can be used to provide persuasive content that helps close the deal. This can include product demos, customer testimonials, and other content that showcases the brand’s products or services and highlights their value proposition.

In summary, marketers should think about content marketing as a way to attract and engage potential customers at the top of the funnel, thought leadership content as a way to establish credibility and authority in the middle of the funnel, and persuasive content as a way to close the deal at the bottom of the funnel. By using a mix of these types of content, marketers can create a comprehensive content strategy that addresses the needs of potential customers at each stage of the marketing funnel.

creating Thought Leadership Content: The Who and the Why

Thought leadership content should really only be created by individuals or organizations that have a deep understanding of a particular industry or topic, and have a unique perspective or insight to share. This can include industry experts, executives, researchers, and other professionals who have a deep knowledge of a particular field.

The individuals or organizations creating thought leadership content should have a strong reputation and be recognized as experts within their industry. They should have a track record of providing valuable insights, opinions, and perspectives that challenge conventional thinking and provide new perspectives on industry trends and issues.

In addition to having subject matter expertise, individuals or organizations creating thought leadership content should have excellent communication skills and the ability to convey complex ideas in a clear and compelling way. They should also have a strong understanding of their target audience and be able to create content that resonates with their needs and interests.

Overall, creating thought leadership content requires a combination of subject matter expertise, communication skills, and a deep understanding of the target audience. It’s important to choose the right individuals or organizations to create thought leadership content, as this can have a significant impact on the credibility and effectiveness of the content.

Commissioning Thought Leadership Content

Thinking about hiring a thought leader to create content on behalf of your brand? This can sometimes be a good strategy, as it allows the brand to leverage the thought leader’s expertise and credibility to create high-quality content that resonates with the target audience. However, it’s important to note that not all thought leaders may be a good fit for every brand or marketing campaign. It’s important to carefully evaluate the thought leader’s reputation, expertise, and communication skills to ensure they are a good fit for the brand and the target audience.

If a brand decides to hire a thought leader to create content on their behalf, it’s important to establish clear expectations and guidelines for the content creation process. This can include defining the target audience, the key messages to be conveyed, the tone and style of the content, and the distribution channels to be used.

It’s also important to ensure that the content created by the thought leader aligns with the brand’s values and messaging, and that it complies with any relevant laws or regulations. Ultimately, the goal should be to create content that provides value to the target audience while also strengthening the brand’s reputation and credibility in the industry.

In addition to merely creating thought leadership content, there are several other ways that a brand can leverage a thought leader to establish thought leadership with their marketing. Here are a few examples:

Speaking Engagements. Thought leaders can be invited to speak at industry events, webinars, or other public forums. This can help establish the brand as a leader in the industry and provide valuable exposure to the target audience.Industry Panels. Brands can organize industry panels or roundtable discussions featuring thought leaders and other experts in the field. This can provide a platform for the brand to showcase its expertise and thought leadership, while also facilitating valuable discussions and knowledge-sharing within the industry.Social Media Engagement. Brands can leverage thought leaders to engage with their social media audience by participating in live chats, Q&A sessions, or other social media events. This can help the brand to establish a stronger connection with its audience, while also benefiting from the thought leader’s expertise and credibility.Research and Analysis. Brands can partner with thought leaders to conduct research studies or analyze industry trends and data. This can help the brand to generate valuable insights and thought leadership content, while also establishing the brand as a credible source of industry knowledge.

Overall, there are many ways that brands can leverage thought leaders to establish thought leadership with their marketing. By partnering with thought leaders and tapping into their expertise, brands can create valuable content, facilitate meaningful discussions, and establish themselves as leaders in their industry.

The post Content Marketing vs. Thought Leadership Content appeared first on born to be global.

Whose job is it to create content in business settings? At most companies, creating content typically involves multiple departments, depending on the nature of the content and the business’s goals. Below, let’s look at some of the departments that are commonly involved in creating content.

Core Departments That Create ContentMarketing

The marketing department is often the driving force behind content creation. They are responsible for developing the overall content strategy, identifying target audiences, and creating content that aligns with the business’s marketing goals. Examples of typical content assets created by marketing teams include:

Blog postsSocial media postsEmail newslettersE-books and whitepapersCase studies and success storiesWebinars and live eventsAdvertising copy and messaging

Often housed within the marketing function, the design and creative team is responsible for creating visually appealing content that aligns with the company’s branding and messaging. They can help create graphics, videos, and other multimedia assets that enhance the effectiveness of the content. The types of content this sub-team usually covers includes:

Infographics and data visualizationsPhotography and image assetsVideo content (e.g. brand videos, product demos)Branding and visual identity assets (e.g. logos, color palettes, typography)

Similarly, the SEO and analytics sub-team within marketing can help ensure that the content is optimized for search engines and track the performance of the content. They can provide insights into which topics and formats are resonating with audiences and make recommendations for future content creation. The SEO team will likely create content in these categories, among others:

Keyword research and analysisOn-page optimization (e.g. meta titles, descriptions, headings)Content performance tracking and reportingCompetitor analysis and benchmarkingSales

The sales department can provide valuable insights into the needs and pain points of customers. They can help identify topics that will resonate with potential customers and provide feedback on the effectiveness of the content. Types of content the Sales team (or the sales enablement team) will often create include:

Sales decks and presentationsProduct demos and tutorialsCompetitive analysis and comparison contentSales enablement materials (e.g. one-pagers, FAQs, objection handling guides)Product or Service Development

The product or service development team can help create content that showcases the features and benefits of the company’s products or services. They can also help identify new content opportunities based on upcoming product releases or updates. Types of content these teams will create includes:

Product or service descriptions and specificationsUser manuals and documentationRelease notes and update announcementsFeature highlights and benefits contentCustomer Support

The customer support team is often on the front lines of customer interactions and can provide insights into common questions and concerns that customers have. This information can be used to create content that addresses these issues and provides helpful information to customers.

FAQs and knowledge base articlesTroubleshooting guides and how-to contentSupport ticket responses and email templatesVideo tutorials and screencasts

Overall, the specific departments involved in content creation will depend on the business and the goals of the content. However, involving a cross-functional team can help ensure that the content is effective and aligned with the company’s overall strategy.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive and the specific types of content created by each department will depend on the goals and needs of the business. Additionally, some businesses may have dedicated content teams or individuals who are responsible for creating content across multiple departments.

Additional Content Creation Use Cases

Let’s take a look at some of the common types of content required by different industries.

ManufacturingResearch and Development (R&D). In a manufacturing company, the R&D department may be responsible for creating content that showcases the company’s research and development capabilities, as well as any new products or technologies that they are developing.Quality Control. The quality control department may be responsible for creating content that demonstrates the company’s commitment to quality and safety, such as whitepapers, case studies, or videos highlighting their quality control processes and procedures.Engineering. The engineering department may create technical documentation, including product specifications and schematics, user manuals, and CAD drawings.LegalLegal. The legal department may be responsible for creating content that provides guidance to clients and prospects on legal matters, such as whitepapers or blog posts on regulatory compliance, contracts, and intellectual property rights.Public Relations. The PR department may create content that addresses legal issues affecting the company, such as press releases, crisis management plans, and social media updates.Marketing. In a legal firm, the marketing department may create content that showcases the expertise of the firm’s lawyers, such as blog posts, case studies, and presentations.FinanceAccounting. The accounting department may create content that provides financial advice to clients, such as blog posts or whitepapers on tax planning or investment strategies.Investment. The investment department may create content that highlights the performance of the company’s investment portfolios, such as quarterly reports or market analysis.Risk Management. The risk management department may create content that educates clients on risk management strategies and techniques, such as case studies or webinars on hedging or insurance.

Of course, the specific types of departments that create content for companies in these industries will depend on the company’s goals and needs. Additionally, some industries may have unique regulatory or legal requirements that impact the types of content that can be created and distributed.

Commonly Overlooked Content-Creating Functions

The HR department and Security team are frequently not considered when thinking about content creation, but in reality, these teams create a variety of content to support their respective goals and responsibilities. Here are some examples of content that these departments might create:

Human ResourcesJob descriptions and postingsRecruitment and onboarding materialsEmployee handbooks and policiesTraining and development content (e.g. e-learning modules, workshops, seminars)Internal communications (e.g. newsletters, memos, company announcements)Employer branding content (e.g. videos, social media posts, blog articles)Security TeamSecurity policies and proceduresRisk assessments and threat analysesIncident response plans and playbooksSecurity awareness training content (e.g. phishing simulations, awareness videos, posters)Security-related communications (e.g. advisories, warnings, incident notifications)Technical security content (e.g. firewall rules, access control lists, system hardening guides)

The HR department and Security team may also collaborate on content related to employee security awareness, such as phishing simulations that educate employees on how to identify and respond to phishing attempts. Additionally, the Security team may work with other departments to ensure that security controls are included in the development of new products or services, which may involve creating security-related documentation or content.

Overall, the content created by the HR department and Security team will depend on the specific needs of the business and the goals of these departments. However, creating content that promotes security awareness and adherence to policies and procedures can help mitigate risk and protect the organization and its employees.

Advice for Centralizing Content Creation Companywide

Centralizing content creation can help ensure consistency and quality across the various departments that create content at a company. Here are five best practices and advice for centralizing content creation:

Develop a centralized content strategy. A centralized content strategy ensures that all content created across departments is aligned with the company’s overall goals and objectives. The strategy should include guidelines for creating content that reflects the company’s voice, tone, and messaging.Establish content creation processes. Establishing clear processes for creating and approving content can help ensure consistency and quality. The processes should include a clear workflow for content creation, from ideation to publication, and involve feedback and approval loops to ensure that the content meets the required standards.Create a content style guide. A content style guide can help ensure consistency in language, tone, and formatting across all content created by different departments. The style guide should outline standards for grammar, punctuation, and tone, as well as guidelines for visuals and formatting.Leverage technology. Technology can help streamline content creation and distribution processes, ensuring consistency and quality. Tools like content management systems (CMS) can help manage content creation and distribution, while automation tools can help with tasks such as editing, proofreading, and formatting.Foster collaboration and communication. Encouraging collaboration and communication between departments can help ensure that all content is aligned with the company’s goals and objectives. Regular meetings and check-ins can help keep everyone on the same page and ensure that content creation processes are working effectively.

Overall, centralizing content creation requires a focus on standardization, consistency, and quality across departments. By establishing clear guidelines, processes, and technology, and fostering collaboration and communication, companies can create content that supports their overall goals and reflects their brand values and voice.

Special Considerations for Global and Multinational Businesses

Now, what if you’re at a company that does business around the world? This is where things can get quite a bit more complicated. Creating content for a global or multinational company in multiple languages requires special attention to ensure consistency, accuracy, and cultural relevance. Here are some best practices for content creation at a global or multinational company that creates content in many languages:

Develop a multilingual content strategy. A multilingual content strategy should be developed that considers the language and cultural differences of the target audiences. This strategy should include guidelines for creating content that reflects the company’s brand voice and messaging in each language.Know when to use automated translation vs. professional localization services. Some types of content are suitable for machine translation technologies. Meanwhile, others are best suited to professional translation and localization service providers that can ensure that content is accurately translated and culturally adapted for the target audience. Translators and localization experts should have in-depth knowledge of the language and culture of the target market, as well as specialization in the type of content itself (marketing, legal, financial, and so on).Create a multilingual content style guide. A multilingual content style guide should be created that outlines standards for grammar, punctuation, and tone for each language. The guide should also include guidelines for visuals and formatting.Consider language and cultural differences in visuals. Visuals such as images and videos can be culturally specific, and therefore may need to be adapted or replaced when creating content in multiple languages. Often, for marketing content, transcreation is required.Leverage technology for consistency and efficiency. Technology can help with consistency and efficiency in content creation across multiple languages. Tools like translation memory software and translation management systems can store translations for future use, saving time and ensuring consistency. Content management systems can also help manage multilingual content creation and distribution.Establish a feedback loop. Feedback from native speakers of each language can help ensure accuracy and cultural relevance. Establishing a feedback loop with native speakers can help identify any cultural or linguistic issues that may arise in the content creation process.

No matter which departments at a company are creating content, doing so for a global or multinational company in multiple languages requires attention to language and cultural differences, accuracy, and consistency. By developing a multilingual content strategy, using professional translation and localization services, creating a multilingual content style guide, considering language and cultural differences in visuals, leveraging technology, and establishing a feedback loop, companies can create effective and culturally relevant content for their target audiences.

The post Which Departments Should Be Involved in Creating Content? appeared first on born to be global.

Taking your product into multiple markets around the world isn’t easy. In fact, it’s an area of marketing that often trips up even the most seasoned of marketing veterans! If product marketing is art and science, international product marketing is fine art and rocket science.

As digitization continues, and more businesses are global these days, their product marketing efforts naturally are too. In this post, I’ll share some important advice, in the form of the most common mistakes companies make with regard to international product marketing, so that you can learn from them, avoid these pitfalls, and help your company succeed beyond just its home market.

Mistake #1: Overestimating the Halo Effect of Your Domestic Brand

Your brand is more than just your logo and tagline. It’s the perception people have of your company and product. How your company is perceived will vary from one culture, country, and language to the next. And yet, so many companies fail to invest the time and resources in this critical area. If you don’t devote any energy to developing a local brand, you jeopardize your chances of success in the market in the long term. Many companies believe they have a “halo effect” from strong performance in their domestic market when they go into new countries. Often, they overestimate this by a tremendous margin.

Building a strong brand in any market takes time, and requires consistent messaging, a clear value proposition, and a focus on delivering value to your local customers. This must be done in a way that resonates for them and feels authentic, not forced or foreign. If you fail to establish a clear value proposition or messaging in a new market, this often results in confusion and lower adoption of the product than you might see in your company’s home market.

So many times, business leaders look at lackluster local go-to-market (GTM) performance metrics and wonder, “Is the local sales team struggling with ramp time?” or “Is it a regional demand generation problem?” Countless hours (even months) are spent hunched over spreadsheets full of KPIs, digging for explanations of local and regional performance gaps in other metrics. Companies waste tons of time in analysis paralysis when the answer is quite simple: If you don’t focus on building local brand awareness, all of your other GTM metrics are going to suffer.

The brand awareness blocker is a very real, and very common challenge for regional marketing and sales leaders at global companies. Pleading for local investment in “brand” tends to get sneezed at, even met with repulsion in some cases. But, when local marketing teams are asked to scale demand without the necessary investments in brand that will help along conversion rates at every stage, they are set up for failure. Unless you want to spend way more on demand generation than you should, listen to your regional marketing teams and let them make ongoing investments into building a local brand.

Need an example of how international product marketing should work, when combined with brand-building? Samsung is an example of a technology company that has built a strong local brand in many markets, despite being headquartered in South Korea. In India, for example, Samsung has invested heavily in building its brand by tailoring its products and marketing campaigns to the local audience. The company has created products specifically for the Indian market, such as smartphones with larger batteries and faster charging times, which are important features in a country where power outages are common. Samsung has also partnered with local retailers and ecommerce platforms to ensure its products are widely available and accessible to consumers. The company has used endorsements from local celebrities and athletes to build credibility and awareness, and has also sponsored local events and cultural initiatives to demonstrate its commitment to the community. All these efforts have helped Samsung become one of the top brands in India, with a strong reputation and loyal customer base.

Mistake #2: Not Researching Your Local Competition

Conducting research on your competitors in each market will help you understand how your product fits into the local landscape. This can help you differentiate your product and create a unique value proposition. If you enter a new market without understanding the local competition, it will result in a failure to differentiate your product, and you will ultimately lose market share.

At so many companies, even very large ones, business leaders focus primarily on the competitors just in their home market, which is often their largest market. However, when they forget to look past their home base, they don’t seek to understand their most important competitors in local markets. This is incredibly important for international product marketing to succeed. Usually, product marketing messages are closely intertwined with sales enablement content. But for sales enablement content to truly accelerate sales velocity, it needs to address head-on the most common concerns, pain points, and competitive threats that salespeople will face in their daily interactions with customers. Well guess what? Those tend to be a bit different in each market!

Whenever I mention the fact that messaging and differentiation will need to change in each market, I often see a familiar look of fear creep into the eyes of leaders. No one likes complexity, and our instinct is to shy away from the hard stuff in favor of simpler solutions. But where international growth is concerned, these differences actually have a major impact on the sales metrics, both in the short and long term.

You simply can’t boost sales velocity very much at a global company if you fail to differentiate your product marketing by country. If you fail to adapt, one of two things will happen. Your best salespeople in new markets will either (1) take matters into their own hands and go “off-script” and end up creating their own materials, or (2) they’ll quit and take their talent with them to some other company, perhaps to your local competitor. You definitely don’t want that. But yet, companies routinely pour tons of investment into hiring salespeople, training them, managing them, and re-hiring and repeating the cycle, instead of doing the necessary local market research up front to enable them to all collectively perform better.

Uber is an example of the importance of researching local competitors for each market it enters. When Uber first entered the Chinese market, for example, it faced fierce competition from local ride-hailing companies like Didi Chuxing. Uber conducted extensive research to understand the local market and consumer behavior, and developed a tailored strategy that included lower prices, a more convenient payment system, and better customer service. The company also partnered with local businesses and organizations to build brand awareness and gain customer loyalty. Despite the challenges, Uber’s efforts paid off, and the company was able to gain a foothold in the Chinese market, growing its user base and market share. Although Uber eventually sold its Chinese business to Didi Chuxing, the company’s experience in China demonstrates the importance of researching local competitors and developing a tailored strategy for each market.

Mistake #3: Not Paying Attention to Cultural Differences

Different cultures have different values, beliefs, and behaviors. To effectively market your product internationally, it’s important to understand the cultural nuances of your target markets. You need to tailor your message to resonate with your audience in each market. What’s complicated about living in a globalized world is that often, product marketing campaigns can spread quickly. Especially when there is humor involved, expensive, well-intentioned campaigns that might work well in a company’s home market can fall flat in certain markets, and can actually do damage to a brand in other markets.

What’s the reason so many companies fail to consider cultural difference? I think the reason is quite simple: because they’re unaware of what those differences might be. It’s really hard for someone to imagine how people in another country or language might react to a product marketing campaign if they simply don’t know much about that target market. Often, product marketing leaders aren’t given much access to regional or in-country resources. And conversely, at some companies, they do have access but continually fail to listen to those voices. It’s hard to build bridges sometimes across geos, to enable these types of teams to work harmoniously together, but it’s important for any global company’s long-term success.

Apple is an example of a technology company that understands cultural differences. In China, for example, the company has made several changes to its products and services to better cater to the local market, which in turn, leads to much better local product marketing campaigns. For instance, Apple Pay supports UnionPay, China’s national bankcard payment network, which is the preferred payment method in the country. Apple also introduced new features to the iPhone’s camera app specifically for Chinese consumers, such as the ability to recognize and translate Chinese characters. Additionally, Apple has been investing in the Chinese market by opening more stores, creating more jobs, and supporting local developers.

Mistake #4: Failing to Partner with Local Influencers

What could be better for capturing the attention of local customers than seeing well-known people and other brands they love, in combination with your company and products? Influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach your local audience. Every country has their own batch of local celebrities and notable figures. Partnering with local influencers can help you establish credibility and reach a wider audience. This is especially true when you’re trying to bring a foreign brand into a new market, and your brand does not have much local visibility. When companies try to market their products in a new country without partnering with local influencers or experts that have their own high levels of brand awareness and credibility, their efforts often result in low engagement and poor reach.

Airbnb is an example of a technology company that partners with local influencers when launching its products overseas. When the company first entered the Japanese market, for example, it collaborated with local celebrities and social media influencers to promote its services. Airbnb worked with popular Japanese comedian, Naomi Watanabe, to create a series of videos that showcased unique accommodations available on the platform. The videos were shared widely on social media, generating buzz and raising awareness of the brand. Airbnb has also worked with other local influencers in various markets, such as Indian actress Priyanka Chopra and Chinese actor Huang Xuan, to promote its services and build credibility with local audiences. These partnerships have helped Airbnb establish a strong presence in different markets and demonstrate its commitment to understanding and connecting with local cultures.

Mistake #5: Not Localizing the Right Content

One very common mistake companies make is thinking they need to localize everything they offer in their domestic market when going into new countries, especially ones that speak other languages. I often advise the exact opposite. Don’t localize everything – that’s a waste of time and money, and in fact, is usually not even possible no matter how well funded you may be. Instead, focus on localizing the 20% or so of the content that actually matters for that market.

Again, here is where people tend to resort to simplistic ideas, such as “Let’s make a list of all the content that exists, and start localizing all of it.” Sadly, this is a bad idea. But this is also human instinct! We all tend to want simple answers, and let’s face it, it’s a lot of work to figure out what content actually matters. Most companies don’t even do a great job of categorizing and logging all the content they have created over time, to even enable them to get good answers to the question. Ask them to try to prioritize it, and it starts to feel like Mission Impossible.

For this reason, you’ll need to have someone in charge who (1) truly knows the market and (2) has the autonomy to do what’s best for their market. Regional leaders, balanced with knowledge of global objectives for the business and international strategy, should have a strong say in determining what gets localized and what does not, in which order of priority.

Not all content matters equally. In our marketing heart of hearts, all of us know this to be true. So apply that lesson to international product marketing as well. Don’t try to do localization for every single campaign, every email, every single asset, or every piece of content. Focus on the things that matter for your local markets, even if that requires you to spend some time figuring that out. Then, you can not only localize, but perhaps experiment with native content, marketing localization, and transcreation too. Lean on your local team members in country — they’re always the ones who know the markets best!

Seek to Bridge the Very Real Gaps Between Domestic and New Markets

Local and regional go-to-market teams, I often argue, have the toughest jobs at any company going global. They carry much of the same weight and stress that a founding team at a start-up does, trying to quickly pivot, plug all the operational gaps the local business has, while also frantically trying to scale up their presence in a new market. Employees on the ground in new markets are trying to help take their company global, but they often suffer from many challenges. Proximity bias, familiarity bias, and other types of biases often creep into decision-making and often into budgeting decisions, giving the domestic market a privilege over the new markets.

For that reason, product marketing initiatives need to not only consult with local leaders and factor them in, but truly listen to them, get to know local customers, and actually build international product marketing programs around the very real and distinct needs of their local markets. There’s a big difference between a local market merely being included or tagged onto a campaign, and making an effort to intentionally focus on a new local market. Make sure you go out of your way to do the latter, instead of the former.

The post How International Product Marketing Can Make or Break Your Global Business appeared first on born to be global.

If you’re a B2B marketer, you may have heard that inbound marketing is the only way to go. After all, who doesn’t love the idea of attracting leads to your website through engaging content and social media posts? While inbound marketing is certainly an effective strategy (and one that I happen to love), it’s not the only tool in your toolbox. In fact, outbound marketing can also be valuable for B2B companies, helping to generate new leads, build brand awareness, and drive sales. In this blog post, I’ll explore some of the key reasons why, in addition to inbound marketing, you may also want to consider outbound marketing for your B2B marketing efforts, and provide some tips for making it work for you.

Speed and Scale: How They Differ for Inbound and Outbound B2B Marketing

One of the primary ways to think about how inbound and outbound marketing differ is in terms of the speed and scale of results they can produce.

Inbound marketing, which focuses on creating valuable content to attract and engage potential customers, tends to be a slower and more gradual process. It can take time to build up a library of high-quality content, optimize your website for search engines, and develop a following on social media. However, once you’ve established a solid inbound marketing strategy, you can benefit from a steady stream of leads and a more engaged audience over the long term.

Outbound marketing, on the other hand, is often more immediate in terms of results. By reaching out directly to potential customers through tactics such as email marketing, social media advertising, and cold calling, you can generate leads and sales more quickly. However, outbound marketing may also be less scalable than inbound marketing, as it can be difficult to maintain a high volume of outbound campaigns without becoming annoying to prospects.

The reality is, most marketing teams eventually need a mix of both.

Common Misconceptions about Outbound B2B Marketing

There are several common misconceptions about outbound marketing in B2B settings. Here are some of the most prevalent:

Outbound marketing is dead. Many people believe that outbound marketing is no longer effective, and that inbound marketing is the only way to generate leads and grow a B2B business. While B2B inbound marketing tactics can be powerful, outbound marketing is still valuable for reaching new prospects and driving sales.Outbound marketing is spammy. Some people view outbound marketing as intrusive or spammy, and assume that it always involves sending unsolicited emails or cold-calling prospects. While those tactics are often ineffective and may damage a company’s reputation, there are actually many outbound marketing strategies that are more targeted and personalized.Outbound marketing is too expensive. Some people believe that outbound marketing requires a significant investment, and that it is only feasible for large companies with large budgets. However, there are many affordable outbound marketing tactics that can be effective for small and mid-sized businesses, such as email marketing and social media advertising.Outbound marketing is a one-size-fits-all approach. Some people assume that outbound marketing involves blasting the same message to a broad audience, without taking into account the unique needs and interests of individual prospects. In reality, there are many ways to do outbound marketing. Doing it right requires careful targeting and segmentation, and should be tailored to the specific needs and pain points of each prospect.Outbound marketing is less measurable than inbound marketing. Some people assume that outbound marketing is more difficult to measure and track than inbound marketing, since it involves reaching out to prospects, rather than waiting for them to come to you. However, there are many tools and technologies available for tracking the effectiveness of outbound marketing campaigns, such as email open and click-through rates, call tracking, and web analytics.Key Differences Between Inbound and Outbound Marketing Strategy

Outbound marketing and inbound marketing are two distinct approaches to B2B marketing, and they differ in several key ways. In addition to speed and scale, here are some examples of how outbound marketing differs from inbound marketing in B2B settings:

Outreach. Outbound marketing is a proactive approach that involves reaching out to potential customers, while inbound marketing is a reactive approach that relies on creating content that attracts potential customers to your website.Interruption vs. Permission. Outbound marketing relies on interruption tactics like cold calling and unsolicited emails to reach out to potential customers, whereas inbound marketing requires permission to engage with customers who have already expressed interest in your products or services.Cost. Outbound marketing can be expensive, as it often involves paid advertising and cold outreach, while inbound marketing can be more cost-effective, as it relies on content creation and organic search.Focus. Outbound marketing is often focused on generating leads and closing sales, while inbound marketing is focused on building relationships with potential customers and establishing trust and authority.Metrics. Outbound marketing is typically measured by metrics like click-through rates and conversion rates, while inbound marketing is measured by metrics like website traffic, engagement, and lead generation.

Overall, outbound marketing and inbound marketing are complementary strategies that can be used together to create a comprehensive B2B marketing plan. The key is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and to tailor your marketing efforts accordingly.

Costs and ROI: How Inbound and Outbound Strategies Compare

The costs and ROI of outbound marketing and inbound marketing can vary widely depending on the specific tactics and strategies used, as well as the industry and target audience. Here are some general insights on the costs and ROI of outbound and inbound marketing:

Outbound Marketing:

Costs. Outbound marketing can be expensive due to the cost of paid advertising, list acquisition, and staffing required for activities like cold calling or direct mail campaigns.ROI. The ROI of outbound marketing can also vary widely, but it can be difficult to track and measure. Success is often measured by the number of leads generated and converted, which can be expensive and time-consuming to obtain.

Inbound Marketing:

Costs. Inbound marketing can be more cost-effective compared to outbound marketing. Although it requires an investment in creating content and optimizing your website for search engines, once the content is created, it can continue to generate leads and drive traffic to your site for a long time.ROI. The ROI of inbound marketing can be higher compared to outbound marketing. Because the content created is designed to attract leads and establish your brand as a thought leader, leads generated are often more qualified and have a higher chance of converting into paying customers.

Overall, the costs and ROI of outbound and inbound marketing will depend on many factors, including your specific marketing goals, target audience, industry, and marketing budget. In general, inbound marketing tends to have a higher ROI, but it requires a long-term commitment and investment in content creation. Outbound marketing can generate faster results, but it can also be more expensive and difficult to track the ROI accurately.

EMail MArketing: Inbound, Outbound or Both?

When you think of outbound marketing campaigns, what comes to mind? For me, the classic that comes to mind is email marketing. However, that’s not strictly true. Email marketing can be both an inbound marketing and an outbound marketing strategy, depending on how it is used.

Inbound email marketing involves creating valuable and relevant content, such as newsletters or email courses, and encouraging people to opt-in to receive them. This type of email marketing is considered inbound because it aims to attract potential customers to engage with the business by providing useful content and building relationships.

On the other hand, outbound email marketing involves reaching out to a targeted list of prospects or customers with a specific offer or message. This type of email marketing is considered outbound because it is initiated by the company and seeks to proactively engage potential customers.

In either case, email marketing can be a powerful tool for B2B companies to reach their target audience and drive engagement and sales. The key is to use email marketing in a strategic and targeted way that aligns with your overall marketing goals and objectives.

EXAMPLES OF OUTBOUND B2B MARKETING STRATEGIES

Aside from email marketing as described in the outbound context above, here are other some examples of outbound campaigns that B2B companies might use:

Direct Mail. This involves sending promotional materials via physical mail to potential customers, such as brochures or catalogs.Trade Shows. Attending or exhibiting at trade shows is an outbound marketing tactic that can help companies generate leads and build relationships with potential customers.Webinars. Hosting webinars can be an effective way to reach out to potential customers and demonstrate your expertise in a particular area.Advertising. Traditional advertising methods such as billboards, print ads, or radio/TV commercials can be used to reach out to potential customers in a specific geographic area.Social Media Advertising. This involves using social media platforms to create targeted ads that reach potential customers based on their interests, demographics, and behavior.Account-Based Marketing (ABM). ABM is a highly-targeted outbound strategy that involves identifying key accounts and creating customized campaigns to reach decision-makers within those accounts.Cold Calling. This involves reaching out to potential customers via phone to introduce your products or services and try to schedule a follow-up meeting.

It’s important to note that each of these strategies requires a different approach and level of investment. To determine which tactics are most effective for your business, you’ll need to consider factors such as your target audience, budget, and marketing goals.

How to Develop an Outbound Marketing Strategy for B2B

Developing an outbound marketing strategy for B2B involves a series of steps that you should follow to ensure success. Here are the basic steps you should consider:

Define your target audience. Identify the specific group of decision-makers and buyers you want to reach. This includes determining the size of the company, industry, geographic location, and other key demographics.Set your goals and objectives. Determine what you want to achieve with your outbound marketing efforts. Your goals might include generating leads, increasing brand awareness, driving sales, or all of the above.Choose your outbound channels. There are several channels you can use for outbound marketing, including email, cold calling, direct mail, social media, and more. Decide which channels will be most effective for reaching your target audience.Develop your messaging. Craft messaging that speaks directly to your target audience and highlights the benefits of your products or services.Create your content. Develop content that supports your messaging and will resonate with your target audience. This might include blog posts, white papers, case studies, videos, and more.Build your contact list. Develop a list of contacts that fit your target audience criteria, and make sure the list is accurate and up-to-date.Execute your outbound campaigns. Launch your outbound campaigns across your chosen channels, ensuring that your messaging and content are consistent across all channels.Analyze and optimize. Track your results and use analytics to optimize your outbound marketing efforts. Continuously test and refine your approach to ensure that you’re getting the best possible results.

I hope this information helps you understand more about outbound marketing in B2B settings, and how to build an outbound marketing strategy. Remember, outbound marketing is just one part of any company’s overall marketing strategy. It’s important to integrate outbound efforts with inbound marketing tactics, such as content marketing and SEO, to maximize your results.

The post Building an Outbound Marketing Strategy for B2B appeared first on born to be global.

When your B2B marketing efforts need a boost, one way for you to drive results is something pretty simple: webinars. I know, webinars have been around for so long that they might not seem all that special or flashy anymore, but actually, they can be really great for driving qualified leads.

There are several things I love about using webinars in the B2B marketing mix:

Flexibility. You can plan webinars within the space of a few weeks if you need to, to help give your sales teams a bit of a lift. If your budget is too tight to ramp up paid spend, but you have MQL or sales targets to hit that are falling behind what you planned, webinars can sometimes help fill that gap (presuming it’s not a huge one!)Versatility. You can target webinars toward the needs of buyers at various stages of the funnel, depending on where your numbers need boosting, by choosing topics accordingly.Longevity. Many webinars will keep delivering for you long after they’re recorded. If the content is valuable, you can put turn them into a gated asset, putting them behind a form if you need to, in order to drive more leads later on.Proliferation. You can use video snippets, featured quotes, and micro-content on social media. Sometimes, you can even generate an entire ebook or blog posts from the content of the webinar too. You can also repurpose the Q&A to generate new topic ideas for both content marketing and future webinars. In this sense, webinars can be a B2B marketer’s dream!Reciprocity. I love using webinars to do co-marketing with other companies. Not only can you double your lead volume, but you can build greater buzz with a webinar on social media, to raise awareness of both brands within multiple audiences that have overlapping interests. Typical Conversion Rates for B2B Marketing Webinars

One of the best things about using webinars in your marketing mix is that the conversion rates can be pretty great. But how do you know what “pretty great” is exactly? I love having benchmarks to track against, so I’ll provide some for you here. But before I do, keep in mind that the typical conversion rate for webinars from lead to close will vary a lot depending on various factors such as the industry you’re in, the type of webinar you do, the quality of the leads that sign up, the effectiveness of the presentation, and importantly, the follow-up process with your BDR or sales team.

According to a 2020 report by ON24, the average conversion rate for webinars from lead to opportunity is 40%, and the average conversion rate from opportunity to close is 16%.

It’s important to note that these are just industry averages and individual results may vary, but these numbers ring true to me. In my experience, the conversion rate from lead to opportunity for webinars usually hovered in the range of 25% to 50%, so the ON24 findings sound about right to me, since that’s what I’ve witnessed too.

Because conversion rates are pretty high for webinars compared to many other B2B marketing programs, I typically assign a higher points value in my lead scoring system to webinars vs. other types of leads, to ensure sales teams will naturally prioritize them above others. That said, exact conversion rates will depend a lot on various factors. It’s essential to measure and track your conversion rates to understand the effectiveness of your webinars and continuously optimize your strategy for better results.

Conversion Rates for B2B Marketing Webinars by Funnel Stage

The biggest thing that influences the exact conversion rates of webinars, based on what I’ve seen, is which stage of the funnel you’re targeting. That in turn will determine what topics you choose for the webinar. Here’s how conversion rates for top-of-funnel, middle-of-funnel, and bottom-of-funnel webinars typically compare:

Top-of-funnel webinars. These webinars are designed to attract new leads and introduce them to your brand. They are typically focused on broad industry topics, trends, or challenges, rather than specific products or services. Since attendees are often in the early stages of the sales funnel, conversion rates from lead-to-opportunity for these webinars are typically lower, ranging from 10% to 30%.Middle-of-funnel webinars. These webinars are designed to educate leads who have already shown interest in your brand or products. They are typically focused on more specific topics, such as product features, use cases, or customer success stories. Since attendees are further along in the sales funnel, conversion rates (again, for lead-to-opportunity) for these webinars tend to be higher than for top-of-funnel webinars, ranging from 20% to 50%.Bottom-of-funnel webinars. These webinars are designed to provide detailed information about your products or services and to help leads make a purchasing decision. They are typically focused on product demos, pricing, or implementation details. Since attendees are near the end of the sales funnel, conversion rates for these webinars tend to be the highest, ranging from 40% to 70%.

It’s important to note that these conversion rates are just general guidelines, and can vary depending on factors such as the quality of the content, the relevance to the target audience, the effectiveness of the promotion, and the strength of the follow-up strategy.

What to Focus On for Webinars at Each Funnel Stage

Planning webinars for top-of-funnel topics versus middle- and bottom-of-funnel topics requires a different approach, because they serve different purposes in the sales funnel. Here are some key differences to consider.

Top-of-Funnel Webinar Topics

Top-of-funnel webinars should focus on educating and engaging new leads and introducing them to your brand. The goal is to generate awareness and interest in your products or services, rather than making a direct sales pitch. Here are some examples of top-of-funnel webinar topics:

Industry trends and insights. Provide attendees with valuable information about the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in their industry.Best practices and tips. Share tips and best practices related to your industry or niche that can help attendees improve their skills or workflows.Thought leadership and expert opinions. Invite industry experts to share their insights and opinions on relevant topics.Educational content. Provide educational content that is relevant to your target audience, such as how-to guides, tutorials, or case studies.General overviews. Provide a general overview of your industry, product offerings, or services to help attendees better understand what you do.

By providing valuable content and focusing on building relationships with new leads, top-of-funnel webinars can help to increase brand awareness and generate new leads for your business.

Middle-of-Funnel Webinar Topics

Middle-of-funnel webinars typically focus on building relationships with leads and moving them further down the sales funnel. At this stage, leads are aware of your brand and have shown interest in your solutions, but they may not be ready to make a purchase yet. The goal of middle-of-funnel webinars is to nurture these leads and provide them with more information about your solutions to help them make an informed decision. Here are some key things to focus on:

Address specific pain points. Middle-of-funnel webinars should focus on addressing the specific pain points of your target audience. Use data and insights from your previous interactions with the leads to tailor the content and address their specific concerns.Provide more in-depth information. At this stage, leads are looking for more in-depth information about your solutions. Use the webinar to provide a deeper dive into your products or services and show how they can solve the leads’ problems.Showcase thought leadership. Middle-of-funnel webinars should continue to showcase your company’s thought leadership and expertise in the industry. This helps to build trust and credibility with the leads.Provide social proof. Use case studies, customer testimonials, and other forms of social proof to demonstrate the value of your solutions and build confidence in the leads.Encourage engagement. Middle-of-funnel webinars should encourage engagement from the leads. Use polls, Q&A sessions, and other interactive features to keep the leads engaged and gather feedback.

By focusing on these key areas, middle-of-funnel webinars can help to build relationships with leads and move them closer to a purchase decision. It’s important to remember that middle-of-funnel webinars should be tailored to the specific needs and interests of the leads and should provide value to them at every stage of the sales funnel.

Bottom-of-Funnel Webinar Topics

Bottom-of-funnel webinars should focus on helping leads make a purchasing decision by providing detailed information about your products or services. The goal is to provide a deeper understanding of your offerings and address any remaining concerns or objections that may be holding back the lead from making a purchase. Here are some examples of bottom-of-funnel webinar topics:

Product demonstrations. Showcase the features and benefits of your products or services and provide a live demonstration of how they work.Case studies and success stories. Share examples of how your products or services have helped other customers achieve their goals.Pricing and packaging. Provide a detailed overview of your pricing and packaging options, and explain how they can provide value to the lead.Implementation and onboarding. Explain the implementation process and provide guidance on how to onboard new customers.Q&A sessions. Provide a forum for leads to ask any remaining questions they may have about your products or services.

By providing in-depth information and addressing any remaining concerns, bottom-of-funnel webinars can help to nudge leads towards making a purchase decision and can increase the likelihood of converting them into paying customers.

Overall, the key difference between top-of-funnel, middle-of-funnel, and bottom-of-funnel webinars is the focus. Top-of-funnel webinars are focused on generating leads and raising awareness. Middle-of-funnel webinars are designed to help strengthen your company’s relationships with those leads and nudge them further along in the purchase decision. Bottom-of-funnel webinars are really the ones most focused on sales and conversion. You’ll likely need a mix! By tailoring your approach to the specific stage of the sales funnel, you can create webinars that are more effective and relevant to your target audience.

Tips to Maximize B2B Webinar Success

When planning a B2B webinar, there are several tips that marketers tend to overlook, but that can make a big difference in the success of the webinar. Here are some commonly overlooked tips:

Choose the right time and day. The timing of your webinar can have a big impact on attendance rates. Be sure to schedule the webinar at a time when your target audience is most likely to be available, and consider time zones if you have a global audience. I’ve sometimes run the same webinar at two different times of day, in order to ensure maximum possible reach, but to ensure fairness to sales teams in various global locations.Set clear expectations. Be clear about what attendees can expect from the webinar, including the topic, format, and length. This can help to manage expectations and increase engagement. Beware of over-promising, and make sure that whatever benefits you plan to provide them during the webinar are things you can actually deliver. Promote the webinar early and often. Don’t wait until the last minute to promote the webinar. Start promoting it several weeks in advance, and use a variety of channels (such as email, social media, and paid advertising) to reach your target audience. More on this below!Provide valuable content. While product demos can be a valuable part of a webinar depending on the funnel stage, be sure to provide other valuable content as well, such as industry insights, expert opinions, or case studies. This can help to build credibility and increase engagement.Follow up with attendees. After the webinar, follow up with attendees to thank them for attending and provide additional resources or next steps. This can help to build relationships and increase the likelihood of conversion.Test your technology. Make sure that your technology (such as your webinar platform, microphone, and camera) is working properly before the webinar. If you’re working with outside presenters, make sure to do a dry run in advance. This can help to avoid technical difficulties that can disrupt the webinar and decrease engagement.When and How to Promote Your B2B Webinar

The ideal time to start promoting a B2B webinar can depend on various factors, such as the complexity of the topic, the size of your audience, the length of the webinar, and even the time of year. One general guideline is to start promoting your webinar at least two to three weeks before the event date to give potential attendees enough time to plan their schedule. However, if you’re planning one around a regional holiday season, you might need to have a longer window for promotion.

Here are some examples of how you can promote your B2B webinar in the lead-up to the day of the event:

Email campaigns. Send targeted email campaigns to your existing leads and subscribers, highlighting the benefits of attending the webinar and including a call-to-action to register.Social media. Promote the webinar on your social media channels, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, using dedicated hashtags, visuals, and short video teasers to create buzz.Paid advertising. Consider using paid advertising channels, such as Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, or Facebook Ads, to reach a wider audience and drive registrations.Blog posts and guest articles. Publish blog posts and guest articles on relevant industry blogs and publications, promoting the webinar and including links to the registration page.Partner and influencer outreach. Collaborate with partners or influencers in your industry to co-promote the webinar and reach their audiences.Webinar landing page. Create a dedicated landing page for the webinar, highlighting the key benefits and including a registration form, countdown timer, and social proof elements such as testimonials or past attendee numbers.

By using a mix of these promotion channels, you can increase your chances of reaching your target audience and generating registrations for your B2B webinar. While webinars can be stressful to pull off due to so many moving parts, and admittedly, they cannot be scaled indefinitely, they tend to be a really great way to generate leads for your business that tend to have a high conversion rate. They can also give your company a boost during times when numbers are falling slightly behind. I hope these tips help you, and will encourage you to include more webinars within your B2B marketing efforts!

Bonus: if you’re are addicted to benchmarks to evaluate the performance of your own marketing efforts like I am, this list has a ton of stats on B2B webinars that can be super helpful in determining if what you’re seeing is average at every stage, from how many people sign up, to how many are no-shows, and much more.

The post How to Drive Results with Webinars in B2B Marketing appeared first on born to be global.

In today’s globalized world, remote teams have become increasingly common, and with that comes the challenge of managing cross-cultural teams with members in different locations. Cross-cultural teams are made up of individuals from different cultural backgrounds, each with their own unique values, beliefs, and communication styles. Managing such teams can be challenging, but with the right approach, it can be done successfully.

Here are 20 tips for managing cross-cultural remote teams, gleaned from my experience doing this for the vast majority of my career:

Understand and respect cultural differences. It’s important to recognize that people from different cultures may have different approaches to work, communication, and problem-solving. Take the time to learn about your team members’ cultural backgrounds. But remember, there is tremendous variation between individuals. Avoid stereotyping or boxing people into a limiting description of how their culture works. Seek to understand how cultural and individual differences might impact the way someone works and communicates. When I’m working with someone new, I like to ask them in what ways they exhibit traits that are typical in the culture they’re originally from, and in what ways they believe they are different. Most people are not a carbon copy of the description of what might be “typical” in their culture. This can really help you to understand them as individuals. For myself, I often share that while I’m American, my default communication style is far more direct than typical for my home culture, and is more typical in some parts of Northern and Eastern Europe. That said, I’m a pretty typical Midwesterner in that I smile at people and can’t resist waving goodbye, even on a weekly recurring Zoom call. Establish clear communication channels. Communication is key when it comes to managing remote teams, and this is especially true when it comes to cross-cultural teams. Establish clear communication channels and make sure everyone on the team understands how to use them. That said, I also believe it’s important to offer people diverse options for how they use those channels. For example, if you use Slack, make it clear that people can communicate using not only text, but voice messages, files, videos, animated gifs, or whatever they like that is authentic for them. Foster a culture of inclusivity. Creating a culture of inclusivity is important for any team, but it’s especially important for cross-cultural teams. Encourage your team members to share their perspectives and ideas, and make sure everyone feels heard and valued. Be mindful of any unconscious biases you may have, and work to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves. Be sure to take cultural differences into account when communicating, such as using clear and concise language and avoiding idioms or slang that might not be understood by all team members.Set clear goals and expectations. Setting clear goals and expectations is important for any team, but it’s especially important for remote teams. Make sure everyone on the team understands their role and responsibilities, and set clear goals and deadlines for projects. Be mindful of any cultural differences that might impact the way people approach work, and be prepared to adjust your expectations accordingly. Some cultures prefer a more prescriptive management style, while some prefer more autonomy. Knowing your team members’ preferences can go a long way to ensure you adapt your management style as needed.Celebrate diversity. Celebrating diversity can be a great way to bring your team together and build a sense of community. Consider incorporating cultural celebrations and traditions into your team’s activities, such as sharing recipes or stories from different cultures. This can help your team members feel more connected and valued, and can create a more positive and inclusive work environment. One way my global team members have done this is to create a Slack channel where we shared, believe it or not, recipes and foods from our different countries. It’s a fun way to learn about different dishes and holiday traditions, religions, and so on, while making everyone aware that there is something unique and special about each of them.Be aware of time zones and work schedule preferences. When managing a remote team with members from different parts of the world, it’s important to be aware of time zone differences. Schedule meetings and deadlines that are convenient for everyone on the team, and be mindful of the fact that some team members may need to work outside of traditional business hours. But beyond that, make sure you ask individuals what their preferences are. Some are night owls, some are morning people, and some prefer a mix. When based on the East Coast of the US, I’ve worked a “split shift” at various points in my career, to ensure overlap with my teams both in Europe during my morning time and in Asia-Pacific during my evenings. While it might sound painful, it’s actually helpful for me sometimes, so I can get errands out of the way during the normal business day. Ask your team members what they prefer, and don’t assume!Use visual aids and share info in advance. Visual aids such as diagrams, charts, and videos can be useful for helping team members understand complex concepts, especially when working across language and cultural barriers. Use these aids when appropriate to ensure that everyone on the team is on the same page. Also, try to share them in advance of when you’re meeting. One cardinal rule I always try to follow with remote global teams, especially for those who will be participating in a second or third language, is to give them the slides and materials ahead of the session, so they can become familiar with the information in advance.Provide cultural training. Consider providing cultural training to your team members to help them better understand and appreciate different cultures. This can help to prevent misunderstandings and foster a more inclusive work environment. If you work for a US-based company, and are from the US yourself, it might seem overly obvious to train your team members in other countries on things like US work culture, for example. But remember, much of this information might be new to them! Make sure to log any questions about this topic that come up with each new hire, so you can weave them back into your onboarding materials.Encourage feedback. Encourage your team members to provide feedback on their experiences working in a cross-cultural remote team. Use this feedback to make adjustments and improvements to the way you manage the team. One thing I often do after team meetings is send out a quick poll, to ask people to weigh in with any suggestions for improvement. In some cultures, it’s not appropriate to speak up during meetings, while in others, it’s a basic expectation that if people have feedback, they’ll share it without being prompted. So, on cross-cultural teams, it’s best to give people multiple ways to share feedback about how your team is working.Be flexible. Be prepared to be flexible in your management approach. Cross-cultural remote teams may require different approaches to communication, problem-solving, and project management. Be open to new ideas and be willing to make adjustments as needed to ensure the success of your team. If someone gives you a suggestion that seems off the wall, give it some thought, and perhaps run the idea by someone else from the same culture to understand if it might be a culturally-driven suggestion, or an individual preference. Encourage open dialogue, but provide alternate methods to share feedback. Encourage team members to share their thoughts and ideas openly, especially when working across cultural boundaries. This can help prevent misunderstandings and promote a more collaborative and inclusive work environment. In many cultures, especially ones that have more formal and hierarchical work styles, open dialogue is frowned upon. So, if someone isn’t participating, try to find alternate ways for them to communicate.Use video and audio options for meetings. Video conferencing is a powerful tool for building rapport and facilitating effective communication in cross-cultural remote teams. Make sure everyone on the team has access to reliable video conferencing technology and encourage its use. Internet connections are not equally dependable in all parts of the world. Make sure you create a team culture in which folks know they are welcome to turn their camera off, or on, as they see fit, so they can participate the way that suits them and their environment best.Be mindful of people working in a second language. Language barriers can be a significant challenge in cross-cultural remote teams. The more you can avoid jargon and slang when speaking, or at least pause to define it for others, the better. One thing you can do is assign someone on the team to take notes of unfamiliar terms during meetings. If any come up, have that person send them to you and you can follow up later. Better yet, encourage people to type questions into the chat during a Zoom meeting, so you can clarify on the spot.Set team norms and routines, but evaluate them often. Establishing clear team norms can help ensure that everyone on the team understands how to communicate and collaborate effectively. Encourage team members to contribute to the development of these norms to ensure buy-in and commitment. Just make sure you’re not being inflexible. Chances are you’ll need to reevaluate your team’s operational cadence, as your team grows and evolves, and possibly, every time you add someone in a new time zone!Foster a sense of belonging. Foster a sense of belonging among team members by creating opportunities for social interaction and relationship-building. Encourage team members to share personal stories and experiences to help build rapport and trust. A couple of things I’ve done on my teams are an AMA (ask me anything) session during an all-hands meeting to enable us to get to know one person better. For those who don’t like to be on the spot, we’ve also done an About Me deck, in which folks contribute some slides, pictures, and info about them as individuals, so we can get to know everyone and learn more about them.Use humor appropriately. Humor can be a powerful tool for building relationships and reducing tension, but it can also be easily misunderstood across cultures. Use humor appropriately and be mindful of cultural differences in humor and sarcasm. While you have to be sensitive with humor, I find that the mix of cultures on a team actually can lead to some hilarious and fun moments. It’s amazing to me how much most of us like to make fun of our own cultures, for example. I certainly make fun of US culture plenty, since I’m a native. What I avoid is making jokes about other places, no matter how well I might think I know those cultures.Remember to give people time and space. The notions of time and space can vary from one culture to another. In American culture, people tend to jump in with questions, and might even interrupt someone giving a presentation. In many cultures, that’s seen as incredibly rude. As a result, some Americans are surprised when on a cross-cultural team, only the Americans seem “engaged.” Make sure to give people options to engage in different ways, including before and after a given meeting, to acknowledge differences across cultures.Recognize cultural biases. Recognize and address any cultural biases that may exist within the team or within your own management approach. This can help ensure that everyone on the team is treated fairly and equitably. Without even realizing it, we tend to broadcast our own culture onto others. We tend to not even be aware of cultural differences unless someone points them out. The more trust you can develop with individuals on your team, the more likely you’ll be to get valuable feedback on this topic when you make an inevitable mistake sometime on this front.Develop intercultural competence. Don’t learn everything the hard way. You’ll learn a ton “on the job” when you manage a remote cross-cultural team. But you can also develop your own intercultural competence by reading, attending workshops, and seeking out opportunities to learn about different cultures. This can help you better understand and manage cross-cultural remote teams.Be patient and persistent. Finally, be patient and persistent in your management approach. Cross-cultural remote teams can take longer to establish trust and rapport, but with persistence and patience, you can build a successful and productive team. It’s generally easier to build a high-functioning team if you do it little by little, so you can get to know the uniqueness of each person as the team grows over time. If you’re at a company that is on a hiring spree, consider hiring “batches” of new hires together, as this can really help ensure that people form relationships with each other as they join your team, together.Challenges of Managing Cross-Cultural Remote Teams

Managing cross-cultural remote teams can be challenging, and managers can make mistakes along the way. Here are some common mistakes to watch out for when managing cross-cultural remote teams:

Assuming a one-size-fits-all approach. Managers may assume that the same management approach that works in their home country will work in other countries. This is not always the case, as different cultures have different communication styles, work ethics, and expectations.Lack of cultural awareness. Managers may lack cultural awareness and fail to appreciate the importance of cultural differences. This can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication, and can damage relationships within the team.Ignoring time zone differences. Managers may schedule meetings or deadlines without considering the time zone differences of their team members. This can lead to team members feeling excluded or overburdened.Insufficient communication. Managers may not communicate clearly and frequently enough with their remote team members, leading to misunderstandings and missed deadlines.Poor technology infrastructure. Managers may not provide their team members with the necessary technology infrastructure and tools to effectively work remotely. This can lead to frustration and reduced productivity.Not recognizing and valuing diversity. Managers may fail to recognize and value the diversity of their team members, leading to a lack of inclusivity and a negative team culture.Lack of trust. Managers may not build trust with their team members, which can lead to a lack of engagement and commitment from team members.Failure to adapt. Managers may fail to adapt their management style to suit the needs of their remote team members, which can lead to a lack of engagement and reduced productivity.Micromanaging. Managers may micromanage their remote team members, which can lead to a lack of autonomy and a negative team culture.Not addressing conflicts. Managers may not address conflicts within the team in a timely and effective manner, leading to tension and reduced productivity.Managing Remotely + Cross-Culturally Is Especially Hard for Less Experienced Managers

Think twice about having a brand new manager manage a remote, cross-cultural team! Managing cross-cultural remote teams can be a challenging task even for very experienced managers. For that reason, inexperienced managers may have a harder time managing these teams due to their lack of exposure to cultural diversity, limited management experience, and lack of communication skills.

Inexperienced managers may have limited exposure to cultural diversity. They may have grown up and worked in environments that are not as diverse, which can make it difficult for them to understand and appreciate the nuances of different cultures. Without this understanding, inexperienced managers may struggle to communicate effectively with team members from different cultures, leading to misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

Also, inexperienced managers may have limited management experience. They may not have had the opportunity to manage diverse teams or lead teams remotely. As a result, they may not be aware of the unique challenges that come with managing cross-cultural remote teams, such as time zone differences, cultural differences, and communication barriers.

Finally, inexperienced managers may lack the necessary communication skills to effectively manage cross-cultural remote teams. Effective communication is essential for building trust, establishing relationships, and resolving conflicts within the team. Without these skills, inexperienced managers may struggle to establish rapport with team members from different cultures, leading to a negative team culture and reduced productivity.

In summary, inexperienced managers may have a harder time managing cross-cultural remote teams due to their limited exposure to cultural diversity, lack of management experience, and insufficient communication skills. However, with the right training and support, inexperienced managers can develop the skills they need to effectively manage these teams and promote a positive team culture.

Resources You Can Use to Learn More about Cross-Cultural Remote Team Management

There are various resources, associations, books, articles, and training materials that managers can use to support them in managing cross-cultural remote teams. Here are some suggestions:

The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer – This book provides a framework for understanding different cultural communication styles and how to adapt to them. One of my absolute favorites! Managing Virtual Teams: Getting The Most From Wikis, Blogs, And Other Collaborative Tools by Brenda Huettner – This book provides practical tips and advice for managing virtual teams, including cross-cultural teams. While this book is older, the advice is timeless.The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) Research Project – This project is a collaborative effort among international researchers to study cross-cultural leadership behaviors and organizational practices, and offers many books and resources.Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR) – This global association provides resources, training, and networking opportunities for professionals involved in intercultural education, training, and research.Harvard Business Review – Harvard Business Review is a fantastic resource, with articles and case studies on cross-cultural management topics, including remote teams. (I’ve been writing for them for a very long time, so I’m a bit biased, but I read HBR articles almost daily, and always learn something from them.)International Journal of Intercultural Relations – This academic journal publishes research on cross-cultural communication and intercultural relations. I sometimes search for very specific topics here, and am often pleasantly surprised to find research on whatever I’m looking for.Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts by David C. Thomas and Mark F. Peterson – This book provides an overview of cross-cultural management concepts and practical strategies for managing cross-cultural teams. What I like is that it doesn’t take a “recipe book” approach but uses perspectives from organizational psychology. Global Workforce Analytics – This organization provides research, data, and consulting services related to remote work and virtual teams. They have a library of 6,000 papers here, and I like that many of them are from different government bodies around the world.International Association of Facilitators (IAF) – This global association (based in Canada) provides resources, training, and networking opportunities for facilitators who work with diverse groups, including remote teams. Their trainings also cover cultural mediation.LinkedIn Learning – You can find quite a few courses on cross-cultural communication (like this one), remote team management, and other related topics available right on LinkedIn Learning.Examples of Companies with Experience Managing Cross-Cultural Remote Teams

There are several companies that are known for doing a great job with cross-cultural remote team management. Here are a few examples:

Automattic – Automattic is the company behind WordPress.com, which is used by millions of people around the world. Automattic is also known for having a fully distributed workforce, with employees working remotely from all over the world. They have a strong culture of transparency and communication, and they use tools like Slack, Zoom, and P2 (an internal communication platform) to stay connected.Buffer – Buffer is a social media management tool that has a remote team of over 80 employees located in more than 15 countries. They have a strong focus on transparency and communication, with regular team meetings and a commitment to documenting processes and decisions. They also prioritize creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.GitLab – GitLab is a web-based Git repository manager that has a fully remote team of more than 1,300 employees located in more than 65 countries. They have a culture of collaboration and inclusivity, with a focus on asynchronous communication and documentation. They also have a strong commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce.InVision – InVision is a digital product design platform that has a remote team of over 1,100 employees located in more than 20 countries. They have a culture of trust and autonomy, with a focus on results rather than hours worked. They use a variety of tools to stay connected, including Slack, Zoom, and Donut (a tool for virtual coffee chats).Zapier – Zapier is a web automation platform that has a fully remote team of more than 300 employees located in more than 30 countries. They have a culture of transparency and communication, with regular all-hands meetings and a commitment to documenting everything. They also prioritize work-life balance and have a flexible approach to scheduling.Toptal – Toptal is a global network of freelance software developers, designers, and finance experts. They have a fully remote team of more than 1,000 employees located in more than 100 countries. They use a rigorous screening process to ensure that they hire only the best talent and have a strong focus on communication and collaboration.Trello – Trello (part of Atlassian) is a project management tool that has a remote team of more than 100 employees located in more than 20 countries. They have a culture of autonomy and trust, with a focus on results rather than hours worked. They also prioritize work-life balance and have a flexible approach to scheduling.Help Scout – Help Scout is a customer service software company that has a remote team of more than 140 employees located in more than 20 countries. They have a culture of transparency and communication, with regular team meetings and a commitment to documenting everything. They also prioritize creating a diverse and inclusive workforce.InnoGames – InnoGames is a German video game developer that has a remote team of more than 400 employees located in more than 30 countries. They have a culture of collaboration and inclusivity, with a focus on asynchronous communication and documentation. They also have a strong commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce.Shopify – Shopify is an e-commerce platform that has a remote team of more than 6,000 employees located in more than 30 countries. They have a culture of transparency and communication, with regular town hall meetings and a commitment to documenting everything. They also prioritize creating a diverse and inclusive workforce and have a strong focus on employee development and growth.

These companies are just a small set of examples of organizations that have been successful in managing cross-cultural remote teams. Check them out to learn more about their own best practices in this area, because many of them write about these topics too. By prioritizing communication, transparency, and inclusivity, these companies have been able to create strong cultures and deliver high-quality work despite their distributed workforces.

In summary, managing cross-cultural remote teams can be challenging, but with the right approach, it can be done successfully. By taking the time to understand and respect cultural differences, establishing clear communication channels, fostering a culture of inclusivity, setting clear goals and expectations, and celebrating diversity, you can build a strong and effective cross-cultural remote team. Good luck, and have fun!

The post How to Successfully Manage Cross-Cultural Remote Teams appeared first on born to be global.

Of all the things I’ve ever done as a marketing leader, one of my favorites of all has been building out a successful B2B sales enablement function. There’s great joy in seeing your sales team bring deals across the finish line, and knowing that they came from leads your marketing team generated. But there’s an even more distinct thrill when you arm your sales team with the tools and content to do even more of that, at scale, more effectively than ever, and see it validated through actual improvements to conversion metrics and close rates. When you start to see major impact, and the revenue begins to add up, that’s when sales enablement work gets really exciting!

Why Marketers Should Embrace Sales Enablement

I know many marketers don’t enjoy sales enablement work. Some don’t even view it as part of marketing, and some even prefer that it live within Sales or RevOps (in larger companies) instead of within marketing. But for marketing leaders at smaller companies, creating a B2B sales enablement program is enjoyable, and I would argue, incredibly fun for marketers! It requires a deep understanding of the customer journey and the sales process, which can be both intellectually stimulating and rewarding. It requires a marketer to think strategically about the different touchpoints throughout the buyer’s journey and how to best support the sales team in each stage.

Creating a B2B sales enablement program also allows a marketer to be creative and strategic in developing content and tools that can help the sales team close deals. With so much of marketing being data-driven and metrics-led these days, the number of places where we can use our creative brain have been fading. Sales enablement work can be a great opportunity for marketers to flex our creative muscles and come up with innovative solutions to support the sales team.

Most importantly, a successful B2B sales enablement program can have a direct impact on revenue and growth, which can be incredibly rewarding for a marketer. Seeing the impact of the program on sales velocity, win rates, and deal sizes can be a great source of pride and motivation for marketers! Overall, creating a B2B sales enablement program can be a rewarding and challenging opportunity for a marketer to make a meaningful impact on the business. I also believe it’s vital for helping create strong alignment between sales and marketing (more on that later).

Sales Enablement Often Drives More Impact Than Just “Getting More Leads”

Very often, marketers focus considerable time and energy working with the CFO, trying to gain access to more budget and simply generate “more leads,” but in doing so, they often fail to remember to invest energy in the pieces that actually have the greatest short-term impact on the company’s top-line revenue growth. Sales enablement is often where you can see the biggest revenue impact and uplift, in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of budget. There are several studies and surveys that have shown the positive ROI of sales enablement programs. Here are some statistics:

A survey by CSO Insights found that companies with a formal sales enablement program achieved a 15.3% increase in win rates compared to companies without a sales enablement program.According to a study by Sales Enablement PRO, companies with a formal sales enablement program saw an 8.2% increase in revenue attainment compared to companies without a sales enablement program.The same study by Sales Enablement PRO found that sales reps at companies with a sales enablement program achieved quota 23% more often than reps at companies without a sales enablement program.Research by SiriusDecisions found that companies with effective sales enablement programs had an average 19.2% increase in sales productivity and a 15.7% increase in deal size.According to a report by Aberdeen Group, companies with a formal sales enablement program saw a 14.6% increase in the average deal size, a 21.8% improvement in lead conversion rates, and a 20.6% improvement in forecast accuracy.

These statistics demonstrate that implementing a sales enablement program can lead to significant improvements in win rates, revenue attainment, sales productivity, deal size, lead conversion rates, and forecast accuracy, ultimately resulting in a positive ROI for the company. While focusing on the quantity and quality of leads is important too, that is more of a long-term, continual effort for marketers. Boosting conversion rates toward the bottom of the funnel are what will give you the greatest short-term impact, to help you make your numbers this month, this quarter, and so on.

Why Sales Enablement Is Critical for B2B Settings

Sales enablement is important for both B2B and B2C sales, but it is particularly critical for B2B sales. Here are some reasons why:

Longer sales cycles. B2B sales cycles are typically longer and more complex than B2C sales cycles. This means that salespeople need to have access to a wider range of resources and information to help them navigate the sales process and close deals.More decision makers. B2B sales often involve multiple decision makers, including executives, managers, and procurement teams. Sales enablement programs can help salespeople understand each decision maker’s needs, preferences, and priorities, and tailor their approach accordingly.Greater complexity. B2B sales often involve complex products or services, which can be difficult to understand and explain. Sales enablement programs can help salespeople better understand the product or service, as well as the competitive landscape, so they can sell more effectively.Higher stakes. B2B sales often involve larger deals and higher dollar amounts than B2C sales. This means that salespeople need to be well-prepared and equipped with the right tools and resources to close deals successfully.

Overall, sales enablement is critical for B2B sales because it helps salespeople navigate the longer, more complex sales cycle and make more informed decisions. By providing salespeople with the right resources and information, sales enablement programs can help them sell more effectively and ultimately achieve better results.

How to Measure the Impact of Sales Enablement Work

Some of the top benchmarks for success with sales enablement programs include:

Improved sales productivity. This can be measured by tracking the time it takes for reps to close deals, the number of deals closed per rep, and the revenue generated per rep.Increased win rates. This can be measured by tracking the percentage of deals won, the size of the deals won, and the time it takes to close deals.Faster onboarding. This can be measured by tracking the time it takes for new reps to become fully productive, the time it takes to ramp up to full quota, and the percentage of new hires who meet or exceed quota.Improved customer engagement. This can be measured by tracking customer satisfaction scores, customer loyalty, and customer retention rates.Better alignment between sales and marketing. This can be measured by tracking the number of leads generated by marketing, the percentage of leads that are followed up on by sales, and the conversion rate of those leads to closed deals.

Companies that implement sales enablement programs typically see a range of results, depending on their specific goals and the effectiveness of their program. However, some of the typical results that companies see include increased revenue, faster sales cycles, improved win rates, higher customer satisfaction, and better alignment between sales and marketing.

The Basics of a Strong B2B Sales Enablement Program

Running a strong B2B sales enablement program requires a deep understanding of both the sales process and the customer journey. It involves aligning sales, marketing, and other key stakeholders to deliver the right content and tools to the sales team at the right time. Here are some key things you need to know to run a strong B2B sales enablement program:

Understand your target audience. You need to have a deep understanding of your target audience, including their pain points, goals, and buying behaviors. This will help you develop content and tools that address their needs and help the sales team close deals.Develop a content strategy. A strong B2B sales enablement program requires a well-defined content strategy that includes a range of content types, including whitepapers, case studies, sales decks, and more. Your content strategy should be based on your target audience and their specific needs.Train your sales team. A successful B2B sales enablement program requires a well-trained sales team. This includes not only product training, but also training on how to use the sales enablement tools and content.Leverage technology. There are a range of sales enablement tools and technologies available that can help automate and streamline the sales enablement process. These tools can help you deliver the right content and tools to the sales team at the right time, and track their usage and effectiveness.Measure and optimize. It’s important to measure the effectiveness of your sales enablement program and continuously optimize it based on the data. This includes tracking metrics such as content usage, deal velocity, and win rates, and using this data to make improvements to your program over time.Essential Content Types Every Sales Enablement Effort Should Include

There are several types of content that can be effective for enabling sales teams and helping them improve sales velocity and close rates. These include:

Case studies. Case studies provide real-world examples of how your products or services have helped other companies achieve their goals. Sales teams can use these examples to illustrate how your offerings can solve similar problems for their prospects.Product demos. Product demos are a powerful way to showcase your products or services and highlight their unique features and benefits. Sales teams can use these demos to give prospects a hands-on experience of what it would be like to use your products or services.Sales scripts. Sales scripts provide a framework for sales conversations, ensuring that key messages are conveyed consistently and effectively. They can help sales teams build confidence in their sales conversations and improve their ability to close deals.Competitor analysis. Competitor analysis helps sales teams understand the strengths and weaknesses of their competitors, enabling them to differentiate their offerings and position them more effectively.Sales training materials. Sales training materials can include everything from onboarding materials for new hires to ongoing training programs for existing team members. They can help ensure that sales teams have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful.Thought leadership content. Thought leadership content, such as blog posts, white papers, and webinars, can help establish your company as a trusted authority in your industry. Sales teams can use this content to position your offerings as the best solution for the challenges their prospects are facing.

Overall, effective sales enablement content should be tailored to the needs of the sales team and focused on providing them with the information, tools, and resources they need to have productive sales conversations and close deals.

Benefits of Putting Sales Enablement Under Marketing

While every company is different, here are several benefits to having the sales enablement program sit within the marketing function at a company:

Alignment with marketing strategy. When sales enablement is under the marketing function, it is more likely to be aligned with the overall marketing strategy. This can lead to better integration of sales and marketing efforts, resulting in a more cohesive and effective approach to generating leads, nurturing prospects, and closing deals.Focus on content creation. Marketing is typically responsible for content creation, and having sales enablement under the marketing function can ensure that the content created is tailored to the needs of the sales team. This can help ensure that the content is relevant and effective in supporting the sales process.Analytical focus. Marketing teams are typically skilled in analyzing data and measuring the effectiveness of campaigns. Having sales enablement under the marketing function can ensure that the program is data-driven and focused on improving sales outcomes.Collaboration. When sales enablement is under the marketing function, it can lead to closer collaboration between sales and marketing teams. This can result in better alignment of messaging, improved targeting of prospects, and a stronger overall sales and marketing approach.Cost-effectiveness. Marketing teams are typically better equipped to handle budgeting and resource allocation, which can result in a more cost-effective sales enablement program.

Overall, having sales enablement under the marketing function can lead to better alignment, content creation, analytics, collaboration, and cost-effectiveness, resulting in a stronger overall sales and marketing approach.

Challenges of Putting Sales Enablement Under Sales

While having a sales enablement program run by the sales organization may work well for some companies, there are some potential disadvantages to consider. These include:

Limited resources. The sales team may not have the same level of resources as the marketing team, which could limit their ability to develop and execute a comprehensive sales enablement program.Short-term focus. The sales team may be focused on achieving short-term sales goals, which could lead to a lack of focus on longer-term strategies such as brand building and thought leadership.Inconsistent messaging. Without a centralized content creation and management system, it can be challenging to ensure that all sales collateral and messaging is consistent and aligned with the company’s overall brand and messaging.Limited audience reach. If the sales team is responsible for developing and distributing sales enablement content, it may only reach a limited audience within the organization. Marketing, on the other hand, can help ensure that enablement content is distributed more widely and reaches a broader audience, including other departments and stakeholders.Limited creativity. Sales enablement programs may lack creativity and innovation if they are solely focused on short-term sales goals and do not take a strategic approach to content creation and distribution.

In summary, while there may be some advantages to having sales enablement run by the sales organization, it is important to consider the potential drawbacks and ensure that the company’s overall goals and objectives are being met.

Common Mistakes Companies Make with B2B Sales Enablement

Sales enablement programs can be incredibly effective at improving the productivity and effectiveness of a sales team, but there are several mistakes that companies can make that can limit the effectiveness of the program. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

Lack of alignment with sales strategy. A sales enablement program that is not aligned with the overall sales strategy can be ineffective. It’s important to ensure that the content and tools provided to the sales team align with the needs of the target customer and the overall sales process.One-size-fits-all approach. A sales enablement program that is not tailored to the needs of the individual salesperson can be ineffective. It’s important to understand the unique needs of each salesperson and provide content and tools that align with their specific needs.Focusing too much on technology. While technology can be a great enabler for sales enablement programs, focusing too much on technology can be a mistake. It’s important to ensure that the program is focused on delivering value to the sales team and the customer, not just on implementing the latest technology.Lack of measurement. Without proper measurement, it can be difficult to understand the effectiveness of a sales enablement program. It’s important to track metrics such as content usage, win rates, and deal size, and use this data to continuously improve the program.Lack of continuous improvement. A sales enablement program that is not continuously improved can become stale and ineffective over time. It’s important to regularly assess the program and make improvements based on feedback from the sales team and data-driven insights.How Much Budget to Allocate Toward B2B Sales Enablement

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the percentage of a marketing budget that is allocated to sales enablement can vary widely depending on the company’s size, industry, and specific sales enablement needs. However, according to a 2021 survey by CSO Insights, a research division of Miller Heiman Group, companies on average spent 15.7% of their total marketing budget on sales enablement.

It’s worth noting that this number can be influenced by various factors, such as the maturity of a company’s sales enablement program, the size and complexity of the sales team, and the types of sales enablement tools and resources being used. As such, it’s important for each company to evaluate its own needs and goals when determining how much of its marketing budget to allocate to sales enablement.

How Sales Enablement Programs Bring Sales and Marketing Together

Salespeople generally have a positive view of sales enablement programs and the benefits they bring to their job. Here are some reasons why:

Sales enablement programs provide salespeople with the training and resources they need to be successful. This includes sales training, product training, competitive intelligence, and marketing collateral. By having access to these resources, salespeople can better understand the product, the customer, and the competition, which helps them sell more effectively.Sales enablement programs help salespeople save time. By having easy access to the right content and tools, salespeople can spend less time searching for information and more time selling.Sales enablement programs help salespeople personalize their approach. By providing salespeople with data and insights about the customer, sales enablement programs can help salespeople tailor their messaging and approach to meet the specific needs of each customer.Sales enablement programs help salespeople build relationships with customers. By providing salespeople with content that is relevant and valuable to the customer, sales enablement programs can help salespeople build trust and credibility with the customer, which can lead to stronger relationships and more sales.

Overall, salespeople appreciate the support and resources that sales enablement programs provide, as it helps them do their job more effectively and ultimately achieve better results. But so do marketers!

Marketers generally have a positive view of sales enablement programs, as they understand the importance of aligning sales and marketing efforts to drive revenue growth. Sales enablement programs provide marketing teams with the opportunity to create targeted content and resources that can help sales teams have more effective conversations with prospects and customers.

In addition, sales enablement programs can help marketing teams better understand the needs and challenges of the sales team, and adjust their strategies and tactics accordingly. This can lead to more effective marketing campaigns that generate higher-quality leads and ultimately drive more revenue for the company.

Overall, marketers see sales enablement programs as an essential tool for driving revenue growth, improving customer engagement, and creating a more aligned and effective sales and marketing organization. Ultimately, this vital alignment between sales and marketing can be one of the most critical reasons to embrace sales enablement at your organization.

The post How to Create a Strong B2B Sales Enablement Program appeared first on born to be global.