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Modern B2B marketers understand that a robust content strategy has a place in the marketing toolbox—and the need for written content has never been more in demand. Between long-form content (e-books, whitepapers) and requests from the executive team and sales leaders, there is a neverending queue of content needs.

Speaking of content being requested by the sales department, this scary stat that will make marketers cringe: Up to 70% of the content they develop is never actually used by the sales team. Brutal, right?

In most cases, sales teams feel that content developed by the marketing team doesn't accurately speak to their prospects or address prospects' pain points and, therefore, is not helpful for furthering sales conversations. Whereas lead engagement is of utmost importance to the sales team, often what matters most to marketers is that the content stay on message and remain consistent with other brand assets.

But a content vehicle that can serve the needs of both sales and marketing teams is often overlooked: media coverage. And many marketers mistakenly view PR as solely a news-driven tactic that relies on and is driven by press releases.

However, when executed correctly, public relations efforts can result in media coverage that bridges the gap between Sales and Marketing.

Whether the resulting article is a customer story, CEO feature, or thought leadership piece, such as a bylined article, the media coverage can and should be treated as a content asset to be leveraged by both departments.

Salespeople as Marketers

Salespeople can be the true voice of the customer. Through daily conversations, they intimately understand what problems prospects are experiencing right now.

To secure media coverage that speaks to prospects' current pain points, the perspective of the sales team must be gathered and used as a foundation for thought leadership topics. Begin that process by setting an informal meeting with clear expectations.

The marketing team should not expect sales team members to act as company spokespeople or deliver a formal, written perspective. The goal of the meeting should be to gather authentic responses and seek inspiration.

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How to Leverage Sales Teams for PR and Content Marketing

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Lindsey Groepper

Lindsey Groepper is president of BLASTmedia, a PR agency dedicated to B2B SaaS.

LinkedIn: Lindsey Groepper

Twitter: @lindseygroepper