Why Sales Reps Overlook Marketing Content & How to Fix It?

In many organizations, the gap between sales and marketing is a well-known problem. Marketers invest countless hours and resources into creating content intended to support the sales team. 

 

However, all too often, this content is ignored or under utilized by the very people it was designed to help. This disconnect leads to wasted effort, frustration, and missed opportunities, as well as a lack of alignment between marketing and sales goals. For marketers, content strategists, and sales enablers, understanding why this happens and how to fix it is crucial.

 

This blog will explore the common reasons sales reps often disregard marketing content, propose strategies to ensure content aligns with the sales team’s actual needs, and provide actionable solutions to improve content adoption. Additionally, it will offer methods to measure the effectiveness of these strategies, ensuring that content efforts not only support sales but also deliver a strong return on investment (ROI).

 

Why Sales Reps Ignore Marketing Content?

 

To address the issue of content adoption, it’s essential first to understand why sales reps might ignore marketing content. Several key factors contribute to this problem:

 

1. Misalignment Between Content and Sales Needs

 

To the layperson, sales and marketing may seem similar. They may have some common ground, but they are two distinct departments, with different objectives. Marketing improves sales by making sure consumers are aware of the product and its benefits.

 

Sales on the other hand, can generate valuable data that allows for more focused marketing. This creates a positive feedback loop - but it only works if both departments communicate and cooperate effectively. This synergy will ensure that both departments reach their fullest potential.  

 

One of the most significant reasons for misalignment between sales and marketing teams is a focus on conflicting goals and success metrics. Sales teams are on the front lines, directly engaging with prospects and customers, and so are measured and incentivized based on short term revenue targets and closing deals.

 

Marketing on the other hand does not engage directly with clients and focuses more on long-term brand building, generating quality leads, and measuring engagement. The difference in goals and objectives between the departments can lead to conflicts.

 

For example, if the sales team does not receive the relevant sales ready content specific to their needs, it can be frustrating and cause tension as the sales team needs to be updated and get a chance to learn any new relevant content.

 

On the other side, the marketing team may find the sales team to be too focused on immediate revenue at the expense of building the brand and relationships with long term customers. There also might be a clash in the language needs of the two departments as sales people need content that more directly addresses the concerns of their prospects, not just high level marketing messages. 

 

This is an example of a big gap - approximately two thirds of the marketing’s investment in content development can go to waste. This gap can be fixed with communication and coordination between the departments to align their needs.  

 

2. Content Overload

 

Another reason sales reps might ignore marketing content is that they’re simply overwhelmed by the volume of content they receive. Marketers often create a plethora of materials, from case studies and whitepapers to blog posts and brochures. While variety is good, too much content can lead to confusion about what to use and when.

 

When sales reps are bombarded with too many content options, they may default to using only what they’re familiar with, ignoring newer materials that could be more effective. This behavior is often reinforced by a lack of clear guidance on how and when to use specific pieces of content.

 

3. Lack of Visibility and Accessibility

 

Even the most relevant and high-quality content will go unused if sales reps are unaware of its existence or can’t easily access it. In many organizations, marketing content is stored in a variety of locations—shared drives, intranets, content management systems, etc. This fragmentation makes it difficult for sales reps to find the right content at the right time.

 

According to research conducted by SiriusDecisions, 60-70% of marketing content is not touched by Sales teams at all. The CMO council also discovered that often 40% of a salesperson’s time is spent looking for content, or spent creating their own content as they cannot find the needed resources.

 

 

Moreover, if content isn’t organized in a way that makes sense to the sales team, they may not bother searching for it at all. Sales reps are under pressure to meet targets and close deals; they don’t have time to sift through poorly organized folders or navigate complex systems to find what they need.

 

Creating a way to organize and tag information will allow departments and reps to easily find what they are looking for. This meta could include content type, author, topics, themes, buyer stages, etc. Moreover, universal and easily accessible material will prevent duplicate work and open the way for better communication and coordination.

 

This is time saving, cost efficient and nurtures trust among departments. 

 

4. Inadequate Training and Enablement

 

Finally, a lack of training on how to effectively use marketing content can lead to low adoption rates. Sales reps need to understand not only what content is available but also how to use it in different sales scenarios. 

 

Without proper training, they may not see the value in the content or may not know how to integrate it into their sales processes.

 

According to research conducted by Gartner, B2B sales reps forget over 70% of their training within a week, with 87% of them forgetting it all in a month. 

 

The numbers are staggering and this greatly impacts the bottomline for every sales rep and as a result, the organization. 

 

5. Lack of Trust in Marketing Content

 

Sales reps may also ignore marketing content because they don’t trust its accuracy or relevance. This distrust can stem from past experiences where marketing content failed to resonate with prospects or provided outdated information. 

 

If sales reps feel that the content doesn’t reflect the current state of the market or the company’s offerings, they may choose to rely on their own materials or create their own content instead.

 

Trust is a major player for both marketing and sales teams, whether it is between them or with them and their clients. If sales and marketing do not trust each other, it can lead to buyers being presented with contradictory and/or inconsistent messaging from each team.

 

In order to build trust, sales and marketing should focus on shared goals and objectives. 

 

This transparency between teams will aid them not just in building trust, but also to become a cohesive revenue engine. 

 

Strategies to Improve Content Adoption

 

To ensure that marketing content is adopted by the sales team, it’s essential to address the root causes of the problem. The following strategies can help bridge the gap between marketing and sales, ensuring that content is relevant, accessible, and useful.

 

1. Conduct Regular Sales and Marketing Alignment Meetings

 

One of the most effective ways to ensure that marketing content aligns with sales needs is to facilitate regular alignment meetings between the two teams. 

 

During these meetings, sales reps can provide feedback on the types of content they need and share insights into the challenges they face in the field. Marketers can then use this information to create content that addresses specific pain points and objections.

 

These meetings should be a two-way street, where both teams have an opportunity to share their perspectives and collaborate on content strategy. By fostering open communication, organizations can ensure that marketing content is more closely aligned with sales objectives.

 

2. Implement a Content Governance Process

 

To prevent content overload and ensure that sales reps know which materials to use, organizations should implement a content governance process. 

 

This process involves categorizing and curating content so that it’s easy for sales reps to find and use the most relevant materials.

 

For example, content can be organized by buyer persona, sales stage, or industry vertical. Sales reps should be provided with clear guidelines on when and how to use specific pieces of content. Additionally, organizations should regularly review and update their content library to ensure that it remains current and relevant.

 

3. Invest in a Centralized Content Management System

 

A centralized content management system (CMS) can greatly improve the accessibility and visibility of marketing content. By storing all content in a single, easy-to-navigate system, organizations can ensure that sales reps can quickly find the materials they need.

 

The CMS should include features such as search functionality, tagging, and content recommendations based on sales scenarios. Additionally, it should integrate with other tools that the sales team uses, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, to streamline the content retrieval process.

 

 

4. Build Trust Through Collaboration

 

To build trust between the marketing and sales teams, it’s essential to involve sales reps in the content creation process. 

 

By collaborating with sales reps when developing content, marketers can ensure that the materials are accurate, relevant, and aligned with the sales team’s needs.

 

For example, marketers can work with sales reps to create case studies based on real customer success stories or develop sales playbooks that outline how to use specific pieces of content in different sales scenarios. When sales reps feel that their input is valued and reflected in the content, they’re more likely to trust and use it.

 

5. Provide Ongoing Training and Enablement

 

To ensure that sales reps understand how to use marketing content effectively, organizations should invest in ongoing training and enablement programs.

 

These programs can include workshops, webinars, and one-on-one coaching sessions that teach sales reps how to integrate content into their sales processes.

 

Training should focus not only on what content is available but also on how to use it in specific sales situations. 

 

For example, sales reps should be trained on how to use case studies to overcome objections or how to leverage whitepapers to educate prospects during the early stages of the buying process.

 

Measuring Content Adoption and Impact

 

Once strategies have been implemented to improve content adoption, it’s important to measure their effectiveness. By tracking key metrics, organizations can determine whether their efforts are driving the desired results and make adjustments as needed.

 

1. Content Usage Metrics

 

 

One of the most direct ways to measure content adoption is by tracking content usage metrics. These metrics can include the number of times a piece of content is downloaded, shared, or viewed by sales reps. 

 

By analyzing these metrics, organizations can identify which pieces of content are most popular and which are being ignored.

 

However, it’s important to go beyond simple usage metrics and consider how the content is being used. 

 

For example, organizations can track how often content is being used in successful deals or how it’s being incorporated into sales presentations. 

 

This information can provide insights into the effectiveness of the content and help identify areas for improvement.

 

2. Sales Feedback

 

Another valuable source of information is direct feedback from the sales team. Organizations should regularly survey sales reps to gather their opinions on the content provided by marketing. 

 

This feedback can help identify any gaps in the content library, as well as areas where the content could be improved.

In addition to surveys, organizations can conduct focus groups or one-on-one interviews with sales reps to gain deeper insights into their experiences with marketing content. 

 

This qualitative feedback can complement quantitative metrics and provide a more comprehensive understanding of content adoption.

Positive and constructive feedback is also something that can be beneficial for growth. It helps reinforce positive behaviors that contribute to performance or eliminate negative behavior.

 

3. Content ROI Analysis

 

 

To measure the impact of content on sales outcomes, organizations can conduct a content ROI analysis. 

 

This analysis involves comparing the cost of creating and distributing content with the revenue generated from deals where the content was used.

 

For example, if a case study was used in multiple successful deals, the revenue from those deals can be attributed, at least in part, to the content. By calculating the ROI of individual pieces of content, organizations can determine which materials are driving the most value and prioritize future content creation efforts accordingly.

 

The formula for calculating content ROI is: Revenue from content minus content marketing spend, dividend by spend.

 

4. Lead Conversion Rates

 

Another important metric to track is lead conversion rates. By analyzing how content influences lead conversion rates at different stages of the sales funnel, organizations can determine which materials are most effective at moving prospects through the buying process.

 

For example, organizations can track how often whitepapers or e-books are downloaded by prospects and then analyze the conversion rates of those prospects compared to those who didn’t engage with the content. 

 

This analysis can help identify which types of content are most effective at driving conversions and where there may be opportunities to improve.

 

5. Time-to-First Action

 

Time-to-first action is another useful metric that can indicate the effectiveness of content. This metric measures the time it takes for a prospect to take a specific action (e.g., scheduling a demo, requesting a quote) after engaging with a piece of content.

 

A shorter time-to-first action suggests that the content is resonating with prospects and driving them to take the next step in the buying process. 

 

By tracking this metric across different types of content, organizations can identify which materials are most effective at accelerating the sales cycle.

 

Conclusion

 

By understanding the reasons why sales reps may disregard marketing content and implementing strategies to address these issues, organizations can improve content adoption and ensure that their materials are used effectively to support sales efforts. 

 

Regular alignment meetings, content governance processes, centralized content management systems, collaboration between marketing and sales, and ongoing training are all key strategies that can help bridge the gap and drive better results.

 

Moreover, by measuring content adoption and impact through metrics such as content usage, sales feedback, ROI analysis, lead conversion rates, and time-to-first action, organizations can continuously refine their content strategies and ensure that their efforts are delivering a strong return on investment. 

 

In doing so, they can make their content indispensable to the sales team and create a more cohesive, aligned, and successful sales and marketing operation.

 

Paperflite is the perfect option if you are looking for a way to bridge this gap between your departments. Reach out to us to schedule a demo!