3Rhino Media Blog

Interview with Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion on Content Marketing

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In my last post, I wanted to share a case study of a small, niche buisness using content marketing amazingly well. I wanted to demonstrate proof where a company saw literally MILLIONS of dollars in increased sales by using content and inbound marketing well. Sure, I could've highlighted the standard case studies such as Dell and Zappos. But our clients don't have the size and resources of those two brands. So I shared the story of my friend Marcus Sheridan and River Pools and Spas.

Recently I had a chance to interview Marcus and chat about getting started with content marketing. Below the video, I share my key takeaways. What about you? 

(And we shot this interview in an open room at a conference in Minneapolis so please excuse the background noise.;-)

KEY TAKEAWAYS/LESSONS LEARNED

• The key to success is pretty easy. KEEP IT SIMPLE! BE GENUINELY HELPFUL!

What is content marketing? 

• To be a great teacher, you have to be a great listener. If a client asks a question, answer it but also make it a blog post.
• A huge part of the sales cycle is over before a prospect calls you. Experts estimate 60-80% is of the sales process is completed before a person will contact a company or business. This means customers are self-educating by view content online. If you don't have a strong online presence, you must understand your customers will be learning from your competitors who are online and sharing valuable content.
• Content Marketing works around the clock, educating, sharing and selling. It doesn't take time off. It's working when your clients are working.
• Content Marketing is NOT complicated. It's nothing more than teaching people what we do.
• To get started, figure out the problems and questions your clients have and answer them.
• Content can be shared in a variety of formats based on what works best for your audience and you. You can use a blog format, videos, ebooks, whitepapers, free DVDs, etc.
• Content Marketing isn't new! It has been around for a long, long time.
• He who gives the greatest teaching advice in his industry is likely to be the most successful.