From the moment I started working with the team at Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group, I had a feeling they were going to do a stellar job with inbound marketing. Then, once I met with them at their office in Columbia, Missouri for our Inbound Marketing & Sales Strategy Workshop, which kicked off our partnership, I was convinced.
Collectively, they “got it” and understood that because the advertising buyer’s experience has changed, the role of the media salesperson had to change too. As a LeadG2 and The Center for Sales Strategy Consultant, it’s always exciting to work with a company who not only wants the results but is also willing to invest their time and money to get the job done. And in this case, not only because they want to grow new revenue, but also because they care about their advertisers and the people they work with. They believe in educating them and being a true partner to small and large businesses alike. They understood that inbound marketing is more than a campaign here and there or a great keyword strategy. It’s about creating a conversation with potential and current customers. It’s about being a thought leader, making an impact in their industry, and reaching buyers appropriately in the sales process.
I’m not writing this article to simply brag about my awesome client (though they are pretty awesome). I’m writing this to let other media companies know they can improve the way they communicate with prospects, and they can get real, tangible results by implementing the right strategy and the right tools.
Prior to Zimmer working with LeadG2, they were already ahead of many of their media competitors by having an up-to-date, optimized B2B website where advertisers could learn more and contact them. They didn’t only have station websites with a hidden “advertise” link in the footer. While they did have leads coming through the website, they wanted and needed more qualified leads in order to make a dent in their new revenue business. They not only aimed to generate new leads and revenue, but they also needed to find ways to shorten and strengthen their existing sales process.
In the words of Zimmer’s Director of Sales, Carrie Lorenz: “We know that the majority of people are doing research online before ever calling or making a purchase. Having resources on our website that they can go to and learn about on their own time was huge for us.”
It was never just about generating leads — it was about doing better and smarter business while utilizing technology and tools to enable their salespeople throughout the entire sales process. In July 2015, our partnership started and we quickly developed a plan to tackle these goals.