One of the main objectives of many companies is to increase their customer base to obtain more income. One of the best business opportunities is RFPs (requests for proposals), a business document that companies use to choose a supplier to work with.

With the RFPs, a bidding process begins. If your company has the necessary skills to compete for a contract, it has to make a value proposition. However, doing so can be challenging. 

Isaac Castejón, Director of Castleberry, talks about how content marketing can help your company become a strong candidate to win RFPs.

Q/: Why can content marketing help to win RFPs?

Isaac Castejón: RFPs are often impersonal. Proposals are emailed, but companies don't know the vendors they are bidding on very well. Sometimes, companies are looking for everyone to quote under the same conditions to compare apples to apples and reduce everything to numbers. However, this takes a bit of face off the supplier, which makes it harder for them to sell. 

Companies that start a bidding process seek to choose their supplier by applying logic, but human beings are not like that. We are not as logical as we think we are; ultimately, one chooses more with emotions. Therefore, a solution is to use content because this allows the provider to tell its story and what differentiates it from the rest and not be just another number in Excel. 

This implies using valuable content; that is, it is not to promote or seek to sell but to see how it can add value to the person who will consume the content. It can be a video, article, or infographic; the format one chooses. But deep down, it is not about selling but delivering valuable and interesting content.

For example: if you have a transport company and are looking to win an RFP to transport material, you can create content about the importance of securing the goods well in the truck when transporting them. This creates value by educating the reader while positioning your company as an expert and standing out from competitors. 

If one manages to impact the people on the committee that chooses the supplier, we occupy part of their minds. They are ways of persuading that are not so direct but that influence when choosing a supplier.

Q/: How is the content delivered? Is it included in the request for proposal?

IC: Including the content in the RFP is usually not possible because, many times, you have to meet some technical criteria. They usually send out some form, as the goal of the companies is to compare apples to apples, so they want everyone to fit into one mold. 

Therefore, the idea is to have content prepared to impact these people but make it reach them by other means. It can be through platforms such as LinkedIn, by email, by El Toro - a platform that allows you to impact people in specific areas -or even through a physical magazine you send to the company. These are ways to persuade, but in a way that adds value to the potential customer. 

So, there are several distribution channels, and the idea is to create content that can be used, even later on in other RFPs, to influence the purchase decision.

Q/: Can a specific type of format be created to win those requests? Or is it something that depends on the style of the company? 

IC: There's a preference issue regarding how easy or difficult it is to execute specific content. Some companies have difficulty with video because they need a camera or people who know how to do it. It could be easier for them to do an article because they can ask an expert they already have or an external company like us. 

So, in terms of format, it depends a lot on the capabilities of the company but also on the message that they're going to convey. Some messages are transmitted more easily by video, others in writing, so it depends significantly on that. 

The key is the context: Put yourself in the shoes of the people making the decision, the proposal, and what that company is interested in. So, depending on what the client is looking for and that context, one can determine the content. Conveying a timely and contextual message to the customer makes a difference. 

Q/: What type of content can be created?

IC: The key, in general, is context. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the people making the decision, understand the proposal, and know what that company is interested in. You may have had a previous conversation with them and see that they greatly value punctuality, for example. With some tools, I can also review what they viewed on the web page, and depending on what they searched for, I can choose content that specifically addresses the identified pains. So, depending on what the customer is looking for and that context, one can determine the content. Conveying a timely and contextual message to the customer makes a difference. 

It is also essential to understand the purchasing committee, which is usually made up of several people: one that evaluates the technical part, one that assesses the financial aspect, the scope, and the price issue. That being the case, it is worth making specific content for those people because each committee member will see it from their perspective.

Many times, you have to create more than one piece of content to be able to address all those people. It sounds like much work, but one of the advantages of content is that it doesn't get lost. If I make content today, in 6 months, when I do another RFP, it will also be helpful to me, and I have already created it. It may be valuable to others who don't know my business and come to that content through a Google search. 

That's one of the things we've always tried to communicate to clients. The content lives on the company's blog; It helps with SEO and selling to new customers, and it does not get lost, unlike an advertisement.

Q/: What do you recommend to companies that want to use content marketing to earn RFPs?

IC: Be bold and create content; make it very specific. The more detailed it is, the more impact it will generate. The message is: to make it contextual and clear and not be afraid to create several pieces of content because, ultimately, it will help the marketing machine work better and give them a better chance of winning that RFP. 

Conclusions 

Beyond the economic offer you offer in your RFP, good content can help position you as an expert before companies that open bidding processes and create brand awareness. This allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition and improve your chances of persuading different decision-makers.

Sources

Interview with Isaac Castejón, Director of Castleberry Media.

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