12 Best Sales Enablement & Marketing Materials In 2024 + Templates

As sales managers or sales leaders, your approach to sales enablement and marketing is probably outdated. But don’t worry—everyone is probably in the same position as you.

That’s one of the reasons why Gartner’s research predicts that sales enablement budgets will soar 50% in the next four years.

Consumer needs are changing. People are getting smarter when it comes to resisting a sale, and that trend is not slowing down. Even you’ve skipped an ad, said no to a kid spreading flyers downtown, or turned down a cold sales call at some point.

People don’t like being sold to. But being part of marketing and sales teams means bypassing those barriers to close more deals. So, how can you do that?

We’re not going to lie—it’s not easy. However, with the right sales enablement strategy and sales tools, you’ll achieve your targets. Hence, let’s explore how to elevate your sales enablement efforts and rise above these challenges.

How to Navigate the Marketing and Sales Landscape

Today, the marketing and sales landscape is nothing as you’ve seen before. All major sales books are probably outdated by now unless they talk about universal lessons, like consumer psychology.

In this world, success hinges on a clear understanding of sales and marketing alignment. They impact each other. They make or break the sales process.

So, here’s our best advice to navigate the marketing and sales world:

• Understand Your Audience. What are your buyer preferences, needs, and pain points?
• Data-Driven Decisions. Base your sales enablement strategies on better data and analytics. Numbers don’t lie and offer valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not.
• Foster Collaboration. Encourage close collaboration between sales and marketing. Studies show that strong sales and marketing alignment result in 27% faster three-year profit growth. So, create this collaborative environment.
• Embrace Automation. Use tools (CRM systems, customer success tools) and new technology (including AI) to streamline processes, reduce manual work, and improve your sales enablement framework efficiency.

What Is Sales Enablement, and Why Is It Important?

Sales enablement provides essential resources to your sales teams, empowering them to engage potential customers and successfully close deals.

It enables salespeople to deliver the right message to the right prospects at the right time during the customer journey.

It also improves collaboration between sales and marketing teams, resulting in better alignment and a more streamlined sales process.

How Can Sales Enablement and Marketing Materials Help Improve the Sales Process?

Sales enablement and marketing materials are crucial in improving the sales process.

By understanding the buyer’s journey and aligning with the sales cycle, sales professionals can effectively engage with prospects at each sales funnel stage with the right tailored sales content and materials. This enables sales representatives to have more productive conversations and build better customer relationships.

With careful planning and a tailored approach, sales enablement materials can leave a lasting impression on customers and increase sales effectiveness.

How to Create a Sales Enablement Strategy

1. Define Your Goals

Start with a crystal-clear vision of what you want to achieve: a winning sales enablement strategy. Your goals are your guiding stars.

Some of your goals could be:

• Getting more leads into your sales pipeline.
• Reducing your sales cycle length and your buying process.
• Improving conversions of your target customers.
• Retaining more SQLs.

2. Align Marketing and Sales

Harmony between marketing and sales teams is non-negotiable. They need to sing the same tune if you want to make your sales enablement efforts worth your while.

When sales and marketing times are aligned in their purpose, companies experience higher customer retention rates and improved conversion.

3. Leverage Technology

Invest in DAM software to improve marketing automation and keep all your assets in a unified dashboard.

An integrated content management tool helps you save time, reduce waste in the process, and equip your teams with all the resources they need.

Everything you work on, as well as older files and upcoming projects, are under the same umbrella and easily accessible so that everyone is on the same page.

👉 Looking for a DAM tool to help you create, manage, store, and collaborate with your team? Try Out Xara for Free.

4. Content is King

High-quality sales enablement content is vital to any brand. Content is the visual aid of your sales teams. Without it, the only asset left is your human resources, which may or may not perform well with just a sales pitch.

You must equip sales reps with the right content creation tool and sales enablement materials. Sales training is not enough in today’s landscape.

To effectively address each question or inquiry in your buyer’s journey stage, adopting a more tailored approach and personalizing your content to your target customer profiles is important.

5. Address Feedback Loops

Create feedback loops to collect insights from the frontlines. Your sales team knows what works and what doesn’t.

Did you know by improving customer experience, sales revenues can increase by 2 to 7 percent? According to McKinsey, feedback is one of the best practices of any successful sales enablement process. Provide a clear structure and be ready to listen to improve your sales strategy.

Don’t miss out on these numbers. Your sales enablement team needs to communicate to close more deals. Help them make it happen.

How Marketing and Sales Enablement Work Together

Name a more iconic duo than marketing and sales enablement teams. We’ll wait.

An effective sales enablement strategy depends on well-crafted content. Content equips sales teams with the tools they need to engage and convert leads.

It’s the bridge connecting marketing’s creative strategies to sales’ customer interactions. In the end, strategic thinking and shared efforts improve your bottom line.

Hence, if the two collaborate well, everyone’s better off.

The 12 Best Sales Enablement & Marketing Materials

Did you know that 72% of sales reps’ time is spent on non-selling activities? In a fast-moving world, every minute counts.

Get ready to supercharge your sales and marketing with 12 sales enablement and marketing materials and tips to create them in minutes. Here we go:

1. Sales Playbooks

Sales playbooks are the backbone of a strong sales enablement strategy. They provide your sales team with a step-by-step guide to engage and close deals efficiently.

Make sure to offer your sales team one of these playbooks along with their training before sending them out on the field. this way, everyone will be on the same page and work to maximize revenue growth.

Tip: Regularly update your playbooks to stay aligned with market trends and customer preferences.

2. Email Templates

Email templates save time and maintain consistent branding. They help convey key messages clearly and succinctly, improving your chances of getting a response.

Plus, emails are among those proven sales enablement tools that always deliver ROI ($40 for every $1 spent, according to this research paper).

Tip: Check out these free newsletter templates designed to improve conversion and CTR.

3. Video Presentations

Videos are the top sales enablement content in 2024. They captivate, educate, and build a connection. A well-made video can significantly boost engagement and conversion rates.

Both sales and marketing teams learned to love video in recent years, as TikTok, Youtube Shorts, and Instagram Reels took over.

Tip: Always have a video recording of your product or service on hand to send out to your interested leads. Effective sales involve quick and relevant replies. So, you need to prepare videos in the content creation stage to improve your chances of sales success.

4. Product Sheets

Product sheets are concise documents highlighting the key features, benefits, and specifications of a product or service.

They’re crucial to sales enablement success, as most potential customers require to see a product sheet at some point. Marketing teams should spend significant time creating product sheets that reflect benefits and other relevant content, then hand them over to sales reps.

Tip: Create stunning product sheets for free here.

5. Brochures

Brochures are versatile marketing materials. They often include text, images, and graphics to engage and inform the reader.

Oftentimes, they’re used to showcase features and benefits in real time in a live setting. During events like workshops, seminars, and presentations, guests are asked to take a look at the brochures they received.

These introduce your business to potential clients, making them powerful sales enablement marketing content.

Tip: You can now create your brochures using AI in minutes.

6. Customer Testimonials

Testimonials serve as social proof, building trust and credibility with potential customers. Using reviews is one of the best practices in any sales process.

They provide leads with a valid reason to convert: real-world success stories from people like them. If you can, use testimonials in all your sales enablement platforms.

Tip: Use these social proof templates to build trust with your prospects.

7. Infographics

Infographics make complex information easy to grasp. They’re visually appealing and help your audience quickly understand the core of your message.

Use infographics to break down complex concepts, statistics, or data into bite-sized, digestible pieces.

Tip: Create custom infographics with little to no effort using Xara Cloud.

8. Whitepapers

Whitepapers are authoritative documents that provide in-depth information, analysis, and solutions to a specific problem.

A whitepaper should contain:

1. Research. Well-researched content with reliable data and credible sources.
2. Analysis. In-depth analysis of the issue, providing insights and perspectives.
3. Actionable Solutions. Practical recommendations and solutions that address the problem.

They’re crucial to any sales organization, as they showcase your expertise and industry authority.

Tip: Create a visually appealing whitepaper that contains all the graphs, data charts, and elements you need using Xara’s data visualization tool.

9. Case Studies

Case studies typically include:

• A problem statement
• Solution
• Results
• Testimonials

They demonstrate the real-world impact of your offerings, making them powerful tools to improve sales performance.

Tip: Keep case studies on hand for as many industries and situations as you can. Have them ready to go as you prepare the brief for the sales call.

10. Interactive Quizzes

Quizzes are engaging tools designed to educate, entertain, or qualify leads. These quizzes can be embedded on websites or shared through social media feeds, stories, and even email.

Any marketing team knows that there’s no better way to get to your audience than connecting with them.

By encouraging them to engage, you offer an interactive way to assess their knowledge or preferences while collecting valuable data for lead qualification.

11. Social Media Content

Content on social platforms –– not one of those brand new sales enablement initiatives, but definitely a vital component of your strategy.

Tip: Aim for a sales enablement platform that can help you create top-notch social media fast, as you’re going to have to post plenty if you want to stay competitive.

Use Xara to design, create, and schedule posts in the app using AI.

12. A Company Presentation Deck

How can you make your company stand out when talking to potential clients or investors? With a presentation deck.

It typically includes slides with key information about your company, such as:

• Mission
• Products or services
• Market position
• Achievements
• Future goals

These decks are vital for pitching to potential clients, investors, or partners. Plus, a sales presentation is a great asset to have on hand as leads require more information about your business.

Tip: Create your presentation in minutes using last-generation sales enablement technology with Xara.

Staying Ahead in 2024: Adapt and Innovate

After exploring the nitty gritty of sales enablement and marketing materials, you’re now equipped to make 2024 your year of growth and success.

Remember, the right materials can make all the difference in achieving your business goals.

In this landscape, staying on top of your game requires adaptability and the right tools. Automation and all-in-one platforms are the way forward.

To supercharge your sales and marketing efforts, try Xara – the ultimate platform for all your sales and marketing needs.

With Xara, you’ll have the power to create, automate, and optimize your materials, ensuring you always stay ahead in the game.

👉So, why wait? Take action now and make 2024 your year of success. Get started here.