Fixing the Persistent Data/Content Silo Problem Once and for All

There’s no doubt about it: Internal silos can wreak havoc on your company culture, your sales and ultimately even your revenue. But even though B2B organizations have emphasized alignment in recent years, silos can be persistent. If you’re finding that your sales cycle is longer than you think it should be or that your customers are confused and your collaboration is failing, you might still have a silo problem.

Here are a few ways to finally banish this issue once and for all. 

Use Consistent, Personalized Messaging to Get Rid of Silos

It's crucial to get your organization’s cohesive message right before you can effectively personalize messaging for various buyers. Silos prevent you from doing this. 

So, start with a consistent narrative and messaging across all channels. Think of your messaging as a tree diagram. The top of the hierarchy should always be the same corporate story, which acts as a control and a safety net. Then you can determine how to trickle down pieces of the same story for different buyers. If you don’t get the cohesive message right, you can’t get the more personalized messages for various audiences right. 

Related Article: Your Silos Are Showing in Your Customer Experience

Prioritize Processes Over Systems to Avoid Data-Content Silo Chaos

You may be tempted to turn to software as a quick fix for problems your B2B team is facing. But it's important to remember that the purpose of software is to streamline and automate existing processes, not to patch up broken systems. If your business processes are disorganized or nonexistent, introducing more software will only accelerate the chaos.

Instead, you must be able to manage your data with processes, not systems, before you incorporate more software. When you align your processes first, you can then integrate your go-to-market tools and break down your silos. For example, many marketers and sales folks struggle with content. The organization might have a decent volume of content pieces, but salespeople can’t find it when they need it, and marketers keep churning out new topics without first understanding what’s truly needed (and whether content already exists on the topic). This leads to inefficiency, missed opportunities and wasted time. 

You can’t jump straight from chaos to a new tool, though, even if it’s a really good one. Instead, you must get your content processes nailed down, which might include centralizing it in one place and deciding on a tagging process. 

Related Article: How to Battle Silos and Improve Customer Experience as a UX Team of One

Empower Marketers, Customer Success, Sales to Be Silo-Free

Finally, for this to work, your team members must fully support your vision and strategy. Otherwise, your tools and process won’t matter — and silos will remain. Ensure that your sales, marketing and customer success teams comprehend their purpose, goals and are aligned with your objectives.

Team members should know where they’re headed and the specific steps required to get them there (along with measurements and milestones to stay accountable). Last, but certainly not least, take steps to increase visibility between the groups that are tasked with execution. This ensures there’s alignment around customers’ histories and journeys, and that each department is adding meaningfully to the conversation. 

Internal silos have plagued B2B organizations for a long time, but they don’t have to anymore. By crafting a consistent narrative, maximizing processes and aligning your team around shared goals, you can successfully break down silos and achieve true unity that leads to outstanding results.