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Why content is key to unlocking new markets

The way businesses approach their markets has fundamentally changed. Once upon a time, markets were thought of as mere transactions between buyers and sellers—a series of exchanges that could be facilitated with enough people, money, and time. Then came The Cluetrain Manifesto, a revolutionary work that argued, “Markets are conversations.” But today, we must go further: markets consist of conversations, relationships, and transactions. Businesses that want to succeed must recognize and navigate all three, leveraging them in concert.

In the digital era, conversations are no longer limited by human capacity. And while the Manifesto was prescient in recognizing the social aspect of markets, it didn’t foresee the degree to which digital technology and content marketing would scale these conversations far beyond the abilities of traditional salespeople.

This is not just an evolution—it’s a transformation.

Markets are more than conversations

When The Cluetrain Manifesto proclaimed “markets are conversations,” it redefined how we think about customer engagement. Yet, as markets and technologies have evolved, we now see that conversations alone are insufficient. Today’s markets operate at the intersection of conversations, relationships, and transactions. They’re multi-layered, and their success hinges on a company’s ability to foster meaningful dialogue, nurture long-term relationships, and ultimately convert these into profitable outcomes.

In this complex marketplace, simply engaging in conversations without building deeper relationships or enabling transactions results in noise. Similarly, pushing for transactions without conversations or relationships can come across as insincere and opportunistic. To succeed, businesses must harmonize all three components.

Scaling conversations beyond human capacity

The arrival of the internet and digital tools has transformed the business landscape. Conversations that once took place between individual salespeople and customers can now be initiated, nurtured, and scaled across thousands—if not millions—of interactions. And because it’s possible to scale these interactions, it has become necessary. Competitive pressure demands that companies create more visibility, engage with more potential customers, and build more relationships than ever before.

But here’s the problem: relying solely on traditional sales teams is no longer enough. Individual sales reps, no matter how skilled, are limited by time, energy, and the need to engage in one-on-one conversations. What’s needed is a strategy that scales the initiation of conversations beyond what’s humanly possible.

The answer? Content.

Content’s strategic role in conversations

In today’s digital marketplace, content has become the core medium for initiating these scaled conversations. Whether it’s a blog post that educates, a video that entertains, or a case study that showcases results, content is what captures attention and sparks interest.

Content isn’t just what brands communicate—it’s how they communicate. Through content, businesses can create touchpoints that resonate with their audience, provide value, and initiate the kind of dialogue that traditional outreach simply cannot match. This is why content is often seen as the first touchpoint that nurtures leads, making it crucial for every step of the buyer’s journey.

But even more importantly, content is the only sustainable way to scale. It allows brands to simultaneously initiate countless conversations, providing a foundation for future sales engagement. Without content, brands are reduced to shouting into the void.

Content as air support: rethinking resource allocation

Yet many companies get it wrong. They pour resources into cold, outbound sales outreach, thinking that if their salespeople just make enough calls, send enough emails, or knock on enough doors, they’ll eventually see results.

This approach misinterprets the role of sales and marketing in today’s market dynamics. Content is not a secondary tactic—it’s the foundational layer that provides air support for your sales team. Like a general deploying reconnaissance teams ahead of a ground force, content “softens the ground” for sales, warming up prospects and making them more receptive to future outreach.

Without content, cold outreach is just that: cold. Sales reps can make calls until they’re blue in the face, but they’ll struggle to initiate meaningful conversations without a robust content strategy that paves the way. Especially when entering new markets, where your company is unknown, unloved, and untrusted, content is what makes the difference.

Navigating new markets: from visibility to Know-Like-Trust

This is where many companies, particularly those entering foreign markets, face their biggest hurdle. They’re battling not just for attention but for acceptance. No one knows, likes, or trusts them yet.

In American marketing tradition, this challenge is often framed as the Know-Like-Trust model: before a customer will buy from you, they need to know who you are, like what you have to offer, and trust that you’ll deliver. Content is what allows you to climb that ladder, step-by-step.

In Finland, the focus is more often on “visibility.” In a society where trust is implicit and business practices are often transparent, it’s natural to think that the solution lies simply in being seen. But when Finnish companies enter foreign markets, this assumption doesn’t hold. Trust is not implicit—it’s earned. And for Finnish firms that want to establish themselves abroad, becoming known, liked, and trusted needs to be the strategic objective. Visibility alone is not enough.

The cold call conundrum: why sales need content support

Let’s revisit the typical cold call scenario: your sales team dials numbers all day, reaching out to people who may or may not know who you are. But the truth is, if they don’t know you, if they don’t like you, and if they don’t trust you, the conversation is often over before it even begins.

Now imagine a different approach. Imagine that before your sales team ever picks up the phone, the prospect has read a blog post on your site, seen an insightful video on LinkedIn, or downloaded a helpful guide you’ve produced. Suddenly, that initial call isn’t cold. It’s warm. The prospect already has a sense of who you are and what you stand for.

This is the power of content at scale. It allows you to start conversations on your own terms, with your own message, and nurture these relationships over time. Sales becomes a continuation of a conversation, not an interruption.

Conclusion: Content is the foundation of modern market strategy

In modern markets, content is no longer a “nice-to-have”—it’s a strategic necessity. It’s the only way to grow an audience, build relationships, and initiate conversations at scale. Sales teams can’t do it alone, and traditional marketing tactics will fall short in today’s hyper-competitive landscape.

To build real, lasting engagement, brands must invest in content that does more than just promote a product or service. It must educate, inspire, and pave the way for deeper conversations. This is what gives your sales team the air support they need to turn leads into long-term customers.

So, take a look at your own content strategy. Is it setting the stage for your sales team to succeed, or are you leaving them to fight on their own?

It’s time to rethink content’s role in your strategy—because in today’s world, content is conversation.

Jos Schuurmans

At Cluetail I help companies unlock new markets by providing (1) Market Exploration, (2) Outbound Sales Enablement, (3) Marketing, Communication and Inbound Sales Enablement and (4) Information Management services. Feel free to book a call with me, send me an email, and connect with me via LinkedIn.

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