Implementing the 95-5 Rule: Elevating Gong’s Brand from Scratch

Flipping the Script: Winning Mindshare with the 95-5 Rule

When stepping into a new role, it’s common to bring a unique perspective that can reshape traditional strategies. This was precisely the case for the head of content at Gong, who leveraged a sales background to revolutionize the company’s approach to marketing. Instead of focusing solely on capturing existing demand, the team set out to create demand by earning attention before potential customers were even in-market.

The 95-5 Rule, popularized by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, validated this unconventional approach. It states that at any given time, only 5% of your addressable market is actively buying, leaving the remaining 95% untapped. Despite this, many marketing teams concentrate their efforts on the small fraction of active buyers, missing out on a vast pool of potential customers.

Gong took a different path by prioritizing top-of-funnel activities and enforcing a strict rule of not discussing their product in content. Instead, the focus was on producing engaging sales-related content that addressed the everyday challenges of their target audience, positioning the brand as a supportive peer rather than a pushy vendor.

To effectively implement this strategy, Gong adopted several key practices that are still relevant and impactful today:

1. Deep Audience Understanding: By delving into the mindset and struggles of their audience, Gong crafted a content roadmap that addressed specific pain points in the sales process.

2. Problem-Centric Content: Rather than promoting their product, Gong concentrated on providing practical solutions to common sales challenges, emphasizing empathy and understanding.

3. Storytelling for Emotional Connection: Gong utilized storytelling techniques to create relatable scenarios that resonated emotionally with readers, making the content more engaging and memorable.

4. Consistent Multichannel Presence: By diversifying content formats across various channels, Gong reached a broader audience and strengthened connections with existing followers.

5. Brand-Centric Metrics: Instead of solely focusing on short-term metrics like MQLs, Gong measured success by tracking audience growth, direct web traffic, and inbound opportunities, emphasizing brand impact over immediate conversions.

By adopting this audience-nurturing approach, Gong successfully built a brand that resonated with its target market, leading to substantial growth in followers, podcast downloads, webinar registrations, and email open rates. The qualitative impact was equally significant, with testimonials from sales reps and leaders attesting to the brand’s influence on their decision-making processes.

This shift from lead generation to audience nurturing exemplifies the power of building mindshare with the 95% of potential customers who are not actively seeking solutions. By creating gravity through valuable content, emotional storytelling, consistent presence, brand-centric metrics, and a long-term strategy, brands can establish meaningful relationships with their audience and become the go-to choice when the need arises.

In conclusion, embracing a customer-centric, problem-solving approach can transform marketing efforts from transactional to relational, ultimately leading to a stronger brand presence and increased customer loyalty. So, if you’re tired of chasing leads, perhaps it’s time to rethink your strategy and start speaking to the 95% waiting to be engaged.