-
- 04 Oct
Which Tactics Do Marketers Consider Effective At Different Stages of the Funnel?
Many marketers could be suffering from leaky funnels, as the majority (82%) of businesses have zero to moderate integration of funnel sections, while only 2% say they have complete integration of their funnel sections. To make matters worse, according to a report [download page] from GetResponse and Demand Metric, 7 in 10 of the more… Read More »
The post Which Tactics Do Marketers Consider Effective At Different Stages of the Funnel? appeared first on Marketing Charts.
-
- 02 Oct
How Have B2B Buyers Purchase Processes Changed?
from Marketing Charts
Once again, there are indications of a shifting trends in the processes used for B2B purchases. Earlier research from Demand Gen Report and ON24 found that the majority of B2B buyers believe that content can be improved by adding more research and data.News You Can Actually Use . . .
This years study, Demand Gen’s 2019 B2B Buyers Survey Report [download page], did uncover a number of new trends. It seems that the vast majority of senior-level B2B executives report that business needs and priorities have changed this year. They report that these have shifted their purchase timelines. Most indicated that these changes resulted in them either accelerating or postponing purchase decisions.
Additionally, B2B buyers are showing more diligence and caution in their purchases, spending more time researching their purchases. And this is significant information for those on the marketing and sales side as it means there is a need to provide the relevant, authoritative content that aids buyers in making their purchasing decision. For more of the data and insights, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
-
- 24 Sep
What is Intent Data and Why Should I Care?
by Kira Jerome, Intern at Heinz Marketing
As a marketer, you know how important it is to get in front of the right prospects at the right time. Your sales team may be asking for more leads, or maybe they have the volume, but not the low-hanging fruit—those prospects that fit your target audience and are ready to buy. A technology that could alert you when your ideal prospect was ready to buy sounds too good to be true, right? This is intent data. You may have heard about intent data, but maybe you’re not quite sure what that is or why its beneficial.Now This May Sound Too Good to be True . . .
Intent data is important because it shows when “high-fit” accounts or leads have been researching solutions that your company specializes in. When they do this, they leave digital footprints that can be tracked. Utilizing this kind of information can drastically increase the number of qualified leads and new sales opportunities for your company. And that permits your sales team to focus its energy on the most fruitful prospects at the right time.
In the world of B2B marketing, intent data is still a relatively new resource. But with it, there is an opportunity for your company to stay ahead of the tech curve and your competitors. To learn what you need to do to get started, read the full article at Heinz Marketing Blog
-
- 15 Aug
B2B Buyers Seem to Be Engaging Sales Reps Earlier in the Process
from Marketing Charts
A recently released Demand Gen Report’s 2019 B2B Buyers Survey Report [download page] has brought up evidence that runs counter to what we thought to be true. For the past few years, we have seen data that suggests that B2B buyers were not engaging with brands until very late in their buyer journey.A Long-Held Assumption May No Longer Be Valid
However in this study, they found that currently nearly three-quarters of respondents report that they engaged far earlier now. They indicated that they spoke to a vendor within the first 3 months of their buying process. And, in fact, it went much deeper than that with them actually engaged with a sales representative from the vendor they selected in that period as well.
One key element brought out in this study is what buyers say they value most from vendors. Of prime consideration for vendors is being able to demonstrate knowledge of their buyers and their needs. This is the one thing that sets winning vendors apart from the others. And a big part of demonstrating knowledge of the buyer and their needs is being able to provide them with relevant content.
To see more of the data and insights and for some tips on how this information can help your B2B sales cycle, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
-
- 07 Aug
6 Great Tips to a Better B2B Video
Video has increasingly become an the choice medium for many businesses. And that is because so many have found it extremely effective to drive engagement with digital audiences. In fact, video snippets have become one of the top three content types used by B2B marketers in 2018.
Short . . . Medium . . . Long. It All Works
But short-form is not the only digital media tool they use. There is mounting evidence of the impact of long-form video content and social media video stories. The reason? Well, video content appeals to viewers at every stage of their buying journey. Whether they are just being introduced to your business, or are deeper in the sales funnel and looking for more information about your products or services. Video works for them.
With video marketing being one of the top digital marketing trends, now is the time for B2B marketers to focus on creating engaging and valuable videos for branding, lead generation and thought leadership. And if you are ready to start making your own marketing videos, consider these five great tips from Christa Tuttle on Business2Community.com
-
- 15 Jul
Three Tips for Connecting with B2B Buyers
by
It seems that B2B buyers are waiting longer and longer to connect with vendors. Today, rather than immediately connecting with a sales rep, both B2B and B2C buyers prefer to do their own research online, or ask their peers for input. And this makes becoming part of the purchase conversation as early as possible in their consideration process crucial. But a lot more challenging.Why Are They Waiting So Long Then?
Part of this is due to a lack of trust in vendors. In a recent report on B2B buyer disconnect, TrustRadius found that only 11 percent of buyers describe vendor reps as very trustworthy. And only 19 percent say reps have significant influence over their buying decisions. In contrast, 53 percent of vendors say they think their reps are very effective at moving the needle towards conversion.
How can you connect with prospects and get them talking? Here’s three ideas for driving engagement throughout the B2B buying cycle on ChiefMarketer.com
-
- 01 Jul
Find Your Ideal Customer with Account Insights and Profiling
by Mitch Folks
The digital revolution has raised customer expectations. Now, people want much more. The need more than just a product or an offering. They crave a complete experience. And that means that the success of your marketing campaign hangs in the balance. Today, it no longer depends on the number of leads you generate. Now, it rests on your ability to maximize your customers’ experience.If it Works Well, Then People Tend to Use it
That’s there has been so much movement to account-based marketing. Now marketing with sales, determine which accounts to target, why they should be targeted, and when they should be targeted. The reason? For one, 87% of companies report a higher return on investment when adding account-based marketing to their engagement strategy. Especially when they compare it to traditional lead-based only marketing initiatives.
In this blog, Mitch Folks takes a closer look at the first step of how to create epic account-based experiences (ABX) with the right account insights & profiling. So, to learn how you can gain highly accurate account insights and effectively profile your targets to create hyper-personalized account-based experiences that your customers and prospects will enjoy, read the full article on the Marketo Blog.
-
- 28 Jun
5 Strategies to Target Your B2B Audience Online
B2B audiences aren’t always extremely easy to find, but they’re out there just as often as B2C audiences are. We marketers just have to look a bit harder for them. And that means that B2B advertising has a unique challenge in digital marketing.If you sell a product like socks or toilet paper, you know nearly everyone on the planet uses them, or we all hope they do. So your audience is everywhere. That’s the case for many B2C offerings. The target audience feels like they’re all over the place.
For B2B, That Feeling – and the reality – Isn’t Even Close to the Same
So what gives? Do we just take our ball and go home? Of course not! And that’s because your users are also all over the web, just like B2C audiences. The only difference: We have to work harder to find the proper targeting options. So what can we do? To find out, read the full article at WordStream.com
-
- 17 Jun
B2B Brands Need to Step It Up to Reach Millennial Buyers
by
Recently UPS released this year’s UPS Industrial Buying Dynamics survey. And what they found should be a wake up call to every B2B marketer. It seems that there is an increasing level of influence by Millennials in the B2B buyer process.Know the Trend: The Rise of a New Generation of B2B Buyer
This year’s study found a 10 percent increase over 2017. And that means that, if you haven’t already begun to adjust your tactics you need to. According to Brooke Yamini, VP of marketing operations at UPS, “the rise of Millennials ushers in a new era that challenges long-standing industry norms.”
This new generation of B2B buyers start their buying process online. And they do their initial research with social media and their peers. So, if we are going to successfully market to this emerging generation of B2B buyers, we need to begin to adjust our tactics. To gain more insights into the findings of this report, read the full article at Chief Marketer.
-
- 01 Jun
Empathy Mapping for Marketing Content: What It Is and How to Do It Well
by Linda Emma
Have you noticed that the best books and movies are so totally immersive you feel as if you’ve actually entered the world they depict? Which is why I’d argue that the people most skilled in content aren’t necessarily the best writers. Rather, they’re the ones who are able to empathize with characters so well that their creations seem real.
And when writing for marketing, you need to do the same thing. You need to connect with your audience. But first you have to understand who they are and what they care about. That’s where empathy mapping comes in.
So, What Is an Empathy Map?
An empathy map is a systematic tool that brings to light to your most likely customers. As you work through it, it teaches you how to connect with the people who will consume your content, products, or services. So, if you’re wondering how to understand what will motivate your potential customers, read the full article at MarketingProfs.com to find out.
-
- 21 May
How to Launch a Successful Online Community: A Step-by-Step Guide
It’s no secret that the way people buy has fundamentally changed over the years. These days, people are conducting their own research, reading product reviews, and seeking out recommendations before making a decision. And online communities are beginning to play an increasingly important role in this process.This is Not Just A B2C Game Anymore
As of 2018, according to the B2B Buyers Survey Report, B2B buyers are increasing their use of buyers’ forums. In fact, the survey found that 45% of business buyers spent more time and resources researching purchases than they did the previous year. There are some great examples of B2B communities like G2Crowd or GetApp that can be used to educate prospective customers and help them make better buying decisions.
But how can you start? What platform is best? To walk you through the process of setting up an online community in more detail, read the full article at HubSpot.com
-
- 20 May
B2B Buyers Want More Data and Research in Vendor Content
from Marketing Charts
If you are selling to other companies and you work to develop a thought leadership position, then content is a core tool. And that content is a critical building block for your success. But, what you think is valuable content may not be what your buyers think is valuable content. Wouldn’t it would be great to be able to know exactly what content buyers value in their purchase journey?Well, Now You Can
Thanks to a recent study [access page] by Demand Gen Report and ON24 we can now better understand what our B2B buyers value in content as they make their purchase decisions. One thing the report does bring out is that an extremely high percentage of B2B buyers say they currently have less time to devote to reading and research durring their purchase journey.
So how can vendors make content more valuable when time is limited? To find out, gain additional insights and to learn a few actionable points using data from the study, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
-
- 11 May
How to Create UTM Codes to Track Your URLs
by Ginny Mineo
A crucial aspect of being a great marketer is being able to measure your success. No matter which metrics you use, you want to prove to your boss (and the company) that you’re worth your salt.You deserve your budget. And maybe you need more of it. And you deserve to dedicate time to the marketing activities that work. But, measuring the impact of your work can be tricky without the right tools. And that’s where UTM codes come in. Building UTM codes that track your campaigns’ success is the best way to prove your success. Or even where campaign adjustments need to be made.
But, What are UTM codes?
UTM codes are snippets of text added to the end of a URL to help you track website traffic when users click a link to that URL. Marketers can customize this text to match the webpage this URL is linked on, allowing them to attribute the success of that campaign to specific pieces of content. And to learn how to build your UTM codes, read the full article at HubSpot.com
-
- 01 May
Report: Top Digital Channels Buyers Use for Discovering New Brands
from Marketing Charts
If you have a product that is new to market, then early brand discovery is your biggest challenge. Exactly how, and where in the great digital universe, can you can recognition? Where can you get noticed and begin to gain market traction?Well, the answer seems to be – On Social Media
According to Kantar Media, five of the top nine digital channels shoppers use to discover new brands are social media platforms. And of those, Facebook is used more than even product or brand websites for this purpose.
While social media is a key place for discovering a brand, once shoppers are further down the purchase journey, that changes. At that point social media is not as important to shoppers’ decision-making. And, it is at that point in their journey path that search is cited as chief purchase driver. And, this was borne out separately in a survey by SUMO Heavy. That report revealed that fewer than 1 in 5 (18%) adults say they have made a purchase directly through social media.
For more on these reports and additional insights into this, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
-
- 02 Mar
Use Customer Journey Mapping to Transform Frustration Into Conversion
For most businesses, it is difficult to see your product from your customers perspective. We all tend to be too obsessed with all the bells-and-whistles of the backend. And we tend to neglect to consider customer experience. As a result, we end up ignoring how the customer views us and our products.
If Only There Were a Magic Mirror . . .
Customer Journey Mapping is fundamentally designed to address that very issue. It is a tool that can give companies the ability to get a customer’s eye view of the user experience. Therefore, building a Customer Journey Map is important. It can help you to know how your business works. And it can help to spot potential weaknesses and allocating resources more effectively. Plus, it will even help to constantly improve and streamline your customer service.
But, building a Customer Journey Map doesn’t need to be a complex process. And it can be simple, and to see just how easy it can really be, read the full article on JeffBullas’s Blog.
- 1+360 303 1585
- info@DanLHoff.com
