Data Driven Marketing
B2B INBOUND MARKETING BENCHMARKS STRATEGY. AGILITY. PERSISTENCE.
How B2B marketers will achieve Inbound Marketing success in 2015.
Client Connection Research TM conducted by Ascend2 in partnership with NetProspex.
Are you chasing leads?
Or strategically growing your business?
While Inbound Marketing is well established in the B2B world, not every marketer is on board.
Settling on a strategy, building out content, and seamlessly integrating inbound tactics can take significantly more time and effort than other traditional outbound marketing efforts.
To uncover how marketers are planning to reach the next level of performance in the year ahead, NetProspex, in partnership with Ascend2, fielded this Inbound Marketing Survey of over 270 marketing and sales professionals. We thank them for their time and for sharing their valuable insights.
The charts in this edition of the Data Marketing Series, titled B2B Inbound Marketing Benchmarks, show that B2B marketers recognize that successful Inbound Marketing
programs are grounded in the quality of data they collect and how they apply purposeful data analysis to the broader market. In addition to the charts, we’ve included tips and insights that you might consider applying to your own inbound marketing programs.
This research has been produced for your use. Put it to work in your own marketing strategy planning and presentation materials. Clip the charts, write about them in your blog or post them on social media. We only ask you credit this research as published.
Lauren Brubaker
Sr. Manager, Demand Generation NetProspex
Consider This:
Developing a unique voice is vital. Establish how and why you stand out from the competition. Determine the best way to be discovered by your target audience.
Remember:
>> Create remarkable content
that’s easily found.
>> Provide prospects with relevant
and valuable information.
>> Convert with offers that satisfy
individual needs and goals.
>> Test and optimize your program
for the best results.
>> One-on-one conversations beat
mass messaging every time.
When it comes to leads, choose quality over quantity.
While increasing the number of leads is important to our audience, half of all B2B marketers
feel that the most important Inbound Marketing objective is to improve the quality of their leads. Consider This:
Unqualified leads cost marketers time, money, and customers. And worse still, they can clog your database with incomplete or inaccurate data.
In 2014 we revealed that quality is indeed lacking:
>> 84% of marketing databases are
barely functional.
>> 88% of records are missing basic
firmographic data.
>> 64% are without phone numbers.
Download the 2014 State of B2B Marketing Data Report What are the MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVES for Inbound Marketing in the year ahead?
Improve lead quality Increase sales revenue Increase conversion rates Increase lead quantity Increase brand awareness Increase web page traffic Improve analytics/reporting Reduce marketing costs
50%
48%
48%
45%
32%
26%
20%
10%
There’s plenty of room for improvement.
Helping a target discover your products and services before they’re even considering a purchase is hard work. It’s harder still to turn them into leads who covert. Fittingly, nearly 75% of B2B
organizations show room to improve the success of their Inbound Marketing efforts.
Consider This:
When it comes to marketing, many companies default to broad-brush, generic messages – because it’s easier and because their data doesn’t allow them to get as specific as they’d like.
Establishing a meaningful, two-way conversation requires insight into who your buyers are, what characteristics define them, and what actions they take in response to your offers.
Learn how data can boost the success of your inbound marketing programs: download this guide from the Content Marketing Institute: Marketing Data: Vitamin D for your Content Marketing
Very successful 27%
Somewhat successful 66%
Not successful 7%
How do you RATE THE SUCCESS of Inbound Marketing to achieve important objectives?
Reliable B2B business generators require a strategic foundation.
Creating engaging content is vital, but without a guiding strategy inbound tactics could fall short.
Nearly half (46%) of B2B marketers cite a lack of an effective strategy as their top obstacle.
Consider This:
With a new blog created somewhere in the world every half second*
there’s more and more competition for your customer’s attention.
When you eventually
connect are you aggressively promoting your brand or asking for the sale too soon?
Or do you set the stage for a dialogue that educates, entertains, influences and inspires?
The former is rarely shared with colleagues and friends.
The latter often is.
WP Virtuoso*
What are the MOST CHALLENGING OBSTACLES to Inbound Marketing success?
Lack of an effective strategy Lack of content creation Lack of tactical integration Inadequate budget Inability to prove ROI Ineffective metrics tracking Lack of training/experience Lack of website control
46%
42%
35%
35%
33%
25%
22%
12%
It’s all in the mix.
If your content is not easily discovered it doesn’t matter how relevant or sharable it is.
It’s no surprise that Content Creation and SEO are considered the most effective Inbound Marketing tactics.
Consider This:
The steady increase of external stimuli has taken its toll on the average attention span. Statisticbrain.com reveals that:
>> As of 2013, the average
attention span has dropped to only 8 seconds long.
>> 17% of page views last less
than 4 seconds.
>> And most people only read
28% of a typical web page (about 600 words).
With people tuning in and out so quickly, make sure your content is concise and has value. Test it to make sure.
What are the MOST EFFECTIVE TACTICS used for Inbound Marketing purposes?
Marketing content creation Search engine optimization Social media/social networking Website design optimization Blogging or guest blogging Inbound tactic integration Press and public relations Mobile marketing
66%
54%
34%
30%
30%
26%
13%
7%
Integration is difficult, but not impossible.
Many businesses mistakenly focus on a single tactic and, if it underperforms, quickly jump to the next big trend. Successful marketers take on the difficult challenge of integrating a combination of
highly targeted and coordinated inbound tactics into their overall marketing efforts.
Consider This:
Give prospects the info they need when they need it.
Novel idea, right?
But if your content fails to provide relevant information or compelling offers that align to the prospect’s point in the buyer’s journey, you won’t see much conversion.
Map one or more inbound marketing tactics to each stage of the buyer’s journey. And be sure you have aligned the right content with the right person.
Data integrity is key.
Read this blog for tips to ensure you’re marketing content to the right decision makers.
What are the MOST DIFFICULT TACTICS to excuse for Inbound Marketing purposes?
Marketing content creation Inbound tactic integration Search engine optimization Website design optimization Blogging or guest blogging Social media/social networking Press and public relations Mobile marketing
57%
41%
28%
27%
26%
25%
21%
20%
Get social and integrate.
Many marketers have yet to take advantage of integrating sharable, social and searchable
content within their email programs. In fact, less than a quarter of B2B marketers have employed these tactics to create more effective inbound marketing programs.
Consider This:
You probably already have the content you need. It just needs to be repurposed.
The smart way to use email marketing to support social media engagement is to find opportunities to automatically send emails to your subscribers encouraging them to engage with social media.
In fact, much of your content can probably serve double duty and be pushed out to multiple channels simultaneously.
And remember, even after a campaign is over, those old blog posts can still deliver!
Read our thoughts on Why You Need to Work Social Media Into Your Marketing Strategy.
Extensive integration of
Inbound tactics 23%
Limited integration of
inbound tactics 69%
No integration of inbound tactics 8%
To what extent does your company INTEGRATE INBOUND TACTICS like social media, search engine optimization and content?
No pain, no gain. Consider This:
Don’t be average, be remarkable!
Permission marketing expert and bestselling business author Seth Godin believes that the most effective way to spread the word about your products or services is to be remarkable.
If it doesn’t generate buzz, if after discovering it people don’t want to tell others about it, try something else. And test it till you get it right.
Want a tip on how to generate remarkable
content? Let your buyers be your guide.
Read this Buyer Persona Content Guide to learn how to deliver content your buyers want to read.
Creating content for Inbound Marketing purposes is not only the most effective tactic used, it is by far the most difficult tactic to execute.
66%
57% 54%
28%
34%
25%
30%
26%
30%
27%
Marketing
content creation Search engine
optimization Blogging or guest
blogging Website design optimization Social
media/social
Comparing top tactics: most effective versus most difficult execute Most Effective Tactics Most Difficult Tactics
Smart marketers adapt…sometimes with a little help.
Successful Inbound Marketing takes time and requires specialized skills – both of which are not always available in today’s lean organizations. We found that nearly 60% of B2B marketers outsource some or all of their Inbound Marketing tactics.
Consider This:
Outsourced Inbound Marketing experts can help you succeed by quickly breaking your audience down into segments. Have them determine where your most profitable targets, advocates and key influencers are hanging out and focus initial efforts there.
One area also worth considering is outsourcing your data management, as it is often the most burdensome aspect of your Inbound Marketing program.
Learn how NetProspex can alleviate your data management challenges and improve your inbound marketing results. Read our Smart Data Management Solutions Guide.
Combination of outsourced
and in-house 55%
Outsourced to an agency or consultancy 4%
Which best desribes RESOURCES USED to perform Inbound Marketing campaigns?
In-house resources only
41%
Pressure to generate results? Luckily there’s technology.
Because many Inbound Marketing processes are repeatable, they are easily automated. While 17% of B2B marketers use automation extensively, it’s surprising to learn that a over a quarter (28%) use none at all.
Consider This:
If you’re among leading
marketers who have embraced automation you may find it hard to believe that so many of your colleagues have not.
However, marketing automation adoption is accelerating: B2B research firm SiriusDecisions recently reported that the annual growth rate for
marketing automation adoption is currently at 22%. And that rate is likely to increase as barriers to adoption go down and capabilities go up.
Automation leaders like Salesforce, Marketo and Eloqua lead the pack.
NetProspex Data Management services are integrated with all three. Click on the links above to learn more.
Extensive use of marketing
automation Do not use 17%
marketing automation
28%
To what extent does your company USE MARKETING AUTOMATION to manage Inbound Marketing?
Limited use of marketing automation 55%
The methodology behind our research.
Client Connection Research™ surveys are conducted online from Ascend2’s panel of more than 50,000 US and international business leaders, marketing decision-makers and practitioners representing a range of contact roles, company types, sizes and geographic regions. The questionnaire used is standardized to incorporate these methodologies across all studies while maintaining our proven 3-Minute Survey format. Survey findings are examined in a quantitative context by experienced analysts and reported objectively.
Survey demographics for the B2B marketing segment
Consider This:
Looking to integrate inbound tactics into your marketing strategy? Let’s talk because the most successful integrated marketing programs start with great data.
Connect with us directly:
by phone, 888-826-4877,
by email, [email protected] or visit Netprospex.com
to learn more about how we can impact your 2015 marketing efforts.
Company Location
North America Europe 15% 75%
Other 10%
Role in the Company
Sales VP / Director / Manager 7%
In-house resources only
52%
Other
Marketing or Sales Staff 15%
Marketing VP / Director / Manager 32%
CEO / COO / CMO / CSO etc
40%
Marketing agencies, marketing software and data companies partner with Ascend2 to provide research-based demand generation. Our Research Partner Programs are transparent – spotlighting your brand and the interests of your market. Learn more at www.Ascend2.com
B2B Inbound Marketing Benchmarks
Research conducted by Ascend2 in partnership with NetProspex.
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NetProspex is the smarter B2B data partner. We help marketing and sales organizations optimize their revenue impact by increasing the quality and effectiveness of their marketing data management practices. Thousands of B2B organizations rely on NetProspex to assess, cleanse, enrich and grow their marketing data in order to fuel high-performing marketing campaigns and accelerate the creation of sales pipeline. To make databases richer and more actionable, the company offers the industry’s largest and most accurate reference database of B2B contacts, cleansed with proprietary CleneStepTM verification technology. For more information visit www.netprospex.com
