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Buyer Intent Data

Learn from the Experts: Account Based (ABX) in This New World

Article | March 6, 2023

There is a New Marketing Landscape and it is critical for companies to rethink their marketing and sales strategy. This is a world of financial uncertainty for your prospects and customers, resulting in decreased budgets, longer sales cycles, and higher churn. It’s also a world of competing priorities. Key influencers and decision makers are drowning in priority issues, making it challenging to earn their attention. Given these new realities, Account Based Marketing/Sales/Customer Success (ABX) is top of mind for marketing and sales leaders given its proven efficiency and effectiveness in engaging and converting priority accounts.

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Buyer Intent Data

How 6sense’s Embedded CDP Creates Immediate Wins

Article | September 11, 2023

Here’s a (somehow) well-kept secret about ABX: it can create immediate wins for your teams. When you and your teams start laser-focusing on the right prospects and customers — at the right time — it doesn’t take long for the wins to start piling up. Why? A winning ABX strategy will leverage an AI-powered customer data platform (CDP) that has an existing database of critical information such as: What your ideal customer profile (ICP) looks like Accounts you might not know about that are in-market and ready-to-buy The websites, keywords, and topics your buyers research most The signals your buyers give off when they’re ready to buy When you leverage this historical data, it’s like flipping on a spotlight on your most important accounts and everything they’re doing. Let’s look at why a CDP is so important for an ABX strategy and how you can switch your thinking from, “When will I start seeing ROI?” to “How will I capitalize on all of these opportunities?” How CDPs Bolster Your ABX Strategy Pursuing an ABX strategy means fine-tuning your revenue activities (marketing, sales, operations) to target very specific accounts. The critical data you need about those accounts comes from your CDP, which houses all of the interactions you have with your prospects and customers. That information includes: Web pages they visit Webinars they attend Content they download Calls they have with your sales team The CDP ingests all of that data and starts to learn what your typical buyer looks like, the patterns they follow, and what signals they give off when they’re ready to buy. Over time, and with enough data from your interactions, this information becomes very powerful and enables your teams to start honing their strategies. All of your revenue activities become more efficient because you’re reaching the right buyer at the right time. There’s a problem with traditional standalone CDPs, however. They can’t look backwards. They can only begin collecting data once implemented, and therefore take some time to start uncovering patterns and delivering results. But what if you could unlock the CDP-version of a flying DeLorean that empowers you travel into the past and unlock those missing puzzle pieces — without waiting for your CDP to ingest enough data? Win Fast with a CDP Full of Critical Data The key to unlocking fast wins for your ABX strategy is to utilize a CDP with historical first-party and third-party data. Your buyers have searched keywords related to your offerings, attended industry events, and read third-party review sites long before you implement a stand-alone CDP. Why should you have to wait for the platform to catch up and uncover those insights that are hiding in plain sight? 6sense’s embedded CDP grants you instant access to all of the historical data that our AI-powered platform has collected for years. Previously anonymous accounts that have been researching topics that match your offerings A detailed ICP based on real, historical data Insights into which of your prospects are actually in-market and ready-to-buy Clear evidence on which accounts and buyers should be prioritized We call uncovering this information lighting up the Dark Funnel™. When you shine a light on your Dark Funnel™ your teams can immediately start reaping the benefits. It won’t take months or even weeks to get your first wins — within days you can see a positive impact on your pipeline. Your sales team will get leaner and meaner. No need to spend hours trawling through LinkedIn to find the one uncovered gem of a prospect. As soon as you leverage an embedded CDP loaded with historical data, you’ll discover exactly who your next target should be. Your inside sales team can focus on personalizing outreach, not figuring out who to talk to. Your marketing team will begin improving their engagement numbers without increasing their spend. When a Director of Sales at “Ready-to-Buy Corporation” has been performing some under-the-radar research, the marketing team will receive an alert and can start targeting that person with ads that address their specific pain points. Software development company PTC is a good example. It has used 6sense to uncover more than 1,500 net new high-intent accounts that have generated $18 million in pipeline. “With 6sense, our team has driven outbound success by being empowered, motivated, and eager to strategically prospect to the right targets with relevant messaging,” says Brenda Souto, High Velocity Sales Manager at PTC. Conclusion Traditional standalone CDPs help you capture the interactions you have with your prospects and customers. All of this data is very useful to build a focused and efficient ABX strategy. But, a standalone CDP lacks historical data and trends — meaning it can take longer to see wins and ROI. An embedded CDP with a treasure trove of previous interactions, buying signals, and trend data can instantly prioritize your target accounts. Within days your teams will know much more about your buyers and how to target them with the right message at the right time.

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Account Based Data

4 Metrics to Measure ABM Impact on Sales

Article | August 19, 2022

Dealing with lengthy sales cycles, multiple decision-makers, and aggressive sales quotas must not be new for sales leaders like you. However, if you collaborate more closely with marketing and customer success, you will likely achieve better results with your ABM strategy. According to Forrester, highly aligned businesses grow 19% faster and are 15% more profitable. In this article, we will cover four ABM metrics you should be concerned with and how to track them to inform future ABM campaigns. 4 Metrics to Measure ABM Impact on Sales Pipeline Velocity When calculating pipeline velocity, compare the progression of opportunities through the sales cycle stages before and after. Measure how the velocity compares to previous cycles, whether you're running an ABM pilot or a mature program. Pipeline Velocity will help sales teams find opportunities during the sales cycle and close those good deals faster. Average Sales Cycle Length Measuring the average sales cycle length before and after the launch of your ABM program allows you to see if marketing activities have reduced the time it takes for your team to convert likely buyers from an opportunity to closed-won deals. A shorter sales cycle results in a greater number of closed deals per year and impressive ROI figures for your team. Average Contract Value (ACV) Average contract value (ACV) is one of the most important ways to measure the success of account-based marketing (ABM) because one of the main benefits of ABM is to find and convert high-intent, high-value accounts. Gartner found that the average deal size for ABM programs was 20% higher than for traditional demand generation programs. Measuring ACV can give you information about sales results and show how changes to ABM planning and strategy affect the bottom line. Customer Lifecycle Value (CLV) Customer Lifecycle Value is an all-encompassing metric that helps you determine how well your ABM program works and lets you predict future ROI. Once you've measured and optimized your CLV, you can assess customer churn and retain your high-value accounts. If you give accounts what they need at every stage of the buyer's journey through excellent customer service and personalized content, your customer churn rate will drastically decrease. Finishing Up Any successful ABM program starts and ends with strategic goals, objectives, and data-driven metrics. ABM programs done right can equip sales teams to point to a more valuable pipeline, shorter sales cycles, and more closed-won business.

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Core ABM

The ABM to ABX Transformation Drives Account Engagement

Article | May 13, 2022

Account-based marketing brings in a higher ROI compared to other marketing activities. It targets key accounts, but not always at the right time. The buyer experience gets compromised if the strategy does not align with the account’s buyer journey. Demandbase CMO John Miller paints an interesting picture of what ABM is. “The analogy that I've always used to describe ABM was fishing with spears, which was an effective analogy. But at the same time, it doesn't feel very good to get poked by a spear.” -Demandbase CMO John Miller If ABM pokes accounts without respecting them or creating an emotional connection with them, customer success cannot be guaranteed. This is where ABX comes in. It’s a GTM strategy that puts the value of customer experience above the value of key accounts. ABM ››› ABX: Why Are B2B Marketers Adopting ABX? B2B marketers clearly understand how effective the ABX strategy is compared to good old ABM. Here are the reasons why: Buyer groups are the stars of the show. AI insights provide accurate information on which accounts exhibit buyer intent and what they are looking for. These accounts are engaged through hyper-personalized campaigns only when they are in the buying phase. Marketing, sales, and customer success teams ensure every touchpoint consistently delivers value to the customer. ABX execution involves being agile enough to adapt to the ever-changing behavior and needs of the customer. Every customer is nurtured to deepen loyalty for a long-term business relationship. Why Does ABX Matter? Upgrading your plain old ABM strategy to an ABX strategy simply means applying customer experience best practices to your marketing processes. Consequently, your campaigns are trustworthy, impactful, empathetic, and relevant to every stage of your customer’s journey. Targeted messaging that appeals to every member of the customer’s buying team influences the buying decision of the account. The strategy brings sales, marketing, SDR, and customer-facing teams together so they work towards creating a wholesome customer experience consistently across all the touchpoints. Conclusion In a world where there is a continuous influx of information and a scarcity of attention, any kind of interruptive marketing may be ineffective and off-putting. Companies should focus on ABX to build trust with key accounts and create engagement that isn’t forced through perfectly orchestrated interactions across a project or management lifecycle.

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Spotlight

The Marketing Arm

We are built to help brands engage along the entire consumer journey. Our focus? Make brands mean something to consumers no matter how they come in contact. Which is why we have deep expertise across multiple disciplines.

Related News

Account Based Execution

G2 Annual Report Ranks Sendoso as Best Account-Based Direct Mail Provider for Third Consecutive Year

Business Wire | March 31, 2023

Sendoso, the global industry leader in direct marketing automation, has been named the No. 1 provider in Account-Based Direct Mail for the third straight year by G2, the world’s largest tech marketplace. Sendoso’s top recognition out of nearly 150,000 companies on G2 highlights the company’s continued commitment to providing innovative solutions to help sales and marketing teams engage with customers in more personalized and effective ways. G2’s Account-Based Direct Mail Report, which is based on verified reviews from actual users, evaluates software solutions that enable businesses to send targeted, personalized, and trackable direct mail to prospects and customers. Sendoso scored the highest in both customer satisfaction and market presence among verified reviews, culminating in its top billing. “We continue to develop new and innovative ways to strengthen relationships between businesses and their clients, and this achievement validates our efforts,” said Kris Rudeegraap, Sendoso CEO and co-founder. “Personalized and impactful outreach has been at the forefront of our values since day one, and to be recognized by G2 not just multiple times but in three consecutive years is truly an honor. This ranking motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to make those connections deeper and more authentic.” According to G2, to be included in the Account-Based Direct Mail category, a product must: Provide the ability to send personalized, one-to-one direct mail, or gifts, to contacts within a company’s targeted accounts. Enable companies to measure the impact and ROI of an account-based direct mail campaign. Sendoso’s sending platform empowers businesses to send highly personalized gifts, eGifts, and branded merchandise, as well as direct mail and handwritten notes, to prospects and customers at scale. "Sendoso's total commitment to customer satisfaction continues to be validated by nearly 900 authentic customer reviews, and thus have earned G2 Leader recognition in the Account-Based Direct Mail category for a third-straight year,” said Godard Abel, co-founder and CEO of G2. To learn more about Sendoso and its award winning platform, visit sendoso.com. About Sendoso Sendoso is the global leader in Direct Marketing Automation, creating, curating and delivering automated, meaningful experiences for customers of all sizes. The trusted partner of Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies worldwide, Sendoso helps customers generate new pipelines, utilize account-based efforts, boost customer retention and increase upsell and cross sell. Sendoso has locations across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and has had more than 800 customers leverage its proven automated solution to deliver nearly four million sends worldwide. Learn more at sendoso.com. About G2 G2 is the world’s largest B2B tech marketplace, connecting millions of businesses with the products and services they need to grow. G2 offers unbiased ratings and reviews of software and services based on user feedback and market presence, making it easier for businesses to make informed decisions when selecting technology solutions. The platform is home to over one million reviews and counting, with more than five million visitors each month. Headquartered in Chicago, G2 has offices in San Francisco, London, and Bangalore. For more information, please visit www.g2.com.

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Account Based Analytics, Targeted Account Strategy

New B2B Sales and Marketing Approach by Influ2 is Based on Person-based Advertising

Influ2 | January 10, 2023

Influ2, a person-based advertising platform, is hosting a webinar titled "Beyond Alignment: A New Approach to Sales and Marketing for B2B," which addresses how businesses can adapt to changes in preferred buying methods in light of an economic downturn. The webinar will show how to get your sales and marketing teams to work together so that you can react quickly to changes in how your customers act. The webinar, led by the CEO of Influ2 and featuring a principal analyst from Forrester, will discuss how businesses can structure their approach to B2B marketing, sales, and customer success to drive revenue, how marketing can support sales, and what metrics are important for a customer-focused organization. The webinar aims to help organizations become more agile in their approach to B2B marketing, sales, and customer success, enabling them to create better customer experiences that drive greater ROI. “Marketing and sales alignment is impossible if these teams focus on different stages of the funnel,” said Dmitri Lisitski, CEO and co-founder of Influ2. “True marketing and sales alignment arises when they talk to the same audience in the unified funnel where there is no hand-off between marketing and sales and MQL/MQAs are secondary, if not obsolete.” (Source: Globenewswire) The webinar will also focus on the importance of understanding buyer personas and reaching each individual with personalized content. The event will also detail the importance of marketing and sales alignment, the buyer group experience, and how to achieve pipeline momentum. The webinar will serve as a valuable resource for businesses looking to adapt to the changing buying habits of their customers, especially in the midst of an economic downturn. About Influ2 Influ2 is a Person-Based Advertising platform for B2B companies. It was developed specifically for B2B marketers who want to expand the reach of their businesses and increase their revenue. It serves advertisements to specific decision-makers through display and social networks and provides sales with person-based and buying group insights that drive engagement within their target accounts. These insights can be driven by the fact that it serves advertisements. In environments where people's attention is limited, Influ2 helps you get in front of people who want to engage with you and drives engagement with them.

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Account Based Advertising, Targeted Account Strategy

The changing face of brand building in B2B boardrooms

transmission | August 10, 2022

Despite historic skepticism from B2B boardrooms, brand building has been going through somewhat of a renaissance over the past few years. For all too long, the B2B marketing function was seen as a cost-center whose existence was to support sales in accelerating pipeline and maximizing ROI. Mentions of brand in the boardroom could be met with disinterest and to a certain extent, fear, driven by difficulties in measuring its impact on the bottom line. The effects of a negligent approach to B2B brand building were clear. In 2019, the Financial Times partnered with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) – a professional institute for agencies and individuals working in the UK’s advertising, marketing, and communications industry – to publish the ‘Board-Brand Rift’ report revealing that over half of business leaders rated their knowledge of brand building as ‘average’ to ‘very poor’. But things are changing. In just a few short years, brand has made its way to the top of B2B marketing leaders’ priority lists. Our ‘State of B2B Brand Building 2022’ research report reveals that 71% of B2B marketing leaders acknowledge that boardroom views of brand building have changed significantly in the last 12 months – with over 60% now believing that brand marketing is a strategic business priority. B2B buyers want more from business: The marketplace has seen a huge shift in B2B buyer behavior driven, in part, by the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns over public health, the environment, and job security contributed to a climate of fear and anxiety in which buyers looked to make more ethical purchase decisions – turning to business as a bastion of societal leadership. Two years on, B2B buyers are increasingly looking to engage with highly resonant and authentic brands. They want to know that the companies they buy from reflect their own values and whether they contribute to wider society, putting purpose above profit. "COVID-19 has accelerated the need for our brand to have a real and meaningful purpose; one that contributes more to the local community and improves lives. This is what our buyers now expect from us." - Survey response from a B2B marketing leader. B2B brands need a clear and defined purpose to stay competitive in today’s marketplace. Brand trust, transparency, and authenticity are all high on the list of customers’ brand selection criteria, and organizations need to respond to match. Thankfully, it seems like they are: Over one-third of those surveyed said they needed to reset their brand strategy and proposition to strengthen the emotional connection with their audience. Competition is at an all-time high: The pandemic, however, was not alone in shaping today’s B2B marketplace. A surge in mergers and acquisitions across B2B industries has intensified market competition, reducing the effectiveness of demand generation campaigns on revenue growth. As a result, B2B organizations have started taking a progressively long-term view of brand. Many are turning to brand awareness campaigns to build memory structures in the minds of prospective future buyers – reflecting Professor John Dawes’ 95:5 heuristic. "We need to keep our company in users’ minds. Creating memorable impressions and standing out from the crowd through our brand is more important than ever before." - Survey response from a B2B marketing leader. However, as brand continues to skyrocket in importance, so does the role of creativity in B2B brand building. Of the B2B marketing leaders we surveyed, 42% highlight the need to better define their brand to help differentiate themselves. Buyers today can be fairly confident that a range of companies can deliver what they require, leaving differentiation to brand rather than a product or service. And this is reflected in how our respondents agree that a shift away from the B2B ‘safe and steady’ approach enables more unique brand positioning and ultimately, improved standout in the hearts and minds of their audience. New approaches, old problems: Perhaps unsurprisingly, shifts in boardroom priorities aren’t without their challenges. While over half of our survey’s respondents said that brand building is equally as important as demand generation in achieving their marketing goals, 40% told us that only 5-20% of their annual marketing budget is allocated to brand building programs. This comes in stark contrast to Les Binet (Head of Effectiveness at adam&eve DDB) and Peter Field’s (a seasoned Marketing Consultant) seminal research piece stating that B2B brands should look to spend 60% of their budget on brand and 40% on demand for optimum effectiveness. For B2B brand marketers to allay boardroom concerns and win increased brand investment, they need to become more market-oriented and talk the language of finance. Providing a clear link between authentic, purpose-driven brand building initiatives, customer acquisition, and increased revenue growth – along with the ability to command higher prices, negotiate better supply chain contracts, and attract better employees – can help demonstrate the commercial value and competitive edge of a brand. Alternatively, B2B marketing leaders can look to relate brand investment to the challenges that keep their CFO awake at night. The B2B Institute’s Jon Lombardo recently spoke on Fergus O'Carroll’s ‘On Strategy’ podcast about the importance of the relationship between marketing and finance. In general, 20% of a company’s stock price is based on short-term cash flows, while the other 80% is based on the long-term. Lombardo argues if CMOs work with their CFO to pair this cash flow-centric view with a customer-centric marketing strategy, they can pave the way for a rebalancing of the marketing budget in favor of brand building initiatives – enabling greater investment in capturing the 80% of future buyers.

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Account Based Execution

G2 Annual Report Ranks Sendoso as Best Account-Based Direct Mail Provider for Third Consecutive Year

Business Wire | March 31, 2023

Sendoso, the global industry leader in direct marketing automation, has been named the No. 1 provider in Account-Based Direct Mail for the third straight year by G2, the world’s largest tech marketplace. Sendoso’s top recognition out of nearly 150,000 companies on G2 highlights the company’s continued commitment to providing innovative solutions to help sales and marketing teams engage with customers in more personalized and effective ways. G2’s Account-Based Direct Mail Report, which is based on verified reviews from actual users, evaluates software solutions that enable businesses to send targeted, personalized, and trackable direct mail to prospects and customers. Sendoso scored the highest in both customer satisfaction and market presence among verified reviews, culminating in its top billing. “We continue to develop new and innovative ways to strengthen relationships between businesses and their clients, and this achievement validates our efforts,” said Kris Rudeegraap, Sendoso CEO and co-founder. “Personalized and impactful outreach has been at the forefront of our values since day one, and to be recognized by G2 not just multiple times but in three consecutive years is truly an honor. This ranking motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to make those connections deeper and more authentic.” According to G2, to be included in the Account-Based Direct Mail category, a product must: Provide the ability to send personalized, one-to-one direct mail, or gifts, to contacts within a company’s targeted accounts. Enable companies to measure the impact and ROI of an account-based direct mail campaign. Sendoso’s sending platform empowers businesses to send highly personalized gifts, eGifts, and branded merchandise, as well as direct mail and handwritten notes, to prospects and customers at scale. "Sendoso's total commitment to customer satisfaction continues to be validated by nearly 900 authentic customer reviews, and thus have earned G2 Leader recognition in the Account-Based Direct Mail category for a third-straight year,” said Godard Abel, co-founder and CEO of G2. To learn more about Sendoso and its award winning platform, visit sendoso.com. About Sendoso Sendoso is the global leader in Direct Marketing Automation, creating, curating and delivering automated, meaningful experiences for customers of all sizes. The trusted partner of Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies worldwide, Sendoso helps customers generate new pipelines, utilize account-based efforts, boost customer retention and increase upsell and cross sell. Sendoso has locations across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, and has had more than 800 customers leverage its proven automated solution to deliver nearly four million sends worldwide. Learn more at sendoso.com. About G2 G2 is the world’s largest B2B tech marketplace, connecting millions of businesses with the products and services they need to grow. G2 offers unbiased ratings and reviews of software and services based on user feedback and market presence, making it easier for businesses to make informed decisions when selecting technology solutions. The platform is home to over one million reviews and counting, with more than five million visitors each month. Headquartered in Chicago, G2 has offices in San Francisco, London, and Bangalore. For more information, please visit www.g2.com.

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Account Based Analytics, Targeted Account Strategy

New B2B Sales and Marketing Approach by Influ2 is Based on Person-based Advertising

Influ2 | January 10, 2023

Influ2, a person-based advertising platform, is hosting a webinar titled "Beyond Alignment: A New Approach to Sales and Marketing for B2B," which addresses how businesses can adapt to changes in preferred buying methods in light of an economic downturn. The webinar will show how to get your sales and marketing teams to work together so that you can react quickly to changes in how your customers act. The webinar, led by the CEO of Influ2 and featuring a principal analyst from Forrester, will discuss how businesses can structure their approach to B2B marketing, sales, and customer success to drive revenue, how marketing can support sales, and what metrics are important for a customer-focused organization. The webinar aims to help organizations become more agile in their approach to B2B marketing, sales, and customer success, enabling them to create better customer experiences that drive greater ROI. “Marketing and sales alignment is impossible if these teams focus on different stages of the funnel,” said Dmitri Lisitski, CEO and co-founder of Influ2. “True marketing and sales alignment arises when they talk to the same audience in the unified funnel where there is no hand-off between marketing and sales and MQL/MQAs are secondary, if not obsolete.” (Source: Globenewswire) The webinar will also focus on the importance of understanding buyer personas and reaching each individual with personalized content. The event will also detail the importance of marketing and sales alignment, the buyer group experience, and how to achieve pipeline momentum. The webinar will serve as a valuable resource for businesses looking to adapt to the changing buying habits of their customers, especially in the midst of an economic downturn. About Influ2 Influ2 is a Person-Based Advertising platform for B2B companies. It was developed specifically for B2B marketers who want to expand the reach of their businesses and increase their revenue. It serves advertisements to specific decision-makers through display and social networks and provides sales with person-based and buying group insights that drive engagement within their target accounts. These insights can be driven by the fact that it serves advertisements. In environments where people's attention is limited, Influ2 helps you get in front of people who want to engage with you and drives engagement with them.

Read More

Account Based Advertising, Targeted Account Strategy

The changing face of brand building in B2B boardrooms

transmission | August 10, 2022

Despite historic skepticism from B2B boardrooms, brand building has been going through somewhat of a renaissance over the past few years. For all too long, the B2B marketing function was seen as a cost-center whose existence was to support sales in accelerating pipeline and maximizing ROI. Mentions of brand in the boardroom could be met with disinterest and to a certain extent, fear, driven by difficulties in measuring its impact on the bottom line. The effects of a negligent approach to B2B brand building were clear. In 2019, the Financial Times partnered with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) – a professional institute for agencies and individuals working in the UK’s advertising, marketing, and communications industry – to publish the ‘Board-Brand Rift’ report revealing that over half of business leaders rated their knowledge of brand building as ‘average’ to ‘very poor’. But things are changing. In just a few short years, brand has made its way to the top of B2B marketing leaders’ priority lists. Our ‘State of B2B Brand Building 2022’ research report reveals that 71% of B2B marketing leaders acknowledge that boardroom views of brand building have changed significantly in the last 12 months – with over 60% now believing that brand marketing is a strategic business priority. B2B buyers want more from business: The marketplace has seen a huge shift in B2B buyer behavior driven, in part, by the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns over public health, the environment, and job security contributed to a climate of fear and anxiety in which buyers looked to make more ethical purchase decisions – turning to business as a bastion of societal leadership. Two years on, B2B buyers are increasingly looking to engage with highly resonant and authentic brands. They want to know that the companies they buy from reflect their own values and whether they contribute to wider society, putting purpose above profit. "COVID-19 has accelerated the need for our brand to have a real and meaningful purpose; one that contributes more to the local community and improves lives. This is what our buyers now expect from us." - Survey response from a B2B marketing leader. B2B brands need a clear and defined purpose to stay competitive in today’s marketplace. Brand trust, transparency, and authenticity are all high on the list of customers’ brand selection criteria, and organizations need to respond to match. Thankfully, it seems like they are: Over one-third of those surveyed said they needed to reset their brand strategy and proposition to strengthen the emotional connection with their audience. Competition is at an all-time high: The pandemic, however, was not alone in shaping today’s B2B marketplace. A surge in mergers and acquisitions across B2B industries has intensified market competition, reducing the effectiveness of demand generation campaigns on revenue growth. As a result, B2B organizations have started taking a progressively long-term view of brand. Many are turning to brand awareness campaigns to build memory structures in the minds of prospective future buyers – reflecting Professor John Dawes’ 95:5 heuristic. "We need to keep our company in users’ minds. Creating memorable impressions and standing out from the crowd through our brand is more important than ever before." - Survey response from a B2B marketing leader. However, as brand continues to skyrocket in importance, so does the role of creativity in B2B brand building. Of the B2B marketing leaders we surveyed, 42% highlight the need to better define their brand to help differentiate themselves. Buyers today can be fairly confident that a range of companies can deliver what they require, leaving differentiation to brand rather than a product or service. And this is reflected in how our respondents agree that a shift away from the B2B ‘safe and steady’ approach enables more unique brand positioning and ultimately, improved standout in the hearts and minds of their audience. New approaches, old problems: Perhaps unsurprisingly, shifts in boardroom priorities aren’t without their challenges. While over half of our survey’s respondents said that brand building is equally as important as demand generation in achieving their marketing goals, 40% told us that only 5-20% of their annual marketing budget is allocated to brand building programs. This comes in stark contrast to Les Binet (Head of Effectiveness at adam&eve DDB) and Peter Field’s (a seasoned Marketing Consultant) seminal research piece stating that B2B brands should look to spend 60% of their budget on brand and 40% on demand for optimum effectiveness. For B2B brand marketers to allay boardroom concerns and win increased brand investment, they need to become more market-oriented and talk the language of finance. Providing a clear link between authentic, purpose-driven brand building initiatives, customer acquisition, and increased revenue growth – along with the ability to command higher prices, negotiate better supply chain contracts, and attract better employees – can help demonstrate the commercial value and competitive edge of a brand. Alternatively, B2B marketing leaders can look to relate brand investment to the challenges that keep their CFO awake at night. The B2B Institute’s Jon Lombardo recently spoke on Fergus O'Carroll’s ‘On Strategy’ podcast about the importance of the relationship between marketing and finance. In general, 20% of a company’s stock price is based on short-term cash flows, while the other 80% is based on the long-term. Lombardo argues if CMOs work with their CFO to pair this cash flow-centric view with a customer-centric marketing strategy, they can pave the way for a rebalancing of the marketing budget in favor of brand building initiatives – enabling greater investment in capturing the 80% of future buyers.

Read More

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