Targeted Advertising in Magazine Markets and the Advent of the Internet

This paper examines how the ability of media firms to engage in targeted advertising has changed with increased competition from online channels.

Spotlight

Convertr

We are the software that’s restoring marketers' confidence in their conversion efforts. With a proudly independent approach, Convertr works alongside marketers to bring a whole new level of actionable insight, clarity, and control to lead generation. Our artfully crafted platform acts as a catalyst to unite, automate and accelerate your demand process, while protecting your database of record.

OTHER ARTICLES
Buyer Intent Data

Steps for Building an ABM Program like Salesforce

Article | October 7, 2022

Many marketers define ABM as good B2B marketing. Targeting the right accounts at the right time with an appropriate message is the golden aim of account-based marketing (ABM). ABM ensures not only reach but also accuracy. In an interview with Media 7, Ryan Phelan, Marketing Chief / Fractional CMO at Origin Email, talked about the importance of ABM technology and the challenges in marketing after the COVID-19 pandemic began. "B2B companies should adopt ABM technology to level up their communications and react quickly." ABM technology enables marketers to hit pipeline and revenue targets swiftly while working alongside sales teams. Salesforce provides ABM automation to its clients using AI Einstein technology in their Customer Success Platform. But what does Salesforce’s ABM platform look like? How are they finding accounts that need a sophisticated AI-run ABM marketing platform? How Salesforce Created Its ABM Program Salesforce considered B2B buyer behavior (purchase intent and engagement) to deliver a solid marketing and sales experience for each of its strategic accounts. Accordingly, it took the following steps to kick-start its ABM program: Defining ABM Salesforce ABM marketing team handles campaigns that target 300 or fewer accounts. An ABM program can have many approaches. It can be 1: Many, 1: Few, or 1:1. The smaller the radius of the process, the more hyper-focused the campaign, content, budget, and customer journeys are. By simply aligning their approach strategy with defined ABM, Salesforce achieved larger deal sizes, higher sales win rates, higher ROI, and faster revenue growth compared to other marketing strategies. It suitably approached accounts that it thought were high value and showed buyer intent for their products and services. Choosing a Suitable Account-based Platform Salesforce was aware that it would have to engage a variety of vendors and platforms to run its ABM program smoothly. It had to go beyond building a foundation for its program. For that, it needed dedicated tools and resources. Without account-based partners that could provide them with these tools and resources,it would be difficult to implement their program. They chose RollWorks as their account-based partner, to set up their ABM program. Putting Together a Dedicated Team to Ensure ABM Program’s Success Creating a single team to support and execute the ABM program was crucial before launching the ABM campaigns Salesforce had planned. They had teams who knew what ABM was all about; they even ran campaigns in silos. So, Salesforce pooled its ABM resources and formed a single team to carry out ABM-related operations. Identifying Strategic Target Accounts With the support of technology, Salesforce validated the list of target accounts and filtered out accounts that weren’t such a good fit using their first-party data. They made sure they looked at all the possible data they had, including third-party, so there was no scope for error. As a result, they had a list of high-value accounts with an ideal customer profile (ICP). Engaging the Target Accounts After the target accounts were identified, Salesforce ran campaigns of highly customized content for each stage of the sales journey to entice prospects. Once the prospects entered the sales pipeline, hyper-personalized messages, ads, and emailers were sent to them using AI. Using Data for Continued Engagement Salesforce ABM campaigns used all available data to create new or repurpose existing content assets like customer stories, consultation forms, research reports, and blog posts to nurture the leads at every stage. Cultivating Customer Relationships Using a specially created ABM dashboard, Salesforce monitored its campaign results to understand which content its leads engaged with the most. Then, it removed the content that did not generate engagement to streamline engagement with previous unengaged leads. The secret was to create humane content that didn’t have buzzwords, consistently maintain brand voice and tone, and make special content that the leads could resonate with. Educating and engaging the leads increased the deal sizes and customer lifetime value. Holistic reporting helped them evolve their ABM strategy continuously. By creating a robust ABM program that took care of its targeting accounts’ evolving needs, pain points, and expectations, Salesforce saw a 24 percent faster revenue growth and an 87 percent higher ROI. How Salesforce Got a 30 Percent Close Rate by Using ABM Technology While promoting their Boston World Tour Series, Salesforce used ABM campaigns to get registrations. One out of their fourtarget accounts engaged with their content, and an average of five contacts per account engaged with them. In six weeks, they got in touch with 410 target accounts, of which 110 engaged with them. They achieved a 30 percent close rate for their campaign. Creating an ABM Program like Salesforce Salesforce has come a long way by using ABM technology to expand its offerings. It has AI-powered products, tools, and services that provide ABM automation to other companies. For example, their ABM Salesforce Marketing Cloud product has helped brands like Herman Miller achieve a 200% increase in their email revenue. To create an effective ABM program like Salesforce, you can use their steps as a blueprint. These steps apply to all kinds of businesses, but if you still don’t know how and where to start, find the answers to the following questions to comprehend what you can do next: Do you think ABM is right for your business? Are there any customer accounts that require special attention? Can your business fund expert consultation for ABM and eventually an ABM program? Once you find the answers to the above questions, you can take your first step towards building an effective ABM program that can help you scale your business. Conclusion ABM technology is revolutionizing B2B marketing by harnessing AI and targeted approaches, personalization, and automation using high-quality intent data. Implementing an effective ABM strategy is crucial to driving ROIs and growth. FAQ How does ABM differ from a traditional lead generation marketing strategy? ABM helps you target high-value accounts with hyper-personalized content, instead of presenting generic content to unclassified accounts. What is an ABM platform? An ABM platform is a technology that helps marketers run their ABM programs at scale. Why is ABM important in your marketing efforts? With the help of ABM, marketers may be able to shorten their sales cycle, increase their marketing involvement in the sales funnel, and achieve a high ROI.

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Buyer Intent Data

How 6sense’s Embedded CDP Creates Immediate Wins

Article | August 23, 2022

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

Transform Your Business into a Sales Machine with Buyer Intent Data

Article | August 19, 2022

B2B buyer intent data provides insight into a user’s purchase intent. With this information, you can identify when a prospect matching your ICP is actively considering buying your product, or similar products or solutions. This intent data is collated from different digital sources that use cookies to analyze key intent search terms to zero in on when a prospect is in an active buying journey. With this information, B2B companies like yours can make campaigns that are very specific to these prospects and are more likely to convert them. Let us take a look at how B2B buyer intent data can assist sales teams to achieve their revenue goals. Identify High-Intent Target Accounts In account-based marketing, a target account list has companies and accounts that are most likely to buy your product. This target account list helps your sales and marketing teams concentrate their efforts to push high-quality leads through the sales funnel. Using B2B buyer intent data, the sales team can know which prospect is showing key signals of purchase intent. These B2B intent data key signals include downloading resources, reading blog posts, signing up for a free trial, booking a demo, viewing the pricing page, and revisiting your website after the first interaction. Your sales team can segment the target list based on this information. Every lead can be broken down into three segments: high intent, medium intent, and low intent. Now that your sales team has the high intent leads, they can target these leads and convert them without wasting time on low intent leads that may not be ready to buy. Your Sales Cycles Are Shorter than Ever Salespeople often struggle with closing deals faster. The reasons behind this could be anything from wrong contact details to chasing imprecise, low-qualified leads and cold prospecting. Reaching out to accounts that do not show any intent to buy is a waste of time your sales team cannot afford if it wants to meet the revenue targets. With the help of B2B buyer intent data, your sales team gets actionable data insights on the accounts that are in the market and what they are looking for so they can approach these accounts confidently. Popular intent data providers provide more than 95% accurate contact information, company structure, and buyer group details on accounts so your sales team can connect with decision-makers directly and close deals faster. Lead Prioritization is No Longer a Struggle Prioritized lead scoring effectively puts sales managers and salespeople in a position to see real opportunities. B2B buyer intent data allows them to see what other paths leads can take even if they do not visit your website. They can understand which leads are in the final stage of the sales cycle in real-time. Leveraging this information, sales managers can align sales representatives based on the comprehensive overview of accounts without worrying about the initial ranking of the account with the help of intent-based marketing. It helps the entire sales team take advantage of the foresight that intent data provides to create an agile method to capture demand accurately. Improved ABM Implementation Enriching the B2B buyer journey with hyper-personalized content to target ICP in marketing as a part of intent data marketing becomes easy for your marketing teams. They can prepare content for each stage of the buying funnel, which consists of awareness, consideration, and decision-making stages. In the awareness stage, you can help your prospects narrow down their search and lead them to your brand. In the consideration stage, your sales teams can get in touch with the decision-makers who respond the most to your marketing campaigns and are in the stage to purchase your product. In the final decision-making stage, your customer support and sales teams can provide the prospects the assistance they need through content on crucial pages via a product guidance tool or a chat service. This way, your B2B account-based marketing strategy can be implemented with added accuracy. Final Thought Saving costs, generating more leads, and boosting sales becomes easier with the help of buyer intent data. Rather than letting your sales team wait for prospects to stumble upon landing pages, your business can leverage B2B intent data to gain a competitive edge by finding them first and offering them solutions to their problems through your products using buyer intent data strategies.

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ABM Accounts

Five Must-Try Software As A Service Growth Hacking Strategies

Article | May 30, 2021

Many businesses employ Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for its flexibility and simplicity to fulfill their marketing requirements. Different types of SaaS marketing platforms help companies simplify their marketing needs. But growing a SaaS company isn’t easy. It is quite challenging because the industry is flooded with competition. Research had predicted very early on that 73% of the companies would turn all their apps into SaaS by 2021, making SaaS competition fiercer than ever. Marketeers eye for consumers’ already limited attention spans in B2B and B2C spaces.

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Spotlight

Convertr

We are the software that’s restoring marketers' confidence in their conversion efforts. With a proudly independent approach, Convertr works alongside marketers to bring a whole new level of actionable insight, clarity, and control to lead generation. Our artfully crafted platform acts as a catalyst to unite, automate and accelerate your demand process, while protecting your database of record.

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.

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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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