The Point

DECEMBER 6, 2022

Budgeting season is here again, and demand marketers are not immune. How big does your demand gen budget need to be in order to support your organization’s revenue goals in the new year? Alternatively, is the budget you’ve been handed enough to do the job? Based on the work we do with our agency’s B2B clients , here’s a basic, funnel-based approach to determining a realistic demand gen budget based on specific revenue targets: 1.

Budget Programs 162

Budget Programs Lead Ranking Demand Marketing Qualified Leads 162

The Point

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

A client asks: “What’s the best way to market to purchased lists like ZoomInfo ? We have a debate between our marketing and sales teams on whether the best approach is marketing emails, sales outreach, or something else. Curious as to your opinion?”. First, let’s dispense with the inevitable question of whether so-called “cold” lists even have a role to play in today’s marketing mix.

Purchase 162

Purchase Paid Search Agency Paid Social Agency Outreach 162

The Point

OCTOBER 11, 2022

A new report: “ What’s Working in Email Marketing: The Power of Aligning Strategies, Data & Content ” details the strategies, technologies, and best practices that today’s email marketers are adopting in an era of data privacy, remote work, and demanding, digitally-savvy buyers. I was asked by the team at Demand Gen Report to contribute my views, and those thoughts are republished below.

Marketing Report 246

Marketing Report Email Marketing Co-Registration Privacy 246

The Point

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

Public relations pros have been using the PESO Model for years by integrating Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned media strategies into a single campaign, to better establish authority, amplify reach, and improve results. Can PESO do the same for demand generation ? Gini Dietrich originally introduced the PESO Model in her 2014 book, Spin Sucks. Her approach showed how an integrated campaign combining four types of media channels creates a combined effect greater than the sum of its parts: * Paid Me

Demand Generation Agencies 130

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Webinar Metrics 130

The Point

AUGUST 25, 2022

Remember the days when watching your favorite TV show meant being in front of the television at a specific time on a specific day? Even for a boomer like me, those days are a distant memory. Why then, in a world of on-demand, streaming, watch-where-when-and-how-you-like content, do we B2B marketers still insist on promoting live Webinars, and expect attendees to show up on a specific day at a specific time, fully cognizant they’ll have the option to watch the recorded event at a later date?

Webinar Metrics 52

Webinar Metrics Demand Generation Agencies Top of Funnel Paid Social Agency 52

The Point

JUNE 24, 2022

Just when you thought B2B buyer habits couldn’t change more dramatically, along comes the COVID pandemic. The sudden, wholesale transition to remote work and virtual teams has only accelerated trends that were evident pre-COVID, led by younger generations of digital consumers who brought their buying preferences to the office (even if that office is now their living room).

Top of Funnel 130

Top of Funnel Cold Calling B2B Demand Generation 130

The Point

JULY 26, 2022

Why B2B campaigns that attempt to short cut the buyer journey are destined to disappoint

Top of Funnel 484

Top of Funnel Buyer's Journey Marketing Funnels B2B 484

The Point

JULY 26, 2022

How does marketing theory and thought leadership stack up with the B2B marketing realities most marketers face every day?

B2B Marketing 474

B2B Marketing B2B Thought Leadership B2B Thought Leadership 474

The Point

JANUARY 27, 2022

When companies look to get started in Account-Based Marketing (ABM) , the first step is very often a pilot campaign. On paper, the logic makes sense: * pick a handful of key accounts * execute an ABM campaign against those accounts * measure results * determine whether ABM is “worth the investment” on a larger scale. Unfortunately, the pilot approach to ABM is inherently risky, and, as a result, many companies may fail to achieve anywhere close to the desired results and/or end up dismissing ABM

Account Based Marketing 204

Account Based Marketing ABM Campaigns Demand Generation Agencies 204

The Point

DECEMBER 21, 2021

What trends will dominate the demand generation landscape in 2022? We asked the experts at Spear Marketing Group to chime in: “ Digital fatigue is real. B2B marketers need to rethink digital-first strategies to better engage audiences who not only demand new experiences, but also may be tiring of overused tactics. Direct mail is still an incredibly successful channel: open rates and response rates can be 3X email and other digital media.

Demand Generation Agencies 147

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Trends 147

The Point

NOVEMBER 23, 2021

Most B2B marketing benchmark reports are completely useless. That’s because either 1) the results were generated through surveys, which (as any reputable statistician will tell you) causes all sorts of data bias, and/or 2) the data fails to account for the wide variance caused by differences in offer (e.g. webinars vs. ebooks), product category, and target market.

Linkedin 130

Linkedin Cost per Lead Paid Search Agency Ads 130

The Point

OCTOBER 29, 2021

If you ask most B2B marketers how they use chat platforms like Drift , the immediate answer would most likely be: converting Web visitors. And indeed, increasing Web engagement and Web conversion rates is still a primary use case for chatbots in a B2B context. However, chat is also a powerful tool that can integrate into virtually any type of B2B demand generation program, campaign or initiative.

Account Based Marketing 350

Account Based Marketing B2B Marketing Automation Services Demand Generation Agencies 350

The Point

OCTOBER 1, 2021

Should you allow prospects to enter a personal email address when they fill out lead gen forms? B2B marketers seem divided on the question. In a recent LinkedIn poll , almost half of the respondents (46%) indicated they’d rather force prospects to enter business emails on forms, even if it resulted in higher abandonment rates. Historically, the attitude towards personal emails in B2B marketing has been that they betray a lower level of intent.

Lead Gen 297

Lead Gen Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads 297

The Point

OCTOBER 11, 2021

ABM may be revolutionizing B2B marketing but it won't solve every challenge. Learn the ABM realities marketers face when planning their first initiative.

Account Based Marketing 417

Account Based Marketing ABM Planning B2B Marketing 417

The Point

JULY 27, 2021

In a far-gone era, when demand generation was “direct marketing,” it was often said that for any campaign to be successful, the list was paramount. Do everything else right (message, offer, creative, etc.), the experts told us, and, if you’re sending to the wrong people, it’s all for nought. Fast-forward 20 years to a world of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) , and little has changed.

Demand Generation 351

Demand Generation Ideal Customer Profiles Account Based Marketing ABM 351

The Point

JUNE 30, 2021

When it comes to what is, and isn’t, Account-Based Marketing (ABM) , there are as many opinions out there as there are ABM experts. The reality is that ABM (now ABX, in some circles) is ever-evolving and so what qualifies as ABM is a moving target. Also, does it matter? Well, it matters only because many B2B marketers who haven’t yet stepped foot in the ABM waters are under pressure, from management or sales or both, to do so.

Account Based Marketing 162

Account Based Marketing ABM Planning Demand Generation Agencies 162

The Point

MAY 17, 2021

Whatever demand gen channels you use to generate marketing leads, there’s value in always promoting a mix of content and other offers that span the entire buying cycle: early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage. That’s not simply because prospective customers will engage more readily with content that better aligns with whether they’re researching best practices, actively evaluating potential vendors, or somewhere in between.

Marketing Management 207

Marketing Management Paid Search Agency Buying Cycle Demand Generation Agencies 207

The Point

APRIL 29, 2021

A client asks: “ We’ve been told that we should use a separate and unique domain for email that’s different from our main Web domain. Is this something you’d recommend? ”. The most common business case for using a separate email domain is that doing so can help protect a company’s main Web domain (companyname.com) from spam complaints, and thus minimize the chance of that same domain being blacklisted.

Domain 173

Domain Email Marketing CAN-SPAM Marketing Management 173

The Point

JANUARY 19, 2021

2020 was a year of change for marketers worldwide, much of it not for the best of reasons. Will B2B marketing, and demand generation in particular, revert to “normal” once the pandemic subsides and economic recovery kicks in, or are recent trends destined to become staple tactics in the months and years to come? We asked our colleagues at Spear Marketing Group to identify their best demand generation predictions for 2021 and the trends they believe are most likely to have staying power.

Demand Generation Agencies 147

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Lead Ranking 147

The Point

DECEMBER 15, 2020

A client asks: How long should a lead be chronically non-responsive before they’re marked as “marketing suspended”? What best practices should we put in place? There are multiple, legitimate reasons to suspend or even delete non-responsive leads from your mailing lists or CRM database: * Non-responsive leads can weigh down engagement rates and create a distorted view of campaign metrics. * High bounce rates and low open rates can damage your email reputation, which in turn may impact over

Lead Scoring 162

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Leads Lead 162

The Point

OCTOBER 22, 2020

A client asks: “I know the answer is probably “it depends” but curious if you think there’s a best practice for how many follow-up nurture emails to send TOFU content syndication leads before you stop due to non-engagement?”. My response: We typically design nurture programs for inbound leads like content syndication in 2 stages, as follows: 1) quickly determining if the person has an immediate need or otherwise merits sales follow-up; and then. 2) staying in touch with that in

Sales Qualified Leads 227

Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Leads 227

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Given the business case on which most Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategies are founded – namely, that ABM increases opportunities and revenue from high-value accounts – the temptation for marketers is to measure the success of those programs on similar, high-value criteria: namely, opportunities, revenue, and average deal size. However, relying exclusively, or even primarily, on late-stage KPIs can be problematic, particularly because ABM is most typically employed by companies marketing com

Account Based Marketing 290

Account Based Marketing ABM Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads 290

The Point

AUGUST 7, 2020

Aligning content offers with stages in the buying cycle is a critical factor in maximizing engagement. Early stage or “top of funnel” content generally speaks to industry trends or best practices because early stage buyers may only just be launching their research, or perhaps not even aware they have an urgent problem to solve. Later stage, mid-funnel or bottom-of-funnel buyers are further along in the process and so will be more interested in ROI, customer stories, or third-party reviews.

Top of Funnel 217

Top of Funnel Buying Cycle Buy Best Practices 217

The Point

JULY 30, 2020

Even as demand generation activity begins to pick up, most marketing budgets right now remain tight, and so B2B companies are looking for creative, low-cost ways to drive demand. One of the areas we recommend consistently to our clients is to do more with the corporate blog. Blogs are historically the province of the PR team, and so they’re not often looked at as a vehicle for driving leads, sales engagement, and revenue.

Demand 221

Demand Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Marketing Budget 221

The Point

JUNE 23, 2020

B2B marketing has seen a dramatic change in the last decade, driven by radical advances in marketing technology and the emergence of new channels. Even if you acknowledge that change as fact, however, it’s easy to become cynical (as I have) when vendors and thought leaders are constantly proclaiming the “death” of the old ways. If we’re to believe the experts, the following is true: * Email is dead. * Cold-calling is dead. * Content marketing is dead. * The MQL is dead.

Lead Ranking 264

Lead Ranking Enterprise Management Marketing Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing 264

The Point

MAY 19, 2020

It wasn’t that long ago, when marketing automation first burst on the scene, that the height of lead nurture sophistication was the simple, automated sending of multiple, sequential emails. Today, advances in marketing technology make such “automation” seem laughably basic. Modern, best-in-class lead nurture programs focus less on automation, and more on leveraging intent data, AI, social engagement, Web behavior and a host of other variables in order to deliver their messages – through a vari

Lead Nurturing 299

Lead Nurturing Class Budget Programs Lead Scoring 299

The Point

APRIL 22, 2020

I posted recently on LinkedIn that, in the current climate, leads from content syndication and other CPL programs may be an ideal replacement for lost trade shows and other events, and indeed can be an effective way to stay engaged in the marketplace at a time when many buyers are laying low. However, as much as it has a reputation as a way to generate “guaranteed” leads, content syndication is not a cure-all, and indeed, more than most demand generation channels, is likely to generate sales lea

Lead Scoring 162

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking CPL Cost per Lead 162

The Point

MARCH 12, 2020

This month there are, very suddenly, thousands, if not millions of marketing professionals working from home, every day, for the first time. If you’re one of those marketers, your company may or may not have the ready infrastructure or culture that supports remote work. And you also may not be blessed with a dedicated work space in the home environment.

Work Management 227

Work Management Paid Search Agency Tips Demand Generation Agencies 227

The Point

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Earlier this month I presented a standing-room only session at the B2BMX Conference in Scottsdale on key principles of B2B email creative. Part of that presentation was a “B2B Email Pre-Flight Checklist” – a list of questions an email marketer should ask, prior to pressing “send,” to ensure that a campaign aligns with current best practices and therefore stands the best chance of success.

B2B 243

B2B Landing Pages Webinar Metrics Paper 243

The Point

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

Almost 5 years ago, our agency conducted a survey to determine whether B2B companies were getting maximum value from their investment in marketing automation. The conclusion: most B2B companies were failing to follow even the most basic lead management best practices, even in areas that one would assume were a primary business case for purchasing marketing automation in the first place.

Marketing Automation Services 147

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Management Marketing Automation Automation 147

The Point

JANUARY 21, 2020

A client asks: “Should we be hosting our campaign landing pages in Marketo? We’ve always hosted them on our main site and simply embedded Marketo forms. Is there a big advantage to hosting them separately?”. This question comes up all the time in client work, and not just with Marketo customers. The most common reasons given for hosting landing pages as part of a company’s main Website are these: * It allows us to derive SEO benefit from site traffic to our main domain * We have more design flex

Landing Pages 147

Landing Pages Industry CMS Marketing Automation Services Marketo 147

The Point

JANUARY 7, 2020

Q4 is over, and with it, the inevitable rush to execute and scale marketing programs designed to somehow, magically, help a company makes its Q4 and year-end numbers. Spoiler alert: no amount of Q4 spend – not even with intent data, ABM, conversational marketing (chat), content experience and any other bells and whistles you might have at your disposal – will enable you to suddenly make up for leads and opportunities that should have been developed weeks and months ago.

Account Based Marketing 130

Account Based Marketing Top of Funnel Demand Generation Agencies Paid Search Agency 130

The Point

DECEMBER 13, 2019

The rate of change in B2B marketing and marketing technology continues to accelerate, and 2020 promises to be no different. I asked the best subject matter experts I know, my colleagues at Spear Marketing Group , what trends they think will highlight the next 12 months in B2B demand generation. Here’s what they had to say: “I fully expect to see continued buzz around AI, but I think the real heavy lifting next year is going to be around tech stack management.

Demand 222

Demand Ideal Customer Profiles Demand Generation Agencies Account Based Marketing 222

The Point

DECEMBER 10, 2019

When the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) takes effect on January 1, 2020, it will only be the latest (and not the last) in a wave of data privacy regulation to hit B2B marketers. It’s easy to become numb to the torrent of news, tips, and warnings about CCPA on social media and elsewhere, but make no mistake: these regulations are very real, and few marketers – no matter how small – are immune from risk if not adequately prepared.

Privacy 130

Privacy CAN-SPAM Opt-out Opt-in 130

The Point

OCTOBER 22, 2019

Congratulations: your last email campaign generated a really high click-through rate. Or did it? It’s an issue that B2B marketers are experiencing with increasing frequency: open rates and click-through rates that don’t quite match up, typically in the form of an abnormally high “click to open” (CTO) rate. The culprit? Email bots. Acting as a spam filter, email bots prevent malicious emails from infiltrating mail servers by auto-clicking the links in incoming emails.

Marketing Automation Services 127

Marketing Automation Services CAN-SPAM Click Rate Trigger Marketing 127

The Point

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

Another new year approaches and, with it, another major data privacy regulation takes effect. This time, it’s the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which becomes law on January 1, 2020. Don’t be fooled into thinking that only California companies need pay attention. Even if you’ve already established more stringent data collection and privacy measures as a result of GDPR. and other recent regulations (CAN-SPAM, CASL), CCPA is something that every B2B marketer needs to understand and prepar

B2B Marketing 220

B2B Marketing Advertising Agencies Privacy Policies B2B 220

The Point

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

While there’s little debate about the value of a well-planned, well-executed Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy, where many B2B companies struggle – and where ABM initiatives tend to stall – is in that phase between planning and execution, where strategy and account planning meet tactics, plays and content. As a tool to help companies execute and operationalize ABM, Spear Marketing Group developed the Opportunity-Based Marketing Framework, a proprietary model based on the SiriusDecisions Dem

Account Based Marketing 170

Account Based Marketing ABM Planning Lead Ranking 170