The Point

DECEMBER 28, 2017

Demand Generation Report just published their 2018 Outlook Guide: The State of Marketing Automation. I was honored to be invited to contribute my thoughts as part of the report, reproduced (with permission) below.

Marketing Report 176

Marketing Report Marketing Automation Automation Demand Generation Agencies 176

The Point

MAY 23, 2017

Whereas typically, content syndication has meant acquiring leads, at a fixed cost, that are filtered by criteria such as job title, geography, and company size, now many publishers and other lead generation companies are adding the option of BANT criteria such as purchase timeframe. Question: is this a smart choice for marketers?

Sales Qualified Leads 110

Sales Qualified Leads Cost per Lead High Quality Lead CPL 110

The Point

JUNE 20, 2018

For example, many publishers and networks in the content syndication space will now accept target account lists as lead filters, albeit at a premium CPL. Again, it’s not ABM, but it can set the stage for a broader initiative, or even run in parallel to an ABM campaign as part of a more general, “air cover” strategy.

Account Based Marketing 168

Account Based Marketing ABM Multi-Channel CPL 168

The Point

AUGUST 9, 2012

It does NOT mean that the publisher will only generate leads that meet those specifications. In fact, regardless of how few filters you choose, the publisher will be generating many more “non-compliant” leads: prospects who register for and download your content but don’t meet your criteria, and that, in essence, will end up being discarded.

Cost per Lead 100

Cost per Lead Sales Qualified Leads CPL Campaigns 100

The Point

JUNE 5, 2018

At face value, the results, due to be published in a report this June, paint a somewhat dim picture of the state of B2B marketing. I asked Lori Wizdo, Forrester Vice President and Principal Analyst, to provide her thoughts on what the survey results say about how where most B2B marketers fall on the revenue marketing maturity curve.

Lead Ranking 194

Lead Ranking Forrester Lead Scoring Paid Search Agency 194

The Point

DECEMBER 16, 2015

Research company TrustRadius just published their new edition of the “Buyer’s Guide to Marketing Automation Software,” and it’s a doozy. Let’s face it, most martech “guides” are written by, well, marketers, and are either sponsored by or authored by the technology vendors themselves, so the content needs to be read with a critical eye.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Automation Automation Planning 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

If you just recorded a Webinar with a well-known speaker, or if you’ve published a new ebook, write a blog post about that same content and provide a link to the full version. Promote gated content offers on the blog. There’s no law that says that every blog post has to be standalone editorial content. BONUS TIP: 11.

Business Blogging 100

Business Blogging Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Generation 100

The Point

APRIL 8, 2015

Spear Marketing Group has published an informative report detailing results of a survey designed to gauge the maturity of marketing automation deployments within the B2B community.

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Marketing Automation Services Marketing Automation 100

The Point

MARCH 25, 2016

Start by publishing a blog post a couple of weeks before the event – perhaps a short, Q&A-style interview with the Webinar speaker, or an excerpt of the planned presentation – and include a call to action that links to the registration page. Leverage social media to extend the reach of your campaign.

Webinar Metrics 100

Webinar Metrics SEM Marketo Marketing Automation Services 100

The Point

JANUARY 27, 2016

Demand Gen Report just published “ Top B2B Marketers Measure Lead Nurturing Effectiveness to Boost Performance ,” a special report in which they address the whys, whats, and how tos of measuring lead nurturing’s true impact. You can download a free copy of the report here.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads 100

The Point

APRIL 30, 2012

A further strategy for minimizing unsubscribes is to employ subscription management, a technique in which you, as the publisher, give the wannabe unsubscriber the option to choose which types of messages he/she wants to receive (or not receive, as the case may be.)

Marketing Management 100

Marketing Management Marketing Automation Services Data Hygiene Ideal Customer Profiles 100

The Point

DECEMBER 16, 2013

. • the growth in pay-per-lead (PPL) media channels like content syndication or sponsored content, whereby B2B marketers pay for leads (usually filtered by geography, company size, even job title) who downloaded a specific content asset, typically from a publisher’s Website.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies B2B Sales Sales Leads Microsite 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 8, 2012

This same point was brought home by an insightful article, “ Calculating the ROI of Marketing Automation Platforms ,” published late last year by Sirius Decisions. It would appear that companies are now waking up to the fact that no marketing automation software can be successful without a proper strategic foundation.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Automation Automation Process 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Remarkably, the cost to rent email lists even from reputable publishers hasn’t changed much in recent years, even while open, click-through, and lead rates have plummeted. One, because the effectiveness of email as a tool for acquiring net new sales leads is already as bad as it’s ever been.

Lead Generation 100

Lead Generation Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Generation 100

The Point

MARCH 12, 2012

The company just published a “5 year retrospective” on the report including some newer data – you can download a copy here.) In a ground-breaking report back in 2007, the people at InsideSales.com reported some startling statistics about just how quickly companies should follow up on Web leads, and the repercussions of not doing so.

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel Bandwidth Sales Qualified Leads Marketing Automation 100

The Point

MAY 30, 2014

clients increasingly work directly with publishers and ad networks directly, aided by developments in technology that allow for programmatic ad buying. • . • marketing automation and related technologies make it easier than ever for clients to produce campaigns and generate demand using in-house resources.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies Ad Agencies 100

The Point

JUNE 24, 2010

For example, at right is a landing page we created for a new white paper published by a client, Navicure. As tweets, factoids draw attention on their own merits, but when linked to a landing page, also drive traffic to the main offer.

Landing Pages 100

Landing Pages Paper Demand Generation Comparison 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 28, 2011

They commit the publisher to a critical mass of content on an overly aggressive schedule, content that in turn depends on multiple contributors who never seem to share your same sense of urgency. For all their benefits, however, newsletters are a royal pain to produce.

Newsletter 100

Newsletter Tips Paid Search Agency Ad Frequency 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

I only recently came across the results of research published late last year by Leads360 , a leading provider of hosted (SaaS) solutions for managing sales leads.

Leads360 100

Leads360 Sales Leads Telemarketing Leads 100

The Point

MAY 18, 2011

Now that most marketing departments are tasked with also being content publishers, is it too much to ask that marketing content also persuade customers to buy? What defines great marketing content? Or is it enough that the material simply generates response?

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Conversion Paid Search Agency Deliverability 100

The Point

DECEMBER 16, 2011

A co-branded email is so-named because the email will be “from” the list owner (typically a publisher) but 100% of the email content itself will be the advertiser’s. Bulk rentals make most sense when an entire list, say a magazine list focused on a particular demographic, meets your target criteria.

De-duping 100

De-duping Buy InsideView Broadcasting 100

The Point

DECEMBER 17, 2010

Step-by-step, we then lead the buyer through their journey by publishing targeted content and providing tools that answer those questions. We learned from our B2C brethren that digital commerce requires a detailed understanding of the buyer’s questions from early problem exploration through to the final solution negotiation.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Work Management Marketing Management B2B 100

The Point

OCTOBER 14, 2010

Why does Marketo publish their pricing on their Website? Lead scoring should distinguish between “latent” behavior (prospect exhibits unmet need but needs further nurturing) and “active” behavior (prospect shows more aggressive interest, meriting follow-up.). Grow revenue not by hiring more sales reps, but by making sales more productive.

Marketo 100

Marketo Impressions Demand Generation Agencies Lead Nurturing 100

The Point

JUNE 1, 2010

MT: We build games for both B2C and B2B companies, as well as publishers. Blockdot builds games across Web, mobile, and social platforms, and is considered one of the pioneers in developing games for advertising purposes. HS: What kind of companies are using games for marketing? Games cross all industries and demographics.

Advertising Agencies 100

Advertising Agencies Demand Generation Agencies B2B Marketing B2B 100

The Point

JANUARY 12, 2023

As with early desktop publishing, design quality may suffer initially, but we’ll also likely see more art and images that look “organic” — even if created by AI. In the coming months, expect to see an improvement in composition as the technology matures and design professionals warm to a new way of working.”.

Demand Generation Agencies 246

Demand Generation Agencies B2B Account Based Marketing Ideal Customer Profiles 246

The Point

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

Or use anonymized user data to provide useful industry benchmarks (like the security vendor that publishes a quarterly “threat report.”). Consider an industry survey or study, perhaps co-authored with a research or analyst firm. Plan for earned media opportunities that can amplify a campaign’s reach and message.

Demand Generation Agencies 130

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Webinar Metrics 130

The Point

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

When you publish the results of your survey, it’s easy to fall into the trap of then marketing those results in dry, academic language, e.g. “Marketers Reveal their Plans for Lead Generation in 2016.” . – an infographic highlighting key findings (with a call to action to download the report). Be controversial.

Customer Surveys 100

Customer Surveys Campaigns Tips Peer-to-peer 100

The Point

AUGUST 25, 2022

Most CPL publishers and other lead generation companies won’t even promote live events. These days, Webinars are a tougher sell than ever, especially for “first touch” lead generation.

Webinar Metrics 52

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

The Point

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

All of this is one reason why I find the “ 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report ,” recently published by Optify , so credible and useful. (It could also be because the metrics that survey-takers report are simply guesstimates, and therefore inaccurate.).

Advertising Benchmark 100

Advertising Benchmark Paid Search Agency Marketing Report Demand Generation Agencies 100

The Point

MARCH 26, 2010

Published by the folks at marketing automation software company Genius.com , and authored by respected consultant, author, and blogger Ardath Albee , this is a valuable primer that would serve as a useful resource to anyone just getting started with a marketing automation system. But I’m glad I found the time.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Automation Automation Lead Scoring 100

The Point

JUNE 13, 2014

The primary appeal of content syndication to B2B marketers is that a) it’s targeted (you can typically filter on basic demographic criteria at little to no cost) and b) it guarantees performance (most publishers will negotiate deals on a cost per lead basis.) Publishers and ad networks vary to the extent they allow you to filter leads.

Cost per Lead 100

Cost per Lead Salesforce.com Budget Programs Content 100

The Point

JANUARY 21, 2016

They may feature relevant content, of real value, published with good frequency. Sourcing, developing, and publishing great content is the hard work. The social media landscape is littered with business blogs that, on the surface, do everything right.

Business Blogging 100

Business Blogging Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Generation 100