11.21.2012 Staff
MarketingProfs has a list of eight lessons from 2012 for business-to-business marketers.
Manual Processes Aren't Effective
Marketing has grown too complicated to be run in an entirely manual way. Manual processes aren't efficient at nurturing and qualifying leads. Automated campaigns have been shown to increase conversions by as much as 200%.
Influencers Matter
Research shows that reaching out to influencers in your market works. When people with high Klout scores share a brand's content with their network, traffic increases by a factor of six and conversions double.
Events Have Unexpected Benefits
Events are designed to generate leads, but they also have other benefits. Sponsors average a 25% increase in Web traffic during conferences. Also, event attendees generate more leads per marketer.
Conversions and Measurement
Measuring marketing's effectiveness and managing contacts were among the top concerns of B2B marketers. The main issues were standardizing data, producing conversions throughout the sales cycle, accelerating those conversions, and getting better spend analysis.
The Pursuit of Perfection Can Hinder
When looking at marketers' lead-scoring models, only 40% score as "perfect" leads (buyer fit and high engagement). Don't settle for unqualified leads, but also don't be too strict in defining your perfect lead.
More Doesn't Mean Better
There's a fine line between engaging buyers and overwhelming them, especially true when marketing via email. Increasing emails doesn't mean a higher click-through rate. Me mindful of the noise-to-value ratio of your messaging.
Sales Enablement Helps More than Just Sales
Marketing's role is to qualify leads, pass them to Sales, and give Sales the tools needed to close. But sales reps, when given the tools to share marketing content, can increase marketing's reach.
Packaging Matters
Do more than report your numbers to executives. Put them in context, include the numbers that matter and provide insight. Tell the story behind your marketing dashboards.
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