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YOUR 2014 MARKETING BUDGET BY THE NUMBERS — EVERYTHING THAT ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE MARKETERS NEED TO KNOW

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NUMBERS: THE BEAUTIFUL TRUTH

The ancient Greeks were right. All of the secrets of the

world can be found in numbers. You can capture the

shape of a cloud in a single fractal. If you know the

variables and ratios, you can do anything.

Having a tough time knowing how to spread your 2014

marketing budget around? We got this. This ain’t our first

rodeo. We know enterprise software marketing from every

angle. And we’re happy to help you out.

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HOW MUCH TO BUDGET?

It depends. What are you trying to accomplish?

CAPTURE MARKET SHARE:

Figure 25-50% of gross revenue

for sales and marketing. Get 100%

or more if you can swing it. That’s

what it takes to win a category.

DRIVE PROFIT:

If you don’t have a rich uncle or

a VC and need to show a profit,

your marketing budget needs

to be 5% of gross revenue.

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P+P

PR

OG

RA

MS

58% 42%

PEOPLE After you get your budget, here’s how you split it.

You might have to tinker with this, depending on

whether you intend to take on more work in-house or

outsource it. And when you’re spending on people,

choose quality over quantity. Your best buy is a hard-

working, roll-up-the-sleeves marketing director. The

hardest positions to hire are demand gen ninjas and

anyone good in product marketing.

PROGRAMS 58% | PEOPLE 42%

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EVENTS: 23% OF PROGRAMS

Live events are the biggest movers in demand generation. Don’t try to hit every show. Focus on the two or three that matter, and go big.

Some of the other big buckets of program spending:

ADVERTISING (PRINT AND DIGITAL): 21%

MARKETING SUPPORT: 18%

DIRECT MARKETING: 14%

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MEDIA: 25-33% OF PROGRAMS

Which enterprise software marketers need to buy media? All of them.

Media are your access to your target market. Traditionally, buying

industry media at high CPMs was the only way to do it. That’s

changing. Programmatic ad buying and behavioral targeting give

you greater reach at lower CPMs. And digital channels offer much

more focused tracking. That means you can see the ROI more

easily. Your CFO will like that.

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BRAND 50% | DEMAND 50%

The biggest mistake that enterprise software marketers make? Thinking that they can’t afford brand awareness.

You can build your brand without slapping your logo on NASCAR. You can do it in ways that drive leads. But you must build a brand that resonates at an emotional, values level with your target market. Ignore this advice at your own peril. B+D

BR

AN

D

50% 50%

DEMAND

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CONTENT MARKETING: 97% OF B2B MARKETERS DO IT …… and the other 3% are trapped under something heavy and can’t hit the publish button.

White papers and webinars have traditionally worked great as early-stage offers.

Now that’s giving way to infographics and e-books. And here’s a question we get a

lot: What’s the ideal length for a white paper? It’s getting shorter.

WHITE PAPER LENGTH

2010 2012 2014

1,800 words

1,500 words1,200 words

Write short. Pick quality over quantity. And deliver the right message to the right buyer at the right moment. That’s context — a word you’ll hear a lot in 2014.

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WHO’S NO. 1 IN SOCIAL MEDIA?

A little bird told me the answer is Twitter. We’ve confirmed that with real-world experience. You can build brand and generate demand there.

There are lots of cool new LinkedIn programs. There’s also a surprising amount of bang for your buck in Facebook. Google+ authorship is essential. But rock out the 140 for your best ROI.

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GO MOBILE FIRST

Forget responsive. Just design all of your online properties for mobile.

And if you haven’t yet, you’d better allocate some budget for that. (FYI – like 5% of your program budget.) You’re out of runway. You’ve got to fix this. Like now.

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AND IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING

Get your message and position right.

Differentiate.

Be clear.

Connect with emotion.

Talk about values.

Be bold.

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GOT IT? IF NOT, CALL US.

Here’s some good news. No matter how far behind you think you are, you’re still ahead of more companies than you’d think.

If you’re reading this e-book, you’re well ahead of the pack. Want some easy, free advice? Let’s chat. We’ll give you a full planning session. Email marketing@thestarrconspiracy.com to set something up.

About The Starr Conspiracy

You shouldn’t have to pay an agency to get to know your industry. The Starr Conspiracy already knows your market segment, who you are, and where you fit in. We’re a strategic marketing and advertising agency devoted exclusively to enterprise software and services. When you partner with us, it’s to build market share, multiply brand awareness, and drive sales leads — not to bone up on the basics. We’ve been “out there” for more than a decade, so you can hit the ground running. Founded in 1999 and located in Fort Worth, Texas, The Starr Conspiracy has won eight best places to work awards and countless creative awards. Visit us on the Web at www.thestarrconspiracy.com.