2014 Trends Highlight the Importance of a B2B Facebook Page

8/17/2019 2014 Trends Highlight the Importance of a B2B Facebook Page

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4 – Focus on and measurement of lead quality

Up until now the sole purpose of marketing was to increase the interest of the customers, for

the product marketed. This strategy, led to attracting an excesive amount of leads, or in other

words interest. As stated before, interest is an important part of marketing, if that marketing

effort actually leads to sales. Having focused on the lead quantity though, marketers gave

little attention to the quality, and the actual potential or will of each customer to buy themarketed product wasting valuable time and resources of the sales departments of each

company. Now, with the introduction of marketing automation tools and

lead scoring technologies on one side, and tougher requirements for

demonstrating program return on investment on the other side, lead

quality is going to become a critical evaluation and performance metric in

2011.

5 - Focus on sales enablement

ntering the new era of marketing and sales, an introduction of the next generation of

marketing and sales forces must be made. !arketing efforts and lead quality may create

perfect conditions between the two sides, but in the end it is sales that matter. And if sales

cannot close the deal, all the above are wasted. "hat businesses need are modern educated

and motivated staff, ready to dive into the situations, and make what they have been trained

to do best. !arketing and sales, have to start working closer, in order to be ready for the

upcoming meetings and negotiations. #reparation, updated way of thinking and modern

education, are the key factors for the success of each member of a company, that respect

theirselves and their work.

5 top 2 !arketing trends for 201"

#omment$

% &anuary 201"

'teve (emish

)*+ !-+ /-' 3*' 43-

5 'hare on email

Big little Data

According to $artner , %ig &ata is “information of extreme size, diversity and

comlexity!. !arketers are beginning to realise that traditional data acquisition is no

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longer enough. Although %ig &ata has been associated with the 'big boys( in business,

)*+ will be the turning point in offering solutions to provide big data for day-to-day

marketing campaigns. %ig &ata has the ability to improve efficiency, reduce costs and

better manage your customer relationships. r so they say.

%ut perhaps )*+ should be about focussing on the little things first. /ar too many %)%

organisations are still failing to do the basics right 0 according to the 1A%(s report

!arketing 21 in the ra of %ig &ata, 36% 3of marketers4 report that they have “lots of

customer data,” but “don’t know what to do with it”. 5imple personalisation or

segmentation will be the growth area in the year ahead. $etting one(s own house in order

with the existing data 3be that offline, on or social4 before exploding out into even more

under-utilised data.

"easurability#again

!easurability is a key factor when proving the 21 of your marketing efforts. Always

has been, always well be. The internet is now able to provide valuable insights in 'real

time(, which means it is easy and user friendly for any si6e of organisation to access data

reporting and see how their campaign is performing. 2eal-time analytics allow you to

understand where prospects are engaging with your company7 which blog posts, Tweets,

/acebook posts get the most response. This is of incredible valuable to any business as itwill allow you to understand and target your consumers better, giving you an improved

21 in the longer term. 8osing sight of measurement is a sin that marketers can(t afford

to risk ever again 0 in austere times the marketing budget is often the first under scrutiny

and clear measurement coupled with strong results are the only way to fend that risk off.

$cquiesce to sales

http://www.iab.net/media/file/2012-BRITE-NYAMA-Marketing-ROI-Study.pdfhttp://www.iab.net/media/file/2012-BRITE-NYAMA-Marketing-ROI-Study.pdfhttp://www.iab.net/media/file/2012-BRITE-NYAMA-Marketing-ROI-Study.pdf


3/19

ne topic that is often discussed throughout our Think Tank series is the continued lack

of collaboration between sales and marketing throughout the channel. "ith increasingly

tight budgets, every marketing effort needs to have visible results and provide value to

the sales department. This requires a cultural shift towards going beyond collaboration

and means providing tangible sales-ready leads, appointments or insight to help sales people sell. 5ome large corporations have created a new role to support this. The '9hief

2evenue fficer( manages the communication between sales and marketing and checking

both departments have the same ob:ectives and are continually focussed on driving

revenue and results to help the business prosper and grow.

The view that marketing lives to serve sales is one that is increasingly being 3rightly4

adopted in %)% 0 questioning and refining all marketing effort to ultimately help drives

sales is a must and one that )*+ will bring more and more of.

%ead &urturing

8ead generation is now no longer enough. Typically the lead-time for a %)% customer

can be months, even years. #rospects who you try and convert to leads don(t behave in a

linear fashion either. Two seemingly identical leads could take completely different paths

to get to the point of qualified lead 0 be that time taken, content and messaging needed or

both.

;urturing not only allows you to treat prospects as individuals, it allows you to harness

marketing support throughout the sales cycle. A much underused area for nurture is post-

sales conversation. A sales-ready lead will be handed off to sales, but still not be ready to buy 3budget timings typically the main reason4 so taking that lead back to be nurtured 0

to keep in touch, frees the sales resource up, keeps your brand front-of-mind with that

prospect and plays marketing to its real strength7 to effectively and positively reinforce

your brand. "ith automation techniques available to business, lead nurturing has the

ability to provide a personalised marketing throughout the prospects buying :ourney in a

way that suits each and every one of them.

http$66www.b2bmarketing.net6blog6posts6201"60160%657top7b2b7marketing7

trends7201"

http://www.b2bmarketing.net/blog/posts/2013/01/09/5-top-b2b-marketing-trends-2013http://www.b2bmarketing.net/blog/posts/2013/01/09/5-top-b2b-marketing-trends-2013http://www.b2bmarketing.net/blog/posts/2013/01/09/5-top-b2b-marketing-trends-2013http://www.b2bmarketing.net/blog/posts/2013/01/09/5-top-b2b-marketing-trends-2013


4/19

Five B2B Marketing

Trends to Watchby Russ Fradin |October 1, 2013 | 8,387 views

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"oday#s $2$ %ar&eters 'ind the%se!ves con'rontin( a ra)id!y shi'tin(

!andsca)e*

"he ever+increasin( array o' di(ita!socia! o)tions %eans that i' co%)anies

are to en(a(e with their custo%ers, e%)!oyees, or co%)etitors throu(h

socia! %edia, they %ust use a variety o' %u!ti%edia )!at'or%s and )rovide

eye+catchin( shareab!e content*

"hey have to %a&e everythin( avai!ab!e on %obi!e* $i( -ata is not a .nice

to have. but a .%ust have. 'or %ar&eters to %a&e in'or%ed decisions* /nd,

o' course, there#s the ado)tion o' a(i!e %ar&etin( and !earnin( how to

res)ond to chan(e instead o' ust 'o!!owin( a %ar&etin( )!an*

So !et#s !oo& at these trends in %ore de)th and see how %ar&eters can ta)

into the%***

Trend No. 1: Employee Advocacy and Social Selling

Trend No. 2: Content Marketing

Trend No. 4: Big Data

Trend No. : Agile Marketing

http://www.marketingprofs.com/authors/1790/russ-fradinhttp://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watchhttp://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watchhttp://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watch#tophttp://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watch#tophttp://www.marketingprofs.com/authors/1790/russ-fradinhttp://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watchhttp://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watch#top


5/19

"oday#s $2$ ar&eters are )ioneerin( the idea o' /(i!e ar&etin( and

achievin( o)erationa! e''iciency and '!eibi!ity whi!e i%)rovin( the s)eed,

)redictabi!ity, trans)arency, and ada)tabi!ity o' the %ar&etin( 'unction*

$ecause %ar&ets chan(e uic&!y, /(i!e %ar&eters need the '!eibi!ity to

ada)t to the chan(in( !andsca)e* /(i!e %ar&eters be!ieve in the 'o!!owin(

si )rinci)!es source /(i!e ar&etin( b!o(6

1* Res)ondin( to chan(e over 'o!!owin( a )!an

2* Ra)id iterations over bi(+ban( ca%)ai(ns

3* "estin( and data over o)inions and conventions

4* u%erous s%a!! e)eri%ents over a 'ew !ar(e bets

5* ndividua!s and interactions over tar(et %ar&ets

9* :o!!aboration over si!os and hierarchy

$ein( an a(i!e $2$ %ar&eter %eans that you sti!! need to adhere to the

sa%e core )rinci)!es o' strate(ic %ar&etin(, but you a!so need to act in a

'aster, %ore co!!aborative and res)onsive way* ew and ada)tive

auto%ation techno!o(ies are essentia! to actin( 'ast, bein( res)onsive, and

sca!in(* Socia! %ar&etin( is essentia! to stayin( in'or%ed and bein(

re!evant to your tar(et audience*

$e '!eib!e, understand your custo%ers, and act uic&!y;

Read %ore htt)www*%ar&etin()ro's*co%artic!es201311797'ive+b2b+

%ar&etin(+trends+to+watch&?

" rends 'haping 2 !arketing /auren #annon

http://www.agilemarketing.net/what-is-agile-marketing/http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watch#ixzz2oaOMdGk9http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watch#ixzz2oaOMdGk9http://www.inc.com/author/lauren-cannonhttp://www.agilemarketing.net/what-is-agile-marketing/http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watch#ixzz2oaOMdGk9http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11767/five-b2b-marketing-trends-to-watch#ixzz2oaOMdGk9http://www.inc.com/author/lauren-cannon


6/19


7/19

Top B2B Content

Marketing Trends in2013by /ya= ani |

/u(ust 12, 2013 | 10,?55 views

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"he )o)u!arity o' white)a)ers as a $2$ content %ar&etin( 'or%at is

dec!inin( in re!ation to %ore interactive, easi!y di(estib!e 'or%ats such as

video, accordin( to a recent survey o' the $2$ "echno!o(y ar&etin(

:o%%unity on @in&edn*

Overa!!, $2$ content %ar&etin( is seen as

an increasin(!y e''ective strate(y ore

than 82A o' survey res)ondents are

)!annin( to increase their content

)roduction over the net 12 %onths*

Other &ey 'indin(s 'ro% the annua! re)ort

• Bou"ube is (ainin( )o)u!arity as a socia! %edia )!at'or% to reach

and en(a(e $2$ audiences* Faceboo& is !osin( (round*

• 91A o' %ar&eters use %ar&etin( auto%ation )!at'or%s, u) 'ro% 43A

!ast year*

• "he vast %aority ?3A6 o' $2$ %ar&eters are creatin( content 'ro%

scratch*

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8/19

• On!y 34A are syndicatin(curatin( content, and ust 30A are

encoura(in( user+(enerated content*

$e!ow, additiona! insi(hts 'ro% the $2$ :ontent ar&etin( Re)ort, which

was authored by Co!(er Schu!=e, the %ana(er o' the $2$ "echno!o(y

ar&etin( :o%%unity on @in&edn*

T!e Mo"t E##ective Tactic"

• :usto%er testi%onia!s and case studies are considered the %ost

e''ective $2$ content tactics by survey res)ondents*

• Dhite)a)ers su''ered the bi((est dro) in )erceived e''ectiveness

'ro% !ast year#s surveyE%ovin( down 'ro% second )!ace to sith*

• ideos are now viewed as the 'i'th %ost e''ective content ty)e toreach $2$ audiences*

• "he three !east )o)u!ar content 'or%ats are on!ine (a%es, )rinted

boo&s, and )odcasts*

http://www.slideshare.net/hschulzehttp://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=43707http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=43707http://www.slideshare.net/hschulzehttp://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=43707http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=43707


9/19

Top $oal" o# Content MarketingSurvey res)ondents !isted !ead (eneration 71A6, thou(ht

!eadershi)%ar&et education 50A6, and custo%er acuisition 45A6 as

their to) content %ar&etin( (oa!s*


10/19

Social Media E##ectivene""

• 85A o' res)ondents consider @in&edn an e''ective socia! %edia

networ& 'or reachin( and en(a(in( $2$ audiences* Cowever, consider

that res)ondents were @in&edn (rou) %e%bers*6

• 73A o' res)ondents view Bou"ube as an e''ective )!at'or%, u) 'ro%

53A !ast year*

• 95A say "witter is e''ective, down 'ro% 70A !ast year*

• On!y 3?A say Faceboo& is an e''ective )!at'or% 'or de!iverin( $2$

content, down 'ro% 54A !ast year*


11/19

Top C!allenge" %acing B2B Content Marketer"

• 55A o' res)ondents say their to) cha!!en(e is 'indin( enou(h ti%e

and bandwidth to create content*

• "he net bi((est cha!!en(e is )roducin( en(a(in( content 4?A6,

'o!!owed by )roducin( enou(h content variety to serve the needs o'

%ar&etin( )ro(ra%s 3?A6*

Marketing A&tomation

• 37A o' %ar&eters use %ar&etin( auto%ation to (enerate !eadsG 39A

use it 'or !ead nurturin(*

• 3?A o' $2$ %ar&eters don#t use %ar&etin( auto%ation at a!!E

si(ni'icant!y down 'ro% 57A !ast year*


12/19

About the research "he re)ort was based on a Hune 2013 survey o' 815

%e%bers o' the $2$ "echno!o(y ar&etin( :o%%unity on @in&edn* "he

co%%unity has 35,000I %e%bers 'ro% a broad ran(e o' countries,

industries, and e%)!oyers*

Read %ore htt)www*%ar&etin()ro's*co%charts201311373to)+b2b+

content+%ar&etin(+trends+in+2013


13/19

Are you wondering if content marketing can help your business?

If so, look no further.

In this article, I examine a recent study involving 1,416 B2B marketers from North America from theContent Marketing Institute

and MarketingProfs.

You’lldiscover how B2B marketers were leveraging content marketing in 2012 and where their focus will be next year.

#1: Producing Enough Content Is Top Challenge

In years past, the biggest challenge for content marketers has beencreating engaging content. But this trend changed in 2012

with64% of marketers saying that producing enough content was their number-one challenge.

Producing enough content is now the top challenge for content marketers.

It is quite conceivable that this challenge will help to create more business and employment opportunities for content developers.

In a related conversation,Nate Riggs, director of social business at theKarcher Group, put it this way:

“This is great news for displaced journalists and (content) producers looking to reinvent.”

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/10/2013-b2b-content-marketing-research/http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/10/2013-b2b-content-marketing-research/http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/10/2013-b2b-content-marketing-research/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-tips-for-creating-shareable-blog-content/http://www.nateriggs.com/http://www.nateriggs.com/http://www.tkg.com/meet-the-grouphttp://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/10/2013-b2b-content-marketing-research/http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/10/2013-b2b-content-marketing-research/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-tips-for-creating-shareable-blog-content/http://www.nateriggs.com/http://www.tkg.com/meet-the-group


14/19

Key Takeaway: If your plan is to produce more content next year, think of ways to recycle what you already have.

Spread existing content across different formats; for example, create an FAQ for quick tips or turn popular blog

posts into a podcast, infographic or ebook.

Curate awesome customer letters, testimonials and positive feedback into a relevant, real-world information

packet about “Why customers love our brand.”

Go back andsee what was popular once-upon-a-time that is now buried in your online archives.Focus on

evergreen content and republish as posts that speak to current problems in your industry.

#2: Marketers Using Average of 12 Content Marketing Tactics

The study revealed thatlarge organizations (with 10,000+ employees) used 18 content marketing tactics on average, while

small companies used 11. Companies of all sizes used an average of 12 content marketing tactics.

Study found that the larger the company, the more the tactics used.

While it’s clear that resources dictate the number of content marketing tactics employed, it’s a good idea for you toevaluate your

budget and figure out how many tactics you can commit to next year. Keep in mind thatthe more tactics you use, the greater

your chances of amplifying your voice and extending audience reach.

Key Takeaway: As you brainstorm your content delivery strategy, become a “real publisher” and try tomove away from web-only

tactics. Figure out how you candistribute content through various devices and platforms including print. For example, use

printed white papers – and yes, even books – as free giveaways after client meetings, workshops or conferences.

#3: Social Media – Most Popular Promotion Tactic

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-writing-great-blog-posts/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-writing-great-blog-posts/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-writing-great-blog-posts/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-writing-great-blog-posts/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-produce-timeless-content-that-helps-you-today-tomorrow-and-forever/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-produce-timeless-content-that-helps-you-today-tomorrow-and-forever/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-writing-great-blog-posts/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-writing-great-blog-posts/http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-produce-timeless-content-that-helps-you-today-tomorrow-and-forever/


15/19

The study revealed that87% of marketers used social media to distribute content – more than they used articles, email

newsletters, blogs and other tactics.

This makes sense because their audiences (existing and potential customers) typically use social media for personal reasons – a

typical case of “fishing where the fish are.”

Social media climbed into first place as the most popular content marketing tactic.

Key Takeaway: As you think about the most effective tactic(s) to use for your content distribution,think about where your

audience hangs out and focus on those social channels. If Facebook andPinterest are major distribution channels for your

brand,remember too that images are eye candy and the time to sharpen your image-based content campaigns is now.

#4: LinkedIn – Most Popular Social Media Channel

This was a surprising find. It turns out thatLinkedIn was the most popular social media channel for content distribution.

More marketers (83%) are using it compared toTwitter (80%), Facebook (80%) andYouTube (61%). Even if the difference in

usage between Twitter and LinkedIn is very slim, it still says a lot about a platform that is not considered as sexy as the others.

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LinkedIn is now the most popular social media channel for content distribution. Image source: iStockPhoto.

Key Takeaway: Marketers shouldlearn how to leverage LinkedIn because key decision-makers are more likely to hang out there

than on other platforms. One of the best ways to do this is tobecome more active on LinkedIn groups.

Find discussions that you can contribute to by adding something helpful and valuable. Then once in a while, modestly mention

in an “oh-and-by-the-way” fashion that your business solves this or that problem and attach some relevant content to back it up.

#5: Brand Awareness – Top Content Marketing Goal

Another surprise was that increased website traffic was not the top goal for B2B content marketers. The study found thatbrand

awareness was the number-one priority for 79% of content marketers, followed by customer acquisition (74%) and lead

generation (71%).

As far as content marketing goals, brand awareness trumped website traffic by 19 points.

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Nevertheless,website traffic was found to be the most important measure for content marketing success. This presents an

interesting juxtaposition, as content marketing success is typically linked to organizational goals. When it comes to brand

awareness, website traffic was seen asthe measure of success.

Website traffic was still the most important measure of content marketing success.

Key Takeaway: Businesses looking to increase brand awareness will benefit if theytrack specific website indicators such as

number of unique visitors, page views, amount of traffic that’s referred to their sites from search engines and even how much time

visitors are spending on their site. Google Analytics gives you lot of data toanalyze trends and new insights on your website.

#6: Most Content Made In-House

The study showed that56% of companies are creating content in-house, while only 1% are relying exclusively on outsourced

content. But there’s a nice balance of 43% who are developing both in-house and outsourced content.

A good number of businesses are relying on both in-house and outsourced content production. Image source: iStockPhoto.

Key Takeaway: This trend reflects the reality that outsourcing vs. hiring decisions are tough when it comes to content marketing.

Content marketing is something that has to be nurtured on a regular basis. If your organization has the resources toproduce

enough content in-house, then outsourcing may not be needed unless a particular skill set is lacking internally.

#7: Content Marketing Budgets to Increase in 2013

More than half of B2B marketers plan to increase their content marketing budgets for 2013.

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Notice that only 2% of B2B marketers will decrease their content marketing budget in 2013.

While the report was not specific about in what areas of content marketing budgets would increase, we learned that currently, the

average amount of budget spent on content marketing is 33%, which is up from 26% in 2011. This is yet another indicator that the

future of B2Bcontent marketing is bright.

#8: Most and Least Effective B2B Content Marketers Compared

The study also found that themost effective B2B marketers spend a higher percentage of their marketing budget on

content marketing than the least effective B2B marketers.

There is a direct correlation between content marketing spend and efficiency. However, least effective marketers plan to increase

their budgets almost as much as most effective marketers.

Most effective content marketers also:

Use more tactics

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Tailor content to specific customer profiles (or personas)

Are far less challenged in terms of producing engaging content

Are less challenged by lack of buy-in from top management

Key Takeaway: This is an eye-opener for those who are still on the fence about content marketing. Just as “practice makes

perfect” says, we see here that the most successful marketers are those who invested the most resources on trying new tactics to

produce compelling content.

Final Wrap-Up

The state of content marketing is bright andB2B marketers are looking forward to doing more with content in the coming

year.Content budgets are also set to increase andB2B organizations will be using both in-house and external sources to

increase content production.

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Documents

2014 Trends Highlight the Importance of a B2B Facebook Page