Really b2b marketing survival guide 2013

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THE END IS NIGH-ish THE B2B MARKETING SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR 2013

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Transcript of Really b2b marketing survival guide 2013

Page 1: Really b2b marketing survival guide 2013

THE END IS NIGH-ish

THE B2B

MARKETING

SURVIVAL GUIDE

FOR 2013

Page 2: Really b2b marketing survival guide 2013

Kenneth has enjoyed a marketing

career both agency and client side.

With over seven years experience

writing B2B and B2C copy, Kenneth

has created content for a wide

variety of industries.

Enthusiastic about all things copy, he

has a proven track record of creating

content capable of generating leads,

sales and revenue.

In the role of Head of Content at

Really B2B (a Sunday Times Top 100

firm and ranked agency in B2B

Marketing’s Agency League), Kenneth

is responsible for creating a strong

brand personality and crafting

content for our B2B clients which

generates action and solid ROI.

Kenneth is passionate about writing

that gets results.

THE AUTHOR Kenneth Connolly

www.reallyb2b.com

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www.reallyb2b.com

The Mayans predicted that the world will end on 21

December 2012, so if you’re reading this after that date

then the likelihood is you are currently one of only a

few survivors in a post-apocalyptic landscape littered

with the remains of the world as we once knew it.

In this new and frightening world, your immediate needs will most likely include

food, shelter and warmth. But if you’re also concerned about how to generate

sales and revenue for your business (which also survived the apocalypse), then

this survival guide is for you.

Really B2B’s Marketing Survival Guide for 2013 is jam-packed with information

about trends and expectations in the world of B2B marketing in 2013.

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SURVIVAL GUIDE # Oi, Marketing! What are

you actually doing?!

“80% of CEOs admit they are not very

impressed with the work done by

marketers” (Fournaise Marketing Group Global Marketing

Effectiveness Program 2012)

Thankfully though, there is a change coming.

Over the next twelve months, marketers are

going to become more accountable for

revenue generation and see a notable

difference in the way they operate. Updated

key performance indicators, quotas and SLAs

are all going to become part of the marketer’s

everyday vocabulary and not just from a cost

per lead basis, but cost per sale too. As a way

of meeting these new revenue targets,

marketers will become more proficient at

reporting and owning the sales and marketing

analysis from the top of the funnel to the

bottom.

Marketers will have an ever increasing

requirement to prove their accountability, but

with the numbers that really matter.

Marketing for traffic and lead generation is

great... but it’s sales and revenue that matter.

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SURVIVAL GUIDE #

Time to get real and act

in real-time

The race to keep up with technological

changes and advances in 2012 left a lot of

organisations stuck in the starting blocks. The

reason for this is that prospects now connect

with your company in a very different way.

People don’t just visit your website anymore,

they also have the chance to engage with you

on social networking sites like LinkedIn and

Twitter too. Third-party forums also allow

people to converse about your company.

These forum conversations can, in turn,

increase your position in the search engine

results pages – especially on Google which

uses third party forums to help ‘rank’ your

site.

So why were some companies left baffled by

the advances in technology? The simple

answer is because they relied on the old

technique of marketing ‘campaigns’. These pre-

planned activities often can’t react quickly

enough to prospects’ changing behaviours and

new technologies. Granted, they were worth

their weight in gold for a long time, but

nowadays it’s all about immediate reactions to

real-time triggers (including comments,

feedback and ‘Shares’).

So in 2013, get ready to start reacting in real-

time, especially as the move to inbound

marketing continues to grow.

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SURVIVAL GUIDE #

Don’t speculate,

integrate...

A recent B2B marketing report has stated that

“78% of responding B2B organisations are

already conducting social media activity, while

another 19% are planning to introduce it in

the next year”.

This all sounds great, but is it really? Is it

enough to just have a social media presence?

The smarter marketers out there will already

be aware that in order to see the real benefits

from sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter,

they need to be integrated and the results

need to be measurable.

In order to successfully utilise social media

sites, the standard marketing KPIs need to

change. Data such as followers, ‘Likes’ and

‘Shares’ become important, as does the type

of followers you are looking to attract. What

industry do these people come from and what

is their job title? You need to focus on where

your prospects are most likely to be found,

target these platforms and then measure

performance through to lead generation.

Behavioural data from social networks

coupled with your current marketing activities

and database will give you the ability to better

personalise and segment your other

communications... in real-time.

And we all know what that means... engaged

prospects and sales-ready leads entering your

sales cycle.

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SURVIVAL GUIDE # Optimise, optimise,

optimise... simple as that

A recent HubSpot report stated that ‘more

people bought a smartphone than a PC in 2012’.

So, for those companies who have yet to create a

mobile optimised website... alarm bells should be

ringing! Entering 2013 without a mobile site is like

entering the year 2000 without a company

website.

But, it’s not just enough to have a mobile site, it

has to be a good one. In today’s society, the office

doesn’t just exist between nine and five anymore,

it’s available 24/7. People can work, check their

emails and visit your website while out shopping

or while lying in bed at 10am on a Sunday.

Work has now simply become a state of mind that

people can connect with whenever they feel like it.

So, ensure you have the best mobile site possible,

because according to Google “57% of users would

not recommend a business with a bad mobile site,

and 40% have moved on to a competitor’s site

after a bad mobile experience”.

Whether you have a mobile site or you’re hoping

to get one soon, remember to keep it simple,

don’t include lots of images (as this will increase

the page loading time), make it really user-friendly

and ensure you include strong calls to action. With

the rise in tablet sales too, there’s never been a

better time to make sure you’re totally optimised.

www.reallyb2b.com

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SURVIVAL GUIDE # We’re all human, so start

speaking like it! Some B2B marketing communications can be so

boring that they’re actually difficult to read. The

reason for this is because they’re loaded with dull,

lifeless industry phrases and more often than not,

overly technical.

They lack personality! Nobody wants to do

business with a faceless corporation whose

communications could have been written by some

kind of robot, because that’s not what people are

about these days.

We like to be social, entertained and engaged.

With so many metrics and so much data on offer

now, marketers have the opportunity to really get

to know and understand their prospects. What are

their needs and wants? What are their pain points?

What are their issues? This detailed level of

understanding means that communications can be

highly personalised, benefit-lead and show the

prospect exactly how their individual concerns

can be resolved.

With such an in-depth knowledge, it would be a

real waste to create tedious, lacklustre content.

Good data mixed with company personality is the

way forward. Create content that’s informative,

authoritative, fun and personal, all while talking

directly to each individual prospect. It’s a great way

to create a relationship of trust, upon which sales

can be made.

www.reallyb2b.com

Page 9: Really b2b marketing survival guide 2013

SURVIVAL GUIDE # Email... still a powerful

marketing weapon With the advent of social media, there were

whispers that email as a communication channel

was on its way out... but that’s certainly not the

case.

According to a recent survey by Pardot (a cloud

marketing automation provider), “although

opinions were mixed amongst B2B marketers, 47%

believed that email marketing would still be

relevant in 5 years time”.

Granted, the way we use email has changed, but

it’s still a very valuable resource. At Really B2B,

we regularly find that as a lead generation tool,

email is an excellent choice of communication

channel- hence its inclusion in 98% of all our lead

generation campaigns.

Other reasons for its continued success are lower

operational costs than direct mail, it has the ability

to capture priceless data and it has excellent

behavioural tracking capabilities.

But most important of all, is that when it’s coupled

with real-time data, email can be personalised,

targeted and relevant. This means that your

prospects are getting the content they want, when

they want it. Doubters are saying that email may

no longer be ‘King of the Hill’, but in our

experience, it still out-performs many of the other

marketing communication channels.

www.reallyb2b.com

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SURVIVAL GUIDE # Inbound quality, not

automated quantity

It’s Christmas morning and you’ve just opened

that present you endlessly begged your parents

for.

Initially, it’s everything you ever wanted and more,

but then you start to realise that it’s actually not

quite as good as you’d hoped.

This is a process that a lot of marketers will go

through in 2013 with their marketing automation

tools. The reason for this is because the reality of

an autonomous marketing system without an

inbound marketing foundation is just a lot of

irrelevant emails spamming peoples’ inboxes.

Real inbound marketing consists of using relevant,

quality content to attract people to your website

in order to download your next piece of great

content, you then convert these people to sales

leads.

In 2013, marketing directors and senior executives

will be investing more in inbound marketing in

order to generate traffic, leads and conversions to

support demand generation.

www.reallyb2b.com

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SURVIVAL GUIDE # 100 per cent content

If there is one thing we are certain will happen

in 2013, it’s that content will reign supreme.

We all know that good content is interesting,

relevant, shows thought leadership and helps

build trust. So, marketers all over the world

will be making this a top priority over the next

12 months.

A by-product of this thirst for content will be

the rise in ‘Content Marketplaces’ (companies

who will outsource your copy requirements

to freelance copywriters around the world).

These freelance writers will be working

furiously to help marketers meet their needs

for good content in 2013.

www.reallyb2b.com

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SURVIVAL GUIDE # A picture is worth way

more than just 1,000

words

I don’t know about you, but I love a good

infographic. I can’t get enough of them. The

ease at which I can digest information is

staggering. Happily then, 2013 is going to be a

good year for me, because infographics are

going to be more popular than ever.

A recent study by IDG Enterprise states that

the use of infographics has increased 150%

since 2011 and it’s the fastest growing format

in B2B content marketing. When you consider

that the powerhouses of content are still case

studies, white papers and ebooks, why are

infographics becoming so desired?

Very simply, these little images are compelling

and attractive; they can increase website

traffic; they show thought leadership and they

can go viral. They are also excellent for SEO

because people will repost and share links

back to your site… and we know how much

Google loves to see links to your site.

With all these benefits, it’s clear that

infographics are more than just a pretty

picture.

www.reallyb2b.com

Page 13: Really b2b marketing survival guide 2013

Content and context

sitting in a tree,

K.I.S.S.I.N.G.

This headline is so childish but it perfectly

illustrates how important context is going

to be to your content in 2013. Creating

content on its own is no longer going to

be enough to succeed.

Thanks to reporting capabilities and

metrics, you now know more than ever

about your prospects - and it’s time to use

it. The things they do, the things they say,

the sites they like, the products they

purchase, their happiness level with your

company – it’s all vitally important.

By creating prospect personas you can

now create personalised content which

you know meets their needs and speaks in

a language they understand. You can also

offer them solutions to problems you

know they have and write content that is

tailored specifically for them.

And, by creating a personalised experience

for your prospect over multiple

interactions you can leverage context to

make your marketing fit perfectly with

your prospect’s natural behaviours.

www.reallyb2b.com

SURVIVAL GUIDE #

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Direct mail - It’s

baaaack! We all know that 2013 is going to see further

growth in integrated marketing campaigns, but

for those of you who were planning to drop

direct mail out of the plans, think again.

According to Fusionb2b, “businesses receiving

brochures or other direct mailings are twice as

likely to convert into a new lead, spend more

meaningful time on the business’ website, spend

more money, and consistently purchase that

business’ product or service”. The reason for

this is because of its high impact potential.

Using your prospect insight, it’s possible to

personalise multiple aspects of the mail and

really grab some attention. Gone are the days

of just sending a brochure to your prospects.

Individual personalisation allows you to talk to

your prospects in a way that addresses their

exact challenges, needs and wants... making

your interactions with them more human (see

Survival Guide #5). With digital printing costs

lower than ever you don’t even need to print

large orders anymore to make it financially

viable. So, don’t miss this opportunity to skip

past the white noise of online marketing and

put something directly into the hands of your

prospects.

Using direct mail exclusively is a big risk to take,

but as part of an integrated campaign, it can be

a really valuable tool. For example, when

targeting hot leads or dream prospects who

you know are at the sales tipping point (i.e.

coming out of a contract review period); a

highly personalised piece of direct mail may just

be enough to make all the difference... and a

sale.

www.reallyb2b.com

SURVIVAL GUIDE #

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www.reallyb2b.com

Well, lucky survivor, the post-apocalyptic wasteland you

find yourself in now may look a lot different from life as

we once knew it, but at least you know what lies ahead

(in terms of B2B marketing).

If, by any chance, the Mayans were actually wrong about the end of the world

and life has simply carried on regardless, then this guide should still come in

pretty handy. There are many developments and advances likely to happen in

marketing over the next 12 months and we’ve only touched on a few here. But

one thing is for sure, whatever changes are coming, they are likely to happen

very quickly… so be prepared to act fast.

We at Really B2B are always ready to utilise the next technological advance or

marketing approach, as long as we can prove it generates leads and sales. So, if

you need some help, feel free to get in touch.

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LOOKING FOR

BUSINESS GROWTH?

If you’re interested in improving your lead

generation processes, request a meeting.

We’d love to discuss your objectives and

how our range of B2B lead generation

services can help support your business

growth.

© Really B2B, 1000 Lakeside, Western Road, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hants, PO6 3EN

www.reallyb2b.com