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SURVEY READOUT            September  2013  

B2B  

INTRODUCTION  

Content   Marke-ng   means   crea)ng   and  sharing   valuable   free   content   to   a5ract  and   convert   prospects   into   customers,  and   customers   into   repeat   buyers.   The  type   of   content   you   share   is   closely  related  to  what  you  sell;   in  other  words,  you’re   educa)ng   people   so   that   they  know,   like,   and   trust   you   enough   to   do  business  with  you.  

•  Copyblogger  

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Online   marke-ng   and   social   media   con)nue   to   challenge   B2B  marketers.  Primary  research,  while  anecdotal,  reveals  that  55%  of  Industrial   and   Electrical   execu)ves   “struggle”   with   their   online  marke)ng  goals  and  aspira)ons.      Manufacturers  and  distributors  con)nue  to  use  old  tools  to  build  a  new  world  and  defend  against  non-­‐tradi)onal  compe)tors.      Big   clucky   websites   store   safety   data   sheets   and   printed  brochures  are  almost  invisible  to  today’s  search  engines  and  lack  a   clear   vision  and   sustained  budget.  Online  marke)ng   is  not   the  growth  engine  promised  but  a  (nuisance)  expense.    Execu)ves   feel   jus)fied   with   this   posi)on   because   the  organiza)on  lacks  clear  goals  and  measurable  ROI.  It’s  a  chicken-­‐and-­‐egg  situa)on.    We  wanted  to  learn  a  bit  more  so  compiled  a  short  survey,  just  10  ques)ons,  to  add  some  metrics  to  the  prevailing  commentary.    We   received   dozens   of   responses   and   want   to   thank   everyone  who  par)cipated.    Steve  Hartkopf  shartkopf@aligned-­‐marke)ng.com  800-­‐707-­‐9150  

Q1  HOW  MANY  ONLINE  INFORMATION  SOURCES  such  as  magazines,  newspapers,  CNN,  WSJ,  blogs  or  Facebook  do  you  read  each  week?  

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Q2  IN  THE  BOX  BELOW  LIST  YOUR  MOST  VISITED  INFORMATION  WEBSITES,  blogs,  and/or  online  groups:  

1.   Company  website  2.   LinkedIn  3.   Yahoo  4.   WSJ  5.   Facebook  6.   ISA  (NewsleWer)  7.   MDM  8.   Fox  News  9.   Google  News  10.  Industrial  Distribu-on  Magazine  11.  NewsMax  12.  Accurint  

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Q3  WHICH  TOPICS  WOULD  YOU  READ  ABOUT  MORE  if  there  was  an  easy  to  access  and  easy  to  read  online  source  available?  

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Industrial  and  Electrical  professionals  were  the  largest  group  of  respondents  so  the  fact  that  they  want  more  “Industry  content”  is  not  surprising.    

What’s  surprising  is  25%  of  respondents  want  more  informa)on  on    “Content  crea)on  and  online  marke)ng.”  

Q4  OUR  ONLINE  MARTKETING  CLEARLY  EXPLAINS  our  product’s  and  service’s  value  proposi-on.  

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Just  over  30%  “Strongly  agree”  that  their  company’s  website  “clearly  explains”  their  product’s  and  service’s  value  proposi)on.      

55%+  “Somewhat  agree,”  which  was  characterized  as  a  “less  than  enthusias)c  endorsement”  by  our  online  marke)ng  team.    

Q5  OVERALL  ARE  YOU  SATISFIED  with  your  company’s  website  and  online  marke-ng?  

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The  response  to  this  ques)on  also  surprised  our  team  a  bit.      

22%  of  respondents  are  “Neither  sa)sfied  or  dissa)sfied”  with  their  company’s  website  and  online  marke)ng.  Almost  a  quarter  of  respondents  seem  indifferent.    

Further,  just  over  65%  are  either  “Extremely  or  Slightly  sa)sfied.”      

Q6  MY  COMPANY  STRUGGLES  to  consistently  create  high-­‐quality  website  and  social  media  content.  

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Over  55%  of  respondents  “Somewhat  agree”  that  their  company  struggles  to  create  high-­‐quality  website  and  social  media  content.      

Another  <25%  “Neither  agree  or  disagree.”  Are  they  indecisive,  indifferent,  or  just  don’t  know?  If  they  don’t  know  then  why  would  they  respond  to  this,  clearly  online  markeFng,  survey?      

Q7  HOW  WOULD  YOU  COMPARE  your  company’s  online  marke-ng  to  your  main  compe-tor’s?  

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Q7  helps  reconcile  the  inconsistency  between  Q5  and  Q6.  Namely  the  high  response  rate  to  the  term  “struggling”  while  only  10%  responded  “Slightly  or  Extremely  dissa)sfied.”      

Our  team  drew  three  conclusions,  there  may  be  more:  1.  The  general:  We’re  “struggling”  but  we’re  doing  an  acceptable  job.  2.  The  comparaFve:  We’re  matching  our  compeFtor’s  and  that’s  acceptable.    3.  The  execuFve  conclusion:  We  suffer  from  low  expectaFons.    

Q8   HOW  WOULD  YOU  DESCRIBE  your  company’s  online  marke-ng?  

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Only  20%  of  respondents  thought  the  online  marke)ng  (website,  social  media,  etc.)  was  a  “marke)ng  investment  with  a  clear  ROI  designed  to  increase  sales.”    

Primary  research  revealed  most  online  marke)ng  consisted  of  websites  focused  on  product  research  and/or  purchasing.  

Note:  This  approach  may  maintain  the  status  quo  but  it  lacks  online  markeFng  objecFves,  such  as:  •  Be  an  industry  thought  leader  •  Online  customer  service  •  Engaging  a  younger  audience  •  AQracFng  new  customers  •  Defense  against  new  online  

compeFtors  like  Amazon  and  Google  

44%  

Q9   MY  COMPANY’S  GREATEST  online  need  is:  

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Finally,  the  respondent’s  “needs”  were  quite  mixed:      (the  numbers  were  rounded  up  or  down  slightly  for  the  reader’s  convenience)  

•  30%  need  be5er  content  to  improve  search  engine  results  

•  30%  need  dedicated  resources  with  specific  skills  

•  20%  need  a  larger  budget  (we  thought  this  would  be  higher)  

•  10%  need  a  social  media  policy,  strategy  and  resources  

•  10%  need  senior  management  to  make  online  marke)ng  a  priority  

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Contact  the  author  

Steve  Hartkopf  Founder,  Aligned  Marke)ng,  LLC    Email:  shartkopf@aligned-­‐marke)ng.com  Phone:  800-­‐707-­‐9150