©2012 MASSTLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sales and Marketing Roundtable: Mobilizing Your
Company’s Advocates
OCTOBER 10, 2013 TWEET IT OUT
@MASSTLC #ADVOCATES WIFI:
LOGIN - 10102013 PASSWORD - M87VEx34
Trends in Customer Advocacy
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Who Participated in the Study? • 100+ marketers in the U.S., Canada, EMEA, Asia-Pacific
• Data collected up to late February 2013
• Company size: – Half under $500 million
– 10 percent $500 million to $1 billion
– 40 percent more than $1 billion
• Industry mix: – 70 percent software
– 10 percent hardware
– 8 percent professional/information services
– 4 percent healthcare and financial services
– 9 percent other industries 3
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Executive Summary • Key issues
– There’s nothing more valuable than a loyal customer who is willing to advocate on a company’s behalf
– It remains challenging for b-to-b companies to find and engage advocates in a range of traditional and social outlets
– Mindful planning and investment will help make customer advocacy and reference work play a more vital role
• What you will walk away with
– An understanding of the role of customer advocacy in b-to-b
– A view into how companies are organizing this function and what’s different about best-in-class programs
– Effective practices for finding and rewarding advocates
– A view into where companies are planning to invest next
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The Critical Role of Advocacy
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It’s All About People Connecting SiriusPerspective: Approximately 75 percent of CXOs’ research is done via personal interactions and viral communication networks.
Access a Social Media Community,
12%
Call an Industry Analyst, 20%
As My Team or Colleagues For Options, 22%
Call an Industry Peer, 22%
Search on the Internet, 25%
Ask my Team or Colleagues for Options 22%
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Advocacy Support at Different Buying Stages SiriusPerspective: Referrals (as content assets) tend to be more influential at the beginning and end of the buying process.
7
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Early Middle Late
White papers
Peer referrals
Webinars
User Events
Analyst reports
Case Studies
Most often selected
Reference and Advocacy Resourcing
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How Does Advocacy Investment Compare?
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0.5% to 5%: Marketing Investment as % of Total Revenue
Approx. 40% to 50% Field Marketing’s
Share of Program and Personnel Spend
Less than 10% Average Share of
Program Dollars for Advocacy and
References
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What’s the Biggest Challenge This Year?
• The Bad News – 20% say “Lengthy
approval process for customer reference content”
– 14% say “Buy-in and cooperation from sales”
– 13% say “Lack of sufficient budget”
• The Good News – Just 3% say “Gaining
executive support” – Just 3% say “Difficulty
establishing the value of our program”
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2013 Opportunity: Turning Executive Support Into Adequate Budget and Sales Cooperation
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Where Do References Come From Today?
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Three Areas That Should Be Tapped Into Immediately
1 2
3
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How Much Does Sales Help Find Advocates?
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A critical need shouldn’t be resourced with volunteer support
Advocacy Content
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What Forms Does Advocacy Content Take Now?
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Advocacy Investment Plans
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Reference Technology Investment Going up in 2013
13% getting 30% more $
18% getting 10-30% more $
17% getting up to 10% more $
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