For many B2B marketers, it’s all about metrics, analysis and data – and for good reason too. Without the right metrics, we don’t know what actually works and where our leads are coming from.
In an effort to make your life easier as you pitch your digital marketing strategy or plan out your firm’s marketing strategy, we’ve compiled B2B marketing statistics that will help determine your strategy and convince those skeptics.
Let’s take a look at the only B2B marketing statistics you care about when it comes to creating an effective, comprehensive marketing strategy.
B2B Digital Marketing Stats
Digital marketing for B2B firms covers a range of channels and mediums, but it’s helpful to take a broad look at marketing before diving into specific channels.
When purchasing online, B2B buyers rate pricing as the most useful information (This doesn’t necessarily mean special offers or discounts, it can mean general pricing and typical budget ranges).
The next most important topic to B2B buyers is technical information and product or service specifications.
Interestingly enough, product demonstrations are least valued by B2B buyers purchasing products or services online.
76% of B2B buyers use three or more marketing channels for researching a vendor or partner.
66% of B2B marketers report using search engine marketing (SEM), making it the most used paid marketing tactic among B2B companies.
The average B2B buyer is 57% through the purchase decision before engaging a supplier sales rep. (That’s a lot of decision making before talking to a firm directly!)
B2B Content Marketing
Content marketing is taking a more central role in many comprehensive marketing strategies, especially for B2B firms. However, many firms are doing content marketing simply because everyone says, “Do content marketing.” Rather than just jumping blindly into content marketing, it’s best to understand what content marketing is and why it’s an integral part of a successful B2B marketing plan.
80% of B2B decision makers prefer to get information from articles rather than advertising.
This is a strong argument for why articles should focus on education rather than promotion. B2B decision makers are looking to learn helpful information that can help them do their jobs better.
88% of B2B marketers currently use content marketing as part of their marketing strategy, yet only 35% have a documented content marketing strategy.
Statistics that make you go, “Yikes!” Would you bring a new product to market without a strategic plan? No, of course not! Before you start jumping into blogging and creating content, create a strategic plan so you don’t waste your time or your prospect’s time.
76% of B2B marketers say they will produce more content in 2016.
This number is both great and scary. As long as content is created according to a carefully constructed plan – great! Producing content just to throw something up on a blog is pretty scary. Purpose – that’s the name of the game for content.
61% of the most effective B2B content marketers meet with their content team daily or weekly.
Consistent and open communication is essential for executing an effective content strategy. Talk with your team. They can keep you in the loop on what works and what stinks.
The top B2B content marketers allocate a larger portion of their budget to content marketing: 42% of their total budget, compared to 28% for less-effective marketers.
To create high-quality content, you need the right resources. Ideally, you are working with expert content marketing professionals and top-notch writers, so it’s important to allocate budget appropriately.
Blogging for B2B Firms
Often, the blog is central to a successful content marketing and sales strategy. It’s also the most commonly misused medium for B2B firms. A successful blog isn’t an online store, it’s an educational hub. Sure, clients can learn about your products and services on the blog, but they should be learning why your services are helpful, how they work, and how to best utilize them.
81% of businesses have reported their blog as “useful” or “critical” to B2B lead generation.
Why is a blog useful to lead generation? Because it sets your firm up as the expert or thought leader in your industry. Your prospects want to work with the best of the best. Show them why you are the best by sharing helpful information that makes their jobs easier!
Companies with over 200 blog articles have 5x more leads than those with 10 or fewer.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to create all your blogs right now. Start with 2 a month and at the end of the year you have created 24 new blogs.
82% of marketers who blog see positive ROI for their inbound marketing.
The more information you share on your website, the longer prospects will stay on your website. The better information they find on your site, the higher the chance they will see you as a trusted resource. Trust and credibility are essential to generating and closing online leads. Need ideas? Check out 10 Ideas for Your Next Blog.
Social Media & B2B Marketers
Social media is not a lead generation tool for B2B firms – let’s be clear and upfront. It’s a brand management and customer communication tool. It’s essential to have a strong presence on social media since your clients and prospects want to engage with your firm online.
55% of B2B buyers say they search for product or vendor information on social media.
If more than half of your prospects are searching for information about your firm on social media, you can’t afford to ignore your social media.
The sad fact: Only half of B2B marketers maintain an active corporate social media presence.
85% of B2B buyers believe companies should present information via social networks.
While you can’t necessarily accommodate everything client’s or prospect’s request, it’s important to be accessible. Social media is a great way to make your firm and your B2B content easily accessible for current and future clients.
66% of B2B marketers rank LinkedIn as the most effective social media platform for their business. Other successful platforms were Twitter (55%), YouTube (51%), SlideShare (41%) and Facebook (30%).
In the B2B world, LinkedIn is one of the most effective ways to connect and interact with other business professionals. In our experience, as a B2B marketing agency, we’ve found LinkedIn to be useful for reaching a very specific target audience.
99% of B2B marketers believe social media is critical to their communication campaigns, with 94% indicating their key social objective is to build brand awareness.
Social media is a one-to-many solution for building brand awareness. It’s critical that your firm is controlling the message about your B2B brand on social media and elsewhere online.
Can’t get enough stats? Check out 15 Crazy Branding Statistics and Significant Web Design Statistics for Skeptics.
What other B2B marketing statistics do you care about? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: B2B PR Sense, Biznology, BlueNile, CEB, CMI, Earnest Agency, HubSpot, HubSpot Inbound, LinkedIn, MediaPost, Regalix
