New Marketing Report: B2B Lead Generation Trends 2013

Finally, the new 2013 B2B Lead Generation Report is available! (Download it here: http://www.slideshare.net/hschulze/b2-b-lead-generation-report-2013)

The B2B Technology Marketing Community on LinkedIn conducted the 2013 lead generation survey to better understand how B2B marketers are adjusting to new challenges, and to identify new trends and best practices. The results are in.

Here are the Top-5 Trends in B2B Lead Generation (for more details download the report):

1. The number one challenge for B2B marketers: Generating high quality leads.
2. The most effective lead generation tactics used by marketers: Company website, email marketing and SEO.
3. The greatest barrier to lead generation success is lack of resources: Staff, budget and time.
4. B2B marketers’ top metrics to measure marketing ROI: Cost per lead, revenue and lead volume.
5. The secret to B2B email success: Provide compelling content for each stage in the buying process to move buyers from first touch to purchase.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey!

And many thanks to the co-sponsors of the B2B Lead Generation Report:

IDG Enterprise | http://www.idgenterprise.com 
IDG Enterprise brings together the unique brands (Computerworld, InfoWorld, Network World, CIO, DEMO, CSO, CIO Executive Council, ITworld, CFOworld and CITEworld) to serve the information needs of our IT and security-focused audiences. By leveraging the strengths of each individual brand, while simultaneously harnessing their collective reach and audience affinity, we provide market leadership and media best practices for our marketing customers to engage their customers across our portfolio.

Eloqua | http://www.eloqua.com 
Eloqua (NASDAQ: ELOQ) is the marketing system of record for modern marketers. The company’s cloud software, professional services and education programs provide marketers with the technology and expertise needed to help marketing drive revenue. More than 100,000 global users from companies both large and small, rely on the marketing automation power of Eloqua to improve demand generation and lead management while driving more qualified leads. Eloqua’s customers include AON, Dow Jones, ADP, Fidelity, Polycom, and National Instruments.

DiscoverOrg | http://www.discoverorg.com 
DiscoverOrg is the leading IT marketing tool used by the top IT vendors targeting the IT departments of Fortune Ranked, Mid-Market, and SMB companies in North America. Offered in the form of a constantly refreshed database, DiscoverOrg maps out the IT Org Charts of 15,000 companies complete with verified email addresses, direct dial phone numbers, reporting structure, IT project updates and technology install base.

Optify | http://www.optify.net 
Optify is a simple digital marketing software suite and the industry standard for agency marketers. Our complete cloud-based digital marketing platform eliminates the need for standalone tools and empowers agencies to easily create and manage demand generation programs across multiple websites, nurture and score the hottest prospects, prioritize the highest performing programs and streamline co-branded reporting of client results - all from one login.

Strand Marketing | http://www.strandmarketing.com 
Strand is an award-winning, strategic marketing and advertising agency focused on the unique needs of growth-oriented high tech companies. Adept at building integrated inbound and outbound solutions, Strand’s strength is aligning strategy with creative content and Web technology to create engaging lead-generation and brand-building campaigns. They’re located North of Boston in Newburyport, MA.

And the Oscar Goes to... The Customer!

Greetings...

The Oscars were watched by an estimated 1 Billion people globally last night... it must be true-- movies and perhaps a short "escape from reality" brings people together!  I had an "a ha" moment during the 2013 Oscars telecast -- specifically during the "Captain Kirk" intro an it was reinforced throughout the evening.  Giving people a "moment in time" what they really want...escape to Paris in Les Miserables, journey on a boat in the sea with The Life of Pi, or simply see action at its finest with James Bond in Skyfall.

So my Oscar goes to...the Customer and Member!

Our customer, or member, simply wants a "moment in time" when they visit us, too.  They want that new car, the dream vacation, or simply to pay for my child to go to the right college!

And we can give them that moment!!  IF, we have all of our touch points and brand aligned.

As I began to think about this-- and how we can give our customer/member that moment...there were three key lessons that jumped out at me while watching the Oscars last night...

1. Relevance matters:  How can we provide the "right moment" for our customer/member? By asking the "right questions!"  James T. Kirk STILL draws attention and a standing ovation?  He has stayed relevant across time!  How does a make-up artist on a small, low budget film attract any attention?  She/he is relevant to his target audience and blows out their opportunity!  Both important points for marketers in every industry...relevance is the ONLY thing that matters.
2. YOU can win:  How does the small film from Africa make it to the Oscar night with a 9-year old leading star?  Because she has talent! No matter how small, how remote, how unknown you are today...tomorrow can be a different day is you have a true point of difference AND everyone works together to make it a night/day of magic for the customer/member!
3. The Story Matters:  Regardless of age, color, creed, economic, or social status... having a moment in time that is all about "me" is what connects people.  Action film, historical documentary, love story, epic drama..that format has mattered little...the moment that I can "get away" from it all has mattered greatly. Remember, its the STORY people want to hear and connect with!!

Money connects people, too.  Big bank, small bank, savings and loan or credit union....we can ALL connect to our customers/members.  We operate in the banking industry where money is the great connector for us...but that MOMENT of TIME is the sticking point for the customer!  You can get "money" lots of places...but meeting my dreams and having "my time away from it all" is where price is minimized and value enhanced.

Think Starbucks...that's EXACTLY what they provide.   Sure a good cup of coffee...but the WIN is that the cup of coffee is EXACTLY how I want it and WHEN I want it.  People want access to time (mobile deposit)...more of it... security for it.  EXACTLY what we as bankers and credit union folks provide.

Our challenge??

Being Relevant...Realizing that WE CAN win...and connecting people to US how they want and when they want...regardless of the format.  Sure, some formats offer better storytelling or better service but the bottom-line...there is ROOM for each of us to stake our claim and be a Oscar winner.

It just takes focus and energy...

But that is the next blog!

Cheers!

Bruce

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With more than 182,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

We bring these marketing philosophies to community banks and credit unions nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

See our story here. (click)

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937-832-7894 x101

Mirror Mirror...

Mirror mirror on the wall...

     Who are the best customers of them all?

Many of our clients have "Customer/Member Growth" as a core objective for 2013 ... which is great!  But, as a true consultant - I'd like to make one MINOR edit.  Change that objective to:

Growth of THE RIGHT Customer/Member.

When you are focusing on the RIGHT customer, your universe shrinks and you can become more efficient with your budget.  As a marketing director and a leader on the management team, I would rather report to the Board that we grew our customer base with slightly fewer productive and profitable folks than tons of "riff-raff" (using technical, professional vernacular).

You can acquire the very best prospects through mirror modeling.  Focus your efforts on those people who "look like" your current best customers.

Identify Your Very Best Customers
Pretend, for a minute, that you could take one of your customers and stick them in a Xerox machine.  Who would you pick?  Someone with the highest deposits?  The most impressive loan balances?  The most services per household?  Would they have checking?  Would they religiously use their debit card?

Your answer may be different than the credit union's down the street or the community bank from across town.  You need to define exactly what kind of customer you want.

Once you've identified them, pull an address file of every one of your current customers who meet the criteria.

Birds of a Feather
Think of your neighborhood.  I'll bet most of your neighbors look a bit like you.  Maybe it's an area with a gaggle of young families with kids.  Or it's a flock of empty nesters.  The socio-economic law of averages says that birds of a feather tend to flock together.  And this can be a powerful tool for targeting.

By defining a narrow target and geo-focusing your marketing efforts to those zip+4s with the highest concentration of your best customers, you'll have a significantly better strategic effort than if you simply target those who live within 1-2 miles of your branch network.

You can also have a message with a laser focus.  Understand your best customers: What are their pain points?  Why did they choose you?  Why do they stay with you?  What life stages are they living through? What products are they most likely to have?  How are they most likely to use them?  Once you understand your best customers, you'll better understand how to communicate to your most desired prospects: What products they are most likely to need with you.  How they are most likely to use them.  What their key purchase criteria is.

With a little upfront homework and a mirror modeling strategy, you can retain your best customers through better understanding, you'll know where they live to find more of them and you'll know how to talk to them.  That is a powerful marketing formula that will make you the "fairest of them all."

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With nearly 185,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

We bring these marketing philosophies to credit unions and community banks nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

Think "Close and Deep" for Effective Demand Generation

During the Cold War, US Army leaders in Europe faced a disconcerting situation. Their mission was to defend NATO members in the event of an attack by the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The problem was, US/NATO ground forces were substantially outnumbered. During this period, Soviet army doctrine was to throw wave after wave of forces at defenders until they were overcome. US military leaders were not confident they could win this kind of war of attrition.

To address this problem, the US Army developed a new warfighting doctrine, one that reintroduced the idea of depth to the battlefield. Under the new doctrine, US/NATO armies would extend the battlefield deep on the enemy's side of the front lines and attack rear-echelon forces (fighting deep), while simultaneously engaging front-line forces (fighting close). The objective was to break up the enemy's momentum and deplete enemy forces before they could get into the main fight. The principle of fighting close and deep at the same time remains a basic tenet of US Army operational doctrine.

Some of you may be wondering what military doctrine has to do with B2B demand generation. Quite a bit, actually. Especially for B2B companies with long and complex demand generation cycles. In these circumstances, maximizing demand generation results requires companies to use activities and programs that cover the full depth of the demand generation "battlefield." In other words, high-performing demand generation systems engage potential buyers both close and deep simultaneously.

The diagram below depicts the demand generation playing field and illustrates what I mean by close and deep demand generation engagement.

In military doctrine, close and deep describe the distance from the front lines of the battle. In demand generation, close and deep refer to where prospects are in the buying process and now near or far they are from making a purchase decision. As the diagram shows, personal selling is the primary close demand generation activity, while deep demand generation activities focus primarily on lead acquisition. Lead management activities such as lead nurturing and lead qualification occupy an intermediate tier. The diagram also shows that close activities are designed to produce short-term results, while deep activities produce results over a more extended period of time.

To maximize demand generation performance over time, it's critical to have the right balance of effective close and deep activities. When the balance is right, your demand generation system will perform at a consistent, high level. If you don't optimize close activities (personal selling), the negative consequences will be felt quickly. If you ignore or fail to optimize deep activities, the negative consequences can be just as bad, but it will talke longer for them to become visible.

Never give up in the first mile.

This morning, I rolled out of bed, laced up my New Balance, zombie-walked through the hotel lobby and started yet another self-guided tour of a strange city. And, like so many runs lately, I had no idea how far I would go.

You see, I have hundreds of track and cross country miles on a young, energetic body and on my less-young, less-energetic body, I have multiple marathons, ultra-marathons, a triathlon and countless trail races. I've trained to injuries and through injuries and, after 41 years, I've decided it's finally time for my body to have a loud vote in my training.

I, of course, had a minimum and a stretch goal in mind heading out the door, but there was nothing serious driving either. After 3 minutes, my body's loud vote was screaming that the minimum goal was looking pretty darn good. My legs were heavy, I was still waking up and I was ready to bail on the run.

Luckily, I have a basic rule ... 

Never make any significant decisions in the first mile.

The same holds true for your marketing plans and campaigns. You should go in with a minimum and stretch goal, but don't ever bail in the first mile. Just as you need to give your muscles and chance to warm up, you also need to give your plans a chance to take root.  

Budgets are limited and time lines are tight. But if you've done your upfront homework and your strategy is sound - give your plan time to work. You should monitor and tweak where necessary to hit or destroy your goals, but never bail in the first mile.  

This morning, I adjusted my pace, fell into a good stride and easily passed my stretch goal ... and you can too.

Run on my marketing friends.

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With more than 180,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

We bring these marketing philosophies to community banks and credit unions nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

Why Content Marketing is the Best Way to Build the Brand

Howard Sewell with Spear Marketing recently published a blog post titled, "Has Content Marketing Made Branding Obsolete?" He argues that most B2B companies don't need "branding." Sewell writes, "If generating leads depended even in small part on how consumers felt about your company, branding might still have a role to play. But successful demand generation today has little to do with your company, and much more to do with your content."

I agree that content marketing is now an essential component of B2B marketing, perhaps the single most important component. However, I disagree with the argument that content marketing makes branding obsolete. Here's why.

Branding is one of those marketing terms that is used in a variety of ways. In one sense, branding refers to the process of creating the name and symbols (logos, etc.) that will be used to identify a company, product, or service offering. Branding can also refer to several kinds of advertising and marketing programs that are primarily intended to (a) raise public awareness of a company, product, or service, or (b) create and maintain a positive perception of a company, product, or service in the minds of prospective customers. When marketers engage in these types of advertising and marketing activities, they often say they are building the brand.

Building the brand is a marketing objective that can be pursued using a variety of marketing tactics and methods. Traditionally, the most prevalent brand building tactics were "mass advertising" activities such as TV/radio/print ads and various kinds of public relations activities.

In the B2B world, content marketing is a marketing tactic or method that emphasizes the use of educational and primarily non-promotional content to capture the attention and interest of prospective customers. Content marketing can be used to achieve multiple marketing objectives, including both lead generation and brand building.

The important point here is that a marketing tactic or method will never render a legitimate marketing objective obsolete. To say that content marketing makes brand building obsolete is like saying that charcoal grilling makes dinner obsolete.

Building the brand is still an essential marketing function for B2B companies. No sale will occur until the prospective buyer accepts and "believes in" both the relevance and credibility of your brand promise. What has changed is that traditional brand building methods and tactics are far less effective today than they once were. Business buyers are quick to tune out promotional marketing messages so what companies need is a more effective method for building the brand and communicating the brand promise. For most B2B companies, content marketing is now the best way to build the brand.

It's true, as Mr. Sewell writes, that most good demand generation content is not usually about a company or its products or services. Today, the best content focuses on business issues or challenges that are relevant and important to a company's potential buyers. But, even when a content resource is not about a company or its products or services, prospects will inevitably associate the content with the company that produced it. After all, the resource itself will be branded. If the resource is a white paper or an e-book or a case study, the company name and logo will almost certainly appear somewhere in the document. If the resource is a webinar, the company name and logo will probably be on every slide.

The point here is that your company, your brand, will be closely associated with the content you publish. The relevance and quality of that content (good or bad) will have a major impact on how prospects view and define your brand.

5 Ways to Encourage a Greater Customer Experience

The other day I walked into a large home store. This store wasn’t located in “small town America.” It was located in one of the most populated areas in the United States. I assumed I would walk in, hunt for what I was looking for, walk to the checkout, stand in line for a VERY long time and then be on my way out the door without so much as a greeting from anyone. Boy, was I ever wrong! The customer experience was OUTSTANDING! So outstanding, in fact, that I will go out of my way to go back to this store each and every time I’m in need of anything it could possibly provide.

Why was the customer experience so different from that of many other stores? I asked one of the employees in the parking lot, who came over to help me load my items, why everyone was so incredibly happy and helpful. Her response was, “I love working here! This is absolutely the best company to work for, and I’m so fortunate to be a part of this team.” Wow!

How can you create a similar customer experience in your financial institution? 

1. Adjust Attitude

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

--Thomas Jefferson

Your customers can feel the energy the minute they walk into your business. If you or your employees have a less-than-enthusiastic attitude, the energy of your entire company will feel negative to your customers. If you are upbeat, your team will follow your lead and provide an outstanding customer experience. If you have a negative attitude, your employees will follow your lead and communicate this negative attitude to the customers they serve.

2. Give Incentives

Motivate your team by giving incentives based on your financial institution’s mission, goals and values. Be sure to ask your employees what they would like as incentives. Investing thousands of dollars in incentives is not worth a penny if they are not the right incentives to motivate your team.

3. Show Your Appreciation

Showing your appreciation to coworkers and your employees need not to be expensive or time consuming. Appreciation does, however, need to be shown in a timely, sincere, fair and encouraging way. Stretch your imagination. Showing your appreciation will bring you success in motivation, employee recognition and building a positive and productive working environment. Use every opportunity.

4. Provide Ongoing Learning

Not only is training necessary to stay on top of ever-changing policies and regulations, but it is also necessary for providing a top-notch customer experience. One of the simplest but most often neglected avenues for training and learning is to ask the employees themselves what can be done better as a company or how the company can be more efficient when serving customers. Be sure to have a method in place to continuously track this feedback and use this information in ongoing training for all employees.

5. Support Outstanding Customer Service

Support and motivate your coworkers and employees by keeping standards high for each and every customer experience. Bottom line: Treat everyone the way you would want to be treated and expect the same from your team. Meet the same expectations you would have if you were the customer. Remember, great customer service begins with you.

For more great info on providing a greater customer experience, sign up today to hear from industry experts speaking on these topics at the M³F Marketing Forum. This is a working forum with interactive sessions and will enable you to develop a plan to implement the following Monday morning. Click here for a complete agenda. Be sure to register no later than Thursday, February 28^th to save on registration.

Make it your goal where you, your coworkers and your employees will all say, “I love working here! This is absolutely the best company to work for, and I’m so fortunate to be a part of this team.”

Until next time,

Melissa

Melissa Worrel, CFMP

VP, Client Manager
MarketMatch
mworrel@marketmatch.com
Ph: 937.832.7894 X105
Direct: 937.402.2076
Cell: 605.290.4351

With over 175,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

We bring these marketing philosophies to community banks and credit unions nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

The MarketMatch Marketing Forum-- April 18-19...You cannot miss this event!

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MarketMatch is a marketing firm, dedicated to the credit union and community banking community.  We utilize knowledge-based strategies to help you FOCUS on the right story that will generate the greatest  MOMENTUM and prove the best RESULTS with our written ROI Guarantee.