2016 B2B TECHNOLOGY MARKETING SURVEY REPORT · 2016 B2B Technology Marketing Survey Report Page 5 52.5% 32.2% 10.2% 5.1% 0.0% 5.1% 8.5% 55.9% 15.5% 15.5% 30.5% INBOUND/OUTBOUND MARKETING

2016B2B TECHNOLOGY MARKETINGSURVEY REPORT

LEAD GENERATION

INBOUND/OUTBOUND MARKETING

OUTSOURCING

CONTENT

BLOGGING

COLLABORATIVE MARKETING

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

NURTURE MARKETING

SOCIAL MEDIA

MARKETING AUTOMATION

CLOSING THOUGHTS

RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

ABOUT THE PARTNER MARKETING GROUP

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FORB2B TECHNOLOGY MARKETERSStaying relevant in the fiercely competitive technology industry is a challenge we know all too well as a longtime marketing partner for this rapidly changing market.

This report illustrates our findings from a poll of software and technology VARs, ISVs and other providers specific to B2B technology marketing. We hope it provides you with helpful insights on how related businesses from small resellers to global technology firms are approaching marketing.

Thank you to all who took the time to respond to this survey and we hope to continue building this report in the years to come. Please contact us at [email protected] if you’re interested in sharing your valuable input in our next survey.

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2016 B2B Technology Marketing Survey Report

Page 3

LEAD GENERATIONTactics used for lead generation

Tactics 2014 2016Email Marketing 90.5% 94.9%Social Media 83.8% 86.4%Webinars 70.5% 78.0%Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 89.5% 76.3%Blogging 74.3% 71.2%Trade Shows 58.1% 64.4%Live Events / Seminars 61.9% 55.9%Search Engine Marketing (Including Re-Targeting and PPC) 31.4% 40.7%Third Party Lead Services (pay-per-lead) 20.0% 27.1%Telemarketing / Telesales 29.5% 27.1%Social Media Advertising (i.e, Linked In or Facebook ads or sponsored updates)

N/A 25.4%

Direct Mail 24.8% 18.6%Advertising (print, billboards, radio) 36.2% 16.9%Other (please specify) 4.80% 6.8%

While Email Marketing remained the top tactic used by technology marketers, outbound tactics such as Direct Mail and Advertising decreased from 2014.

94% of respondents use email for lead generation.

86.4%are using social media, yet many are struggling to measure results from their efforts.

http://www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com


Page 4

LEAD GENERATION (cont.)Personal engagement through live events, webinars and trade shows are delivering the most leads.Many respondents are still struggling to make social media and social advertising work as an effective lead generation strategy.

Effectiveness of lead generation tacticsChart reflects the weighted average of all responses1 = most effective, 5= least effective

“Done alone, most lead generation tactics are only somewhat effective. We have found best results when done as a coordinated effort.”-Respondent comment

*Including LinkedIn and Facebook ads and sponsored updates

4.114

3.793.54

3.383.23.193.17

3.112.7

2.652.51

2.432.38

Direct MailOther (please specify)

Advertising (print ads, billboards, radio)Social Media

Social Media Advertising*Third Party Lead Services (pay-per-lead)

Telemarketing / TelesalesSearch Engine Marketing (Including Re-Targeting and PPC)

Email MarketingBlogging

Search Engine OptimizationTrade Shows

WebinarsLive Events / Seminars



Page 5

52.5%32.2%

10.2%

5.1%

0.0%

5.1%

8.5%

55.9%

15.5%

15.5%

30.5%

INBOUND/OUTBOUND MARKETINGMore than 50% of respondents view content as a high priority and are splitting their marketing dollars equally between inbound and outbound tactics.

Breakdown of inbound vs. outbound5.1%

100% outbound (direct mail, email, telemarketing, networking)

100% inbound (SEO, SEM, PPC, social media, targeted keyword strategy, etc.)

About 50/50

More than 50% outbound

More than 50% inbound

Other percentage split

Importance of content in inbound/outbound strategy

High priority – one of the most important things we can do in marketing

Medium priority – important but not critical

Somewhat a priority

Not a priority

“We want to be primarily focused on inbound for lead generation, and then utilize outbound as a prospect progress through the nurturing or sales cycle.”-Respondent comment



Page 6

INBOUND/OUTBOUND MARKETING (cont.)Biggest challenges in inbound marketingChart reflects the weighted average of all responses1 = most difficult, 5= least difficult As compared to

2014....• Building content

remains the top challenge for effective inbound marketing.

• Getting responses is still the biggest hurdle for outbound marketing.

• Only 5.1% of respondents feel content is not a priority to inbound/outbound marketing.

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00

Getting traffic to the website

Building powerful consistent content over time

Capturing the leads

Converting the leads to opportunities

Creating and executing an effective nurture program

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00

Getting adequate response rates

Building powerful consistent content over time

Capturing the leads

Converting the leads to opportunities

Creating and executing an effective nurture program

Biggest challenges in outbound marketingChart reflects the weighted average of all responses1 = most difficult, 5= least difficult



Page 7

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Writ

ing

of b

log

post

s

Web

des

ign

Exec

utio

n

Publ

ic re

latio

ns

Oth

er (p

leas

esp

ecify

)

75.9%

24.1%

OUTSOURCING

75.9% of respondents outsource all or a portion of their marketing, up from 61.6% in 2014.

Web design is the most outsourced marketing element, followed closely by content development.

Yes

No

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Marketing activities outsourced

Writing of blog posts

Some content

Web design Execution Strategy & planning

Public relations

Branding Other

Other elements outsourced include:• Marketing automation• Social media management• Webinar execution• Adwords optimization

Outsource any portion of marketing



Page 8

66.1%

33.9%

CONTENTCreate or source original content

Yes

No

33.9% of respondents are not creating any original thought leadership pieces.

91% cite lack of internal resources as the biggest challenge to creating original content, up 7.8% from 2014.

Challenges to creating original content

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

100.0%

Don’t have internal resources (people or expertise) to create it

Don’t have buy-in from our company to create it

Don’t have budget to create new content

Not important to us to have original content (we

use the publisher’s content)



Page 9

19.0%

36.2%

39.7%

5.2%5.2%

CONTENT (cont.)Number of content pieces created annually

25.6% of respondents create more than 11 pieces of content per year.

More than half create industry-specific content.

12.8%

38.5%23.1%

25.6%1-3

4-7

8-10

11+

Creating industry-specific content

Yes. All of our content is industry-specific

More than 50% is industry-specific

Less than 50% is industry-specific

None – not important to be industry-specific at this time



Page 10

BLOGGINGRespondents with blogs

86.4% of respondents have a blog, with the majority posting at least a few times a month.

6.8% haven’t posted updates in more than 6 months.Frequency of blog posts

86.4%

13.6%

Yes

No

5.1%

11.9%

15.3%

33.9%

15.3%

6.8%

11.9%

Daily

Weekly

A few times a week

A few times a month

Occasionally

Haven’t updated the blog in the last 6 months or more

Not applicable, we don’t have a blog



Page 11

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%

Partn

ers

with

sim

ilar

solu

tions

in o

ther

geog

raph

ies

Partn

ers

with

com

plem

enta

ryso

lutio

ns ISV'

s

Asso

ciatio

ns

Oth

er (p

leas

esp

ecify

)

COLLABORATIVE MARKETINGEngaged in collaborative marketing

Most respondents are engaging in some type of collaborative marketing.

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%

Group blogs Co-authoredcontent

Joint events orwebinars

Jointly createdand executed

marketingcampaigns

(including emailand integrated

campaigns)

No. We do not doany collaborative

marketing

Partners with similar solutions in other geographies

Partners with complementary solutions

ISVs Associations Other

Groups that respondents are collaborating with Other collaborators include:

• Channel resellers• Software publishers• Group blogs

Group blogs Co-authored content

Joint events or webinars

Jointly created and executed marketing campaigns

No. We do not do any collaborative marketing



Page 12

COLLABORATIVE MARKETING (cont.)Reasons for collaborating

Reasons for not collaborating

Half of those who aren’t collaborating simply hadn’t thought of doing it.

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

There was a groupprogram (i.e. a group

blog) that seemed like agood opportunity

Another partnerapproached us with the

idea

We were looking for away to extend our

reach/resources andapproached partners we

thought could help

Not applicable

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

We don't see the need/ benefits

Have not foundanother company thatcomplements what we

do

Didn’t think of it No budget foradditional marketing

activities



Page 13

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENTRespondents with customer advocacy programs

Lack of time—for both respondents and their customers—is the biggest barrier to putting customers at the center of marketing efforts.

70.7% of respondents have no customer advocacy program in place.

Barriers to putting customers at the center of marketing

Yes

No

Other

27.6%

70.7%

1.7%

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%

We

don’

t kno

w w

here

to

star

t / h

ow to

bui

ld a

pl

an

Our

cus

tom

ers d

on’t

have

the

time t

o pa

rtici

pate

We

do n

ot w

ant t

o pu

tou

r cus

tom

ers i

n ou

rm

ater

ials

(con

cern

edab

out c

ompe

titio

n,ot

her r

easo

ns)

We don’t know where to start / how to build a plan

We don’t have the time to manage

Our customers don’t have the time to participate

Our customers do not want to go public

We do not want to put our customers in our materials (concerned about competition, other reasons)



Page 14

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT (cont.)How respondents engage with customers

33.9%don’t ask customers to publicly promote their business.

How many customers partners rely on to promote business through events, social media, etc.

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

100.0%

Case

Stu

dies

Cust

omer

spe

aker

sat

eve

nts o

r web

inar

s

Cust

omer

s en

gage

din

you

r soc

ial m

edia

netw

orks

(eng

agem

ent m

eans

not j

ust f

ollo

win

gbu

t pos

ting

as w

ell).Case studies Testimonial

videosCustomer speakers at events or webinars

Customer stories in our marketing campaigns

Customers engaged in social media

None. We don’ ask customers to support us this way

3 or less

4 or more

33.9%

22.0%

44.1%



Page 15

27.1%

35.6%

18.6%

16.9%

1.7%

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT (cont.)Customers that have provided a case study, testimonial or quote for public use

Less than 1%

2-5%

6-15%

16-30%

More than 50%

1.7% 87% of respondents are using case studies to engage with customers.

Top 3 biggest barriers to putting your customers at the center of your marketing efforts*

63.6% We don’t have time to manage.49.1% Our customers don’t have time to participate.32.7% Our customers do not want to go public.

*More than one answer allowed.



Page 16

NURTURE MARKETING

More than half of respondents have some type of nurture marketing program in place.

56.4% of respondents are struggling to find a regular rhythm with their nurture touches.

55.9%23.7%

20.3%

14.5%

5.5%

23.6%56.4%

0.0%Frequency of nurture touches

Top 3 reasons for not nurturing*50.0% Too difficult to set up and execute47.4% Don’t have the content to support nurture21.1% No budget allocated

*More than one answer allowed.

Nurture program in place (other than a monthly newsletter)

Yes

No

No, but we’re planning to launch one in the next 6 months

Our nurture is based on a prospects’ interaction with our offers (we have a marketing automation tool and are using it)

We have a weekly nurture email

We have a monthly nurture email

We don’t have a regular nurture rhythm or it is infrequent (more than a month apart)



Page 17

NURTURE MARKETING (cont.)Who respondents are nurturing

97% of respondents are nurturing prospects.

The majority of respondents are not segmenting their nurture touches by prospects, customers, influencers, channel partners, etc.

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

120.0%

Prospects Customers Influencers Channel partnersand/or ISVs

Other (pleasespecify)

Those with different nurture programs in place for the above audiences

45.5%

54.5%

Yes

No



Page 18

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Link

edIn

pers

onal

…

Link

edIn

grou

ps

Face

book

YouT

ube

Pint

eres

t

Oth

er (p

leas

esp

ecify

)

SOCIAL MEDIAMost active social networks

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

Microsoft Yammer groups

LinkedIn personal profile

LinkedIn corporate profile

Twitter Facebook Google+ YouTube Pinterest

Most effective social networks

LinkedIn personal profile

LinkedIn corporate profile

LinkedIn groups

Twitter Facebook Google+ YouTube Xing Pinterest None – we don’t get leads through our social media efforts

23.7% of respondents report they get no leads through social media.



Page 19

SOCIAL MEDIA (cont.)Frequency of posts and updates

5.1%

15.3%

42.4%

20.3%

6.8%

10.2%

Never

Rarely

Multiple times per week

Weekly

A few times a month

Monthly

42.4% post updates multiple times per week across social networks.

“Measuring success via social media seems to be a challenge thus increasing budget in this area is difficult. We have been very successful hosting live events.”-Respondent comment



Page 20

MARKETING AUTOMATIONUsing marketing automation

67.8% of respondents use a marketing automation system, up 8.2% from 2014.

ClickDimensions remains the most popular marketing automation platform among respondents.

Marketing automation systems used

67.8%

32.2%

Yes

No

42.5%

15.0%

7.5%

5.0%0.0%2.5%

5.0%

5.0%

17.5%ClickDimensions

HubSpot

Marketo

CoreMotives

SalesFusion

Pardot

ActOn

Other systems, including:• Butterfly Publisher• Microsoft Dynamics Marketing• BizActions• SharpSpring

2.5%



Page 21

CLOSING THOUGHTSBecause we’ve spent decades marketing software and technology from inside and outside publisher, VAR, ISV and vendor organizations, this survey and report is a passion of ours. It’s interesting to learn what the industry is doing in terms of marketing—what’s changed, what hasn’t and what the biggest hurdles are—and there are always a few surprises.

The best part for us is being able to provide this level of targeted insight for an amazing community that often struggles to find ways to stand out and grow in their marketing.

For 2016, here are a few things that stood out for our team:

• Content struggles. While more than 50% of respondents view content as a ‘high priority’ to their marketing strategies, it’s also stated to be the biggest challenge.

• Lack of time. A recurring issue cited throughout the survey was lack of time, resources and expertise to execute. A large group (91%) said this is the reason for not creating original content.

• Social media. We see in B2B technology marketing, social media still hasn’t proven itself for lead generation. It was great to see that 86% of respondents have a blog though!

• More outsourcing. Likely due to the lack of time and expertise reported, outsourcing is on the rise with 75% of respondents outsourcing at least a portion of their marketing, up from 2014.

• Customer advocacy. A surprising statistic for us was that 33% of respondents do not ask customers to publicly promote them—at all. As one of the best marketing assets you have, we hope to see this number increase next year.

Many respondents reported the same roadblocks to taking their marketing to the next level.Common challenges cited:

• Lack of time• Lack of internal resources• Measuring results• Hiring the right people• Creating original content

This is an indicator of why we are also seeing more outsourcing across the board.


Page 22

RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICSAnnual marketing budget, excluding salaries

26.3%of respondents work with a marketing budget of $10,000 or less.

45.6%expect to increase marketing budgets over the next year.

Expected change in budget over next 12 months

$0-$10,000

$10,001-$25,000

$25,001-$50,000

$50,001-$100,000

$100,001+

45.6% expect increase48.3% expect the same3.4% expect decrease

25.9%

10.3%

29.3%

10.3%

24.1%



Page 23

91.2%have a marketing team of 1-4 people, about the same as 2014.

Number of employees worldwide

Number of people on the marketing team worldwide

1.7%

16.9%

30.5%

22.0%

16.9%

11.9%

1 to 4

5 to 10

11 to 25

26 to 50

51 to 100

101+

1.7%

89.7%

6.9%

3.4%1.7%

1 to 4

5 to 10

11 to 25



Page 24

Roles of respondents (may be more than one)

34.4%respondents have more than one role.

18.9%of firms are both a reseller/services partner and an ISV.

67.2%of firms represent more than one mid-market ERP product.

Type of firm (may be more than one)

Mid-market ERP products represented(may be more than one)

Headquarters country96.6% US, 1.7% Canada, 1.7% Other

0.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%60.0%70.0%80.0%90.0%

Acumatica Epicor Intacct Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Microsoft Dynamics ERP

NetSuite Sage CRM Sage ERP Salesforce Other

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Marketing Sales Leadership Technical

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

A reseller orservices partner

An ISV An Influencer



Page 25

www.ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com

[email protected]

734.425.7414

ABOUT THE PARTNER MARKETING GROUP

Marketing Solutions for Software and Technology Vendors, Resellers and ProvidersThe Partner Marketing Group is 100% dedicated to B2B technology marketing which is why we can confidently add the highest level of industry expertise and experience to your team.

Marketing support on your terms.Marketing must be targeted, strategic and consistent to stand out in this industry. Wouldn’t it be helpful if you had professional B2B marketers on your team who understand your world—your customers, your products, your channel, your vision—from day one? We offer flexible services and guidance to supplement your marketing efforts and staff, and accelerate your ability to compete. Like you, we’re passionate about technology and know how to illustrate your unique value to engage customers across multiple channels and markets.

Click to learn more about marketing solutions, programs and services designed to elevate results and strengthen engagement.

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2016 B2B TECHNOLOGY MARKETING SURVEY REPORT · 2016 B2B Technology Marketing Survey Report Page 5 52.5% 32.2% 10.2% 5.1% 0.0% 5.1% 8.5% 55.9% 15.5% 15.5% 30.5% INBOUND/OUTBOUND MARKETING

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