B2B Barometer Wave 6 Report

The B2B BarometerQ1 2012

http://www.b2bbarometer.co.uk/


The B2B Barometer: Vital Statistics

• The B2B Barometer is the ‘state of the nation’ study for B2B marketers

• Now in its sixth wave, and backed by three years’ worth of historical data on B2B marketing

• Findings based on 128 interviews with B2B marketing professionals conducted in April:

• 73 client-side marketing professionals collectively responsible for controlling budgets amounting to £29.1 million a year

• 55 B2B marketing agency professionals

• This report project is sponsored by Circle Research, the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing and the Association of B2B Agencies


Nov 09 Jun 10 Jan 11 Aug 11 Apr 12

8%8%

6% 6%

16%19%

19% 21%14%

54%52%

54% 47%55%

19% 15% 19% 22% 25%

5%

Very confidentQuite confidentNeutralNot very confidentNot at all confidentI don't know

How confident are you with your own organisation's outlook for the next 12 months?

Base: 128 B2B marketers: 73 client-side marketers; 55 B2B marketing agency professionals


4

How confident are you with your own organisation's outlook for the next 12 months?Net confidence = % confident - % not confident

Nov 09 Jun 10 Jan 11 Aug 11 Apr 1225%

50%

75%

100%

72%

61%

67%

48%

80%

56%

48%

59%

75%

70%

Net confidence (agencies)Net confidence (clients)

Base: 73 client-side marketers; 55 B2B marketing agency professionals


5

How would you say your organisation’s budgets have changed in the past 12 months?

Jan 11 Aug 11 Apr 12

22% 18%26%

48%

44%

41%

28%38%

32%

IncreasedRemained staticDecreased

Base: 73 client-side marketers


6

To what extent has your organisation’s revenue changed over the past 12 months?


27%

10% 7% 12%6%

18%

20%16% 9%

11%

19%

20%

20% 19% 22%

23%

34%

34%26%

37%

11% 15%23%

34%24%

Significantly up

Slightly up

Largely static

Slightly declined

Significantly declined

Base: 55 B2B marketing agency professionals


7

In the past six months, would you say the number of enquiries you have received has…?


15% 10% 10%

20%

8%9%

17%

8%

25%

17%17%

17%

26%

24%

47%42%

35%40%

12% 17%25% 20% 23%

Significantly increased

Slightly increased

Stayed the same

Slightly decreased

Significantly decreased



8

And now thinking about the quality of these enquiries, would you say they have…?


32%

59%

10% 13% 9%

37%

7%

39%

49%

35%

31% 34%

51%38%

56%

ImprovedStayed the sameWorsened



9

Net quantity versus net quality of enquiries


-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

1%

46%

54%

28%

51%

-1%

-25%

41%

25%

47%

Net quan-tityNet quality



10

Compared to the previous 12 months, does your organisation's B2B marketing budget for the next 12 months represent an increase or a decrease?

>2

5%

21

-25

%

16

-20

%

11

-15

%

6-1

0%

1-5

%

0%

1-5

%

6-1

0%

11

-15

%

16

-20

%

21

-25

%

>2

5%

6%

8%

0%

2%

6% 6%

24%

9%

11%

6%5%

3%

15%

Increase = 48%Decrease = 27%



11

Over the next 12 months, what proportion of this B2B marketing budget do you expect to be allocated to these areas?

15%

12%

11%

9%9%

7%

7%

6%

4%

4%

3%3%

3%3%

1%1%1%

Trade showsDirect mailEmailWebsite developmentPrintPR Direct salesContent creationSEO/PPCSocial mediaOnline advertisingTelemarketingMarketing researchMarketing strategyBrand identityOther advertising Other



12

What are your three highest marketing priorities for the coming twelve months?

Other

Ensure employees 'living the brand'

Boosting SEO

Refining brand positioning

Reducing customer churn

Launching new product/service

Driving website traffic

Communicating brand positioning

Deepen customer understanding

Better nurturing leads

Better enabling sales teams

Generating better quality leads

Raising brand awareness

Greater up-selling, cross-selling

Generating more leads

15%

1%

8%

10%

10%

14%

18%

19%

19%

19%

21%

27%

32%

38%

41%



13

Which three of the following are the biggest marketing priorities for your clients for the coming twelve months?

Other

Refining brand positioning

Ensure employees 'living the brand'

Reducing customer churn

Launching new product/service

Boosting SEO


Communicating brand positioning


Deepen customer understanding

Better enabling sales teams

Greater up-selling, cross-selling

Better nurturing leads

Generating more leads

Generating better quality leads

7%

2%

9%

9%

9%

9%

15%

18%

22%

24%

27%

27%

29%

44%

45%



14

How closely integrated are your activities using these different marketing channels?

29%

47%

17%

3%4%

Very closely integrated

Quite closely integrated

Not very integrated

Not at all integrated

Don't know



15

How many of your clients' activities are closely integrated?

4%

22%

33%

35%

2%4%

All our clients' activities are closely integrated

Most of our clients' activities are closely integrated

Half of our clients' activities are closely integrated

Few of our clients' activities are closely integrated

None of our clients' activities are closely integrated

Don't know



16

To what extent does your organisation use content in its marketing activity?

8%

40%

16%

22%

14%

All of our activity

Most of our activity

Half of our activity

Some of our activity

Little/None of our activity



17

Do you expect to move closer towards or further away from a content driven marketing approach in the next 12 months?

8%

40%

16%

Closer towards

No change

Further away



18

What are your three most important goals when using content in your marketing activity?

Other


Enabling sales teams


Boosting SEO

Driving enquiries

Supporting brand positioning

Nurturing leads

Generating leads

4%

3%

12%

18%

21%

23%

23%

30%

42%



19

To what extent do you use the following types of content? Chart shows % using extensively

e-books

Podcasts

Webcasts

Infographics

Tools, e.g. decision trees

Best practice guides

Video

Print articles

In-depth reports

Public speaking

Blog posts

Seminars

White papers

Case studies

4%

4%

10%

14%

18%

22%

22%

25%

25%

27%

31%

45%



20

And which three of these content types do you think are most effective in achieving your marketing goals?

e-books

Podcasts

Webcasts

Infographics

Tools, e.g. decision trees

In-depth reports

Blog posts

Best practice guides

Print articles

Seminars

White papers

Public speaking

Video

Case studies

1%

1%

4%

4%

10%

10%

11%

12%

14%

21%

22%

23%

25%

48%



21

Which of the following techniques do you use to distribute the content you produce?

Advertising on other webistes

Acquiring a microsite

Feature on other websites

Encourage others to blog about it

YouTube

Advertising in trade press

Direct mail

Publishing in trade press

LinkedIn

Twitter

Bespoke events

Ad hoc emails specific to content

Trade events

Regular email newsletters

Your website

11%

15%

16%

22%

25%

25%

36%

36%

36%

37%

37%

38%

41%

45%

59%



22

Find out more …

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B2B Barometer Wave 6 Report

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side marketers

closely integrated

clients activities

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12 months

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