New study shows shift in industrial marketers’ focus
A new study released by Global Spec reports that industrial marketers identified customer acquisition as their most important goal in 2013, replacing last year’s top choice, lead generation. When asked how the emphasis will change for their marketing teams, respondents identified customer engagement and content development as emerging areas of focus. Measuring the ROI of their marketing programs was named the biggest challenge to be faced in 2013. The study also reported that video, search engine optimization, content creation, and Webinars will be the tactics that get increased funding in the year ahead. About one-third of those surveyed said they are now using marketing automation tools to improve effectiveness.
This data validates our experience that B2B and life science marketing leaders are moving beyond simple lead acquisition to strategies based on revenue generation and demand creation. Visual and written content, the fuels that power these strategies, are receiving considerably greater portions of marketing budgets. Best-practice companies are beginning to implement outcome-based revenue generation processes, instead of focusing on transaction-based marketing projects. These processes have proven highly successful in solving the challenges revealed in the Global Spec study.
