Are you a modern marketer?
An interesting study of over 500 marketing professionals by BtoB magazine on the evolution of the “modern marketer” sheds new light on the transformation taking place in B2B marketing. The modern marketer is emerging at the convergence of traditional outbound (primarily advertising) tactics and the new inbound marketing strategy driven by digital technologies and analytics.
The study reported that those who considered themselves modern marketers generally understood the competencies needed for their jobs. But they also admitted they fall short of how an ideal modern marketer would blend these competencies together (see figure 1).
Figure 1. Measured against the ideal, todayʼs marketers rate themselves at only 65% of where they would like to be. (Source: “Defining the Modern Marketer, From Real to Ideal,” BtoB Magazine & Oracle-Eloqua, 2013.)
The study also revealed the following issues:
- The ability to track marketing ROI due to technology was considered the most transformative factor faced today.
- Two-thirds of marketers said their companies would be experiencing strong or full adoption of modern concepts into their sales and marketing initiatives.
- E-mail and social media were mentioned as the two most important digital tools employed.
- “The need to achieve faster and more relevant touch points in the market” and “reduced resources” were named as the two most important factors driving the needs of modern marketers.
This study suggests that B2B leaders understand the tactics and competencies required to successfully embrace the new modern marketing strategies. But most feel they fall short of achieving these goals. At Tiziani Whitmyre, we see the complexity of inbound/outbound marketing convergence as a daunting barrier to adopting modern marketing practices. That’s why we developed the revenue generation process, an approach that simplifies the integration of modern marketing tactics with digital technologies and eases its implementation. How far have you progressed towards modern marketing? To get the study, e-mail me at rwhitmyre@tizinc.com.
