Digital Marketing, B2B, Lead Generation, Social Media, Dig

7/30/2019 Digital Marketing, B2B, Lead Generation, Social Media, Dig

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T e D t E t

B2B M etR s arch C nd ct d b

Marketing Leadership Council

In Partn rship with



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2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company.All Rights Reserved. MLC3413412SYN

www. x c tiv b ard.c mC i nt Sit : www.m c. x c tiv b ard.c m

ThE DigiTal EvoluTion in B2B MarkETing

C te t P b s S t sDesign SpecialistTim Br wn

Design AssociateNic Dani s

EditorNidhi Vi ram Ch dh r

M et le de s p C c Executive DirectorM Ma c c

Managing DirectorPatric Sp nn r

ConsultantsR b rt HamsharSh W st

A FRAMeWoRk FoR MeMBeR CoNVeRSATIoNS

Th missi n Th C rp rat ex c tiv B ard C mpan and its a iat s (CeB) is t n c th p t ntia r anizati nsand ad rs b advancin th sci nc and practic mana m nt. Wh n w brin ad rs t th r, it is cr cia that rdisc ssi ns n ith r r strict c mp titi n n r impr p r shar insid in rmati n. A th r c nv rsati ns ar w c m d and

nc ra d.

CoNFIDeNTIAlITy AND INTelleCTuAl PRoPeRTy

Th s mat ria s hav b n pr par d b CeB r th xc siv and individ a s r m mb r c mpani s. Th s mat ria sc ntain va ab c n d ntia and pr pri tar in rmati n b n in t CeB and th ma n t b shar d with an thirdpart (inc din ind p nd nt c ntract rs and c ns tants) with t th pri r appr va CeB. CeB r tains an and aint ct a pr p rt ri hts in th s mat ria s and r q ir s r t nti n th c p ri ht mar n a pa s r pr d c d.

legAl CAVeAT

CeB is n t ab t arant th acc rac th in rmati n r ana sis c ntain d in th s mat ria s. F rth rm r , CeB isn t n a d in r nd rin a , acc ntin , r an th r pr ssi na s rvic s. CeB sp ci ca disc aims iabi it r andama s, c aims r ss s that ma aris r m a) an rr rs r missi ns in th s mat ria s, wh th r ca s d b CeB r its

s rc s, r b) r ianc p n an r c mm ndati n mad b CeB.


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Research Objectives

This research aims to meet the ollowing three objectives: Identi y shared challenges aced by marketing leaders in large business-to-business (B2B) organizations in structuring a digital

marketing capability and supporting a content-led marketing approach. Synthesize rameworks or understanding and resolving those challenges based on demonstrated practices and expert analysis. Provide meaning ul recommendations and case examples to help B2B marketing leaders advance against their challenges.

Research Input

This research is based on a combination our key components: Quantitative benchmark research and analysis rom CEBs Marketing Leadership Council and Sales Executive Council into B2B

marketing and sales practices Insight rom the Marketing Leadership Council, Sales Executive Council, and CIO Executive Board and rom subject matter

experts at Google Structured interviews with marketing leaders at B2B organizations In ormation rom and interviews with numerous vendors, consultants, agencies, and research organizations operating in the

digital marketing space

Scope Limitations

This research addresses speci c research questions considered to be o greatest shared concern to pro essionals who oversee digitalmarketing and demand generation programs at large B2B organizations. As a result, this research may not satis y the in ormationneeds o all readers.

CEB

CEB operates more than 40 membership programs o ering research and insights, benchmarking, executive networking, and advisoryservices to key corporate executives (such as heads o Finance, IT, HR, Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Procurement) and theirdirect reports at large organizations worldwide. Eighty- ve percent o the Fortune 500 and 70% o the FTSE 100 hold membershipswith CEB. The Marketing Leadership Council is a CEB membership program, serving more than 400 o the worlds leading companies and comprising 36,000 marketing pro essionals.

CEB: www.executiveboard.com

MLC: www.mlc.executiveboard.com

ab t T s rese c
http://www.executiveboard.com/http://www.mlc.executiveboard.com/http://www.mlc.executiveboard.com/http://www.executiveboard.com/


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As with all CEB studies, this research would not have been possible without the generosity o several individuals who were willing toshare their insight, experiences, and practices. In particular, we would like to express our gratitude to the ollowing individuals:

Todd Forsythe (EMC Corporation) Melissa Madian (Eloqua) Ethan Hayes (Gyro)

Nick Panayi (CSC Corporation) David Deans (Cisco Systems) Andy Markowitz (General Electric)

Ken Demma (SAP Corporation) Je Bowman (Caterpillar) Denise Beckman (IBM Corporation)

Brian Reed (Boxtone) Pat LaPointe (Market Share Partners) Nancy Kay (TELUS)

Duane Schulz (Xerox)

a n te T s


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Prologue: The Current State of Practice 1

Chapter I: Increase Impact Through Integration 7

Chapter II: Focus Content Strategy and Activation 17

Chapter III: Strengthen Multichannel Analyt ics 32

T b e C te ts


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www.executiveboard.com

Client Site: www.mlc.executiveboard.com

The DigiTal evoluTion in B2B MarkeTing

1

P eTh C rr nt Stat Practic



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2

Potential customers are readily turning to their personal networks and publicly available in ormationincreasingly via digital and socialmedia channelsto sel -diagnose their problems and orm opinions about solutions.

To understand the scope o this issue in the B2B context, CEBs Marketing Leadership Council (MLC) surveyed more than 1,500customer contacts (decision makers and in uencers in a recent major business purchase) or 22 large B2B organizations (spanning allmajor NAICS categories and 10 industries). In a striking nding, the survey revealed that the average customer had completed morethan one-hal o the purchase decision-making process prior to engaging a supplier sales rep directly (Figure 1). At the upper limit, thatnumber ran as high as 70% (Figure 2).

The undamental implication is clear: companies that ail to show up strong in this context are underserving potential customers andat risk o losing mindshare and, ultimately, sales opportunities.

T e r s imp t ce D t

P e: T e C e t St te P ct ce

o e e, c st me s p esse y 60% t e w y t t e

p c se dec s -m p cessbe e e s es ep.

C st m rs ar ch sin t d ac mm rcia c nv rsati ns with s pp i rs.

C st m r DDi i nc B ins

Customer DueDiligence Begins

P rchas

Purchase

C st m rs FirstS ri s en a m nt

with Sa s

57%C mp t

Figure 2: Degree o Progress Through thePurchase Process Be ore Engaging SalesDistribution of Supplier Averages

Figure 1: Degree o Progress Through thePurchase Process Be ore Engaging SalesCustomer Average

0% 100%

n = c st m rs r m 22 s pp i rs.n = 1,500.

< 45% 4550%

5155%

5660%

6165%

6670%

> 70%

F r e q u e n c y o

f R e s p o n s e

Point in Purchase Process

0 0

4

8

5

32

S rc : CeB, MlC C st m r P rchas R s arch S rv , 2011.


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3

Budget benchmarks and opinion polls convincingly show that B2B marketers across industries are investing in building out digitalin rastructure and capabilities, although the trend has been less pronounced in slower-moving industries. Digital spend among engineering, applied technology, telecommunications, and pro essional services companies o ten exceeds 15% o total budget, with somelarge organizations claiming to invest more than one-hal o marketing budget in digital programs.

Although some o the marketers we interviewed remain in an experimentation phase, hindered by organizational disinterest in digitalmedia, most organizations have progressed toward consolidating and deepening expertise on key digital tactics and responsibilities.We consider such consolidators to represent the mid-spectrum o practice, in which several per ormance gains are earned but manynew managerial issues emerge (Figure 3). The second major phase, and the heart o this research, is ocused on achieving collectivemanagement o digital tacticsor multichannel management. This highest level o sophistication is characterized by the challenges o integration and structural change.

T e C e t St te P ct ce

M st z t s e t esteps t deepe d c s d ted t expe t se, es t ewm e c e es.


Dispersed Experimentation: At thss mat r nd th sp ctr m,

c mpani s (t pica in s w r-m vin ind stri s) ar ma ininitia p sh s int di ita tactics andd nin di ita strat . B and ar ,th s c mpani s ar c nstrain d bc nv nti na mar tin m d s andmind-s ts and ar war di ita

xp rim ntati n r ta in s bstantiaacti n a t r s cc ss di ita pi tpr rams.

Consolidation o Expertise: In thmid-sp ctr m practic , c mpani sar i in a c ns idati n phas :c ntra izin and c ns idatin in ar aswh r sca , standardizati n, and d pth

xp rtis can hav th r at stimpact. Th s r anizati ns t nstr with b i din a str n ta ntb nch and th c mp xiti s inv v d

with str am inin an v r- xpandinp rt i sp cia iz d tactics.

Multichannel Management: Appr achin th m r s phisticat d

nd th sp ctr m, r anizati nshav ar r a iz d th va

d p sp cia izati n andc ntra izati n. Th s c mpani s ar

c s d n a i nin and int ratindi ita activiti s acr ss r anizati nasi s t d iv r a m r c m ativ

impact n th ir mar ts.

Experimenters Consolidators Integrators

Figure 3: Distribution o Digital Marketing Sophistication Among Large Enterprise B2B Marketing

OrganizationsIllustrative

Focus o This Report


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4

Organizations in the consolidation phase need to consider three important issues: decision-making bodies or marketing technology,ownership o the corporate website, and establishment o digital competency centers or Centers o Excellence (COE). Typically thesetopics are sorted out early on in the evolution o digital marketing and move an organization into the mid-spectrum o practice. Weuncovered themes or how these three shi ts typically un old.

Consolidation E ort 1: Centralize Planning o MarketingTechnology Due to the growth in spend on marketing technologies andthe opportunities or scale, most marketing organizations seek to bring greater rigor, control, and a pan-organizational mentality to technologydecisions (Figure 4). Many organizations charge an across-BU, cross-

unctional committee (likely involving IT and Procurement but led byMarketing) with identi ying technology needs and acilitating decisionsand vendor selection. Others centralize technology management and

evangelism with a ull-time group that contains g eneral operationsmanagement and/or application-speci c roles (e.g., a demand generationmanager oversees marketing automation plat orm administration andconsulting). More advanced marketing organizations rarely experiencedecentralized technology decisions o material signi cance, and theyrarely cede decision-making control to IT.

T e C s d t P se

T e e e t ee ey c mp e ts d t c s d t : 1)

ce t z c t e m ettec y, 2) b deM et s w e s p t ec p te webs te, d 3)est b s d t ce te s exce e ce.


Consolidation E ort 2: Broaden Marketing Ownership o WebsiteIn shi ting their websites ocus rom technical unctionality to customerengagement, many B2B marketers nd themselves in a war o the webwith IT, Customer Support, Corporate Communications, and Sales.These battles tend to conclude with Marketing in charge, given it has thebest alignment with the websites overarching goals (e.g., engagement,demand, acquisition, brand), and tactics or improving web tra cand engagement are o ten squarely in Marketings area o expertise.As such, Marketings role in oversight o website design and contenttypically expands (Figure 5). Many marketing organizations eventuallyassume dominant responsibility or user inter ace design, in ormationarchitecture, and content management. This trend is supported as well bythe shrinking span o control or many corporate IT departments.

CMO

C ntra iz d Mar tin

T chn R ad Map

BuBuBuBu

IT

Marketings Former Scope

S ct andin pa s Mar tin c nt ntand pr d ct it rat r

Rich m dia and t s

ent rpris c nt ntmana m nt

us r int r ac and sit d si n In rmati n archit ct r Q a it ass ranc M tisit /m ti-p at rm

ptimizati n

Marketings ExpandedScope Over the Website

Figure 4: Depiction o ConsolidatedTechnology Planning

Figure 5: Depiction o MarketingsExpanded Scope

S rc : CeB, CIo ex c tiv B ard, 2012.


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5

Consolidation E ort 3: Establish Digital Marketing Competency Centers: Many organizations come to adopt the competencycenter or COE model or key practice areasparticularly paid search advertising, social media, e-mail marketing, and digital advertising (Figure 6). The role o the COE is typically to implement technology in rastructure, develop best practices and program templates,support execution o corporate programs, and serve as advocates and advisors or decentralized marketing groups. COEs are typicallyestablished once most business unit groups appreciate the need or ocused development o deep expertise and standards in a particulararea. These groups help to more ully utilize investments in technology, broaden the impact o expertise, and optimize per ormance o each individual program.

T e C s d t P se (C t ed)


Figure 6: Depiction o Centers o ExcellenceModel

Digital Centers o Excellence

Social MediaDigital Media and

Advertising

E-Mail MarketingPaid Search

In achieving such levels o consolidation o marketing technologydecision making, website design and governance, and digitalexecution, organizations can experience substantial gains in e ciency,per ormance, and consistency in execution.

But there is clearly a limit to the value o consolidation; the next big gainin per ormance comes rom e ectively exploiting and managing theinteractions between tactics. Such multichannel management requiresnew models or operating. This is the shi t that pulls an organization outo the mid-spectrum and up into leadership, but it comes with substantialchallenges.

Responsibilities Collect and encourage adoption o best practices;

consult business group marketers in programexecution.

Maintain relationships with pre erred partners/ agencies.

Advise on training and ta lent management. Administer technology in rastructure and

standards.


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6

C t c P P ts

Organizations will ace several pain points (Figure 7) as they seek to move out o the consolidation phase in pursuit o the nextsigni cant improvement in per ormance.


Pain Point 1: Di ita sp cia istsb c m ntr nch d in

p rati na si s, imp dinctiv m tichann

mana m nt.

Chapt r 1

Increase Impact

Through Integration

Chapt r 2

Focus Content

Strategy and Activation

Chapt r 3

Strengthen

Multichannel Analytics

Pain Point 2: C nt ntpr d cti n rts ar disp rs dand inc nsist nt q a it .

Pain Point 3: Data ar pr d c dand mana d in s parats st ms, thwartin ana s sacr ss chann s.

The remainder o this report will present the ndings o our investigation using the structures and practices o companies that haveresolved (or made substantial progress against) these three key pain points.

Laggards Mid-Spectrum Leaders

F c s This R p rt

Figure 7: Major Pain Points in Developing Multichannel Capability


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7

obse t s St e t e D t C p b ty

C pte 1Increase Impact

Through Integration

C pte 2Focus Content


C pte 3Strengthen


Int ratin mar tin c mm nicati ns is hardand thats n t a n w c nc pt. B t with th risin pr min nc di ita chann s, th iss int rati n has tt n m r c mp x. Man mar t rs hav mb dd d di ita tacticsint br ad r mar tin campai ns, b t c ntin s ptimizin c nn cti ns b tw n di ita tactics is t rrit r thatman c mpani s n r c nt ar chartin .

This chapt r wi xp r di r nt bs rvati ns r h w c mpani s ar appr achin di ita int rati n. B t rst, itwi at h w th nat r int rati n is chan in with th d c inin imp rtanc distinct campai ns and thrisin n d t c ntin s mana r di ita pr s nc r tprint.

This chapt r ma b partic ar int r st i id nti with an th win :

Di ita tactics ar tr at d i an a t rth ht in campai n p annin .

I m ch r n in pr s nc isnt b in mana d in a c h r nt wa .

Th tw ha v s s arch p r rmanc paid s arch and r anic s archar mana d ntir s parat .

W ar incr asin r c nizin that r r anizati na str ct r is n t d si n d r th m r in r a iti sin di ita mar tin .

W n w w wast r s rc s wh n w ai t id nti and ta advanta p t ntia s n r i s b tw nc mm nicati n chann s.



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9

Chapter 1: Increase Impact Through Integration

Although still challenging, progressive companies have developed ways to promote integration o digital tactics into stage-gatedcampaign planning processes (with clearly de ned checkpoints where relevant specialists come together to hash out and reachconsensus on speci c decisions). The practices we ound e ective or boosting integration in a campaign-planning process arehighlighted in Figure 9 below.

Figure 9: Progressive Practices in Improving Campaign IntegrationBased on Observations from Several B2B Organizations

Planning Checkpoint BA r t campai n strat

and x c ti n tim in s.

Monitoring and ReportingTrac p r rmanca ainst bj ctiv s.

Planning KickoDisc ss b sin ss n d andc mpar c rs s acti n.

Planning Checkpoint AA r t campai n

bj ctiv s and c r id as.

Campaign Launchex c t

campai n tactics.

Making Integration Someones JobMan c mpani s s a campai n t am m d ,which sp ci ca incr as s th inv v m nt di ita sp cia ists int a m r int ns p anninr . A t rnativ , r anizati ns can cr at anInt rati n Champi n r within ach b sin ss

nita p rs n wh s j b is t t ach th vaand ram w r s r int rat d p annin , pr vid

n in c achin , and iv na si n rinitiativ s b r th pr c d t x c ti n. Thisp rs n activ m tivat s and m nit rs h w wint rat d th pr c ss is as it m v s rward.

Standardized Planning Inputs

us standard and mandat r p annin t mp at st ns r th r h d di i nc is p r rm din advanc ach sta at . In partic ar,

n c mpan d v p d an bj ctiv ChannC nsid rati n R vi w w r sh t t w d tr xiv chann bias s and tr thin thr hint rati n p ints b tw n chann s and activiti sn t pr vi s att mpt d. This tactic wasinstr m nta in b i din a di ita mind-s t ar i rint campai n strat .

As wi b disc ss d in chapt r 3, v n i p r ctdata int rati n d s n t xist, st ps can b ta nt a impact and int ractivit di ita and

fin tactics.

Transparent Workfowsens r a critica int rim d iv rab s andd p nd nci s ar c ari d r ach r p inv v din campai n d v pm nt and x c ti n; sh wh w w r ws int rs ct t av id r d ndanci sand d a s. on c mpan d dicat d n FTe rn ar thr m nths t a dit th w r ws r

ach r p and d v p a ni d vi w tim in s and d p nd nci s; th c aim

s bstantia impr v m nts in p annin ci ncand c st m r impact, as w d xp ct.

Integration IncentivesI it is n t p ssib t a i n a th sta inv v d ina campai n nd r th sam inc ntiv str ct r ,

an th r a t rnativ is t ma int rati n its acrit ri n n p r rmanc r vi ws. on c mpand vis d a cascadin str ct r inc ntiv s acr ssth s v ra di r nt si s inv v d in p annin( . ., adv rtisin , PR, d mand n rati n) inwhich sta m mb rs ar assi n d sp ci cc mmitm nts (and p r rmanc r vi w crit ria)t s pp rtin r pr activ drivin int rati n

activiti s with p r si s. Individ a s ar th nr vi w d b th ir p rs as t h w activ ths pp rt d int rati n.

i te ted C mp P


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10


Figure 10: Process Overview or Development o Standardized Campaign ArchitecturesBased on Observations from Several B2B Organizations

Implementation Note: These architectures canbecome notoriously complex, particularly i youattempt to re ect connectivity between tactics; besure to build su cient higher-order synthesis intodiagrams so users can get a complete, simpli ed viewand then drill deeper where more detail is desired.

Review Campaign PracticesDevelop and Re ne

Standard ArchitectureCodi y Best PracticesAggregate ImplementationGuidelines and Adaptations

S rv int rna mar tin t amst nd rstand charact ristics s cc ss campai ns.

Scan xt rna practic s r m withinand tsid tar t mar ts tsp t p t ntia practic s n t t

mp d int rna .

Id nti sp ci c app icati ns an int racti n b tw n di ita

tactics.

R vi w and s ct campai nstr ct r s and b st practic s inth app icati n and int rati nb tw n tactics r di r ntcampai n bj ctiv s ( . .,

a nchin n w pr d cts v rs ss in xistin pr d cts t n ws m nts).

Cr at standard archit ct r ssp ci in th b st app icati ns tactics r ach c mm n campai n

bj ctiv and t s and ram w r sr idin ctiv , int rat d

imp m ntati n.

Maintain a r s rc c nt r imp m ntati n id in s,

campai n t s, arti acts, ands adaptati ns t campai n

archit ct r s t s pp rt arninand impr v m nt v r tim .

To improve integration, B2B marketers are documenting and standardizing proven campaign architectures and identi ying connectionsbetween tactics as well as their most meaning ul applications (Figure 10). For many commonly experienced marketing scenarios(e.g., generating awareness and demand or a new product) e ective campaigns are likely to re ect similar principles and marketing tactics. Compared to the relatively open-ended campaign planning processes discussed on the previous page, ormalized campaignarchitectures can be e ective or ensuring up- ront integration o digital tactics.

This practice is especially prevalent among marketers who have recently implemented a marketing automation plat orm (MAP). Anyvendor or consultant will tell you that without the process and buy-in rom all relevant stakeholders, a MAP implementation will likely

ail. Most organizations seem to heed this advice. In act, planning or the implementation o a MAP motivates many marketers to gothrough and map out an integrated demand generation program architecture or the rst timeend-to-end, rom early stimulus throughto sales management. Going through this process naturally reveals several points where integration can be enabled, mandated, orautomated in the pursuit o shared objectives and goals.

St d d z C mp a c tect e

le d m ete s e mpte t by d c me t d

st d d z p e c mpc tect es, m exp c t t e

m st me pp c t s d c ect s betwee t ct cs.


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11


Some organizations have opted to make more considerable structural changes, creating a uni ed demand generation team thatseeks scale and integration across campaigns (Figure 11). Although companies commonly build central teams to cultivate expertisein particular tactics, such as paid search (as discussed earlier), this type o team structure is notably di erent; it looks to integratemultiple tactics with the demand-generation process and in rastructure. This structure is ocused on a process (rather than a tactic) andmaintains a strong in uence on everything that goes into that process rom technologies to planning rameworks to implementationand per ormance monitoring. In terms o integration, this team can provide a large boost not only within marketing but also betweenmarketing and sales activities. This path orward makes sense or a lot o B2B companies.

Figure 11: Composite Model o a Demand Generation Organizational StructureBased on Observations from Several B2B Organizations

CEO

H ad Sa s, Strat icAcc nts

VP, C ntra Mar tin

Bu Sa s

g n ra Mana rVP, Bu Sa s and Mar tin

Central Demand Generation Team

C r ncti ns: Mana and van iz r vant mar tin t chn

in rastr ct r ( . . MAP, CRM) r th mar tin and sa sr anizati ns.

l ad cr ss- ncti na d v pm nt c nv nti ns r add niti n, sc rin m d s, and ad mana m nt/handpr c ss.

C cr at m d s th c st m r b in pr c ss, s m nt

m ssa in , and ad n rt rin pr rams acr ss a v rtica s. D v p standard campai n archit ct r s r c mm nmar tin sc nari s.

Id nti and advis n x c ti n mar tin tactics. Mana a c ntra mar tin databas . P r rm ana tics and p r rmanc m as r m nt, r n

sc rin and m as r m nt m d s.

Business Unit/Product Line Marketing

S ct and adapt d mand campai narchit ct r s t t sc nari and bj ctiv s.

C tivat d main xp rtis and nd rstandin c rr nt v nts in v rtica s.

S pp rt c nt nt n ds r d mand n rati npr rams ( . ., c tivat r ati nships withth ht ad rs, r aniz iv and virt a

v nts, cr at /c rat c nt nt).

Mana and m nit r tactica x c ti n.

A central demand generation team canprovide a strong plat orm or integrationbetween digital and o ine tactics.

T e r se Ce t Dem d ge e t Te ms

S me z t s e m des c t st ct c es t e me te t , c d

m ce t zed dem de e t te ms.


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12


Figure 12: Trends in Ownership Model or Digital TacticsBased on Observations from Several B2B Organizations

Paid Search Fr q nt p ann d, x c t d, and

ptimiz d as a distinct mar tin practic ,r p rtin int a s ni r mar tin ad r

T pica a mat r discip in and ahist rica si ni cant driv r tra c(and s bstantia ar a sp nd) and,as s ch, man mar t rs hav astr n rati na r pr t ctin it r mc rdinati n b rd ns that ma imp d

ctiv n ss

Online Advertising C mm n r p rts int an adv rtisin and

paid m dia r p, a n with th r m dias ch as print, TV, td r, and radi

o t n adh r s t a cr ativ and campai nm nta it that d s n t activ sc nn ctivit with m r id c nt nt,s arch ptimizati n, r s cia m diar at d activiti s

A nci s s a inv v d in x c ti n

Online Communities o t n vi w d as a r m r s pp rtin

c st m r pr b m r s ti n andstr n th nin c st m r a t andr t nti n, and th r r ma a nd ra c st m r s rvic and s pp rt t am

li m tivat s c mm nit mana rst c s n c st m r satis acti n v rMar tin -and Sa s- ri nt d bj ctiv s( . ., ads)

Social Media and Blogging o t n v rn d b a cr ss- ncti na

w r in r p r a rma C nt r exc nc ; C rp rat C mm nicati ns

t n p a in a ad r A t n m s d v pm nt and x c ti n

s cia m dia strat i s wn db C ntra Mar tin , b sin ss nitmar tin t ams, C st m r S pp rt,and incr asin Sa s and Pr d ctD v pm nt

Corporate Website own rship r sit c nt nt (and

incr asin int r ac d si n) incr asina cat d t Mar tin b t ma b shar dacr ss n m r s ncti ns

S bstantia s pp rt r q ir d r x c ti nr m an IT/w b d v pm nt r p i n

c nt nt mana m nt s st m is in p acand n w b d v pm nt r s rc s arh s d in Mar tin

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) T chnica sit ptimizati n xp rtis

c mm n wn d b an IT/w bd v pm nt r p r a nc

P ssib wn rship br ad r c nt ntand in ptimizati n b a Mar tinc nt r xp rtis r an a nc , r

xist nc as id in s and practic s withn d si nat d mana m nt b d

The concept o integrated communications extends ar outside the bounds o the campaigns. Today, the various always-on channelsthat make up your digital presence or ootprint (including websites, social media accounts, search results [organic and paid]),online communities, events, and digital content) require sustained attention and maintenance. You can corral various siloed groups tocollaborate on individual campaigns, but shaping and managing a digital ootprint requires more continuous, interactive managementthan most organizational structures can support.

It is rare among B2B companies or all key digital teams to be united under a single individual who can be held accountable or ongoing,collective per ormance. As one executive put it, No one is going to get red i all these pieces dont work well together outside o acampaign. Its very easy to point a nger at someone else. And in many cases, the nger is most easily pointed at an agency partner thatis notionally in charge o integrating a disjointed marketing organization (but without being in a strong enough position to actually doso). Summarized in Fig ure 12 are observations in how digital tactics are managed at many mid-spectrum companies.

C mp s a e o y P t t e i te t P ct e

S p d m t d ttp t eq es c t s,

te ct e m eme t, w cs d c t t c e e w t c e t

z t s es.


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13


A ew executives shared their recent e orts to connect previously siloed groups in charge o their digital ootprints. Highlighted beloware case snapshots o two companies that have recently taken steps in this direction.

1 Alpha Company pushes or a more holistic approach to managing search engine per ormance andcoordinating digital tactics:Scenario Th VP Di ita Mar tin r A pha C mpan , c mm nt d n th s bstantia pr r ss thhav mad b nd th ir rm r m tin minim m r q ir m nts m nta it t ward di ita . N wada s, di itapr ci nc is vi w d as a distinct s rc c mp titiv advanta , and A pha C mpan s b sin ss nits aractiv xp rim ntin and arnin r m ach th r t achi v r at r c ctiv sca and impact. C ntra ,Mar tin ta s r sp nsibi it r c mp t nc b i din in c rtain sca ab activiti s, inc din th ir r c nt

rt t stab ish a m r h istic appr ach t s arch n in p r rmanc . Wh n th d v p d a w bsit , itw nt thr h Seo b st practic s, b t that was th xt nt it. Th r was n n in maint nanc . Seo wasv r m ch a n n- ntit . Paid s arch, n th th r hand, t nd d t t b ri d nd r th m r campai n-driv nadv rtisin and m dia r p. T h p advanc m r activ mana m nt th ir di ita pr s nc , th s ht astr ct ra s ti n.

Action In a si ni cant st p rward, A pha C mpan s parat d t paid s arch and partn r d it with r anics arch t c ns idat r sp nsibi it r A pha C mpan s pr s nc n a maj r s arch n in s. This r p n ws rv s as th mana m nt h b r s arch, c rdinatin a r vant a nci s as w as with th s cia m diat am, th c mm rcia c nt nt t am, and a nc partn rs t mana n in tra c acq isiti n m r h isticaand c ntin s . W v tt n t th p int wh r acc ntabi it r n in s arch p r rmanc is m rc nc ntrat d in n r p, with str n r c rdinatin m chanisms acr ss th th r t ams a ctin r di itapr s nc , th VP Di ita Mar tin c aim d, addin , Its n t c mp t int rati n t, b t w ar m vin inth ri ht dir cti n.

1 Beta Company pushes or an ecosystem approach to structuring and managing digital tactics: Scenario Th h ad Mar tin , W b, and S cia M dia at B ta C mpan , d scrib d h r r anizati ns ri insas havin a pr d minat s cia m dia and c mm nit c s. H r t am was initia c mpris d sp cia istsr sp nsib r s pp rtin r vant b s, s cia m dia p at rms, c st m r r ms, and c tivatin r ati nships

with xp rts and in nc rs within th ir assi n d mar t s m nts. H w v r, r c nizin th r win v r ap di ita tactics, B ta C mpan s ht t c ns idat disp rs d di ita r sp nsibi iti s int a ni d r p.

Action M tivat d t r d n mana m nt di ita chann s t m r an c s st m m d , rath r than asdistinct p c ts activit , B ta C mpan rad a c ns idat d wn rship r s cia m dia and c mm niti s,a B ta C mpan s w bsit s and th ir s arch ptimizati n practic , which had pr vi s b n cat d inth IT r p, as w as th paid s arch practic , which had pr vi s b n cat d in th paid m dia r p.Th n w t am c ntin s t r n an int rat d and c ntin s mana m nt ram w r that br a s r m tht pica campai n m nta it and s pp rts s stain d acti n v r tim .

M t M e i te ted St ct e

1 Ps d n m.


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14


C t s C ect e M eme t

EMC marketing organization has progressed ar along the path to integrated and continuous management o digital tactics,as detailed below.

Scenario Capabi it and r sp nsibi it r di ita tactics w r distrib t d acr ss s v ra r ps within eMC.B t r win r c niti n th n d r ti ht r int rati nt s pp rt m r ctiv campai n x c ti nand c ntin s n a m nt with eMCs activ and di ita savv c st m r-bas spar d a s bstantiar str ct rin rt.

Action T dd F rs th , VP Mar tin r eMC, s ms p th ir c rr nt c s as tr in t b r th in sb tw n th mar tin tactics, and d v p hi h-q a it n a m nt acr ss int racti ns v r tim s it s

i n c nsist nt xp ri nc . T r ct this n w m nta it , eMC nd rw nt a s bstantia r str ct rin ,si ni cant xpandin th sc p th mar tin r p. A c st m r c mm niti s, s cia m dia p rati ns,w bsit and s arch ptimizati n w r c ns idat d int th c ntra mar tin r p, a n with paid m diaand paid s arch. eMC a s stab ish d a n w Mar tin Sci nc s r p, which is primari r sp nsib r data

q a it mana m nt, m d in and ana tics, and s pp rtin arnin and ptimizati n rts. This c mbin dstr ct r (t ta in ab t 25 p p ) pr vid s s bstantia int rc nn ctivit in th mana m nt di itatactics that, a th h n t imp ssib in th d str ct r , is pr vin ar m r ci nt and pr d ctiv .

At th c nt r th n w str ct r is an int rat d ist nin p at rm, which pr vid s th primar basis rm nit rin chan s acr ss eMCs di ita pr s nc and s pp rtin c ntin s, c ctiv mana m nt. Paids arch, sit ptimizati n (Seo), s cia m dia, and c mm nit mana rs a w r r m ist nin c nt r data t

nd rstand tr nds and d n acti n st ps withi n th ir d mains ( . ., b shi tin w rd bids, pdatinnsit c nt nt and m ta-ta s, r c sin w rd d nsit in n w b s). Th r s t is a r ativ id di it a

tprint that r sp nds t chan s in c st m r p rc pti ns and int r sts, h pin eMC ptimiz impact.

Th ist nin c nt r a s s pp rts individ a int rv nti ns wh r r q ir d ( . ., a c st m r iss r a sp ci csa s pp rt nit is id nti d thr h th ist nin c nt r). Mar tin ma r sp nd dir ct in s ch sit ati ns

r inv v eMCs Insid Sa s t am, which p a s a ad r in c nv rtin p t ntia ads id nti d thr h

di ita chann s int q a i d ads r th sa s rc ( n wn as th ir S cia S in pr ram).

Impact T dd stimat s that Mar tin s n w str ct r and i nt rat d ist nin s st m is h pin t r d cth acq isiti n c st r n w inq iri s b ab t 30%. Th n w str ct r is ss ntia in eMCs m v t a m rc ntin s n a m nt m d b ndin di ita and iv int racti nsthat has h p d t xt nd its impact in

mar ts whi c ntainin c sts. T dd b i v s th n w appr ach is a maj r st p rward in th ir v ti n,sa in that what th r aimin r isnt r a ab t tactics, its ab t c mm nit n a m ntcr atin an

v r r n nvir nm nt, acr ss p at rms, in w hich c st m rs can c nn ct and arn.


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15


Figure 13: EMCs Integrated Marketing Group

VP, Central Marketing

Communities

eMC c st m rc mm niti s

empc mm niti s

Inc ntiv s pr rams

Media

Sit ptimizati n(Seo)

Paid s arch oth r paid m dia

Marketing Sciences

Data q a itmana m nt

Minin and ana tics l arnin and

ptimizati n

S cia N rt rin Pr ram( wn d b Insid Sa s)

Social Media

S cia m dia p at rms ext rna c mm niti s enab m nt and p ic

Integrated Listening Command CenterD cisi n-s pp rt c nt r b i t n c ns idat d c mm nit ,s cia m dia, s arch, and w b tr nd data

Sales Leads

A c t

i o n L o

g i c

A c t i on

L o gi c

A c t i o n L o g i c

I n p u

t sI n p u t s

I n p u t s

a C ect st app c

Figure 13 highlights the key elements o EMCs new operational model or integrated digital management.

[EMC s] t y t b t e esbetwee m et t ct cs dde e p -q ty e eme t

c ss te ct s e t mes t ee s e e c s ste texpe e ce.

Todd ForsythVP MarketingEMC 2


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i te t imp ct

Key Findings rom This Chapter Companies still struggle to integrate digital tactics deep into broader marketing campaigns, but there are a ew key points o leverage

(such as pushing to mandate an objective Channel Consideration Review early in the process) that can help weed out re exivechannel bias, opening the door or digital in uence.

Armed with past per ormance data and evidence rom external best practices, a growing number o marketers are pushing to developstandardized campaign architectures, which o er a strong plat orm or promoting the best applications and integration points ordigital tactics.

Increased digital marketing e orts demand continuous and collective management, something ew companies are designed tosupport. The value destroyed by this mis t approachalthough hard to quanti yis potentially very large. Several companies aretaking steps to restructure as a result.

Recommendations Review your campaign planning process and look or opportunities to apply the practices outlined on p. 14; in particular, seek ways to

hardwire a consideration o digital tactics earlier in the planning process. Evaluate several campaigns with similar objectives and identi y a reasonable opportunity to develop a standard architecture or your

teams to align to. As noted on p. 15, be sure to look not only inside your own organizations past campaigns and per ormance data, butseek out industry and outside o industry campaigns as a re erence or new ideas and best practices.

Take a ew hours to exhaustively sketch out the various activities shaping your digital ootprint and compare that back to theorganizational structure and processes accountable or managing those activities. Then identi y all o the speci c areas where youcould be potentially leaking or losing potential value by not executing in a more coordinated way. Chances are there are severallow-hanging ruits or improving integration (e.g., a more requent or intense coordinating mechanism between SEO and social media)as well as some larger battles (e.g., relocating paid search rom the media team to an integration search per ormance team). Considertackling a small one and pushing a large one this year.

Take the Online DiagnosticAs a part o this research, we created a tool to help you gauge alignment and integration among di erent acets o digital marketing and

determine areas where value may be leaking. Do you want to benchmark yoursel against your peers? At the site or this research thereis a tab labeled Sel -Assessment that provides in ormation and access to the survey. You can also participate in the sel -assessments orthe other chapters o this research.

http://www.executiveboard.com/exbd-resources/content/digital-evolution/digital-integration/index.html
http://www.executiveboard.com/exbd-resources/content/digital-evolution/digital-integration/index.htmlhttp://www.executiveboard.com/exbd-resources/content/digital-evolution/digital-integration/index.html


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M t L d s p C c l




The DigiTaL evoLuTion in B2B MarkeTing

17

obse t s St e t e D t C p b ty

C pte 1Increase Impact

Through Integration

C pte 2Focus Content


C pte 3Strengthen


T da s c nt nt d mands ar biq it s and p rvasiv , p t ntia spannin m tip s m nts and b sin ss nits.B t th pr r ssi n c nt nt pr d cti n has r wn r anica r m st c mpani s and r mains di s and

nd r ti iz d.

This chapt r wi xp r di r nt m d s c mpani s hav ad pt d t brin r at r c h r nc t c nt ntpr d cti n rts, and th n tac th q sti ns wh is r sp nsib r v rs in c nt nt pr d cti n?a th wa d wn t what ind c nt nt sh d w b cr atin ?

This chapt r ma b partic ar int r st i id nti with an th win :

It s i c nt nt is v r n s j b and n n s j b. I i m st th c nt nt w ar pr d cin is w va t r a di nc ; it s ms i w ar j st dr ssin

p r c mm rcia m ssa s int c nt nt t ma it app ar m r s . W hav man ars w rth c nt nt that is j st as r vant t da as it was wh n it was cr at d, b t it ts v r

itt att nti n. Im n t s r what t p s c nt nt w sh d b cr atin . W hav a v r r aniz d pr c ss r c rdinatin c nt nt rts acr ss vari s pr d c rs b t i w ar

n t ttin th impact w th ht w w d in th mar tp ac .


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Chapter 2: Focus Content Strategy and Activation

Content has emerged as the centerpiece o most companies customer engagement e orts. In act, our research has suggested thatcontent quality may be a more critical actor in customer acquisition than the products actually being sold. Historically viewed as aminor aspect o a marketers role in supporting speci c campaign objectives (e.g., a product launch), several actors have drasticallyincreased the demand or high-quality content in recent years. The most notable actors driving this growth include the rise o leadnurturing programs, blogging and social media, search optimization, emphasis on providing richer user experiences, and consultativeselling methodologies. But the models or managing production have been slow to adapt to the rapid growth in demand. What hasorganically emerged or most companies to ll the void is an extremely di use and underutilized content production e ort, as depictedin Figure 14. An executive or a large nancial services company, discussing the state o content production at her organization,lamented that content still seems to be everyones job and no ones job. You have copywriters who can write and in ormation architectswho can categorize and product managers who can speak to their particular domainsbut there is no one sitting in between all o them saying this is the topic where we really should have a point o view, this is the response we need to create in the minds o keyconstituencies, and this is how we should deliver it across plat orms.

D s resp s b ty

Figure 14: Di usion o Content Production E ortsBased on Observations from Several B2B Companies

Types o Content Produced Artic s B s/micr -b s Cas st di s Di ita vid s/str amin m dia e-n ws tt rs I strati ns and raphics Ind str v nts/trad sh ws In raphics M bi apps and c nt nt on in virt a /imm rsiv nvir nm nts Pr d ct d m nstrati ns S id d c s/pr s ntati ns S ndbit s/c mm nts in s cia m dia S pp i r c mparis ns W b c p (c r and micr sit s) W b int r ac W b-bas d t s/app icati ns W binars Whit pap rs/r s arch r p rts/ -b s

D mandg n rati n

BusinessLines

The MarketSales

Sa senab m nt

Third-partB rs

A ncPartn rs

Chann Partn rs

Di ita M diaSp cia ist

ev ntsDir ct r

D mandg n rati n

graphicD si n r

Seoexp rt

Di itaStrat ist

C mm nitMana r

In rmati nArchit ct

Pr ramm r

W b C nt ntAdministrat r

Vid Pr d cti nSp cia ist

C p writ r

Fi d Mar t rs

C rp ratB r

S cia M diaSp cia ists

Sa s R ps/Acc nt Mana rs

CorporateCommunications

Marketing

Partners

IT/Web

C st m rs

S bj ctMatt r

exp rtsPr d ct

Mana rs

C te t s eme ed s t ece te p ece c st mee eme t e ts; yet, c te tst seems t be e e y es j b

d es j b.


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Figure 15: Generic Framework or Ensuring Content Coverage

P rchas D cisi n-Ma in J rn

Pr b mR c niti n

S ti nC mparis n

S pp i rC mparis n

Va idati n

V rtica /P rs na 1 C nt nt? C nt nt? C nt nt? C nt nt?

V rtica /P rs na 2 C nt nt? C nt nt? C nt nt? C nt nt?

V rtica /P rs na 3 C nt nt? C nt nt? C nt nt? C nt nt?V rtica /P rs na 4 C nt nt? C nt nt? C nt nt? C nt nt?

This modelemphasizes thecreation o content tocover key in ormationrequirements ortarget customers.

C e C st me s i m t needs

To bring greater structure and e ciency to content production e orts, many companies are turning to process improvement. Campaignplanning processes have been re ned to dedicate more capacity on content production, while many organizations have adopted uni ed

editorial calendars to plan and coordinate deliverables. These e orts tend to re ect a coverage orientation, in which marketers identi ybroad topics o greatest interest and relevance to target customers and provide regular coverage via content creation and curatione orts. Taking a broad view o customers interests helps provide the needed volume o new, relevant content opportunities to satis ydemand.

Adopting such a coverage orientation can be a big step orward or B2B marketers. When rooted in an understanding o target audiencesand their in ormation needs, it provides a robust and enduring process ramework or systematically auditing content, identi ying gaps,and prioritizing creation and curation e orts over time (Figure 15). It also orces the organization to shi t its point o re erence rominternal events (e.g., introduction o a new product) to the ongoing in ormation needs and interests o potential customers. Withoutthis explicit shi t to customer ocus, content e orts may revert to product or commercially-oriented messages. Several executives weinterviewed admitted that their organization had never ormally done the work o de ning distinct personas or mapping the in ormationrequirements o the purchase process until they were aced with the increased demand or content.

W t t exp c t s t tc st me c s, c te t e ts

s b c t p d ct c mme c c s.


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Adopting a more process-oriented coverage model is a substantial improvement over highly di used e orts. However, we see somemajor drawbacks as well. In companies that are already more process-oriented, content may quickly degenerate into a commodity:

relatively undi erentiated inputs required to keep various automated campaigns and aggressive content calendars operating according to plan. Attributes that suggest your organization is alling into this content commodity trap include the ollowing:

Reliance on shallow per ormance metrics Over-optimization or keyword density, page rank, tra c, e-mail opens, and othersur ace-level metrics o ten presents a misleading picture o per ormance. The content produced in such a system can becomehollowa shell optimized to create the illusion o quality content. This approach may be e ective or attracting attention, but suchcontent likely alls ar short o engaging your target audience and shaping their perceptions.

Capitulating to urgency or quantity expectations at the expense o quality Because demand generation and social mediaprograms require resh content continuously, the demands can quickly exceed production capacity and orce marketers to makedi cult trade-o s. One practitioner con essed that he had no idea how hard it was going to be once [they] committed to thecadence o content delivery, adding that it was a struggle each day to get content complete and out the door that wasnt going tobe embarrassing. Gradual and dubious sacri ces in content quality expectations to satis y aggressive content expectations canultimately damage customer perceptions.

Preoccupation with tools With expanding unctionality o marketing plat orms (e.g., automation, social media), many marketershave exalted the merits o the tools over the content owing through the tools. One marketer, re ecting on her own organizationsevolution, expressed rustration about the dumbing down o marketing as [they] hire more people who call themselves digitalspecialists and who pride themselves on knowing the process and the tools, but who dont know and maybe dont even care tounderstand the business issues [their] customers are trying to address.

Overall, we see B2B companies looking to apply process rigor, automation, and per ormance measurement tools across the ull demandside o their businesses, just as they did to the supply side o their business in the past (e.g., with Six Sigma techniques). But because thenature o demand is highly variable and dependent o perceptions and politics, the application o typical process improvement approachis perhaps more limited than many marketers realize.

One striking parallel that serves to illustrate this point comes rom a well-known product manu acturing company, celebrated or its

history o innovation. Several years ago, a ter outstanding success in applying Six Sigma practices across many aspects o its business,the company made the principled decision to apply Six Sigma deeper into its innovation process with the aim o increasing productivityand reducing waste. The consequence, as detailed in many business articles, was a gradual decline in creativity evidenced by a starkdecrease in breakthrough products and a steady decline in the companys ranking o innovativeness by industry analysts. Eventually,the company unwound the implementation o Six Sigma to reignite experimentation and unconventional thinking. This example andothers suggest that applying tight process controls on essentially creative endeavors, such as innovation or content production, may sti einnovation and creativity and cause undesirable consequences.

T e D S de t e P cess

C te t dem ds c q c yexceed p d ct c p c ty,

c s me m ete s t s c cec te t q ty.


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Although the shi t to the coverage model is usually positive, it cannot be expected to reliably produce provocative, di erentiated contentthat engages customers and shapes their perceptions. Good ideas emerge less requently, and when they do, they are likely underutilized

due to subpar content. An executive rom a pro essional services rm o ers a good example o this: In the past, when we saw that aparticular white paper o video was really popular and per orming beyond our expectations, our reaction was to pat ourselves on theback. It took us a while be ore we looked at that as basically a bad thingthat it really meant that there was a lot o potential in thatcontent, and we clearly werent getting the ull advantage we could.

The next shi t leading companies make is to a greater commitment o energy to high-impact ideas and audience engagement tools, whatwe call the Activation Model (Figure 16). At this level o evolution, dedicated content production sta help develop deep, high-qualitycontent port olios or a select number o key topics and seek to establish clear organizational points o view. A news room may be a goodanalogy or the di erence between these two modelsbroad coverage o current events and news as compared to in-depth investigative journalism. At some companies, a ll o these models may be present and eed into each other.

Figure 16: Three Models or Managing Content Production

Campaign Model Coverage Model Activation Model

Focus onContent

Satis in in rmati n r q ir m ntss rr ndin partic ar v nt tri rs( . ., pr d ct a nch, ann a c n r nc )

Pr vidin s ci nt c v ra r vant t picar as r tar t c st m r s m nts in s pp rt

a d mand n rati n pr ram r dit riaca ndar

Inv sti atin s ct th m s wh ra di r ntiat d p int vi w canb stab ish d and s pp rt d bpr pri tar data and int i nc

AudienceEngagementEmphasis

A di nc n a m nt inv stm nts madin b rsts, b nd d b campai n b d tsand tim in s

A di nc n a m nt c s d n c nt ntbr adth, r c nc , and r vanc (at th xp ns

a di nc n a m nt q a it )

A di nc n a m nt q a itpri ritiz d n in ar as c s

Locus oControl

Disp rs d campai n t ams, t picapr d ct- r s m nt-a i n d

D mand n rati n, c rp ratc mm nicati ns, and s cia m dia t ams

C ntr d r dir ct d b c ntrac nt nt strat ists

Major Shi tTh c s c nt nt cr ati n shi ts

r m th int rna v nt ( . ., a pr d cta nch) t tar t c st m r s m nts

and th ir in rmati n n ds.

Major Shi tTh c s c nt nt cr ati n shi ts r m satis inc st m r in rmati n n ds t stab ishindi r ntiat d p ints vi w and n a in c nt nt

n t pics primar int r st in th mar tp ac .

M de s C te t P d ct

i t e act t M de c te t m et , ded c ted

c te t st e p de e p -q ty c te t p t s se ectt p cs w t c e z tp ts ew.


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The activation model ocuses on cultivating a di erentiated organizational point o view and optimizing audience engagement or selectissues. Three key eatures that distinguish the activation model include the ollowing:

Concentration on a ew high-impact ideas The organization establishes high-priority topics rom the top down but also scansacross various content production e orts to identi y strong themes and patterns that can be elevated to an organizational perspective.

Formal above-product ownership The organization appoints individuals above the individual product or business group level toserve the roles o directing content strategy, advising on execution, and upholding quality expectations.

Emphasis on audience engagement The organization seeks to advance beyond less expensive text-based tactics to include a greaterproportion o more power ul and multi-sensory ormats (e.g., videos, diagrams, interactive web environments) linked togetheraccording to deliberate choreographies.

The majority o intelligence gathering and content production may still be decentralized, but ideally a central (or above-product)resource takes responsibility or ensuring points o view are ully expressed and delivered with highest standards or audienceengagement. In the case o CSC, central marketing took on this responsibility, seeking to ensure activation o points o view across theenterprise, as explained below and on the ollowing pages.

act t o z t P ts v ew

Scenario: A th h s bj ct matt r xp rts acr ss CSC b sin ss nits s pp rt hi h- tp t c nt nt pr d cti nrts, m st what was pr d c d, and th nd r in insi ht and xp rtis , was n t b in s ci nt s d t

in nc c st m r s m nts and b sin ss tc m s. Th c ntra mar tin t am c nc d d that c nt ntm st b m r activat d, b t this pr c ss r q ir s m r s i and inv stm nt than b sin ss nit mar tin

r ps had capacit t d iv r.

Action: Th c ntra mar tin t am stab ish s an nt rpris c nt nt t am t id and draw r m b sin ssnit v c nt nt mar tin rts t incr as impact and in nc n th mar tp ac . T r n th n w t am,

CSC acq ir s tw v t rans r m th p b ishin ind str t in s th t am with xp rtis n t c mm n ndam n mar t rs. D tai s n CSCs acti n st ps ar t in d n th win pa s.

Impact: Th t ams m st r c nt rts ar sh win str n impact n c st m r n a m nt and sa spp rt niti s. Maj r c nt nt activati n rts, s ch as th Bi Data initiativ , hav h p d t str n th nn a m nt with th mar t, r s tin in si ni cant incr as s in tra c and visit r n a m nt with

p rti ns CSCs w bsit . C mm ntin n ar s cc ss s, th VP di ita mar tin said, W r d nits in th b n t this appr ach. W r s in a t m r visit rs n a in d p with r c nt nt, which r

s has a str n c rr ati n with sa s pp rt niti s, and r dir ct int racti ns with c st m r hav chan d rth b tt r. W r pr vidin str n r answ rs t th ir q sti ns.

CSC est b s ed e te p sec te t te m t t des d

d ws m e c te t e ts tc e se c te t f e ce t e

m etp ce.


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Figure 17: Overview o Central Content Teams Role and Location in the Organization

B sin ss unitMar tin


I n f o r m a

t i o n ,

E x p e r i e n c e , C

o n

t e n

t E n

t er pr i s e

S t r a t e g y an

d A

c t i v a t i on

C ntra Mar tin

C nt nt T am


Content Team Roles Synthesize raw content rom the

organization into more integratedperspectives and consumptionexperiences.

Provide advice and rameworks or

content eforts within business units.

Approve and provide editorialrecommendations or digital contentintended or corporate website andsocial plat orms.

Deliver consulting and plat ormsupport or demand generationcampaigns.

At CSC, the majority o content production takes place within the business units, while the central content team provides guidance orcontent production and ultimate editorial approval in many cases, helping to support and en orce quality standards. In addition, the

central team maintains its own content production calendar or more completely activating high-priority organizational themes, andconverting the raw content produced within the businesses into more integrated perspectives and consumptions experiences.

opp t t es le e e


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24


Social andCommunity

Engagement

Searchand User

ExperienceOptimization

The Businesso Publishing

MarketingAutomation

Plat orms

WebsiteDevelopment and

Optimization

Digital Content Editorin Chie

Content StrategyDirector

Web ContentManager (4)

Social MediaManager (1)

Graphic Designer(1)Writer/Editor (1)

Pr d cti n and Pac a in C nt nt Distrib ti n and Pr m ti n C nt nt

Digital Content Experts: Di ita nativ s with sp cia iz d s i s in s cia c mm nitb i din , int ractiv m dia, vid , and d si n

Head o GlobalDigital

Marketing

Chie MarketingOfcer

Figure 18: Makeup o CSCs Central Content Team

CSC consolidated responsibility or the content team in two senior rolesreporting directly into the head o Global Digital Marketing.The two individuals brought onboard possessed substantial publishing industry experience, with a deep knowledge o content strategy

and execution and expertise (a minor) in some key aspects o digital content, such as video production or social media. Nick says therole o the content directors is to rein orce and integrate the e orts o the business units, and double or triple the impact they have onmarket perceptions. We loathe seeing good ideas get buried because no one owns the activation side o the equation.

a i s T e t

DemandGeneration

Program Center

T e e t e c te t d ect ss t e ce d te te t e

c te t e ts t e b s esstswe t e see d

de s et b ed bec se ew s t e ct t s de t e

eq t .

Nick Panayi Head of Global Brand

and Digital MarketingCSC

Content StrategyDirector:Journalist/author/ publisher with

ocus on turningraw content into

immersive userexperiences

Editor in Chie :Journalist/publisherwith minor incommunitybuilding ande-nurturing content

development


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38 CSCWORLD | SUMMER2012 2

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byJefCaruso

THE RA ID GROWTH OFGLOBALDATA

UnderstandingBig Data

AnalysisParalysis

Bi Data inH a thcar

While business unit content may contain strong ideas

content only comes to life when the central teamdiligently integrates and activates it.

The DataRevolution

Whit Pap r60 pa s

Id a q a it

Id a r vanc

C nn ct dn ss r at d id as

A di nc n a m nt

Themed ideas uni edinto pan-organizationalperspectives andaggregated intodedicated web centers

Text-dominant contentconverted into morevisual, interactive,and mobile ormatsto meet diverse userpre erences

Although CSCs business unit content contains strong ideas, it is not packaged to engage broader target segments and buyer personas.A key charge or the central team is to: 1) increase the connectivity and coherence o ideas into one uni ed organizational perspective

and 2) apply more expressive and interactive content ormats to increase audience engagement. From a recent CSC e ort, Figure 19re ects both o these aspects in action.

B it T et e

Figure 19: Case in Point: Activation o Business Unit Content on a High-Priority Topic


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Intimate Battleground

Low-Per orming/ Emerging

Ubiquitous

Competitive Noise

CommunicationPower

Hi h

Hi hl w

l w

These tactics tend to be highlypersonalized and captiveexperiences that stronglyin uence perception (e.g., live-streamed panel discussion).

These tactics areinherently in uential,but also highlycontested and noisychannels (e.g., onlinecommunity dialogues).

These tactics are not widelyused, due to low efectivenessor novelty, but may possessgreat potential to ofer a contentexperience i executed well (e.g.,mobile content tools).

Lower-cost, highlycontested and noisychannels wherediferentiation can bedi cult (e.g., industrytrends white papersand blog spots).

The content owing out o the most progressive marketing organizations, such as CSC, to activate organizational points o view tendsto ocus less on text and more on personal, visual, and interactive experiences. Cheaper and easier text-based tactics are inherently

low in communication power, ubiquitous in most markets, and tend to be what resource-constrained organizations are most likely toemphasize. In a 2011 survey o 1,092 B2B marketers, most o them small (75% o respondents were rom companies with ewer than 1,000employees), 90% o companies were driving awareness and demand generation e orts with content, relying most heavily on text-based

ormats including white papers/article posting, social media, blogs, newsletters, and case studies. In contrast, the more progressivecompanies, although not necessarily abandoning these tactics (although some are), are certainly taking a closer look at which tacticsare higher in communication power and lower in competitive noise, and picking only the most worthwhile ghts in the battlegroundquadrant (Figure 20). These more highly engaging content ormats will be discussed on the ollowing pages.

P we ve s s n se

Figure 20: Power Versus Noise Matrix

S rc : B2B C nt nt Mar tin : 2012 B nchmar s, B d ts & Tr nds, Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Lists , 2011, http://www.c nt ntmar tin instit t .c m/wp-c nt ntp ads/2011/12/B2B_C nt nt_Mar tin _2012.pd .

C te t f w t t em st p ess e m et

z t s c ses ess textd m e pe s , s , dte ct e expe e ces.


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2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company.All Rights Reserved. MLC SYN

www.executiveboard.comClient Site: www.mlc.executiveboard.com

THE DIGITAL EVOLUTION IN B2B MARKETING

27


Content types likely to be at the higher end of the communication power spectrum tend to be more visually and spatially meaningful.This is not a novel conceptthe idea that visual representation of ideas can be far more e cient than text descriptions (i.e., a pictu re

is worth a thousand words). However, B2B marketers have been very slow to work visual content (e.g., video, photography, customillustrations, illustrative animation, and diagrams/informational graphics) into their content approaches despite rapidly growing evidence of their impact. We have identied three reasons for this slow adoption:

Creating visual content requires skills rarely possessed or expected from the average content producer. Visual content is v iewed as substant ially more expensive than producing text-based content. Visual content is v iewed as a nice-to-havean optional and additional task t hat can be tackled if t ime and budget permits .

The behavior of progressive companies we spoke with implies movement toward more visually compelling content. Several companiesspecically emphasized increasing spend on video production and graphic design talent to support an increase visualization in contentstrategy development. Although clearly a relatively more expensive format for content, the benets of visual content mayin manycircumstancesjustify the increased cost in the form of higher engagement and inuence within target audiences.

The following example from Level 3 communications nicely illustrates the impact that visual content can have:

Marketing was not gaining a lot of attraction from a white paper it had just developed on issues known to be critical tocustomers and to Level 3. Looking to get more leverage out of their investment, they explored several options to help thecontent come to life. They decided to convert the white paper into a video book (Figure 21). The user interface mimickeda book (complete with page turning animation), but more importantly, each chapter embedded video commentary fromsubject matter experts on that topic along with the original white paper content. The result was an eight-fold increase inreaders for the video book compared to the white paper. Although other factors certainly come into play for this result(e.g., promotion e orts), the initiative provides evidence for how increased sensory engagement for the same essentialcontent can a ect audience impact.

Visual Representation

Figure 21: Before and After Images of Level 3s Content

B2B marketers have been very slowto work visual content into their

content approaches despite rapidlygrowing evidence of its impact.

Source: Video Ebook Revives White Paper: 7 Steps to Repurpose Content and Attract 8x More Readers, Marketing Sherpa , 18 November 2009, http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/7-steps-to-repurpose-content.


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An emerging realization in B2B marketing is that satis ying a customers in ormation requirements requires an understanding o context. Most marketers still have several outdated, implicit assumptions about the behavior o their customers: that they conduct

research and access content via ull computer screens inside o ce buildings during normal business hours.But a growing body o research highlights the new realities: executives are moving their search and content consumption activity tomobile devices and a lot o their business activity takes place outside o normal business locations and timings. This suggests that to meetcustomers in ormation requirements, you increasingly have to understand the range o contexts in which theyll be consuming content.

Beyond satis ying their minimum expectations (ensuring a basic browsing experience that is as accessible and clean in a mobile browseras a desktop), many opportunities exist or di erentiated engagement in the mobile channel. As we look across the spectrum o content-oriented mobile e orts in B2B, much o the activity is ocused on repacking in ormation and capabilities existent in the website to makethem less cumbersome in the mobile channel. Two big initiatives on this ront are rebuilding popular website tools (e.g., ash-based ROIcalculators) to operate on a mobile plat orm and converting dense, text based content and into audio or video ormats (which likely aidsconsumption in general but particularly i accessed via a mobile device). Beyond these e orts, more companies are experimenting increating mobile apps, typically ocused on speci c customer service or support issues, sales enablement tools, or enhancing trade showand event environments.

But investment is episodic. As one marketer told us, We can develop a nice looking app or a ew thousand dollars; thats not the hardpart. The hard work is in the up- ront customer understanding and guring out how it should be interleaved with other content.Another marketing executive told us, Investment in mobile is not about money; its about investing the time to do the research and geta much deeper understanding o the content or tools or unctionality customers really wish they had access to when making decisions.The companies who incorporate this context dimension into their mapping o customer in ormation requirements and tactics or contentactivation are likely to gain g round in this space.

P tt C te t M b e C text

i estme t m b e s t b tm ey. its b t est t e

t me t d t e ese c d et m c deepe de st d t ec te t t s ct tyc st me s e y w s t ey d

ccess t w e m dec s .

Marketing ExecutiveFortune 1000 B2B Enterprise


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Although sales rep interactions epitomize personalized and captive communications with potential customers, in reality, reps todayhave much less access and sway with customers than they used to. Customers associate sales reps with commercial bias and postpone

engagement until they are airly clear in their decision-making (as discussed on p. 2).But progressive companies have been reshaping the role o the sales rep to more discretely ocus on delivering insight and seeding newideas that reshape customers perceptions, rather than attempting to promote new solutions o ers. In a sense, sales reps are emerging ashigh-powered channels or delivering content (Figure 22).

In the most progressive companies, content activation stretches across marketing and saleswith no actual hando in between. Inthis new go-to-market model, the lines o distinction between Sales and Marketing are increasingly obscured. The best marketers arepushing content deep into the customers buying process to shape decision making. Meanwhile, the best sales reps attempt to engagecustomers well be ore their needs are identi edincreasingly via social media channelsand guide customer consumption o keycontent and messages to build momentum in the sales process. Winning commercial organizations build a capability spanning sales andmarketing centered on engaging customers with insight ul messages and content.

F m S es i te ct s t Pe s C te t i te ct s

Figure 22: Depiction o Sales as a Power ul Content Delivery Channel

Sales delivers: Pointed insights

and evidence thatseek to challengean entrenched pointo view amongpotential customers

Regularcommunication ocontent to socialmedia contacts andprospects coveringkey topics

Opportunisticcontributions toonline dialogues

Marketing provides: In ormation and tools or hypothesizing individual a ccount

decision-making stage and content interests (e.g., lead score data) Sales tools and content or guiding insight-oriented customer

interactions Micro-messages or use in social media and other personal

communications

Marketing Sales

Customer Networks

S es eps e eme s -p we ed c e s de e

c te t.


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Figure 23: The Shi t rom Traditional Events to Events 2.0

From Traditional Events... ...to Events 2.0

on ph sica cati n M tip ph sica cati ns

M st att nd in p rs n, imitin a di nc Can att nd r m t , r at xpandin a di nc

M st att nd in r a tim t acc ss Can acc ss n d a d basis

on standard a nda Individ a -tai r d a ndasexp ri nc is imit d t v nt its exp ri nc xt nds b r and a t r v nt

A di nc dbac iv n a t r v nt F dbac iv n b r , d r in , and a t r v nt

P rs na n tw r in is rand m pr c ss Int r st-driv n n tw r in nab d via s cia t s

In-person events, such as trade shows and con erences, remain the top spend item or many companies and an important occasion orsharing insight and activating points o view among target audiences. Event ormats have been evolving rapidly with the application

digital, social media, and mobile toolsexposing new and more personal opportunities to learn about and engage with customers.Todays hybrid events (part physical, part virtual) also allow companies to extend the reach and impact o their events to much largeraudiences than ever be ore (Figure 23).

Progressive companies are pushing or undamental shi ts, aiming to replace the event mentality altogether. The most advancedstrategies are becoming indistinguishable rom ongoing community engagement and content activation e orts rather than being de nedevents with a recruiting and planning e ort up ront and a post-event ollow-up campaign. In this paradigm, community engagement

ows seamlessly across digital and live ormats, and the ollow-up or one event overlaps with recruiting and content development or anupcoming event, leveling peaks and valleys across time.

C t s E e t E eme t

T e m st d ced e e tst te es e bec m

d st s b e m c mm ty e eme t dc te t ct t e ts.


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C s d t C te t St te y d act t

Key Findings rom This Chapter Many companies are attempting to overlay a coverage model on their existing campaign-oriented content production e orts; this

helps to orchestrate a continuous ow o content aligned to the topics and issues customers care about but introduces a hidden danger. Many companies display a troubling overemphasis on tools, shallow consumption metrics, and processplacing a greater emphasis on

producing a steady ow o content than the quality o the content. More progressive companies have consolidated strategic and creative guidance or content, to help business units get more impact

rom their content and to stitch together cross-BU points o view that have broader impact in the marketplace. In selecting what content to create, marketers should place greater emphasis on the power o communication channels versus the

competitive noise they have to contend with; many organizations seem to pursue content strategy with little regard or the clutterthey are competing with.

B2B marketers have been slow to push into more visually engaging content (typically relying largely on text-based content) due toconcerns about skill and cost but most directly due to perceiving it as a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have.

Recommendations

I your organization has not yet audited content against the in ormation requirements o key customer personas in a typical purchasedecision-making process (see p. 23), push or such an initiative. The bene ts are numerous, including orcing empathy with thecustomers perspective and needs (i.e., shi ting to customers as the point o re erence) and providing strong guidance or where youhave strong points o view and where you need to ocus uture development e orts.

Its notoriously di cult to develop a meaning ul and objective approach or evaluating the quality o content, but your judgment isreally quite su cient. Look at a range o content that your organization is producingblog posts, articles, white papers, videosandlook or things such as relevance, newsworthiness, insight ulness, clarity, and pro essionalism. I you are giving low scores (especiallyi

Digital Marketing, B2B, Lead Generation, Social Media, Dig

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