eMarketer Webinar: How to Reach B2B Buyers—A Data-Driven Approach

© 2015 eMarketer Inc.

How to Reach B2B Buyers:

A Data-Driven Approach

Kris Oser

Deputy Editorial Director

January 29, 2015

Made possible by


Agenda: Understanding Buyers in 14 Charts

How do B2B decision-makers research purchases?

What devices do they use and when?

What online content is most effective?

Which successful formats are emerging and which are

tried-and-true?

How important are B2B decision-makers’ social

networks?


1. B2B

decision-

makers kick

off their

research

with search

Don’t underestimate the power of

search


Search plays

a role at every

stage of the

purchase

funnel, but it is

especially

important at

the top of the

funnel


2. B2B

decision-makers

do all kinds of

research on

smartphones

During idle

moments, quickly

found info is tapped


Two-thirds

of business

buyers

worldwide

say they use

smartphones

to visit

vendor sites

Is your site mobile

optimized?


Decision-makers do research at all stages of the

purchase funnel via mobile devices

“Buyers are always using different

devices. If you can get in front of

someone with a dynamic message,

you should be aware of the

device they are on.”

—Roger Barnette, president of IgnitionOne


3. B2B decision-makers are always-on for

business

They are always on the lookout

for information


And don’t

assume a

tablet is only

used at home,

or a

smartphone is

only used on

the go


The lines between business time and leisure

time have blurred

“You’re in and out of work mode.

You’re in and out of personal

mode.”

—Russell Glass, CEO and Co-Founder of Bizo


4. B2B decision-makers expect to use personal

technology, like smartphones, at work

Most of us take our work home

with us, and most of us take our

“home” with us to work, too


How many executives worldwide use their

personal mobile devices for business?

78% 75

%


5. B2B

decision-makers

rely on content

to assist in their

research and

purchasing

decisions

Remember, content is not

consumed by a “business”


And they are

relying on it

more and more

as time goes by


The goal of content? To educate the buyer so

you are really being helpful

“Establish yourself as a trusted

authority and thought leader, and

identify that buying signal when it

occurs to close the deal.”

—Ruth Stevens, president of eMarketing

Strategy


6. B2B decision-makers want content that is

quick and easy to access on their smartphones

If content is not optimized for

mobile, it could defeat the purpose


A quarter of

US tech

executives

said “shorter”

content would

get them to

consume more

via their

mobile device


7. For B2B

decision-makers,

shorter content is

better

Pressed for time,

they want to learn

quickly and move on


Outside of

in-person

events, the

most

successful

content is

short content

Think: articles,

blog posts and

newsletters


Your targets are busy people

“ I expect the people on my team to read

the solutions sheet and the white papers,

but when they recommend something to

me, just give me a 2-minute video and I’ll

check out what executives from that

company are saying on Twitter. Are they a

forward-looking company? Do they look

like a good partner?”

—Karri Carlson, VP of social insights at Leadtail


8. B2B

decision-makers

pay close

attention to

vendor websites

(They arrive at your site via

your search optimization)


Many B2B

buyers find

fault with

vendor sites

Half of US buyers

in this poll said

pricing information

was lacking on

vendor sites!


9. B2B

decision-makers

use white papers

in the research

process

Even though white papers

can be long


Content

length should

suit the stage

of the

purchase

funnel


White papers work best in the ‘messy middle’

“ There’s not nearly enough content

effort at what I call the messy middle,

which is where lead nurturing through

education occurs.”

—Robert Rose, chief strategist at Content

Marketing Institute


10. B2B

decision-makers

are getting more

interested in

video …

… as B2B videos become more

descriptive and professional


Video is

among the

most effective

content

marketing

tactics


11. B2B

decision-makers

share content

with other B2B

decision-makers

But they share differently

than consumers


They are

much more

likely to use

email to

share content

But businesspeople

still use consumer

sites like Facebook

to share business

content, too


12. B2B

decision-makers

trust content

from peers

Who else would they turn to?


A majority of

business

executives

turn to

colleagues

and peers

over media

outlets for

trustworthy

content


Professionals gravitate to sites and sources

recommended by respected industry colleagues

In the IT industry,

people “typically seek

out more technical,

peer-to-peer use-case-

based content.”

—Julie Brewer, director of

marketing at Sungard

Availability Services


13. B2B

decision-

makers

welcome

face-to-face

contact

with

vendors

Sometimes digital tactics just aren’t

enough.


In-person

events and

face-to-face

meetings can

seal deals

Old-school methods

sometimes rule—

even in a digital

world


14. B2B

decision-makers

are comfortable

making

purchases on

mobile devices

Another satisfied

mobile customer


If there’s a

relationship,

business

executives

feel

comfortable

making a

purchase via

mobile


Takeaways

1. Mobile is an intrinsic part of the B2B decision-maker’s

purchase journey.

2. Content is central to the purchase journey. B2B

decision-makers prefer shorter content. They like

emerging content like video. But they like white

papers and face-to-face meetings, too.

3. Don’t underestimate the power of the share.

Copyright © 2015 Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Oracle Marketing CloudCustomer-Centricity. Marketing Simplicity. Enterprise Ready.

Andrea RosiProduct Marketing ManagerOracle Marketing CloudJanuary 29. 2015


Number of impressions U.S. customers make on one another about products

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They’re Empowered

500 Billion

“Companies were in control up until 2000.

But now the customer is in the driver’s seat.

If you embrace that, you will thrive. If not,

then by 2020, you will not survive.”

–Jamie Nordstrom


End-to-End Buyer Experience and Marketer Experience

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Kris Oser

How to Reach B2B Buyers:

A Data-Driven Approach

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Only if Given Good Reason

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Them in 14 Charts

B2B Content Marketing: Finding Satisfaction Beyond the Lead

B2B Email Marketing: Benchmarks and Best Practices

eMarketer Webinar: How to Reach B2B Buyers—A Data-Driven Approach

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Transcript of eMarketer Webinar: How to Reach B2B Buyers—A Data-Driven Approach