Mid-Year Roundup: Big Data, Predictive Capabilities Key Themes In B2B Landscape

Many B2B marketers are turning to data-driven and predictive marketing solutions to enhance the buying experience and create meaningful engagement with prospective buyers as they move along the buyer's journey.

These are just some of the key themes found in top-trafficked articles for H1 2015. Other topics consistently discussed include account-based marketing’s impact on B2B strategies, as well as research into how demand generation initiatives are evolving throughout the year due to these emerging trends.

Here are Demand Gen Report's top 15 articles for the first half of 2015:

1) Data Is Driving The Next Wave Of Buyer Personas

The growing importance of Big Data was a hot topic throughout the first half of the year. This article highlighted how marketing analytics help progressive B2B organizations formulate personas based on buying intent and insights gained from past purchases.

2) SiriusDecisions Summit 2015: B2B Buying Mythology Debunked

Salespeople continue to play a vital role in the B2B buying process despite the rise of anonymous online research, according to a study released at the SiriusDecisions Summit 2015. B2B buyers interact with vendors throughout the buying journey, highlighting the need to equip the sales team to have meaningful conversations and provide relevant and timely content.

3) B2B Marketers Look To Expand Predictive Capabilities Throughout The Customer Lifecycle

B2B organizations are relying more on predictive intelligence to enhance their initiatives at every stage of the buyer's journey. This article highlights how leading B2B companies are incorporating predictive marketing throughout the buying funnel to boost personalization, increase relevancy and enhance the customer experience.

4) B2B Companies Expand Inside Sales Teams For Efficient, Relevant Lead Follow-Up

With increasingly longer sales cycles and more complex purchases, B2B companies are adding to their inside sales teams, with (53%) of B2B sales reps selling remotely, according to research from InsideSales.com. This article dives into how B2B organizations are improving conversion rates and sales efficiency with more investment into inside sales tactics.

5) 2015 Benchmark Study: What's Working In Demand Generation?

More than one third (38%) of B2B marketers expect their demand generation budgets to grow by 20% or more in 2015. Marketers will invest in a number of tactics to drive results, including persona development, webinars and in-person events. This article highlights these and other findings from the 2015 Benchmark Study, which aims to shine a light on how B2B organizations are empowering their demand generation strategies for 2015.

6) B2B Marketers Focus On Content Metrics To Enhance Segmentation, Lead Quality

There is a wide array of data sources that B2B marketers can leverage to gain insight into the buying journey. This article highlights how measuring content metrics — including behavioral data and content conversion rates — can enhance the quality of leads entering the funnel as well as boost lead segmentation.

7) 2015 Content Preferences Survey: Buyers Value Content Packages, Interactive Content

While white papers and webinars remain among the most popular types of content for engaging prospects, buyers are increasingly relying on infographics, videos and other interactive content such as ROI calculators and assessments as they make their buying decisions. Those are just some of the findings from our 2015 Content Preferences Survey.

8) The 2015 Marketing Automation Outlook Guide

Data-driven marketing, advanced lead scoring capabilities, predictive analytics and tracking campaign effectiveness continue to influence the marketing automation landscape throughout the first half of the year. The 2015 Marketing Automation Outlook Guide gathered prediction from a number of industry leaders.

9) Marketo Co-Founder Launches Account-Based Marketing Startup

The launch of Engagio, an account-based marketing (ABM) startup founded by former Marketo Co-founder Jon Miller, highlighted an increased interest in ABM initiatives among B2B organizations. The startup acquired $10 million in funding prior to launching, emphasizing the growing demand for dedicated ABM solutions.

10) B2B Marketers Leverage The Marketing Cloud To Personalize Engagement

As more B2B marketers gain experience with marketing clouds, many are beginning to see the benefits of a marketing tool that provides a complete view of their prospective buyers, enabling enhanced targeting and personalization.

11) B2B Marketers Use Predictive Tools To Boost Account-Based Marketing Results

More than 90% of marketers believe that account-based marketing is a “must-have,” according to SiriusDecisions’ 2015 State of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Study. While just 20% of respondents are currently using an ABM approach, 60% expect to adopt a targeted account approach over the next year. This article dives into how predictive intelligence tools are taking ABM strategies to the next level by increasing engagement and boosting ROI.

12) B2B Marketers Tap Analytics To Identify Social Media’s ROI

Social analytics have also grown in popularity throughout the first half of the year. Social media as a marketing channel has moved beyond the initial brand awareness benefits, and social data has allowed marketers to create targeted conversations with prospects and provide relevant content when needed.

13) B2B Marketers Tap New Scoring Tools To Prioritize High-Value Leads

B2B marketers continue to face challenges when creating effective lead scoring models. This article dives into how new predictive tools and other technology are creating a more data-driven approach to how leads are prioritized.

14) Study: B2B Marketers Call ABM A “Must-Have,” While Only 20% Have Programs

SiriusDecisions unveiled research from its 2015 State of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Study at the Marketing Innovation Summit hosted by Demandbase. Findings showed that more than 90% of marketers believe that account-based marketing is a “must-have,” but only 20% have fully implemented programs.

15) Social Data Takes Lead Enrichment To The Next Level

Lead enhancement is taking on a heightened importance as marketers turn to advanced tactics such as account-based marketing and predictive lead scoring to improve campaign performance. Companies are incorporating data from multiple sources, including social media, to enhance their understanding of the buyer's journey.