Demand Generation

More than one third (34%) of B2B buyers report that the number of team members involved in buying decisions has increased over the past year, according to Demand Gen Report’s 2014 B2B Buyer Behavior Survey. Also, over half (55%) of respondents stated they have at least three team members that take part in buying decisions within the company.

Account-based marketing (ABM) provides marketers with an opportunity to nurture all of the key decision makers within targeted organizations as a collective group — while also keeping messaging highly personalized and buyer focused.

B2B buyers rarely make a buying decision on the first touch. Marketers have incorporated lead nurturing initiatives into their marketing mix as a way to keep the brand top-of-mind among prospective buyers. However, they continue to struggle with keeping prospects engaged during prolonged buying cycles.

More than half  (58%) of B2B buyers  spent more time researching purchase decisions than they did a year prior, according to Demand Gen Report’s 2014 B2B Buyer Behavior Survey. As buying cycles grow longer and longer, marketers need to have a deep understanding of their prospective customers so their content and engagement have a positive impact on buyer decisions. By segmenting their lists, marketers will be able to tailor each message specifically to individual buyer’s expectations.

LinkedIn’s new stand-alone version of its Sales Navigator can stream real-time updates on targeted accounts, a feature that could help B2B marketers boost their lead generation capabilities. The offering is designed to push data such as job changes, press announcements, blog posts and status updates relevant to key accounts and prospects.

This announcement follows LinkedIn’s recent acquisition of Bizo, with the goal of creating a B2B marketing platform.

Forward-thinking B2B marketers are building relationships with influential members of the community, with the goal of providing more targeted and credible messaging to the potential buyers among their followers. When added to the marketing mix, influencers can help amplify a company’s marketing message and, in turn, reach a wider audience.

This is a natural extension of traditional marketing efforts, as B2B buyers are increasingly putting more credence in the opinions of influencers and colleagues. According to Demand Gen Report’s 2014 Content Preferences Survey, 72% of respondents turned to peers for relevant content when researching B2B purchasing decisions.

The concept of a traditional buying funnel has been around since 1898, but reality is that today’s buying process is more circular. 

“The typical funnel model is a very linear and volume-driven process, but in reality, the buying journey today is much more complex,” LeadMD’s Justin Gray told the audience of his Lead LifeCycle Series webinar, titled: Benchmarking The Buyer’s Journey. The series runs through July 25 and sessions are available on demand.