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Demanding Views

How to Apply Content Marketing to All Stages of the Sales Cycle

By Israel Martinez, Product Manager, DNN

 

israel-martinez-headshotYou want a shorter sales cycle and your customers want a shorter buying cycle. No one benefits from prolonging the process. But if your goals are aligned, why is it that things seem to be going in the opposite direction?

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), 56% of the buying process is spent searching for educational content. IDG reported that 86% of B2B buyers say that the content created by marketing departments is not useful, relevant or aligned with their needs. A study from Forrester says that 76% of buyers choose vendors that can have intelligent conversations and deliver effective value messages, and Sirius Decisions reported that the number one sales inhibitor is an organization’s inability to communicate the value of their products.

  • Written by Brian Anderson
  • Category: Demanding Views
  • Hits: 7765

What Your Advocacy Data Reveals About The Health Of Your Business

By Matt Chittle, Senior VP of Products and Strategy, Amplifinity

 

Matt Chittle AmplifinityThere are three compelling categories of benefits to an advocacy marketing strategy. The first two are somewhat obvious; the third — not so much. At least not at first. Yet, it’s this third piece that’s so crucial to driving sales success (and profits) in today’s social world.

All advocacy programs ask customers, employees or partners — called obviously enough “advocates” — to take action. And they often do, especially when motivated in some important way. But it’s the tracking and measurement of these actions over time that produces the insight companies can use and act on for long-term, strategic benefits — all of which is uniquely powerful for the following reasons:

  • Written by Brian Anderson
  • Category: Demanding Views
  • Hits: 2178

The State of Marketing: Incremental Evolution

By You Mon Tsang, CEO, OutMarket

YouMon TsangOver the past few years, digital media and mobility have created new ways to communicate, altering people’s expectations and interactions. Today’s citizens expect access to information whenever and wherever they want.

While most marketers understand their work is changing, marketing tactics and strategies have sometimes been slow to follow suit. Our State of Marketing report, performed by Market Connections, reveals a world in which marketers embrace evolution, incrementally or even hesitantly.

  • Written by Brian Anderson
  • Category: Demanding Views
  • Hits: 3139

In the Eyes of the B2B Buyer, Content is No Longer King

Carlos Hidalgo ANNUITAS 9-9By Carlos Hidalgo, CEO and Principal, ANNUITAS

 

In 1996, Bill Gates penned the phrase “content is king.” While I do not think he meant it in the context of B2B marketing, it has not stopped B2B marketers from using this as a rallying cry to do more in the name of content marketing.  According to the CMI 2014 Content Marketing Benchmark Study, organizations are expected to create more content and spend more on content development this year than ever before, all in the name of content marketing.

So while B2B marketers serve the king that is known as content, the question that needs to be asked is: Does our audience, the B2B buyer, have the same king?  The short answer is no.  The reality is the king has been dethroned and content no longer rules the B2B universe. In looking at things from the B2B buyer’s perspective, the new ruler is indeed relevance.

  • Written by Brian Anderson
  • Category: Demanding Views
  • Hits: 7568