News

The transformation of the BtoB buyer continues to evolve, as preliminary results from the DemandGen Report’s second annual research study, Inside The Mind of the BtoB Buyer, points to continued expansion of the sphere of influence and new factors shaping the decision-making process.

Based on preliminary findings, 53% of respondents indicated that they took more time to research and consider solutions, while 44% utilized a wider variety of sources to research their options. The early results also point to purchasing decisions becoming more of a “group effort,” as 30% of respondents indicated that more internal team members provided their input into decision process.

The marketing automation has been growing at an explosive rate for the past few years, but a new report from a leading analyst firm indicates the category’s growth may have hit a speed bump. New research from Raab Associates projects the BtoB marketing automation industry will reach $325 million revenue in 2011.

While this represents more than a 50% increase over 2010, it is still somewhat of a dip in the curve after revenue in the category had doubled in the previous year.  

“Industry growth is strong, even though the percentage increase is lower because it comes on a higher base,” said Raab Associates Principal David Raab. “We’re a bit concerned because the net number of new installations seems to have dropped compared with the previous six months. There’s a risk that growth will stall if vendors cannot sell outside of the high tech industry and business services industries, which still compromise the bulk of BtoB marketing automation clients.”

LeadMD, a provider of marketing and lead generation services, has seen a sharp increase in adoption of marketing automation among small to mid-sized businesses.

Illustrating this growth, the Phoenix-based company noted that it has implemented nearly 1,000 lead generation campaigns for clients, which included 40 million emails in 2011. Campaign results for LeadMD clients resulted in a $1.2 million jump in additional revenue and a 34% increase in lead volume.

The Marketing Automation Institute (MAI) yesterday announced its official launch as a new certification body and community for the industry. In collaboration with industry thought leaders and marketing automation vendors, the MAI is focused on providing educational training opportunities that help both BtoB and BtoC marketing professionals develop the skills needed to succeed in today’s ever-changing, increasingly buyer-focused market.

“The drive behind the launch is really to help address the very apparent skills gap that exists with most marketers today,” said MAI Executive Director and Co-Founder Carlos Hidalgo. “While technology is part of marketing automation we really believe that it’s an overarching industry and technology is just one part of that. What we’re finding from all the research is while the technology is very robust, there is a skills gap that both BtoB and BtoC marketers are trying to overcome to get the most value out of automation technology.”

Cloud-based integrated marketing software provider Aprimo recently added a new Mobile Marketing module to its Aprimo Marketing Studio (AMS) On Demand solution, which features integrated text messaging (SMS) capabilities to its current campaign management offering. Existing Aprimo customers can immediately begin using the new SMS capabilities.

The new solution is designed to enable users to launch SMS campaigns in four steps — create, launch, track and measure — within the AMS On Demand platform. Companies also can leverage similar segmentation, dialog and campaign measurement functions used in other digital marketing channels, including email and microsites. Aprimo currently uses the mobile module internally.

As SMS usage continues to increase globally, more companies are implementing the tactic to gain new customers, build deeper relationships and create new revenue opportunities through up-selling and cross-selling. Between 2007 and 2010, the total number of SMS messages sent globally tripled from 1.8 trillion to a staggering 6.1 trillion, according to data provided by the International Telecommunications Union. In turn, companies are looking to SMS to send messages with immediacy, brevity and ease.