Digital advances have had a huge impact on businesses and they way they operate. This webcast looks at how brands embrace the changes to engage with buyers.
These are fascinating – and challenging – times for B2B marketers as we aim to make the most out of the digital opportunities that have presented themselves over the last few years. Two recent reports have brought the key points into stark relief: first, the Buyersphere Report assessed how B2B buyers are using new digital information channels in order to assist them in their purchasing; secondly, the B2B Social Media Benchmarking Report revealed the extent to which marketers are embracing those channels in their activities.
Comparing the two reports gives a great insight into the state of play in digital marketing today, and answers a number of key questions:
- Is social media something we should all be doing, or is it a resource-intensive distraction that adds little to the bottom line?
- In what way should we be using social media – if we are to satisfy buyer’s demands for information?
- How does your organisation compare to others in the scramble for digital marketing success? To what extent are new tools like online meetings and events creating opportunities? Are you ahead of the curve or lagging behind?
Having established where we are in terms of the adoption of social media, we then discuss what this means for today’s marketers. What is the practical advice we can take from the findings, and how will that help with our marketing planning for 2012 and beyond? Further discussion points will include:
- How are online communities likely to develop? And are they a lead generation goldmine, or a strict ‘no-selling’ zone?
- How should your organisation be presenting itself across social media? Individually or corporately?
- What kind of buyers use social media, and for what purpose? What other forms of online engagement works for them? And how can we best ‘engage’ with them?
- Which channels are the most likely to bring success?
- What new challenges are likely to emerge in the next 12 months?
The discussion around these two landmark pieces of research promises to be both thought-provoking and instructional. We’ve all dipped our toes in the social media waters – now it’s time to invest strategically and make sure you are making the most of the opportunities that the digital landscape offers. Join us, listen to the findings and enter into what will be an intriguing and educational discussion.
3.00 - 3.10pm - Introduction, Joel Harrison, editor, B2B Marketing
3.10 - 3.45pm - Presentation, John Bottom, head of communications and content, Base One
3.45 - 4.00pm - Live Q&A
