Two thirds of business-to-business companies expect to increase their investment in search marketing over the next 12 months, according to a new Benchmark Report by B2B Marketing, in association with Circle Research.
The survey shows that search marketing is one of the most popular tools available to B2B marketers, second only to email. However it also reveals that use of search and investment in the associated techniques (SEO and PPC) is relatively low level at the moment, with the majority of respondents spending less than 10 per cent of their total marketing budget on this type of marketing.
So far, only a small minority of brands have investigated using search techniques to assist with lead nurturing activities, targeting different members of the decision making unit at different stages.
“As B2B brands increase their investment in search, inevitably the level of competition and sophistication will also rise,” says Joel Harrison, editor of B2B Marketing. “This Benchmarking Report generates some fantastic insights into attitudes towards search marketing within the B2B community, and will be invaluable to marketers seeking to understand how to use to best effect for their own organisation.”
