With Marketing under continued pressure to justify itself in the boardroom, B2B marketers are challenged to show evidence that their plans for 2013 will work.
As B2B specialists, the team at Decision Point has been working closely with B2B Magazine and Peter Young, Chairman of the Judges for the B2B Marketing Awards. We reviewed all of the case studies shortlisted for 2012 and have used them to address the questions that marketers face from key stakeholders. The Evidence report launches at The Awards Showcase on March 5th, where we will draw on more than 60 case studies and share our conclusions.
The Evidence will be available to purchase from B2B Marketing and is free for B2B Marketing Premium members and those attending the Awards Showcase. To get a flavour of what to expect, the team has put together a preview, based on the chapter on Inbound and Digital marketing.
The Evidence – Migrating to Inbound and Digital:
The question:
Budgets are tight this year and we have no room for marketing to experiment. What is the right balance between the tools we have always used and newer digital approaches?
The answer:
To grow we need to find new ways to engage the target audience with more targeted, accountable and lower cost solutions. For most businesses this means digital.
The Evidence:
When British Gas wanted to reach the SME audience, they turned to digital as the key platform for delivering their message. They developed educational content for the website and a series of engaging video assets. They then integrated these with more traditional communications to sign up over 25,000 customers.
When Networks First needed to stand out in a crowded market on a limited budget, they turned to video to provide the cut through, but then amplified that across their traditional media channels.
When Scotsman ice machines wanted to increase unit sales to the trade, they used social community engagement to first show demand and then build demand to drive double-digit sales growth.
When Bluewolf wanted to find a way to bring the expertise of their team to life, they did it through a devolved social media programme that saw each individual take charge of their own online brand.
Even when the audience is not digitally engaged, there are opportunities to extend digital reach into conventional media. IBM used their real time analytics product and screen advertising to significantly improve campaign ROI.
For the full picture, download the preview now and share your thoughts on the B2B Marketing blog.
Graham
