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E-Marketing Tips From the Front Lines
Survey: Online to be No. 2 marketing tool by 2008.
from AICPA Custom Media Solutions

A recent whitepaper from Omniture, Inc. has an interesting take on business-to-business marketing insights. Though not primary research, it supports good background planning. Omniture is a software provider of data storage and analysis solutions.

Omniture concludes that in order for B2B marketing to be competitive in today’s Web 2.0 environment, it not only has to be keeping pace with the trends, but staying ahead of them. The report predicts that by 2008, online marketing efforts will be the dominant media for B2B initiatives. Traditional direct mail, industry print and events and promotions will take a back seat to more efficient and sophisticated online efforts. A Forrester Research study in 2005 took a similar view, predicting that online marketing will be more ubiquitous than anything except in-person events (including sales calls) by 2008. Research also supports the AICPA’s longtime mantra that online works best when combined with live events and targeted trade magazines.

Marketing dollars to shift to online, combined with targeted trade magazines and live events.

The report continues, saying that according to CMO Council/KnowledgeStorm, almost half (45%) of all B2B decision-makers spend five or more hours every week researching product and service information. Why? Because of the ease of access and availability, and breadth and depth of the information. Nearly nine in 10 (89%) business users and IT professionals state that online content has a moderate to major impact on their vendor preferences and selections. For most marketers, the report says, the challenges are centered on lead generation, customer relationships and measuring results more accurately.

The study notes that, while consumers are often motivated by impulse or status, a business prospect will spend far more time researching the product or service, weighing the risks and implications, and looking for possible alternatives.

Omniture’s findings concluded that reaching the right decision-makers and deepening customer relationships were top priorities for B2B marketers, even ahead of measuring RO and generating leads.