B2B marketing efforts can be challenging, though technology and even social media has offered more options that in the past. LinkedIn is a front runner in social media marketing for this sect, more so than Facebook, which tends to be geared more toward B2C marketing and engagement.
A recent study conducted by SageFrog Marketing Group looked at B2B Marketing options and how they changed between 2012 and 2013. The study suggests that while many of the marketing options show a lower use in 2013 when compared to last year, this does not mean that they are necessarily marketing less or using various marketing tactics less than they used to. Instead, they suggest that there are more options now for B2B marketers, giving them more ways to reach potential customers than before.
The chart below shows the various marketing options and the percentage of users in 2013 and 2013:
It’s interesting to note that trade shows didn’t show significant, if any, use in 2012, but this seems to be a strong tactic in 2013. Website, social media, and email marketing remain as the top three marketing channels. The big surprise was telemarketing, which showed an increase in usage compared to last year.
When email marketing was born, people said cold calling was dead. When social media emerged, people said email would die a slow death. Here we are in 2013, and cold calling, or at least sales calls, are still alive and kicking.
With this increase, I’m wondering if the percentages are up because people are laying the groundwork in other forms or marketing, especially social media/online, and these calls end up being “warm” leads vs the traditional telemarketing efforts of the past. This might account for the jump in percentages. After all, it’s easier to start a call by saying, “My name is XYZ and we have this in common…..” With sites like LinkedIn, these types of lead ins are possible, even more so than they were pre-social media days.
If you’re a B2B marketer, we’d love to hear from you! What are your top methods of marketing? Has it changed since last year? If so, how? Please feel free to share your thoughts and join in the conversation!
