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Make your video ads go viral to boost your lead generation

2012-02-14T10:16:00.000Z

Brits react better to branded videos that have been recommended to them

In our Key Marketing Trends for you to employ in 2012 Part One blog, we looked at the emerging trend of video marketing as a way of boosting your lead generation. Let's take a closer look.

Video marketing

Video marketing budgets grew by double figures in 2011 and this sector looks set to grow even further this year, especially in terms of viral videos.

Making a video viral just means that it has been shared on social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, while users of these sites have also recommended the content to their social media friends.

In this way, online videos can reach a wider audience than just those who visit your website or your YouTube channel.

Benefits of viral video

A new study by Unruly, released on February 7^th, found that people react better to branded videos that have been recommended to them by their social media friends than those who have found the content through browsing.

It was found that brand recall and association was seven per cent higher among viewers who had been advised to watch the content in comparison to those who came across the content unintentionally.

A total of 73 per cent recalled the brand represented in the video if their social media friends pointed them to it, while 68 per cent of those who viewed a video after browsing remembered the company involved.

There was also a 14 per cent rise in the number of people who enjoyed the video if it had been recommended and if people enjoy [enjoyed] a video they are [were] 97 per cent more likely to purchase the product seen in the video.

Sarah Wood, chief operating officer of Unruly, commented: "If a brand creates great video content and makes it easy to share, it will see impressive results across the entire purchase funnel."

B2B videos
Online videos created by B2B marketing executives like you will vary from those created by B2C firms but this doesn't mean they should be dull.

After all, the more engaging and funny a video is the more likely it is to be shared on social media sites.

Try creating online videos that showcase how your product or service works in funny circumstances, add interactive elements such as alternative endings, and incorporate question and answer scenarios too.

Let us know if you have seen any interesting B2B videos or if you have created on yourself send it over and we will showcase it in our pipeline e-newsletter.

Key marketing trends for 2012 (part two)

2012-01-17T15:09:00.000Z

Part two of our guide to key B2B marketing trends that will be seen this year.

Now is the time that B2B marketers like you will be considering if and how they want to change their advertising strategies in 2012 in order to win new business.

Some key marketing trends for 2012 have been discussed and now it is time for part two of our guide on what will be lucrative for B2B firms this year.

Integrating email marketing with social media

While many of you may feel that email marketing is a dying advertising medium due to the popularity of social media, it can still be lucrative for you in 2012.

According to Elisabeth Sosnow, who was writing for Business to Community, this is the year for B2B firms to run integrated marketing services that incorporate emails and social marketing campaigns.

She states that 47 per cent of companies intend to increase their investment in email marketing to drive growth in social media channels in 2012.

Beware though as you need to do more than just adding a social share button to your email marketing messages in order to do justice to both platforms.

Julia Peavy, director of Response Consulting at Return Path, suggested adding social media calls-to-action in email marketing messages.

She wrote on the firm's blog: "Test out different wording to encourage sharing or engagement with your social media site.

"While including simple 'follow us' and 'like us' text is better than no guidance, test the social media calls to action to see if this encourages more clicks."

You can also include the option to add comments to a social media page in your email marketing messages to help encourage engagement with your brand.

Content marketing

Producing high-quality content is a proven marketing tool for B2B marketers and the type of material required to win new business is set to develop even further in 2012.

White papers will always be a great way for you to reveal the latest developments in your industry to prove you're an expert in the field but B2B buyers will want to read more engaging content too this year.

This can include corporate blogs, written by your chairman or an industry expert, webinars that B2B buyers can watch online, and even e-books, as e-readers are gaining popularity across the globe.

Social media

Social media was a popular marketing method in 2011, with the launch of new social network Google+, and new advertising tools on both Facebook and Twitter.

These sites are sure to have more opportunities for you to build lead generation in the pipeline, such as Facebook which will be introducing private messages between brands and customers.

As a result, firms will be able to deal with customer service issues directly and in private, rather than on their Facebook page.

What methods will you be employing this year? Take our Poll opposite and find out what your peers think.

Key marketing trends for 2012 (part one)

2012-01-04T10:37:00.000Z

As the New Year is here, you may be wondering what key marketing trends you should get involved in to boost lead generation in 2012.

That's because marketing is one of those sectors that is constantly evolving as new technologies develop and people find themselves engaging with digital data in innovative ways, such as through smartphones.

Let's take a look at some of the trends that are set to be important this year:

Branded Advertising
One big marketing trend for 2012 is set to be advertising that benefits those who see it rather than traditional advertising on mediums such as TV.

Such is the prediction of Chris Gorell Barnes, chief executive officer at Adjust Your Set, who was writing on the Econsultancy blog.

He explained that people, including B2B buyers, want advertising that contributes to their quality of life, meaning online marketing will be big news next year.

Instructional demos, product innovation and your Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, which means running a company so it doesn't have a negative impact on the environment, stakeholders and the public, should be a focus in 2012 in order to boost lead generation.

This also means there will be a greater focus on pictures and images over words, with Cisco predicting that online video will account for 90 per cent of all internet traffic within the next three years, leading us to the next trend.

Video Marketing
You can also employ non-traditional advertising in the form of online video marketing, as you can provide demonstrations of your products and how they would benefit a B2B buyer.

The amount of money spent on video advertising increased by double-figures this year, with a further rise in budgets expected in 2012, according to a study by Break Media.

Smartphones
It found that 68 per cent of marketers intend to boost their online video marketing budgets in 2012, suggesting brands are seeing this channel as beneficial in terms of sales and new clients.
Mr Gorell Barnes revealed that another key marketing trend for 2012 will be mobile.

He wrote: "Smartphones have revolutionised how we interact with content on-the-go and in 2012 the mobile device will continue to play a significant role."

Smartphones are gaining ground in the UK, US and even Japan where the majority of owners are male aged under 35, according to Comscore.

This is an ideal demographic for you as these people can be involved in the buying process at a B2B firm so mobile marketing is also a great channel for lead generation.

What marketing methods are you planning to employ in 2012?

What are your marketing nightmares?

2011-12-20T10:20:00.000Z

With the emergence of social media and mobile advertising, some of you may be having nightmares about the type of marketing to use to win new business.

Well, look on the bright side! With the growing popularity of these channels, you now have more opportunity to create integrated marketing services and engage with both existing and potential clients.

The Econsultancy blog recently revealed that Twitter is being used by 87 per cent of B2B firms, while Facebook is being used by 82 per cent, 69 per cent are employing YouTube and 57 per cent are incorporating LinkedIn to their marketing campaigns.

Plenty of opportunity to run a social media campaign and attract new clients then, as this channel is great for posting a call to action, leading to offline sales.

But this platform could still be giving you nightmares as B2B buyers will only engage with your Facebook page if it is engaging!

This means writing blogs, posting interesting statuses and delivering content that engages your target audience, which is great if you have the time!

Luckily, Sophia Haynes, director of marketing and communications at the Internet Advertising Bureau, said: "Social [media] definitely is changing a lot of things, but it isn't the answer to everything.

"It can be over relied on and it needs to be part of a considered marketing strategy not sort of 'oh we don't need to spend money on media anymore, stick it all in social '."

Mobile may also be giving you a headache as marketing experts continuously say that this is a lucrative channel and if you aren't involved, you're missing out on leads and sales.

The main way you can get involved with this type of integrated marketing service is by creating a website optimised for use on mobiles.

All you need to do is analyse the amount of traffic visiting your website from mobiles to see if this is worth doing.

If it is worth doing, there are ways in which you can test your website to find out which parts work on mobiles and which bits don't, which can then be changed.

A simple way of incorporating mobile into your marketing activity is by creating email marketing campaigns that can be read on these devices.

The first step in running successful integrated marketing services is ensuring your B2B data and global lists are accurate - something that mardevdm2 specialises in.

So, are these your digital nightmares and how are you planning to overcome them?

Getting started with lead scoring

2011-12-09T22:13:00.000Z

How to get started with lead scoring?

You may have heard of lead scoring on an increasing frequency recently as it is a new element for many B2B marketers.

Now, you may be wondering what lead scoring actually is, and all it means is assigning points to each new prospect.

Points are assigned based on criteria you set, such as the attributes you've decided are most often associated with serious prospective customers.

This can include seeing who visits your website, downloads your whitepapers and opens your email marketing messages. You can then do a bit of investigation or partner with a database marketing provider to learn the type of company they are from as well as their job title and geographic location.

The higher a prospect scores during this procedure the more likely they are to be actively engaged in the buying process. When leads reach the score agreed upon with sales, they should be sent to the appropriate sales rep, or better yet, automatically assigned in your contact management system.

What criteria do you find most effective for lead scoring?

Learn how mardevdm2 can accelerate your sales with your lead development.

Or simply, request a quote if you'd like to get started.

How do you use metrics to boost lead generation?

2011-11-21T18:23:00.000Z

B2B marketers are becoming more metrics driven every day. The question is, which ones provide the greatest insight?

A question that quite often crosses the lips of B2B marketing and sales executives is how they can effectively use web and lead tracking metrics to boost their lead generation results and tie it to revenue.

There are plenty of key metrics that can be included in your marketing campaigns but you may be unsure which one is best for your needs?

A number of factors will affect which metrics system you choose, such as which one generates the most leads and revenue for your firm and which one will support your 'top of the pipeline' activities the best.

According to the Quarterly Digital Intelligence Marketing Briefing by Econsultancy and Adobe, the most popular metric appears to be web analytics with 93 percent of European businesses using this method to guide their marketing campaigns.

Join the conversation and share the metrics your business finds the most useful.

Learn about how to apply metrics, scoring and digital channels when you read this whitepaper: Effective Stages of Demand Generation, the rules of engagement:

http://tinyurl.com/6mqch85

DMA 2011

2011-09-21T15:59:00.000+01:00

What are your expectations for this year's DMA show? Did you know they added a B2B Symposium? What are the top 3 challenges you are bringing to the show?

Visit mardevdm2 at Booth #1011 and let's connect. In fact, you can set up a meeting in advance, simply click here.

Oh, and if you haven't registered yet, we invite you to use code AN61 and save $300!

Once you know who to talk to, how do you know what to say?

2011-07-21T05:42:00.000+01:00

So, you've segmented your data and learned what you can from your analysis of it. Now what? According to the Sherpa 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report, the key to success for B2B organizations going forward will be to improve their marketing efficiencies in every stage of the buying cycle.

I think one of the issues is that our natural response to that is, "sell more". Yet, many of the sales and marketing conversations we have with new prospects, in this age of technology and advanced nurturing techniques, happen when we aren't selling at all. This may involve an activity-based or trigger-email nurture cycle, or sending innovative case studies or white papers to your new leads. Then, their response determines how relevant your information is to them. Also according to Sherpa, 92% of buyers are open to cold calls if the information is relevant.

This sounds like the answer to the "now what?" question is to listen to and monitor your prospects' response to your nurturing program so you can make the sales lead process more efficient. In other words, only send the buyers who respond to your relevant messages to your sales reps. It will save time in the sales process, and they will likely even thank you for the leads.

Need help getting started with your lead nurturing program? Learn how mardevdm2 can help.

Data marketing goes way beyond data - 5 questions to consider

2011-06-28T15:34:00.000+01:00

We are exhibiting at and attending the Data Marketing Show in London, 29-30 June (check out the show and register) and the primary focus of the event is data-driven marketing. In my experience, data-driven marketing goes way beyond data. The questions that come to mind, for example, are:

what do you know about your current marketing data that helps you better target your audience?
are there segments that your data naturally aligns with so you can create unique messages for each one?
how can you keep your data current so you are continually adding new contacts to the primary market segments for your business?
what do you do to keep those audience segments engaged with your brand or message?
how do you know which marketing channels are most effective in converting each audience segment into business for your company?

So, to me, data is just the beginning. It's also the foundation for analysis. And it is the conversion metric by which your success is measured.

If you'll be at the Data Marketing Show, stop by and have a chat with @mardevdm2 on Stand E124. Oh, and play our interactive marketing game while you're there for a chance to win a fun prize.

Not going to be at the show? Learn more about our data marketing services when you visit mardevdm2.com/DatabaseMktg.

ROI-based social media

2011-06-10T16:36:00.000+01:00

I attended a webinar yesterday produced by Sherpa sponsored by Facebook. The topic was Strategic Social Media Marketing - getting your business or agency started with an ROI-based approach.

The greatest thing I learned is that, while currently the majority of marketers are able to track only 10% of their marketing investment in social media directly to the bottom line, there is a tremendous adoption rate for social as a relevant channel - for B2B and B2C companies. The additional benefits, while many, specifically include the cost savings as compared to many other channels and the ability to easily integrate social with channels like email and your website. There was significant agreement about building a quality audience through "like" and "share" requests as compared to asking a large, broad audience to register for a competition or prize to build an audience who are only in it for the prize, not because they are likely to engage with your brand.

The bottom line? The same strategic approach is necessary to see ROI in social as it is in any other marketing channel: segment and target your audience, build a community with relevant content and messages, and maintain ongoing communications with them to establish relationships.

View the event recap on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23sherpawebinar

To register and receive the event recording, visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/339798849

Demand generation metrics

2011-06-06T15:19:00.000+01:00

Our customers' demand generation programs are proving to provide some very valuable metrics, such as:

Cost of leads by marketing channel
ROI by channel and lead source
Reduction in sales cycle time

What metrics do you track in your demand generation campaigns? How effective are they in helping you plan future marketing budget and plans?

Just a little data

2011-05-16T18:47:00.001+01:00

A little data goes a long way. This is especially true in the context of business-to-business (B2B) customer data. For example, even in non-recession times, the average monthly employee turnover in the United States alone is 2.1 million people, and the average turnover rate in the United Kingdom is greater than 13%. As sales and marketing professionals, we rely on the contact information of the decision makers who actively work for companies in our target markets. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to update the contact details of millions of people each month.

The change volume and pace that takes place in business requires that you have a consistent, reliable data source for your customers and prospects. The cost of data updates, appends, enhancements (choose your favorite wording) is far less than the amount you spend in production and mailing costs only to have it wasted because the person is no longer with the company. Make sure you keep your marketing database current and only obtain data from sources that are fresh and validated on a regular basis.

Find out how mardevdm2 can deliver new data and keep you in touch with the right B2B contacts. http://www.mardevdm2.com/DatabaseMktg.asp

mardevdm2 Splash!

2011-05-14T16:17:00.000+01:00

Read and post to this blog your experiences, ideas and tips about effective direct marketing, demand generation, strategic marketing, database appending and enhancement, and anything else you have done to accelerate sales.

What's working for you as you work to align your sales and marketing teams, come to a common understanding of the definition of a lead, and bridging the gap between marketing and revenue/ROI.

We look forward to sharing our examples, client experiences and results with you here.