For marketers, technology alone is not the solution to achieving marketing goals, but when you understand your goals and implement the right marketing technology to meet your goals, it is the perfect combination to generate the results you need to succeed.
Effective marketing technologies should extend the capabilities of the team and the strategy behind them. B2B marketers are faced with the lofty challenge of determining which tools will align best with their needs while integrating seamlessly into an existing martech stack to ensure optimal performance.
But how are B2B marketers up-leveling their marketing technology to meet business goals?
Ascend2, in partnership with RollWorks, surveyed 145 B2B marketing professionals, and here are a few research insights and key takeaways from the research study, Marketing Technology Implementation from the B2B Perspective.
Insight #1: Think Efficiency
B2B marketing professionals know that their tech stack is only as good as the data that flows through it. High-quality data empowers B2B marketers to make informed decisions that will drive a positive impact on their bottom line. That’s why 41% of those surveyed set out to improve data quality when implementing marketing technology.
Key Takeaway: If your martech goal is efficiency, consider an account-based approach. Account-based marketing (ABM) means taking a fit-first approach to B2B marketing, ensuring you’re only targeting the accounts with the highest likelihood to buy. Research shows that 94% of marketers find ABM successful at achieving their primary objectives. The more targeting you become in identifying your best audience, the more you can improve efficiency in your overall programs.
Insight #2: Think Strategically
Carrying out a strategy for implementing marketing technology as well as determining what technologies align best with the needs of their business are both top challenges reported by 43% of marketers for B2B businesses. Over one-third (37%) of B2Bs surveyed also feel constrained by budgets allotted for technology.
Key Takeaway: If your biggest challenge is in execution, find tools that are easy to adopt and that integrate well with other technologies in your stack. Choosing the right tools is tough, but making sure your martech vendors have great onboarding and customer success experiences will ensure you can execute your full strategy. Successful companies identify a specific marketing challenge, develop a strategy, integrate various technologies to meet the challenge, and measure results to validate success.
Insight #3: Top Considerations: Think Ease of Use
When evaluating new marketing technologies, what is most important for B2B marketers to consider? An easy-to-implement and utilize tool enables marketing teams to execute efforts more efficiently. Nearly half (47%) of B2Bs surveyed agree that ease-of-use is a top priority when it comes to new marketing technologies.
Key Takeaway: Above all, B2B marketing technology needs to be user-friendly and customizable. You’ll want to look for tools that allow you to build and measure your programs the way that makes the most sense for your business. If you want to target specific accounts, the good news is that technology to support your strategy is not exclusively for enterprise companies with large budgets—now, small and mid-size companies have access to account-based tools that are fast, affordable, and customizable.
Insight #4: Think Growth
From the B2B perspective, budgets for implementing new marketing technology are trending up in the year ahead. 59% of marketers working for B2B companies expect a moderate increase in budgets dedicated to implementing new martech new year, while one-in-five B2B marketers expect a significant increase.
Key Takeaway: While 2020 was a rollercoaster of a year, martech is coming out strong. To meet the demands of the coming year, expect to see B2B marketers rethink and expand their tech stacks to get in front of their audience in new, creative ways. And the data shows that budgets are increasing to support continued investment.
Insight #5: Think Real-Time
For B2B marketers, having real-time data allows for the prioritization of campaigns and efforts that are most likely to drive meaningful results. 43% of B2B marketers report that real-time marketing will have the most impact on their overall digital marketing strategy in the year ahead.
Key Takeaway: Real-time marketing and AI leading the pack, revealing B2B marketers are hyper-aware that reaching the right audience, at the right time, with the right message requires smart technology. Both are key in ABM technology, with the power to help marketers in areas like identifying companies that are the best fit for their solutions, knowing when sales should reach out, and saving budget when serving them with the right message—all key components to a winning B2B digital marketing strategy in 2021.
Final Thoughts
What marketing technology tools are you planning to implement in the year ahead? How will you ensure the optimal performance of the tools you implement? What digital marketing strategy are you most excited to test?
You can download the entire Marketing Technology Implementation from the B2B Perspective Report for more data, tips, and strategies to plan, implement, and optimize your marketing technology implementation plan this year.