Why Are B2B Companies Moving Inside Sales To The Marketing Department?

Data is radically changing the role of the inside sales rep, especially in B2B companies.  The influx of data is driving inside sales to function as a key point of alignment with, if not an extension of, the marketing team at some companies. This poses a provocative question: if the lines between marketing and inside sales are blurring, who’s the real boss when it comes to inside sales, the CMO or the CRO/Head of Sales?

5 Surprising Ideas in Demand Generation

1. Direct Mail is back (kind of)

Executives are not likely to open your link and register for your whitepaper or webinar. Bring back the old school direct mail. Matt Heinz has two ideas for reaching executives. First idea: if you are going to a trade show in Vegas or Atlantic City, send a two-day mail with a pair of dice in the package to give it shape. They are more likely to open it and they will remember it when they see you at the trade show. Put an invitation to talk in the package.

Strategy is Key for Improving B2B Demand Generation Results

The survey of marketers involved in enterprise B2B businesses notes that although 42 percent have ongoing demand generation campaigns, 11 percent feel that these goals are hindered by a lack of training, resources and strategy. When surveyed, 81 percent of marketers said their top three goals in their enterprise business are quality leads, customer cross sell and volume of leads. Up to 44 percent said that limited resources were their biggest obstacles to a successful demand generation campaign, while 22 percent said they had no defined strategy, and only 8 percent cited a lack of technology as an obstacle to achieving their goals.

3 Killer Demand Generation Strategies For B2b Marketers

Your team spends a lot of time, energy and investment in building flawless websites, creating excellent content and driving traffic to the website to capture leads. But are you doing it right? The goal of most demand generation programs is to help marketers attract new customers, tap into new markets, promote new products, build consumer buzz and reengage with your existing customers.

Strategy is Key for Improving B2B Demand Generation Results

The survey of marketers involved in enterprise B2B businesses notes that although 42 percent have ongoing demand generation campaigns, 11 percent feel that these goals are hindered by a lack of training, resources and strategy. When surveyed, 81 percent of marketers said their top three goals in their enterprise business are quality leads, customer cross sell and volume of leads. Up to 44 percent said that limited resources were their biggest obstacles to a successful demand generation campaign, while 22 percent said they had no defined strategy, and only 8 percent cited a lack of technology as an obstacle to achieving their goals.

The Art and Science of B2B Demand Generation Marketing

For B2B marketers, the pressure to bring in new leads is palpable.

 According to a recent study by the Content Marketing Institute (pdf), 85 percent of B2B marketers rank lead generation as their top goal for the next year — but it’s easier said than done. A separate study of B2B marketers found that less than one-third feel their demand generation process effectively meets their organizations’ needs.

Top 5 Challenges for B2B Demand Generation Marketers

I’m here at the MarketingSherpa B2B Demand Generation Summit in Boston. The opening session was by Sean Donahue, Senior Editor for B-to-B Marketing at MarketingSherpa. In it, he shared the top five challenges faced by B2B marketers. I was especially intrigued by challenges 3, 4, and 5.