Today's proliferation of marketing channels, multiple screens and social networks is creating radical changes in the purchasing patterns, influences and media choices of B2B buyers. This revolution is fundamentally changing the rules of engagement for sales and marketing teams. In this new world, AIDA hasn't disappeared - it's become IDEAL. Hear practical tips and advice on how your marketing efforts need to evolve in this new world. Delegates will: • Understand the new web enabled buyer • See the new buying process - IDEAL • Get useful tips on how to match tactics to buyer expectations • Learn how to better align the sales and marketing teams

1. Web Enabled Buyers
– and why we have to change
© DirectionGroup [November 2012]

3. B2B Buyers – a new breed
Out of the ashes, a new breed of B2B buyer has arisen
A species that is more connected, more impatient, more elusive,
more impulsive and more informed than its pre-millennium ancestors
And much more demanding
“ 9 out of 10 buyers say when
they’re ready to buy, they’ll find you. ”
Breaking out of the funnel, DemandGen

4. B2B marketing evolution
A whole new set of skills and activities is now required
across marketing and sales teams
Content marketing
Inbound marketing
Account based marketing
Lead nurturing
Lead to revenue management...
We need to shift our thinking as B2B marketers from a
focus on raw leads to a focus on managing buyer
dialogue as a means to nurturing sales-ready
relationships
An absolute requirement of doing these activities well is
a deep understanding of your buyer – and their journey
to making a purchase

5. B2B sales funnel
The B2B sales funnel has worked pretty well over the
past two decades
Solution providers contacted prospects and guided them
through the typical buying phases of AIDA
Awareness
Interest
Desire
Action
Soon enough,
a purchase was made

6. The new rules
The rules of engagement are being re-written
Sales and marketing have traditionally controlled the conversation
Buyers now dictate how and when they want to be contacted
B2B buyers select vendors from press reviews, analyst briefings
or tradeshows
B2B buyers start their journey online, and turn to social media and
peer connections to learn how other companies have handled
similar business challenges
B2B buyers expect and demand solution vendors to respond to their
information needs in a timely manner, and through their choice of
channel

7. B2B sales funnel
What has changed?
Web 2.0 tools have enabled B2B
buyers to self educate. They’re well
versed in features, functionality and
pricing – long before they have their
first conversation with a provider
Social media has fostered an on-
going dialogue amongst peers
Breaking out of the funnel, DemandGen

8. How do buyers inform their purchase?
Starts with informal
information gathering
around a business
challenge
Engagement with peers
who have addressed the
challenge
Value of real dialogue over
static content
Buyersphere Survey 2012: Inside the mind of the business buyer
Follow industry
conversations on the topic
and source information from
social media

9. Information sources
Self-serve information on the increase
Paid for media on the decrease
Social media usage decrease
Cyclical: burn out amongst current users? Has marketing ruined social media?
Gen Y will compensate – using twice as much as their predecessors
Buyersphere Survey 2012: Inside the mind of the business buyer

10. Pull-push?
Push-pull marketing has become Pull-push
“80% of new leads will come from
inbound marketing by 2015”
B2B Marketing Directions, March 2012
The new rules of engagement mean that you can no longer rely on a
blitz of emails, webinar invites or other outbound media to drive a
flood of prospects to the top of the funnel
To successfully engage the web enabled buyer, expertise in both
inbound and outbound marketing is critical

12. What is content marketing?
A marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and
valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined
and understood target audience.
Content Marketing Institute, 2012

13. Content marketing landscape
We have seen
80% growth in
'Lead Generation’ is
content formats
ranked as the main
since 2005
IDG Connect IT Buyer Survey, 2010
objective for the
content that marketers
are producing (48%)
B2B Lead Generation & Content Marketing Survey 2012, eMedia
36% of marketers say producing engaging
content is their biggest challenge
Content Marketing Institute, Budgets and Trends Report 2010

14. Creating the right content
Different people prefer
Learning Styles
different content formats to
most easily absorb Listening
information Seeing
27% 18%
Consider buyer behaviours Reading
and preferences for Hands-on 29%
channels and media 26%
We need to cater to all
kinds of content IDG Connect, 2010
requirements and produce
in a variety of formats

15. Content creation
You don’t need to create
lots and lots of content
from scratch
ATOMISE – one piece of
content, re-purposed into
different formats to better
suit the wide range of
B2B buyer profiles

16. Video content in B2B Marketing
More than 80% of senior
execs said they are watching
more online video today than Three-quarters of
they were a year ago. executives said they
watch work-related
videos on business
related websites at
least weekly.
65% of senior execs have
visited a vendor’s website
after watching a video.
(Forbes Insights, 2010)

17. Don’t forget about sales
Content is important for the sales teams
“The average sales person
Sales enablement is about ensuring the spends 7 hours per week
sales reps have the information they need looking for information to
to close sales prepare for a sales call.”
IDC Sales Advisory Service
Ensuring the right conversations take
place, with the right content, matched to
the correct stage of the process / cycle

18. Sales and Marketing alignment
Alignment of the sales and marketing team (or lack of) has become
more transparent to buyers
Information provided by both
entities needs to be consistent 31% of sales reps are not prepared with even
and relevant a basic level of Web available information
We need to consider the types before taking a buyer's valuable time.
of tools sales force need when - Only 16% are extremely prepared.
creating marketing content Technology Marketing Blog (IDC),
“Sales Enablement and the Year of the Sales Rep”
Ensure sales tools and
customer facing comms carry
the same story
Consider sales enablement in
every campaign and throughout
the campaign process

19. The changing role of marketing and sales
With the buyer now in control, they will choose
how and when they engage to buy
Both sales and marketing must re-focus
efforts to support nurturing activity “Over 95% of qualified
prospects on your web site
Collaboration is key:
are there to research and
Agreed lead definitions not ready to buy. As many
Established lead scoring metrics as 70% of them will
Understanding of communications and content EVENTUALLY buy from
shared with prospects you – or your competitors.”
Role of marketing has expanded from brand Marketo, 2011
awareness building to cultivating qualified
leads over an extended time period

20. Mini Case Study: Fujitsu Customer facing: Internal facing:
Storage Campaign
Sales force briefed and trained
using the same customer facing
campaign materials
Video briefings from Fujitsu Sales
Leaders and Product Marketers
“Chatter Live” – 15 minute
personal phone-based campaign
briefings
Interactive Campaign Playbook –
containing all supporting
materials (case studies, elevator
pitch, third party
content, video, etc)
Sales tools for lead nurturing
(emails templates, content, etc)

21. What’s happened to the sales funnel?
It’s not dead… but it isn’t a funnel anymore…

22. The new customer decision journey
It’s a loop – not linear
AIDA hasn’t disappeared – its become IDEAL
Adapted from McKinsey, The consumer decision journey.

23. Creating brand advocates
The customer journey doesn’t end with a sale
The “loyalty” aspect of the buyer
journey is one which is typically
forgotten about “Word of mouth is the primary factor in up
In the age of the social web, to 50% of all purchase decisions. Its
every customer is an influencer influence tends to rise in direct proportion to
Plan beyond soliciting testimonials the risk and expense of the purchase.”
from best customers McKinsey & Company
Continue to nurture existing
customers to build longer term
relationships and loyalty
Consider facilitating a
“communication loop” to be in control
of feedback post purchase

24. In Summary – the communication context
Digital culture is changing how
brands communicate.
Smart businesses engage
customers
Move from interruption to
interaction
Move from brand experience to
user experience
Advocacy and customer
conversation are key

25. Mapping content to the new buyer journey

26. Conclusions
Success lies in mastering the new rules of engagement through
understanding of the new B2B buyer’s motivations and behaviours
Expertise in inbound marketing is as critical as outbound marketing –
think Pull and Push
Content is king and great for attracting information hungry buyers
Sales and marketing alignment is key
As an organisation - be responsive – use tools to facilitate on-going
conversations. Think about lead nurturing.
Don’t think linearly – think loopily!
Post-purchase experience is as important as pre-purchase experience
Think about customer engagement

27. Eoin Rodgers
Tactical Planner - DirectionGroup
uk.linkedin.com/in/eoinrodgers
@eoinrodgers
www.DirectionGroup.com