All the facts, stats, quotes and insight from 2013 for B2B marketers from Earnest.

1. THIS IS THE YEAR
THAT WAS:
B2B MARKETING
2013 CRUNCHED
All the facts, the stats,
the quotes and more
♯yearinb2b

2. 2013 was that
year that…
…B2B buyers
gained the
upper hand
once and for all.
Image: © JD Hancock, Creative
Commons

3. More than 2 out of 3
buyer journeys started
with a Google search.
Jason Bell
Amaze
Image: © Kris Krug, Creative Commons

4. 1 in 5 B2B buyers reported
using social channels
during the buying process.
Buyersphere 2013
Image: ©Thomas Lewthard , Creative
Commons

5. 60% of the sales cycle was
over before a buyer talked
to a sales person.
Kieran Flanagan
Hubspot
Image: © Automatic hotlinks, Creative Commons

6. Businesses
started to realise
the value of
joining the
conversation –
online…
Image: © Peasap , Creative Commons

7. Average number of
social channels
used:
B2B businesses - 5
Vs
B2C businesses - 4
Content Marketing Institute
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

8. 72% of research participants
said that they were more
likely to buy from brands
they follow or engage with
on Twitter.
Twitter
Image: © Alex Grave, Creative Commons

9. 57% of B2B
companies said
they now
generate sales
via LinkedIn.
Spotlight communications
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

10. 41% of B2B
marketers used
Google+ to distribute
content.
Content Marketing Institute
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

11. But some B2Bers struggled to
keep up…
Image: ©Kevin Dooley , Creative
Commons

12. For 61% of B2B marketers, social media
accounted for less than 10% of their
marketing activity.
46% of companies categorised their social
media stance as “cautious, still
considering”.
Social Media Examiner

13. Five of the best... Presentations of 2013
The art of compromise http://goo.gl/60aO32
Explaining digital to your colleagues http://goo.gl/rbJMqU
Content creation from history http://goo.gl/g7YGIw
B2B Summit crunched http://goo.gl/4ttkUZ
B2B Content Marketing 2014 http://goo.gl/uAT5iL
Image: © 96DPI, Creative Commons

14. 2013 was
that year
that…
…content
won B2B
marketing
buzzword of
the year
Image: © Smkybear , Creative
Commons

15. 71% of B2B
marketers used
content marketing
for lead generation.
Heidi Cohen
Actionable Marketing Guide
Image: © Tim Ellis, Creative Commons

16. 99% of people are content
consumers. Just 1% of us are
content creators.
But the big question remains
„How can you turn 100% of
people in your business into
content creators?
”
“
Scot McKee, Birddog
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

17. We're in a content arms
race. Soon there'll be a
massive content
standoff, then a treaty
to ban production of
new content.
“
@philhaslehurst
Image: © RMH40, Creative Commons
”

18. Most important characteristics
of valuable content:
Breadth & depth of information (47%)
Ease of access, understanding and
readability (44%)
Originality of thinking and ideas (39%)
B2B Content
Marketing
report
Image: © Wade M, Creative Commons

19. 88% of B2B
marketers cited
case studies as
the most effective
content
marketing tool.
Fortunately,
buyers agree.
Content Marketing Institute
Image: © Vasilennka, Creative Commons

20. Five of the best... Books of
2013
Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy - Phil Barden
Former marketing chief at T-Mobile applies the latest thinking in
behavioural psychology to the heady world of marketing.
Predatory Thinking: A Masterclass in Out-thinking the
Competition - Dave Trott
Seasoned ad man tells us how it is in his own inimitable style articulate, witty and thought-provoking.
To Save Everything, Click Here:
Technology, Solutionism, and the Urge to Fix Problems that
Don’t Exist - Evgeny Morozov
Think the digital age is all that it‟s cut out to be, think again.
Changing the World is the Only Fit Work for a Grown Man –
Steve Harrison
Biography of an oft overlooked ad genius, Howard Luck Gossage - and
the inventor of social media (not strictly 2013, but still as relevant as
ever).
Deep Sea and Foreign Going: Inside Shipping, The Invisible
Industry That Brings You 90% Of Everything - Rose George
If you want to know how the world really works, read this. International
Shipping made interesting..
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

21. Want to know B2B buyers biggest
frustration when it came to content?
Too much information, and information
that is too vague sat at the top of the list.
Business2Community.com
Image: © Pixel Addict, Creative Commons

22. Only 9% of B2B buyers
considered vendor
content as trustworthy.
And just 4.8% of B2B
buyers were willing to
provide detailed info in
return for white papers.
Yikes.
The CMO council
Brightinbound.com
Image: © Andy Woo, Creative Commons

23. Five of the best… Campaign videos in
2013
Click baby click: Adobe http://goo.gl/IZlQhD
The epic split: Volvo http://goo.gl/2WrpvW
If: Misys http://goo.gl/00qafD
Box: Box and Dolly http://goo.gl/BsLkaq
Inbound Style: Hubspot http://goo.gl/hqsry5
Image: © Dav.es, Creative Commons

24. 2013 was that
year that…
…inbound
strategies finally
started to take
shape
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

25. “
Remember marketing is not outbound
only, it‟s inbound as well.
Jonanthan Bechar
CMO, SAP
Image: © Evo Photo, Creative Commons
”

26. Inbound marketing on
average delivered 54% more
leads than traditional
outbound marketing.
Companies that excelled at lead
nurturing:
• Generated 50% more sales
ready leads
• At 33% lower cost
• With nurtured leads making
47% larger purchases than
non-nurtured leads.
Hubspot
Image: © Andy Woo, Creative Commons

27. Inbound cost 61% less
than outbound
activity.
$135/lead for
outbound vs.
$346/lead for
inbound
Hubspot
Image: © Leshaine123, Creative Commons

28. Five of the best…
Campaign inspiration
for discerning
marketers
Interactive rolling stones
video http://goo.gl/e0je3m
A Christmas surprise at the
airport
http://goo.gl/2Kqum4
Troy public library
http://goo.gl/2ft7lT
The adaptive store front
http://goo.gl/ezxf6T
IBM smarter cities
http://goo.gl/xgEiZr

29. Reports of the death of outbound
were greatly exaggerated
Image: © Giles Clarke, Creative Commons

30. In 2013 companies spent up to 20% of
marketing budgets on email. In 2014 this
is expected to grow to up to 30%.
CMO Council
Image: © Brun Gin, Creative Commons

31. Three quarters of B2B Marketers said
telemarketing delivers higher quality leads
than email.
Marketingcharts.com
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

32. 40% of B2B
marketers rated
the leads
generated by
email marketing
as high quality.
Hubspot
Image: © Beverley Goodwin, Creative Commons

33. Don‟t completely
turn off one tap,
as you won‟t be
able to turn the
other on fast
enough.
”
“
Steve Kemish,
Cyance
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

34. 74% of marketers said that
personalisation increased customer
engagement. Curiously, the same
study highlighted that only 19% of
marketers are actually using
personalisation.
E-consultancy
Image: © Frank Hebbert, Creative Commons

35. Top 5 challenges for B2B marketing
campaign managers in 2013
Challenge #1:
Knowing who you‟re talking to
Challenge #2:
Reaching them at their convenience
Challenge #3:
Finding their voice, not your voice
Challenge #4:
Creating a consistent message and
experience
Challenge #5:
Continually making it better
Image: © Briyyz, Creative Commons

36. 2013 was that
year that…
…marketing
automation
became much
more than idle
machinery
Image: © Crystal, Creative Commons

37. 37% of B2B marketers
used marketing
automation for lead
generation.
36% of B2B marketers
used marketing
automation for lead
nurturing.
B2B Content Marketing Report
Spiceworks
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

38. Companies that
excelled at lead
nurturing generated
50% more sales
ready leads at 33%
lower cost.
Marketo
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

39. Pick of the best… TED talks for
marketing practitioners
Shared experience of absurdity - Charlie Todd
http://goo.gl/8QfKj7
Connected, but alone - Sherry Turkle
http://goo.gl/0K7LvO
Why work doesn‟t happen at work - Jason Fried
http://goo.gl/68JSV0
Sweat the small stuff - Rory Sutherland
http://goo.gl/iZkswO
TED.com
Image: © CP Grey, Creative Commons

40. Data still remained an
issue – big or small
Image: © JD Hancock, Creativ

41. B2B marketers are
still struggling with
basic marketing
data, let alone even
contemplating the
minefield of
challenges and
obstacles inherent
in big data.
”
“
Joel Harrison
B2B Marketing Magazine
Image: © Helico, Creative Commons

42. CMO perspectives:
The % of marketing
budget devoted to
big data will
increase from 6 to
10% over the next 3
years.
But is that enough?
Forbes.com
Image: © Jessica Rabbit, Creative Commons

43. Up to 30% of your
database decays on an
annual basis. Even on
LinkedIn, up to 10%
of profiles are
inaccurate or out of
date.
B2B Marketing Magazine
Image: © Steve Wilde, Creative Commons

44. One company saw a 20%
uplift in leads without
increasing the marketing
budget but by leveraging
behavioural and
transactional data.
HBR.org
Image: © Amira_A, Creative Commons

45. 2013 was that year that…
…getting the basics right still
mattered, a lot
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

46. As marketers we have this
interesting challenge in that we‟re
getting more and more data. But
we‟ve got to balance insight and
analytics with creative… a great
idea is what is going to get you
results.
“
Jonathan Bewshar
CMO, Salesforce
Image: © Micky, Creative Commons
”

47. It is still all about pushing the creative
boundaries.
”
8 ways to kill a creative idea
Truly deeply/Madly
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons
“
By embracing creative ideas and letting
them shine, your brand has the potential
to cut-through and connect with your
market as your competitors take a more
conservative route to market.

48. And building stronger
relationships between
clients, agencies and
vendors…
Only 17% of clients work
with a single agency, and
almost half like to retain a
roster of active agency
relationships – 43 per cent
work with three or more
agencies.
B2bmarketing.net
Image: © JD Hancock, Creative Commons

49. One happy B2B family
Business Marketing Collective launched in Dec 2014
A new association open to all client-side
marketers, agencies and suppliers in the
B2B marketing industry.
businessmarketingcollective.com
Image: © Nick Harris 1, Creative Commons

50. “
All briefs should be
both inspirational
and directional.
Inspire and direct.
Inspiration is far
more about the
ambition of the task
than it is about
flowery language.
Adliterate.com
Image: © Geezer Weezer, Creative Commons
”

51. Measuring and keeping track of
activity is more important than ever…
Two-thirds of all top marketers reported
feeling pressure from their CEO or Board to
prove the value of marketing
Forbes.com
Image: © 2891, Creative Commons

52. 36% of top marketers reported being able to
prove the value of marketing quantitatively in
the short-run. And only 31% in the long run
despite 83% of them using analytical tools to
optimise engagement
Uberflip
Image: © Flickr, Creative Commons

53. Some quick Earnest top
tips on measurement
1. Don‟t stop questioning - interrogate those
figures, turn the stats upside down!
2. Look at the conditions outside the
stats, that might be influencing them.
Always think about the context!
3. Don‟t rely too heavily on the stats you do
have. Consider the stats you don‟t have, and
what isn‟t being said. It might be time for
you to convert to the big data school of
thought…

54. So what for the
year ahead?
Image: © Bruce Berrian, Creative Commons

55. The year that B2B
marketers start
innovating?
Image: © Kevin Dooles, Creative Co

56. In 2013 only 11% of
marketing
departments had
budget set aside for
innovation. More
worryingly only 9%
have an on-going
budget dedicated
to experimentation
and development.
Forrester Research
Image: © Psiaki Creative Commons

57. The big things to keep an eye out for in
2014
• Responsive design – moves beyond a nice to have
• Parallax scrolling – makes online experiences all
the more engaging
• Gamification – starts to get taken seriously in
B2B
• Wearable Tech – moves from prototype to reality
• Twitter Ads – make right person, right time
targeting even easier for businesses
• 3D printing – brings a new level of
personalisation and impact to traditional direct
mail
Image: © Ben Cummin, Creative Commons

58. Will this be
the year that
marketing
departments
take some
risks, and
push the
boundaries?
Image: © Cindy, Creative Commons

59. Just do some stuff.
Take the first steps.
The worst that can
happen is you will feel
a bit stupid. The best?
You begin to
revolutionise your
marketing.
Image: ©Flickr, Creative Commons
“
”
Paul Higgins
Talk Talk Business

60. One thing is for sure, B2B marketing is
changing.
In 2014, you have a choice:
Do the same old, same old – or embrace the
new, try something different and really
prove your value.
We say rocking the boat wins every time.

61. This was the year that was in 2013 crunched by:
earnest-agency.com
@earnestagency
Share your highlights, views
and stats #yearinb2b
A big thank you to all our sources
www.earnest-agency.com