The document summarizes the findings of a study that assessed the digital marketing performance of 100 North American control system integrators. The study analyzed websites based on 32 metrics across 5 categories: design/usability, search engine marketing, content marketing, social media, and marketing funnel. The study found that overall, control system integrators lag behind other B2B industries in digital marketing performance. Specifically, many integrator websites are outdated, not mobile friendly, lack content management systems, have low domain authority for search, do not use blogs or social media, and ignore the top of the marketing funnel. The document provides recommendations on how integrators can improve performance in each area analyzed.

1. 2015 Control System Integrator
Digital Marketing Benchmark
Report

2. 1
Assessing the state of online marketing in the control system integrator
industry...
We randomly selected 100 North American
Control System Integrators.

3. 2
The study focused on 32 metrics within 5 major performance groups...
Design & Usability: How well does the
website welcome visitors and communicate
the company’s unique value proposition?

4. 3
The study focused on 32 metrics within 5 major performance groups...
Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Is the
website optimized in order to receive organic
search traffic and is paid search being
leveraged?

5. 4
The study focused on 32 metrics within 5 major performance groups...
Content Marketing: Is there content
available on the website to attract visitors
and generate links because it offers value
to prospective leads?

6. 5
The study focused on 32 metrics within 5 major performance groups...
Social Media: Does the website connect
with multiple, active and engaged social
media channels?

7. 6
The study focused on 32 metrics within 5 major performance groups...
Marketing Funnel: Are there offers for
visitors to enter the marketing funnel at
every stage, not simply the bottom, sales
stage?

8. The CSI Industry Lags Behind
When compared to
other B2B
industries, Control
System Integrators
lag overall and in
every individual
category.
7
0
1
2
3
4
Design & Usability SEM Content Marketing Social media Marketing Funnel
Digital Marketing Performance
System Integrators B2B Industries SI Avg B2B Avg

9. Key Findings
Website Messaging and Usability

10. Websites Are Significantly Outdated
Technologies and messaging
on CSI websites have not
advanced with other B2B
industries.
9

11. Immobility
10
79% of websites are
not mobile-friendly.

12. Immobility
11
But Mobile Is Critical!
Mobile users overtook desktop
in 2014.

13. Immobility
Yes, Even In B2B
Mobile is preferred over the PC
for executives conducting
research during and after office
hours, according to the IDG
Global Mobile Survey 2014.
12

14. Content Mismangement
Nearly half (48%) do not use
a Content Management
System (CMS).
13

15. Content Mismangement
A CMS makes maintaining
and optimizing a website
faster, less expensive, and
more scalable.
14

16. Key Findings
Search Engine Marketing

17. In Search Of…
16
Control System Integrators
are not leveraging search
engines to generate organic
or paid traffic to their
websites.

18. Authority
85% of websites have a
Domain Authority below 40
(on a scale from 1 to 100).
17
7
42
36
10
3 1 0 0 0 0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
DOMAIN AUTHORITY
Domain Authority

19. Authority
A domain authority below 40
makes it harder to rank for
important search keywords.
18

20. Ad Block
Yes No
Just 3% of CSIs are
advertising on Google’s
search engine.
19

21. Ad Block
A budget of approximately
$100 per day could result in
roughly 25 clicks and 3,000
search impressions per day.
20

22. Key Findings
Content Marketing

23. Unremarkable Content
Most of the content on
surveyed websites was
inwardly focused, providing
little value to visitors in early
buying stages.
22

24. Unremarkable Content
As part of a comprehensive
inbound marketing program,
offering remarkable content
is the foundation of higher
ROI.
23

25. Bloglessness
Two thirds of CSIs have no
blog or news feed.
Only 12% had a blog that
published industry-focused
content.
24

26. Bloglessness
Hubspot’s State of Inbound
Marketing report (2014 –
2015) shows that blogs
clearly outperform other lead
sources.
25

27. Unsociable
Two thirds of CSI websites
exhibited little or no social
media activity.
88% did not incorporate
social sharing buttons.
26

28. Unsociable
Social media was ranked the
most important lead source.
27

29. Key Findings
Marketing Funnel

30. Leaky Funnels
System integrators are
largely ignoring the top of
the marketing funnel,
focusing primarily on
evaluation and purchase.
29

31. Leaky Funnels
Offering content at every
stage in the marketing funnel
generates more leads.
• White paper
• ebook
• Kit
• Tip sheet
• Checklist
• How-to video
• Educational webinar
TOFU
•Product webinar
•Case study
•Sample
•FAQ
• Data sheet
• Demo
MOFU
• Free trial
• Live Demo
• Consultation
• Estimate
• Coupon
BOFU
30

32. Calls to Action
84% of websites lacked
compelling, visually
distinctive call-to-action
buttons.
31

33. Calls to Action
Calls to action prompt
visitors to take the actions
that help meet your goals for
success.
32

34. Landing Pages
95% of websites failed to use
landing pages, which contain
an offer designed to collect
information from prospects.
33

35. Landing Pages
Landing pages are the front
door to let prospects into
your marketing funnel.
34

36. Download the Complete Report
Download the entire 33-page report, complete with marketing trends and graphs for all 35 criteria.
Each result is presented along with a detailed explanation and tips for implementation and
improvement.
www.authentiasoft.com/2015-csi