Here’s some of the key takeaways from the 2017 B2B Marketing Research Report Webinar, produced by Green Hat and ADMA.

Watch the full webinar on YouTube, or download the BMR for handy reference.

Panellists:

Venessa Paech (Green Hat), Jodie Sangster (ADMA), Renata Bertram (Salesforce) and Penny Elmslie (Xero).

Sales & Marketing Alignment

• Less than half of 2017 BMR respondents said they had shared goals between Sales & Marketing
• Own one number between teams – a single source of truth
• Revisit alignment regularly (at least every six months) to allow for the business to evolve and mature
• Work on both transactional and cultural alignment solutions
• Important to celebrate successes together

Customer Experience

• Everyone must co-own customer experience, enshrined in a series of relevant metrics for it to be successful.
• Must look at end-to-end journey, including customer service. Everyone in the org must be on board.
• Stop thinking in terms of B2B – it’s human-to-human and it’s always about real people.

Marketing Automation

• Automation isn’t a magic bullet, it takes effort.
• This feels like the year marketing automation finally comes into its own.
• Still a gap between having the tools and knowing how to use them – integration with CRM and whole of business goals is critical.
• Businesses should roll out automation as an internal communication piece with a clear vision and how each business unit/team contributes.
• Powerful tool to drive Sales and Marketing Alignment – everyone needs to own the same number/s.

Content Marketing

• Content is “everything”!
• Barrier to entry isn’t as high as we think – if it’s high value content, production values are less important.
• To succeed content must be relevant, considered, timely and connected to customer life-cycle.
• Also important to understand what forms of media, what channels, what voices and communities matter most to your buyers to inform content creation.
• A clear role of channels is critical (aligned to customer preferences).

Marketing Mix

• Noise keeps growing (internally and externally).
• We have to use data to stop, breathe, and choose where the best wins are.
• If it’s not aligned to a core objective and measurable, why are you doing it?
• Test and learn, always.
• If you’re unsure about letting something go, turn it off and measure the impact.

Thanks to all those who attended our webinar, and remember if you missed it, you can check it out on the Green Hat YouTube channel.

The latest B2B Marketing Research Report is out now –  download your complimentary copy today!