Executive summary:  Wave One - Q2 2009

In order to better understand current and future B2B marketing trends in today's economic climate, a brand new study has been developed by ABBA, the IDM and B2B specialist research agency, Circle Research.

 

The first reading of the B2B Barometer (May 2009) canvassed the opinions of over 100 B2B marketing professionals from major industrial and commercial companies and especially those who account for a significant slice of expenditure on B2B marketing services.

 

The report provided some fascinating insights ...

 

Despite the gloom about the economic downturn (63% predict the downturn will last between 12-24 months) the majority of B2B marketers are confident about the outlook for their own organisation.  This suggests a natural resilience on the part of B2B marketers and confidence in their ability to manage their business in challenging times.

 

New media has already captured a significant share of B2B marketing budgets and is expected to account for 40% of spend.  Although traditional media channels such as direct mail and trade shows continue to be important. Looking ahead to the future there are clear winners and losers in areas of spend.  Albeit current usage is fairly low, most marketers predict a rapid increase in spending on social media in B2B.  A bright future is also predicted for email campaigns, company website and online advertising.  By contrast, traditional media such as print advertising is expected to take a hit.

 

Notwithstanding the given pressures on budgets and the increasing requirement for B2B marketers to justify marketing investment, only 51% of B2B marketers claim they actually measure this return. Where measurement is undertaken a variety of tools are used, many of which are more concerned with sales as opposed to marketing effectiveness.  

 

Key priorities identified by B2B marketers are: strengthening their online presence; deriving the maximum value from budgets given recent constraints; improved database management; and understanding how best to integrate new and traditional media.

Finally, key opportunities for B2B marketers will be to fully leverage the exciting opportunities in new media and pay more attention to branding.

 

To purchase the full report click here.