The report, B2B Marketing in 2009: Trends in Strategies and Spending, is gaining attention through the wire services: it shows that not all is gloom and doom for B2B marketing. The key for marketers is knowing what channels are producing the best results-and how to utilize them.
"A key to staying profitable in these tight economic times is knowing what's working for your competition," said Susanne Sicilian, VP of events at MarketingProfs. "These research results spell out in detail how successful B2B companies are allocating their resources-and what areas they will continue to fund moving forward."
Key findings in the report include:
• 47% of B2B marketers plan to increase spending on company websites and search marketing this year.
• 42% plan on increasing expenditures on podcasting or online video.
• 36% will increase their budgets for discussion forums, social networks and communities.
• 31% say they will actually decrease their budget for online display ads.
These stats show that a major factor affecting ROI this year is the increased use of digital channels by B2B marketers; however, those surveyed also indicated that traditional channels such as direct mail and telemarketing are being used at times as well.
"This research shows that it is crucial for B2B companies to find what channel mix works best for them, their products, and their clients," Sicilian says. "The report looks at all channels in terms of how B2B marketers are making them deliver. The Forum itself will focus on helping attendees assess which of these channels and tactics will pay off for them in particular, and guide them in building a marketing toolkit for the year ahead."
MarketingProfs has gained fame over the past few years for combining theory and research with real-world stats and experience to produce action tips that keep B2B marketers on the cutting edge.
"Our attendees will receive intensive training at the two-day Boston Forum," Sicilian notes, "and this research report will arm them with the stats they need to back up the new tactics they'll be employing when they return to the office."
The MarketingProfs Business-to-Business Forum 2009 takes place June 8-9 at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA. This one-of-a-kind meeting of the minds draws B2B marketers from across the nation to brainstorm, network, and problem-solve the latest challenges facing B2B companies across a wide spectrum of businesses.