According to the 2015 Survey Of B2B Marketers, commissioned by 6sense, 70% of B2B marketers report that they are measured on the amount of revenue generated from their marketing and lead generation campaigns.
However, a majority of those surveyed report that their sales teams reject 80% of their leads. Less than one-third (31%) of marketers report that they are currently using predictive analytics to improve lead conversion rates and attribute marketing activities to actual revenue.
Of the 321 U.S.-based B2B marketing professionals, 83% have been using predictive analytics for less than two years. Of those who are not yet using predictive analytics, 54% are planning to invest in the next 12 to 36 months.
Respondents that are using predictive analytics are primarily using firmographic and demographic data, as well as content engagement on their websites to qualify prospects.
That data includes:
- 76% use recent website activity (downloads of content, email clicks, etc.);
- 73% look at buyer profile information (title, job role, contact info, etc.); and
- 67% use company profile information (industry, company size, company location, etc.)
The data currently collected by most predictive vendors does not always align with what marketers say their top priorities and needs are for predictive analytics, which include:
- Identifying new prospects (51%);
- Improving campaign metrics through more personalization based on buying stage (48%);
- Knowing where prospects are in the sales funnel (43%); and
- Knowing more about which products my prospects are reviewing (42%).
“It is clear from these survey results that, more than ever before, marketers are on the hook for ROI, and their needs go beyond what most predictive solutions have been offering,” said Amanda Kahlow, CEO and Founder of 6sense. “Understanding timing and getting more visibility into buyers is what will solve this issue – and that requires time-sensitive, unstructured activity data on a mass scale.”
