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Only 26 Copies Left - Practical Data to Improve Your B-to-B Software, Hardware and Technology Services Marketing

Cover of Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Guide 2007-08

Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Guide 2007-08

  • 1,038 B-to-B marketers surveyed
  • 4,658 business tech buyers surveyed
  • Practical data on: search, email, PR, direct mail, lead generation, trade shows, podcasting, telemarketing, & budgeting

    + Bonus $127.00 B-to-B Homepage Study has:
  • 34 images & eyetracking heatmaps
  • 6 proven ways to improve your homepage
  • Real-life data on Oracle, IBM, CareerBuilder.com, Sun Microsystems, & 5 more Web sites

    -> 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
    -> Order now: includes PDF & print copies of both


    • "I've read it and it is terrific! If you are a marketer for
    a company that sells technology, I encourage you to get a
    copy. It will definitely help you better budget, forecast,
    and benchmark your marketing results."
    - Brian Carroll, Book Author, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale.
    MarketingSherpa's newest Benchmark Guide is packed with 180 charts of practical, proven data to improve your B-to-B marketing, including:

    • Real-life data from 1,083 business tech marketers who reveal what works (and what doesn't) as well as how their tactics are changing this year.

    • Honest answers from 4,658 prospects -- the business executives that your marketing tries to influence -- about how they react to your marketing and where they look for technology vendor information.

    • Competitive stats -- discover how your marketing stats compare to the "norm" for search, email, direct mail, trade shows, telemarketing, etc.

    • Plus, BONUS Report: Get $127.00 B-to-B Homepage Design Study free with your Benchmark Guide purchase today.

      Top 10 questions answered by MarketingSherpa Business Technology Benchmark Guide 2007-08

      #1. What percent of gross revenues should go toward marketing? What portion of marketing budgets should go to online versus offline? If I had $50,000 more dollars to generate leads, what's the best way to spend it?

      #2. How do my email marketing open and click rates compare to other B-to-B tech marketers? How can I improve my email response rates in the corporate world?

      #3. How can I improve Webinar and white paper offer landing pages and online forms so more prospects register?

      #4. What works for B-to-B search marketing? How do my search advertising and search optimization results compare to my peers?

      #5. Should we be podcasting as a marketing tactic? How can we improve podcast results?

      #6. What are "normal" response rates for offline media such as direct postal mail, telemarketing, and trade shows for lead generation campaigns? Plus, how are costs changing?

      #7. Which white paper titles and types of summary copy generate much higher response rates than others? Should we be syndicating more white papers and what will that cost?

      #8. What's the average acceptance rate for webinar/webcast offers? What percent of respondents actually end up attending? How does lead quality differ between webinars and virtual trade shows?

      #9. How many executives are sitting on a typical technology selection committee these days? How many people do we have to influence at small companies? What about Fortune 1,000s?

      #10. What's a typical lead-to-sale closure rate? What are the top challenges in improving our lead-to-close rate from marketing's perspective, and what fixes are advised to improve things?

      Only 26 left!
      Get your Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Guide Today.

      "This is a fantastic report. It answers every question I've ever asked about IT Marketing Metrics."

      - Michael Grover, Former Director of Marketing, CMP Media's TechWeb Network,
      www.techweb.com.

      Table of Contents: MarketingSherpa's Business Technology Marketing Guide 2007-08:

      Chapter 1: Business Technology Buyers and Their Sources of Information
      1.01 Chart: Tech Buyers Rate Information Sources – Tracking Their Industries
      1.02 Chart: Tech Buyers Rate Information Sources – Evaluating Vendors
      1.03 Chart: Top 5 Information Sources for the Executive IT Management Group
      1.04 Chart: Which Web sites Are Part of the Product Research Process?
      1.05 Chart: Did the Customer Find the Product Vendor or Vice-Versa?
      1.06 Chart: When a Technology Need Arises, Do Orgs. Know A Vendor?
      1.07 Chart: How Important is Prior Knowledge When Evaluating Vendors?
      1.08 Chart: What Constitutes Prior Knowledge of a Vendor?
      1.09 Chart: Number of Participants in the Buying Process – Purchases Over $25K
      1.10 Chart: Technology Marketing Challenges Ranked – Avg. vs Big-Ticket Marketing Organizations
      1.11 Chart: Sales Cycle Expansion 2005-2007
      1.12 Chart: Sales Cycles by Technology Sector
      1.13 Chart: Retention Statistics Collected by Tech Organizations

      Special Report: Information Sources Analyzed by Role and Stage of Purchase
      1.14 Table: Mainstream Online Information Sources by Stage of Purchase
      1.15 Table: Emerging Online Information Sources by Stage of Purchase
      1.16 Table: Offline Information Sources by Stage of Purchase
      1.17 Table: Print and PR-Related Information Sources by Stage of Purchase
      1.18 Table: Mainstream Online Information Sources by Role in Purchase
      1.19 Table: Emerging Online Information Sources by Role in Purchase
      1.20 Table: Offline Information Sources by Role in Purchase
      1.21 Table: Print and PR-Related Information Sources by Role in Purchase

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      Spending Projections by Sector
      1.22 Chart: IT Spending Projections by Sector - % Change 2007 vs 2006
      1.23 Chart: CIO Spending Predictions - Computer Hardware
      1.24 Chart: CIO Spending Predictions - Data Networking Equipment
      1.25 Chart: CIO Spending Predictions - Telecommunications Equipment
      1.26 Chart: CIO Spending Predictions - Storage Systems
      1.27 Chart: CIO Spending Predictions - Outsourced IT Services
      1.28 Chart: CIO Spending Predictions - Infrastructure Software
      1.29 Chart: CIO Spending Predictions - E-business Software
      1.30 Chart: CIO Spending Predictions - Security Software

      Chapter 2: Stats on Technology Marketers & Their Budgets
      2.01 Chart: Gross Margins by Sector
      2.02 Chart: Sales & Marketing Spend as a Percentage of Revenue
      2.03 Chart: Marketing Investment Continues to Outstrip IT Spending
      2.04 Chart: % of Revenue Spent on Marketing – Large Orgs.
      2.05 Chart: % of Revenue Spent on Marketing – Medium Orgs.
      2.06 Chart: % of Revenue Spent on Marketing – Small Orgs.
      2.07 Chart: % of Mktg. Budget Spent Online – Large Orgs.
      2.08 Chart: % of Mktg. Budget Spent Online – Medium Orgs.
      2.09 Chart: % of Mktg. Budget Spent Online – Small Orgs.
      2.10 Table: Marketing and Lead Generation Role Salaries by Region

      Selected Technology Advertising and Exhibiting Costs
      2.11 Table: Print Ad Rates
      2.12 Table: Exhibiting Costs of Technology-Oriented Trade Events
      2.13 Table: Exhibiting Costs for International Technology-Related Trade Events
      2.14 Table: Technology Newsletter Sponsorship Rates

      Outsourcing of Marketing Functions
      2.15 Chart: Outsourcing of Marketing Functions by Company Size
      2.16 Chart: Impact of Paid Search Outsourcing

      Globalization
      2.17 Chart: Companies Offering Translated Content by Size of Org.
      2.18 Chart: % of Revenues that Originate Overseas
      2.19 Chart: % of Email List Members that Originate
      2.20 Chart: % of Web Site Visitors that Originate Overseas
      2.21 Chart: B-to-B Companies See Competitors ‘Going Global’
      2.22 Chart: Obstacles to Globalization of Web Sites
      2.23 Chart: Measuring the Impact of Site Globalization

      Chapter 3: Marketing Tactics – Online and Offline Tactics Measured

      Advertising – Online Display Ads
      3.01 Chart: Average Clickthrough Rates – Online Ads 2004 to 2007
      3.02 Chart: Technology Related Online Ads – Offer Acceptance Rates 2005 to 2007

      Blogs
      3.03 Chart: Effectiveness of Emerging Marketing Tactics Compared
      3.04 Chart: Importance of RSS to Technology Buyers
      3.05 Table: Ranking of Blog Impact
      3.06 Chart: Use of Corporate Blogging Guidelines

      Notes from the Field: Encouraging Blog Coverage
      Top Corporate Blogs
      Top CEO Blogs
      3.07 Chart: Topics of Technology Company Blogs Image: IBM Blog Link Page

      Special Report - Buying Leads
      Lead Providers

      Content Marketing
      3.08 Chart: What Types of Content Appeal to Technology Buyers?
      3.09 Chart: How Challenging Do Marketers Find Content Creation?
      3.10 Chart: What Triggers a Content Update?
      3.11 Chart: Are Marketers Matching Content with the Buying Cycle?
      3.12 Chart: Role of Content-Based Incentives in Technology Marketing

      Direct Postal Mail
      3.13 Chart: Volume & Quality of Leads – Offline Tactics (Large Orgs. Only)
      3.14 Chart: Direct Postal Mail Response Rates by Size of Targeted Companies
      3.15 Chart: 3rd-Party Direct Mail Conversion Rates

      Notes From the Field: Unique Postal Mail Campaign

      Email
      3.16 Chart: Technology Marketers Compare Effectiveness of Email Tactics
      3.17 Chart: Email Tactics Rated ‘Very Effective’ by Size of Targeted Organizations
      3.18 Chart: Email Targeting and Personalization Variables Rated
      3.19 Chart: Email Content Tests Rated

      Notes from the Field: Email & Landing Page Test for Lead Generation Campaign
      3.20 Chart: Technology Buyers’ Expanding Definition of Spam
      3.21 Chart: Which Email Clients Are Used by Technology Buyers
      3.22 Chart: Growing Importance of “Personal Email” Addresses

      Email Benchmarks
      3.23 Chart: Open Rates – House Newsletter
      3.24 Chart: Open Rates – Solo Emails to House Lists
      3.25 Chart: Click Rates – House Newsletter
      3.26 Chart: Click Rates – Solo Emails to House Lists
      3.27 Chart: Acceptance Rates and Sales Conversion in House Newsletters
      3.28 Chart: Acceptance Rates and Sales Conversion in Solo Emails
      3.29 Chart: Acceptance Rates and Sales Conversion from 3rd-Party Lists
      3.30 Chart: Acceptance Rates and Sales Conversion from 3rd-Party Newsletters

      Email Filters & Blacklists in Corporate America – B-to-B Email Deliverability
      3.31 Chart: How Corporations Filter Spam
      3.32 Chart: Organizational Attitudes Toward Email Filtering
      3.33 Chart: IS/IT Responses to False Positives
      3.34 Chart: A Difference of Opinion – Spam Evaluated by Users vs Anti-Spam Pros
      3.35 Chart: Are Business Email Users Aware of False Positives?
      3.36 Chart: How Often Do Business Recipients Check Their Bulk Folders?
      3.37 Chart: Are False Positives Changing Attitudes Toward Whitelisting?
      3.38 Chart: Do Corporations Offer Whitelisting to Through Internal Systems?
      3.39 Chart: Are Business People Still Subscribing?

      Mobile Email Use
      3.40 Chart: Business Technology Buyers Are Viewing Mobile Email
      3.41 Chart: Volume of Emails Viewed on Mobile Devices
      3.42 Chart: Are Commercial Emails Easy to Read on Mobile Devices?

      Podcasts
      3.43 Chart: Podcasting Arrives as Mainstream Technology Information Source
      3.44 Chart: Number of Podcasts Offered
      3.45 Chart: Types of Podcasts Offered
      3.46 Chart: Duration of Podcasts Offered by Technology Companies
      3.47 Chart: Number of Speakers in Technology Company Podcasts
      3.48 Chart: Who Is Narrating/Hosting Technology Podcasts?
      3.49 Chart: Fewer than Half of Download Pages Inform Listeners of Podcast Length

      Notes From the Field: Creating a Podcast Using Best Practices

      Public Relations
      3.50 Chart: Volume and Quality of Leads from Public Relations Tactics
      3.51 Chart: Press Release Optimization Tactics – Tech. Orgs vs Average
      3.52 Chart: Measuring Success in Optimizing Press Releases 2005-2006

      SEO and Public Relations Study 3.53 Table: Keyword Comparison
      3.54 Table: Story Rankings of Optimized Releases Text: Optimized Release

      Search Engine Marketing 3.55 Chart: How Hard Will Technology Buyers Look for Answers in Search Results
      3.56 Chart: Are Technology Buyers Reading and Clicking on Paid Search Ads?
      3.57 Chart: Search Engines Used by Business Technology Buyers
      3.58 Chart: Search Engines ‘Used Most Frequently’ by Technology Buyers

      Notes from the Field: Optimizing PPC Leads

      Notes from the Field: Search ROI - Lessons Learned on a SEM Scoring System

      Search Benchmarks
      3.59 Chart: Clickthrough Rates 2004-2007
      3.60 Chart: Technology Company Search Ad Clickthrough Rate
      3.61 Chart: Technology Company Search Ad Conversion Rate
      3.62 Chart: Technology Buyers’ Feelings Toward ‘Cold Calling’
      3.63 Chart: Factors in Cold Calling Acceptance – Decision Makers vs Contributors
      3.64 Chart: Results of Cold Calls Received by Technology Buyers
      3.65 Chart: Tele-Qualification Connection Rates by Size of Company Targeted
      3.66 Chart: Quality of Leads Generated by Tele-Qualification

      Trade Events
      3.67 Chart: Volume and Quality of Leads Generated by Trade Events
      3.68 Chart: Lead Generation Results – Broad vs Vertical Trade Events
      3.69 Table: Cost of Exhibiting at Technology Trade Shows

      Webinars
      3.70 Chart: Webinar Attendance Continues to Increase
      3.71 Chart: Frequency of Webinar Attendance
      3.72 Chart: Actions Taken After Webinar Attendance
      3.73 Chart: Tech Buyers Rate the Importance of Webinar Variables
      3.74 Chart: How Technology Buyers Found Their Most Recent Webinar
      3.75 Chart: Webinar Invitation Acceptance Rates
      3.76 Chart: Webinar Attendance Rates

      Notes from the Field: Getting Webinars to Stand Out from the Crowd

      White Papers
      3.77 Chart: White Paper Readership
      3.78 Chart: How Technology Buyers Heard About Their Last White Paper
      3.79 Chart: Tech Buyers Rate Variables in White Paper Usefulness
      3.80 Chart: Importance of Detail in White Paper Summaries
      3.81 Chart: Disconnect in How Much Info to Provide Summarizing White Papers
      3.82 Chart: Reasons Buyers Migrate to White Paper Alternatives

      White Paper Titles
      Three Key Discoveries
      Top Five Rules for White Paper Title Success

      White Paper Writing and Syndication
      12 Steps to Develop a Successful White Paper
      Eight Additional Tips Regarding PDF Files and Download Pages
      Eight Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

      White Paper Syndication Services

      Notes From the Field: Rules to Follow When Going Viral

      Chapter 4: Web Sites and Lead Generation
      4.01 Chart: How Satisfied Are Tech Marketers With Their Web Sites? – Three-Year Trend
      4.02 Chart: Technology Marketers Evaluate Web Site Management
      4.03 Chart: Technology Marketers Evaluate Web Site Management
      4.04 Chart: Technology Marketers Evaluate Their Use of Web Analytics

      Technology Marketing Eyetracking: White paper & Webinar Registration Pages
      Heatmaps Explained
      Colors
      Background Image
      Image: Janco Associates White Paper Landing Page
      4.05 Heatmap: Janco Associates White Paper Landing Page Image: Janco Associates Registration Form
      4.06 Heatmap: Janco Associates Registration Form Image: Ciber White Paper Library Page
      4.07 Heatmap: Ciber White Paper Library Image: Right Now Technologies White Paper Library
      4.08 Heatmap: Right Now Technologies White Paper Library Page Image: Right Now Technologies White Paper Registration Page
      4.09 Heatmap: RightNow Registration Page Image: 8x8 Webinar Landing Page on VOIPNews
      4.10 Heatmap: 8x8 Webinar on VOIPNews Image: DDI Webinar Archive
      4.11 Heatmap: DDI/HR.com Webinar Archive Image: Microsoft Office Live Webinar Library
      4.12 Heatmap: Microsoft Office Live Webinar Library Image: Palm Webinar Archive
      4.13 Heatmap: Palm Webinar Archive Eyetracking: Key Findings

      Web Site Search Marketing & Promotional Tools Used
      4.14 Chart: Natural Search Placement Report Card
      4.15 Chart: Paid Search Ad Report Card
      4.16 Chart: Web Site Marketing Elements
      4.17 Chart: Use of Promotional Tools on SMB Technology Web Sites
      4.18 Chart: SMB Technology Sites Promotional Tool Breakdown

      Registration Pages and Processes
      4.19 Chart: Sites With Registration Barrier to Downloadable Information Products
      4.20 Chart: How Much Registration Information Are Technology Sites Demanding?
      4.21 Chart: Registration Accuracy
      4.22 Chart: How Often Do Business Technology Content Readers Complete Registration Processes?
      4.23 Chart: How Often Do Business Technology Pros Read the Content They Registered For?

      Search Engine Optimization
      4.24 Chart: Technology Marketers Evaluate Site Optimization
      4.25 Table: Key Factors in Search Engine Optimization

      Chapter 5: Technology Sales Lead Management and Measurement Lead Management
      5.01 Chart: Lead Closure Rates
      5.02 Chart: Lead Process Conversion Rates
      5.03 Table: Lead Rate Comparison 2005-2007
      5.04 Table Lead Rate Comparison – Avg. vs ‘Best Practices’ Orgs.
      5.05 Chart: Where Are Marketers Finding Challenges in the Lead Process
      5.06 Chart: Percentage of Leads Generated by Marketing
      5.07 Chart: Lead Management Practices 2006 vs 2007
      5.08 Chart: Lead Management Practices by Organization Size
      5.09 Chart: What Do Tech Marketers Know Before Passing Leads to Sales?
      5.10 Chart: Lead/Site Metrics Tracked – Regular vs Occasional Review
      5.11 Chart: Lead/Site Metrics Tracked Regularly – Avg. vs Marketers w/Comprehensive Lead Management Practices
      5.12 Chart: Lead/Site Metrics Tracked Regularly – Avg. vs Long Sales Cycle
      5.13 Chart: Technology Marketers Evaluate Their Sites’ Use of CRM
      5.14 Chart: How Well Do Orgs. ‘Close the Loop’ on Leads?
      5.15 Chart: How Well Are Sales & Marketing Collaborating on Defining a Lead?

      Customer Reference Management
      Three types of CRPs companies invest in
      Five most common CRP mistakes to avoid
      5.16 Chart: Frequency of CRP Stakeholder Meetings
      5.17 Chart: Critical Activities to Improve CRPs Ranked

      Special Report: Lead Generation & Internal Communication
      5.18 Chart: What Is Finance’s Attitude Toward Lead Generation?
      5.19 Chart: How Informed Is Finance on Lead Generation Impact?
      5.20 Chart: Are Finance and Marketing Looking Beyond Lead Volume?
      5.21 Chart: How Credible Are the Leads Generated by Marketing?
      5.22 Chart: How Reliable Is Post-Lead Communication from Sales?

      Channel Marketing
      5.23 Chart: Channel Partner Feedback Rates
      5.24 Chart: Deal Closure Rates of Top vs Average Channel Partners

      Notes from the Field: Channel Marketing Success Targeting SMBs

      Appendix: Demographic Breakdown - MarketingSherpa’s Research Studies for the Business Technology Benchmark Guide

      Table of Contents: MarketingSherpa BONUS B-to-B Web Site Homepage Design Research Study:



      Executive Summary: Study Overview & Top 5 Findings

      Section I: Study Background Research & Goals
      Definitions for the purposes of this Study
      The inspiration behind this Study
      Figure: "Standard" B-to-B Homepage Layout Wireframe
      Chart: Percent of B-to-B Web Sites Using Standard Homepage Layout

      Element #1. Columns
      Image: Eyetracking Results Yahoo! Search Results Page
      Image: Patagonia Multiple-Column Layout Test Design
      Image: Patagonia Single Primary Column Layout Test Design
      Image: CareerBuilder.com's Original Multiple-Column Navigation Homepage for Employers
      Image: CareerBuilder.com's Tested Fewer Column Homepage for Employers

      Element #2. Billboards
      Images: Eyetracking Test Results: Bombay Homepage

      Section II: Research Methodology Employed for This Study
      Figure: Alternate Homepage Design: Flipped -- Billboard on Bottom
      Figure: Alternate Homepage Design: Three-Column -- Billboard at Left Side

      How the Eyetracking and Satisfaction Study Was Conducted: How Eyetracking Works
      Image: Typical Participant in an Eyetracking Lab Environment

      Heatmaps Explained
      Background Image

      Section III: Three Tested Homepage Layouts -- Results for Three Large B-to-B Sites (Sun, IBM, and Oracle)
      Sun Microsystems Images: Sun Homepage & Heatmap - Original Version
      Images: Sun Homepage & Heatmap -- Bottom Billboard Version
      Images: Sun Homepage & Heatmap – Three-Column Version

      Sun Analysis
      Sun A – Original
      Sun B – ‘Bottom Billboard’
      Sun C – ‘Three-Column Version’
      Sun homepage analysis across all versions
      Sun Versions by Time

      IBM
      Images: IBM Homepage & Heatmap -- Original Version
      Images: IBM Homepage & Heatmap -- Bottom Billboard Version
      Images: IBM Homepage & Heatmap – Three-Column Version

      IBM Analysis
      IBM A & B – Original and ‘Bottom Bilboard’
      IBM C – ‘Three-Column Version’
      IBM Across All Versions
      IBM Variations by Time

      Oracle
      Images: Oracle Homepage & Heatmap - Original Version
      Images: Oracle Homepage & Heatmap -- Bottom Billboard Version
      Images: Oracle Homepage & Heatmap – Three-Column Version

      Oracle Analysis
      Oracle A – Original Version
      Oracle B – ‘Bottom Billboard Version’
      Oracle C – ‘Three-Column Version’
      Oracle Analysis Across All Versions
      Oracle Variations by Time

      Detailed Analysis Across All Three Major Sites: Sun, IBM & Oracle
      Scanning Patterns for Original Homepage Versions
      Scanning Patterns for Bottom Billboard Versions
      Scanning Patterns for Three Column Versions

      Section IV: Three Additional Homepage Layouts Tested Images: Evergreen Homepage & Heatmap
      Images: Vectrocon Homepage & Heatmap
      Images: Synetrix Homepage & Heatmap

      Section V: Study Findings & Conclusions; 6 Recommended Action Steps for B-to-B Marketers & Web Designers
      Table: B-to-B Homepage Study Results Data: Time Spent & User Satisfaction

      Top Three Findings
      Six Suggested Tests Based on Study Results & Indications
      About MarketingSherpa Inc.
      About Enquiro Search Solutions Inc.

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    Product Details

    Pages 285 pgs
    Charts 180 charts & tables and 9 eyetracking heatmaps
    Pub Date May 2007
    Publisher MarketingSherpa
    ISBN 978-1-932353-65
    Store ID #29978
    About MarketingSherpa

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