Wednesday, July 3, 2013

B2B Survey: 43% See Longer Sales Cycle

More than 4 in 10 businesses say their business-to-business sales cycle has lengthened in the last three years, according to a survey developed by Crain's BtoB Magazine and business audience marketing company Bizo, with a focus on online marketing. Longer sales cycles create headaches for b-to-b marketers under the gun to boost brand awareness and to capture and nurture leads through a prolonged buying process. And that's just one of their b-to-b challenges. The study also found that only 40% of respondents said their online marketing mix is meeting the needs of the sales pipeline. At the same time, one-third of respondents reported their biggest online marketing challenge is accurately measuring and attributing online conversions to the correct marketing channels. And while 79% said differentiating on brand is a priority, 60% also admitted that they are not fully satisfied (neutral or dissatisfied) with their current efforts to differentiate on brand. For more on the study results, see the Marketingprofs.com story at http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/10556/b2bs-struggling-with-online-marketing-mix-sales-cycle-gets-longer

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

For Social Media Impact, Timing Matters

The social media world may be chattering 24/7, but businesses need to figure out when to post for maximum audience impact. So here's a link to a helpful infographic from socialcaffiene.com, combining research from multiple sources. For those who can't wait to know, the best time to post on Facebook is between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays, while LinkedIn posts have their greatest reach before and after business hours, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and then again from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday. If you're a tweeter, Twitter users are most attentive between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday. On Fridays and weekends, your social media efforts can relax, unless you want to post to Pinterest. For Pinterest, set aside a Saturday morning. For more, go to http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/05/when-is-the-best-time-to-post-on-social-media-infographic.html