5 Tips for Selecting Marketing Technology, Based on Research

When it comes to attaining marketing goals, technology by itself is not the solution. However, when you understand your goals and deploy the appropriate marketing techniques to fulfill your goals, you have the perfect mix to deliver the results you need to succeed.

In order for marketing technologies to be effective, they need to enhance the capabilities of the team as well as the strategy that lies behind them. B2B marketers are confronted with the daunting task of selecting which solutions would fit their needs the best while also integrating seamlessly into an existing Martech stack to assure the highest possible level of success.

But how are B2B marketers taking their marketing technologies to the next level in order to fulfill corporate objectives?

145 B2B marketing experts were polled by Ascend2 (Open Link in new window), in collaboration with RollWorks (Open Link in new window). The following are some research insights and key takeaways from the research study, Marketing Technology Implementation from the B2B Perspective: (Open Link in new window).

1. Be efficient in your thinking.

B2B marketing professionals are aware that the quality of their technology stack is directly proportional to the quality of the data that passes through it. B2B marketers get the ability to make informed decisions that will have a positive influence on their bottom line when they have access to high-quality data. Because of this, forty-one percent of those questioned made it a priority to enhance the data quality while they were deploying marketing technology.

The most important takeaway here is that if you want to achieve efficiency with martech, you should consider using an account-based strategy. Account-based marketing, often known as ABM, involves taking a fit-first approach to business-to-business marketing. This includes ensuring that you are only targeting the accounts who have the highest possibility of making a purchase. According to research conducted, 94% of marketers believe that ABM helps them achieve their core goals successfully. You will be able to boost the efficiency of your overall programs to the extent that you become more targeted in the process of finding your ideal audience.

2. Think strategically

The execution of a strategy for integrating marketing technology and the determination of which technologies correspond best with the requirements of their firm are both cited as the top hurdles by 43% of B2B marketers. Over one-third (37%) of B2Bs that were questioned felt that their company’s technology budget places restrictions on them.

The most important thing to remember is to search for tools that are simple to implement and that connect effectively with the other technologies in your stack if the execution of your plans presents the greatest obstacle for you. Choosing the appropriate tools might be challenging; however, ensuring that the martech suppliers you work with provide excellent onboarding and customer success experiences will guarantee that you can carry out your entire strategy. Successful businesses begin by identifying a particular difficulty they have in the realm of marketing, then crafting a plan to overcome that challenge, integrating a variety of technologies into that plan, and finally measuring the outcomes to determine whether or not they have been successful.

3. The Most Important Considerations: Consider the ease of use.

What is the most significant factor for B2B marketers to take into consideration when considering new marketing technologies? Marketing teams are able to execute their activities more efficiently when they have access to a technology that is simple to deploy and use. When it comes to emerging marketing technology, nearly half (47%) of B2B companies questioned believe that user friendliness should take precedence over other considerations.

The most important thing to remember is that technology used for B2B marketing needs to be user-friendly and fully configurable. You should seek for tools that will enable you to develop and measure your programs in the manner that is most appropriate for your company so that you can get the most out of them. If you want to target specific accounts, the good news is that the technology to support your strategy is not exclusive to enterprise companies with large budgets. These days, small and medium-sized businesses have access to account-based tools that are quick, affordable, and customizable. If you want to target specific accounts, the bad news is that you will have to spend a lot of money.

4. Focus on Expansion

In the coming year, resources allocated to the implementation of new marketing technology are expected to show an upward trend from a B2B point of view. 59% of B2B marketers anticipate a moderate increase in funds dedicated to the implementation of new martech in the new year, while 16% of B2B marketers anticipate a major increase in budgets.

The most important thing to remember is that marketing technology prevailed despite the turbulent year that was 2020. Expect B2B marketers to rethink and expand their tech stacks in the future year in order to meet the needs of the coming year. This will allow them to get in front of their audience in new and creative ways. The data also demonstrates that increased finances are being allocated to support ongoing investment.

5. Consider the Present Moment in Real Time

When it comes to B2B marketing, having access to data that is updated in real time enables marketers to prioritize the initiatives and efforts that are most likely to generate meaningful results. Real-time marketing is expected to have the most significant impact on a company’s total digital marketing strategy in the coming year, according to 43 percent of B2B marketers.

Key Takeaway: Real-time marketing and artificial intelligence are leading the pack, which reveals that B2B marketers are acutely aware that reaching the right audience, at the right moment, with the appropriate message needs the use of intelligent technology. Both play an important role in ABM technology, and they have the potential to assist marketers in areas such as identifying companies that are the best fit for their solutions, knowing when sales should reach out to them, and saving budget when serving them with the right message. These are all essential components of a successful B2B digital marketing strategy in 2021.

A Few Parting Thoughts

In the coming year, what kinds of marketing technology tools do you intend to put into operation? How do you plan to guarantee that the instruments you adopt will function to their full potential? Which digital marketing tactic are you most looking forward to putting into practice?