Top Conference Pick for B2B Media Executives

The MediaGrowth Executive Summit 2023 is Programmatic B2B's top pick for B2B media executives next year. We chose it because first party data and relevant content are two of the most reliable pillars for effective B2B branding, engagement and lead generation programs -- and for the folks attending. This one is a must attend for business publishers, advertisers and marketing services providers.

Come February, Programmatic B2B is recommending a temporary replacement of the 4P's of Marketing with a warmer version -- The 4F's for B2B Media Executives:

F1 - First Party Data: Paul Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Questex will explain how his firm uses first party data creatively to determine customers’ needs to guide them to the Questex events and tracks that will benefit them most.

F2 - Future of B2B Media: reimagine the future of B2B media with Bill Carter, Chief Executive Officer, ALM, Gary Fitzgerald, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Meister Media Worldwide, Charlene Finck, President, Farm Journal, and Taggart Henderson, Chief Executive Officer, BNP Media.

F3 - Facilitated Discussions: the first afternoon will be packed with opportunities for conversations with B2B media executives including, but not limited to C-Suite discussion on editorial, technology, sales, associations and team leadership.

F4 - February in Fort Lauderdale: the 2022 annual event will be located at the Hilton's Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 27 through March 1. Of course this includes plenty of free time for informal networking and answering emails On The Beach!

REGISTER TODAY >> https://mediagrowth.com/mediagrowth-executive-summit-registration

Top 7 B2B Resources for 2023

Updated for 2024

The economy may not be great right now, but the opportunities to drive revenue growth and efficiences are better than ever. Marketing automation and ad tech providers have made it easier to get sales and marketing teams in alignment, while new competitive marketing services providers are challenging the traditional agency model to reduce costs and associated campaign investment risk.

Therefore, if you're gearing up for 2023, then here are 7 Programmatic B2B resources to help you invest wisely, get organized and gain control in the coming year.

---

#1 US B2B Digital Ad Spending Forecast

Every year, Insider Intelligence (eMarketer) publishes the US B2B Digital Ad Spending Forecast.

It is no surprise that the shift to digital is permanent, but the underlying insight and value from this report will help you plan for better return on ad spend in the future. Don't rely solely on your experience to plan for 2023. The US B2B digital ad spending forecast from Insider Intelligence includes everything you need, including a breakdown of top industries, trends and guidance from industry experts who invest heavily in B2B advertising solutions. Your predictions may be wise, but n=1 is never a good basis for planning.

#2 Programmatic B2B Digital RFP Builder

Before you take on that next big project--try this! The new RFP builder enables B2B marketers get started with a comprehensive solution at an acceptable cost. The interface supports uploading lists of accounts, contact titles, intent keywords and creative assets. Targeted digital media selections include display, native, video, social, mobile, email, retargeting, CTV and more!

#3 Fortune 1000 Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Would you like for your next 'whale' to be a Fortune 1000 account? The new account-based marketing (ABM) prospect databases are now available for cross-device targeting on the open web with hundreds of content and creative options for real engagement. Just watch for your industry to appear on the screen and review the list of Fortune 1000 companies and contacts for your next ABM campaign.

#4 B2B Digital Advertising Lead Gen Forecast Template

Don't put a dozen digital eggs in one marketing basket. Instead, structure your B2B digital advertising investment like a mutual fund to reduce risk and maximize return on advertising spend (ROAS).

The B2B Digital Lead Generation Forecast Tool will help bridge the gap between marketing and sales with a continuous improvement process for measuring the average cost for MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads) and SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads).

#5 Top 10 B2B Digital Campaign Checklist

B2B sales cycles can feel like a marathon. After all, you're not just selling a six-pack of ice cold beer on a hot summer day. This top 10 checklist can help. This checklist will help you get organized and make sure you have the ingredients and recipe for a winning B2B digital marketing campaign.

#6 SIC Codes and B2B Data Dictionary

This downloadable B2B data resource provides a detailed SIC description and code listing of every niche industry from Airlines (A) to Zinc (Z) Mining. Programmatic B2B has a network of 15+ business data partners for an objective approach to constructing quality audiences.

#7 Subscribe to Programmatic B2B

Get notified when new content is published, read it or re-use it. Topics include B2B thought leadership, ad performance indices and more!

With projected global digital marketing expenditures closing in on half a trillion US dollars in 2022 alone, it is no surprise that demand for programmatic business-to-business (B2B) advertising is increasing fast and early adopters are reaping the benefits. This global digital marketing marketplace has three pillars—hardware, software and content, where integration finds its foundation. Innumerable problems created by this colossal mass of digitized communications between humans and machines are yet to be identified, especially as it relates to the social, emotional and relational reality of our connected world.

Have something to contribute? Please contact us at www.programmaticb2b.com.

Clear Objectives or Shiny Objects?

There's a common process across many sales and marketing organizations that begins with the four P’s of marketing (product, price, place and promotion) and ends with a problem. Ad content and sales pitches often lead with product when they should be uncovering or addressing a business need or problem. The product is a solution, and the value of that solution is directly related to its relevance and effectiveness in solving a client’s problem.

So why are so many ads focused on features and benefits? Maybe it’s just easier to push out what you know and go to work for every day, or to go a bit deeper—it’s just more naturally to think of and promote ‘we’ before truly understanding ‘you’. After all, isn’t that what market research is supposed to do—find out what the customer needs and build around that? If you’ve been around the block for any amount of time, you’ll realize that is not always the case where ‘shiny objects’ appear more appealing than clear objectives.

Defining clear objectives and prioritizing those objectives, is a necessary first step in the process of promoting your own product or service. Objectives support the broader, long-term goals of an organization so keep that in mind when defining them. For example, if the overarching corporate goal is to increase revenue by 40 percent over the next 3 years, then a supporting objective would be to deliver 23 qualified leads per month in order to achieve that. Let’s break it down:

A) Current trailing 12 months revenue = $15,000,000

B) Growth (40 percent) revenue goal for 3 years from now = $21,000,000

C) Projected attrition (10 percent) from current business = ($1,500,000)

D) New business needed to achieve the goal = $7,500,000

E) Projected average annual revenue from new customer = $25,000

F) Projected average 3-year revenue per NEW contracted customer = $37,500

G) Total new contracted customers needed to reach goal = 200

H) Average lead to contracted customer conversion rate = 25 percent

I) Qualified leads required over next 3 years to achieve goal = 800

J) Monthly qualified leads requirement = 23 ( 800 / 36 months, rounded up )

The same S.M.A.R.T. approach to goals can also be applied to their supporting objectives. So is this objective specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related? The answer is yes, but something very important needs to be addressed. How much is it going to cost to get those 800 qualified leads? Empirically speaking, this is where many big picture thinking executives grossly underestimate the resources required to deliver even close to this objective. This puts marketers in a tough spot, pressed on every side from bosses, stakeholders, sales leaders, and vendors who commit to lead volumes with no guarantee of whether or not these leads are truly qualified.

Therefore, the lead generation process must begin with a clear explanation of what determines a qualified lead—and what does NOT. Unqualified leads simply do not convert at the same rate as qualified leads, and have a far greater cost when sales resources are factored in. There is an opportunity cost every time a sales resource is assigned to a lead. Fortunately, the best commissioned sales professionals are incentivized to pursue the opportunities with the greatest personal income potential. However, many organizations are structured in a way that requires rigorous follow-up on inbound inquiries. For that reason, the last thing marketers should be doing is creating distractions that lead to frustration and a lack of confidence amongst sales leaders. The definition of a qualified lead varies based on the organization, its products and services, sales process, terms and conditions and more.

Nevertheless, here are a three qualification questions to consider:

1. Does the prospect have an immediate need or problem to solve?

2. Does the prospect have sufficient budget to invest in solving the problem?

3. Are there competitive implications on doing business with the prospect?

These questions can be easily adapted and applied to any contact form on a website or landing page. Keep in mind that there will always be some trade-off between asking for too much information (lower response rates) and not asking for enough information (unqualified leads). Publishing web contact page forms with the right questions built-in and properly training live chat representatives can both be highly effective ways to get the job done right.

To sum it all up, the process of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals and objectives requires mental discipline and the ability to not get distracted by shiny objects like 'opt-in' lead generation programs built on piggy-backing principles that are applied for monetization with little thought as to the level of qualification. Most often, the top quality leads that convert are the ones that are most difficult to generate.