B2B Marketers Struggle to Connect Campaign Strategies to Target Audiences

According to a study from Demandbase, B2B marketers cite a limited understanding of target audiences and restricted budgets as the primary challenges to creating successful marketing campaigns. The study reports that these challenges create breakdowns in achieving long-term campaign goals.

Of the B2B respondents, 54 percent claimed their primary marketing strategy will be to focus on individual prospect personas (29 percent) or vertical industry targeting strategies (25 percent). According to a report from eMarketer, the targeting goals of B2B marketers are not supported by an adequate understanding of how to reach prospective clients and companies; in fact, only half of B2B respondents claimed to have a basic knowledge of the their target audience. eMarketer noted that while B2B companies are ready to invest in these target marketing strategies, the gap between strategy intentions and audience understanding will make achieving long-term goals challenging.

Jason Stewart, director of marketing at Demandbase, said, “B2B marketers are under pressure to take advantage of new strategies to stay competitive, but long-term success will only be achievable if businesses are marrying their short-term strategies with long-term priorities…As we enter 2013, marketers must get smarter in the face of continued budgetary and resource restrictions, bridging the gap between their ongoing goals and the practices necessary to achieve those goals.”

For B2B marketers, the gap between strategy goals and execution threatens the likelihood of achieving long-term campaign goals. In order to produce effective campaigns, B2B marketers must devote time and effort to understanding their target audience.

source : Komarketing Associates