by | Jul 18, 2014

B2B businesses invest in various tactics to generate leads and drive sales; search engine optimization, tradeshows, advertising in industry publications, online advertising, cold calling, referrals…

What is often missing is the ability to develop value-based relationships with prospects as they move through the decision making process. This has a direct impact on the percentage of leads that are ultimately closed – and is the difference between a positive and negative return on the investments made in lead generation.

3 important online marketing trends that every B2B business should pay attention to:

The adoption of marketing automation technology is expected to increase by 50% by 2015. (Source: Sirius Decisions)

B2B companies that have not adopted marketing automation software are likely letting potential sales opportunities slip through the cracks.

Have you considered marketing automation software? Two technologies that are well-suited to small and mid-sized businesses are Hatchbuck and Infusionsoft.

Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at 33% lower cost. (Source: Forrester Research). However, 65% of B2B marketers have not established lead nurturing. (Source: MarketingSherpa)

Does your business development process include lead nurturing? The best way to increase your close rates and shorten your sales cycle is to educate and guide potential customers through the sales funnel. Read our case for lead nurturing to find out why.

68% of B2B businesses use landing pages to garner a new sales lead for future conversion. (MarketingSherpa)

You must direct prospects to dedicated, well-constructed landing pages in order to optimize conversions?  Learn how to set up landing pages to get the best possible results.

These trends highlight the importance of effectively managing your sales funnel, and the online technologies that will significantly improve your ability to turn leads into sales.

Ben Molfetta
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