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Working from the Top 10 list, panelists and viewers alike were polled about the top marketing tools and initiatives they have implemented so far in 2016. The results can be viewed in the poll graphic.
Frost & Sullivan's 2017 Marketing Must Haves List:
Go to Market Research Account Based Research Content Marketing Videos Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Events Webinars Social Media Public Relations Councils & Associations
As illustrated by the above poll, content marketing was the #1 marketing initiative utilized by this group in 2016, followed by events and social media, with video marketing not very far behind. It was not a surprise that content marketing was #1, as this marketing strategy continues to develop at a fast pace. As the poll and our research showed, even in the digital age, events of all types are still a popular option for marketers. Social media was a close third, demonstrating again that it is no longer just a tool for B2C marketers but is steadily being embraced by many B2B marketers as well.
ACCOUNT BASED MARKETING AND EVENTS TOP LIST FOR 2017 MARKETING INITIATIVES
Next, Moderator and Frost and Sullivan Marketing Vanguard Nicole Coons asked the panelists to discuss the key marketing initiatives they would put on their list for 2017. Kim Martin, Vice President of Marketing at Aspect, stated that she would start with Account Based Marketing, also known as ABM. She shared that she believed that ABM, fueled by the growing power of predictive analytics, would continue to grow in popularity and effectiveness. She also revealed that her second marketing initiative would be SEO,commenting that it provides a high ROI and usually results in a high lead conversion rate. Her third marketing must have for 2017 was content marketing, emphasizing targeted content distributed through various channels is still king.
Lisa Lovas, Director of Marketing at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said that strong targeted digital content, distributed through blogs, newsletters and other channels, was at the top of her list. ABM and events of all types and sizes rounded out her choices. On the sales side, Dan Fox, Director of Business Development, Interactions, chose ABM as his top marketing go-to for 2017. He emphasized that ABM often meant more work up front but was worth the time at the beginning for later results.
Events and building awareness through public relations rounded out his top 3 list of marketing initiatives for 2017.
Gordon Littley, Managing Director, Sales, at Verizon concurred with the other panelists when he listed ABM and events as his top two marketing initiatives to budget for in 2017. Citing the importance of relationship building and industry community, he broke from the crowd when he said that councils and associations were also at the top of the list for his company’s marketing must-do’s in 2017.