How do you stack up against the “ideal modern marketer”? Find out from this new BtoB survey.
Published on March 12th, 2013 by Dagmar King 
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By Dagmar King
Today’s marketers are in the midst of a massive strategic shift as traditional outbound strategies like advertising are giving way to customer-driven, inbound programs based on two-way conversation. They’ve had to learn how to listen, create relationships with their customers, and find new ways to define and measure success.
In this new environment, do you ever wonder how your perspectives, strategies and practices compare with other marketers – and what those marketers consider “ideal”? If so, you might find that you have a lot in common.
Success factors defined
According to a newly released study, “Defining the Modern Marketer: From Real to Ideal,” sponsored by Oracle|Eloqua and conducted by B2B, the digital marketing professionals surveyed rated themselves at only 65% of the ideal based on five factors they felt define marketing success today:
- Marketing Technology
- Analytics
- Conversion
- Engagement
- Targeting
That percentage seems fairly high considering that the components the survey participants say define their success were all largely or completely nonexistent just five years ago.
Survey participants rated the importance of five essential competencies impacting their work (left) compared with how they believe they measure up to the ideal (right).
A new media environment opens new doors of opportunity
The massive and accelerating changes facing marketing professionals show no signs of slowing down. But these changes open new doors of opportunity. More than ever before, marketers must demonstrate the value of their efforts, so it’s no surprise that survey participants said the ability to track marketing ROI due to technology is the most transformative factor they face today. Following that is the ability to leverage social media as power shifts from the brand to the consumer, along with the capability to market to mobile and fragmented media environments.
What activites are digital marketers actually using?
While email is still considered their most important and frequently used digital channel, the digital marketers surveyed rated social media just behind that. It’s rapidly gaining ground, which is a phenomenon that couldn’t have been predicted a few years ago. PR, blogging and case studies point to the importance of content marketing as do webinars/virtual events, while pay-per-click and organic search remain important marketing staples.
The bottom line
Today’s marketer must possess the creative skills required for traditional marketing while also knowing how to market in a social culture that fosters two-way communication rather than top-down promotion. Challenges include reduced resources and the ability to respond to the market quickly with tailored, effective messages. Factors defining success include targeting, audience engagement, lead delivery, measurement and generation of ROI – and all require the ability to leverage new tools and technologies that didn’t exist just a few years ago.
Are we there yet? Not quite, but survey participants give themselves credit for coping relatively well in the midst of dramatic change and feel they are making progress in adopting the concepts required by today’s marketing realities.
Survey methodology
In January 2013, BtoB surveyed 556 b-to-b marketing professionals representative of the market: 54% of respondents said their company revenue is less than $100 million, 18% reported revenue of $100 million to $499 million, 8% said their companies have revenue of $500 million to $999 million, and 20% reported annual revenue of $1 billion or more.
Marketers from technology companies comprised 29% of all respondents, with financial services companies (including accounting, banking, insurance and real estate) at 9% of the total, and consulting firms, publishing/media companies and manufacturing companies each at 8%.
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