Author:  Manticore @ManticoreTech is an MAI sponsor.

One of my guilty pleasures is to watch “The Bachelor” on Monday nights with my wife. While it is true that this is a show that may actually decrease your IQ as you watch it, I firmly believe that you can offset the loss of brain cells by making snarky comments about the participants, thus improving your quick wit and comedic timing. (Plus, we also watch “Downton Abbey”, which makes you smarter just because it is English.)

A few weeks ago, I was preparing for my presentation at the 2nd Annual Content Marketing Retreat in Langley, WA while enjoying my weekly dose of manufactured “reality show” drama. My presentation started with a brief discussion of the B2B Buyer’s Journey – the path that buyer’s take when going from ead to satisfied (or dissatisfied) customer. As I switched my attention back and forth between my presentation and the show, I had a shocking revelation: B2B buyers are exactly like The Bachelor!

How? Both start with a large number of choices, B2B buyers with any number of vendors that may or may not meet their needs, The Bachelor with 25 young ladies who may or may not meet their needs.

Both begin the process with a little research, B2B buyers conducting that research online through websites, The Bachelor in a large cocktail party where he gets a few minutes to gather first impressions about each potential mate.

At this point, the B2B buyer will likely connect with people like himself on social media, most frequently LinkedIn and Twitter, to get opinions about his potential vendors. Unfortunately, The Bachelor has to skip this step, as he is isolated during the show taping. Of course, if he could check social media, he would immediately eliminate the “problem” women and much of the show’s drama would be ruined.

Both then start creating a short list, the B2B buyer doing that by engaging with the sales people of the vendors he likes best, and The Bachelor doing it through a series of one-on-one and group dates. Overtime, they both start eliminating those they don’t like or are unsuitable. Both then diligently start checking references on their short list. The B2B buyer does this with calls to other customers and those that have done business with his potential vendors. The Bachelor does this through visits with his final four “girlfriends” to meet their families and friends.

Once the final two vendors/potential mates have been selected, it is time to go for approval. The B2B buyer does this with his management; The Bachelor does this with his parents.

Finally, it is time to make a decision. The B2B buyer selects the best vendor and negotiates a contract, while The Bachelor selects the woman he can’t live without and slips a ring on her finger.

There is one final way these two are alike. Even once they become customers, B2B buyers are still buyers. Contract lengths are shorter than ever – a year commitment is a long one – and a typical customer will be continuously evaluating his options. We know from history that The Bachelor is no different – within 6-12 months, he’ll be out looking around for another “perfect” mate. 

I liked this analogy so much I decided to use it to kick off my presentation for the retreat titled The Customer Path: From Lead Gen to Customer. If you’re interested in seeing it, you can view it here. I’m pleased to say the story was well received and got a good laugh.

Next time, maybe I’ll tell you how some of our marketing automation competitors are exactly like Mike “The Situation” from “The Jersey Shore”. (Not really, I don’t think there is any exercise that would repair the brain cells lost from watching that show.)

Author: Manticore @ManticoreTech is an MAI sponsor.

Author: John Miller @miller360 is the Principal of ZeroOne Consulting

Recently, legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda was musing on the trend of analytics in baseball: “The moneyball stats are really helpful. If you can use them and layer on baseball thinking, then you can make smart baseball decisions.”

No. Delete the second bit, Tommy. The “baseball thinking” part is what got us in trouble in the first place. Forget the “intuition” and let stats DRIVE the decisions. Then you see success. Just ask Tampa Bay’s Joe Maddon, who is reinventing defensive alignments based purely on analytics. Baseball “experts” continue to condescend to Maddon’s data-driven methods, but the Rays, despite a paltry payroll, keep winning. Sadly, most managers still let good, old fashioned “baseball smarts” guide key decisions.

And so do we. Yes, we marketers understand that analytics are important. We measure opens, click throughs, unsubscribes, etc. etc. etc. And we compile glossy, detailed reports to measure our success. But the data remains just that — measurement.

We’re all guilty of falling back on messaging and campaign architecture that is comfortable. Yeah, the data might determine a subject line, but what would happen if we let it DRIVE the campaign? When Apple polled customers on price points for the Genius Bar, they heard loud and clear that customers wanted the lowest price possible. So they listened to the data and thought of something even better: they made it FREE. The result was genius marketing: a complimentary advice bar for customers — who left the store as informed, confident Apple acolytes.

So what if we marketers let the data reinvent our campaigns? I’m thinking we might not have a big, intimidating slugger, but we’ll have a guy who gets on base a lot more often.

Author: John Miller @miller360 is the Principal of ZeroOne Consulting.

Author: Carlos Hidalgo @cahidalgo is Executive Director of the MAI and CEO of The Annuitas Group.

I spend a lot of my time talking to B2B marketers about the challenges they face in their organizations and what they can do to meet the demands of the business while providing value.  One such discussion happened this week where I was told “we need to make the right investments, but my organization is way too cautious and not willing to invest.”  Hello red flag!!

Truth is, while a lot of money is being invested in technology, online, inbound, agencies, etc. There is one area that companies are not investing and it is having a serious impact – that area is their people.

In a recent study that was conducted by us i.e. The Marketing Automation Instituteand our friends at Focus, 75% of respondents stated that the lack of skills in their marketing department was impacting revenue in some way (Only 18% of respondents said their marketing peoples skills are highly effective).  This is an alarmingly high number! 

How are companies addressing this revenue issue?  Well in short, they are not.  The same study showed the following:

•  70% of respondents stated that they either receive no training or are self-taught
• Less than 50% of respondents state they are receiving any kind of regular formal training
•  Over 65% of respondents spend less than $1,000 per year in developing the marketing skills needed to succeed in today’s market
• Over 50% of respondents stated there is no plan to address the training or they encourage their marketing personnel to acquire the skills on their own time.

When looking at these numbers the question is WHAT IS GOING ON?

If a CEO of an organization identified an issue that was impacting revenue 75% of the time, there would be a task force assembled, a plan developed to address the problem and funds allocated to ensure the revenue loss is abated.  However, for some reason organizations seem content to plod along with a marketing department that lacks the skills needed while at the same time expecting marketers to be tied to revenue.  This is insanity!

Organizations need to realize that this is not a question of should we, but more a question of how soon can we invest.  Never before has marketing been so vital to the health and revenue production of an organization and to not equip the people responsible for this is irresponsible.

The one investment an organization can make to increase their revenue, lower their costs, achieve better buyer interaction and improve sales effectiveness, is marketing skills development.  We are well into 2012 and that time for investing is NOW!

P.S.  We will be conducting a deeper analysis of this study on Wednesday, April 18^thon a MAI Roundtable and hope you will join us.

Author: Carlos Hidalgo @cahidalgo is Executive Director of the MAI and CEO of The Annuitas Group.  

Content, content, content. Marketers need it and we need it now! How to create all of this content? Where to get it? Can you just buy it, steal it or what? We have had several guest blogs about this topic but there is an insatiable appetite for information on how to produce killer content. In fact, DemandGen Report is launching a new event all about content, the Content 2 Conversion Conference, April 23-24 in New York City.

I recently interviewed Andrew Gaffney @agaffney, President, G3 Communications about the upcoming event.

There are many events for marketers out there. What makes Content 2 Conversion a must-go for marketers?

AG: Judging by the response we’ve gotten so far, we think content is definitely a top priority for B2B marketers. We have registrants from a wide range of industries including American Express, Honeywell, GE Healthcare, Rackspace, HP, IBM and Morgan Stanley. As adoption rates of marketing automation have increased and marketing campaigns have become more sophisticated, companies large and small are realizing content is a vital component of connecting with and nurturing prospects. 

We know content is an important part of any marketing strategy. Do you have any good statistics you can share with us as to how important it is?

AG: The B2B Buyer Study we’ve been conducting for the past two years at DemandGen Report has shown that more than 90% of B2B purchases start with content engagement, and more than 40% of B2B buyers had their first contact with a solution provider after downloading content from their site. We’ll also be premiering new research at the event on how new formats and technologies are changing content consumption patterns and behaviors.

What are you most looking forward to at this event?

AG: Our agenda is going to bring to life how content can and should be part of the engagement process. The speakers and sessions will help provide a foundation for content strategy, as well as examples of successful campaigns. We’re especially excited about The Killer Content Awards, which will recognize some of the top campaigns and call to action offers that have helped to drive new business for many companies.

Educational session highlights include topical, expert insights on:

• How B2B content differs from B2C;
• How to developing a content marketing blueprint that aligns with your business objective and target buyer’s pain points;
• How to Develop a nurturing strategy that’s right for your campaign goals;
• Understanding content’s role across the buyer’s journey;
• How to use interactive and rich media to extend the life of content; and
• Understanding the role of marketing automation and measurement as part of an overall content marketing strategy.

Can’t wait to attend? Register todayand let us know what the best sessions were and what you learned! We all need to learn to create killer content.