Core

Fun fact: Fewer than 40% of marketers are using consumer research to drive decisions.

This tells us how much room we marketers have to grow in our continuing quest to know our audience. It’s easier than ever to go right to the customer with an online survey, we’d expect many marketers to be doing so. The better you know your customer, the better you can plan strategically, and the better off you’ll be in the long run.

Fun fact: Last year, a survey of journalists found that 53% of U.S.-based reporters do not rely on press releases for story topics at all, while only 3% solely rely on releases sent via newswires.

This tells us how traditional PR tactics now pale in comparison to the integrated techniques that forward-thinking communications professionals use today. We must constantly evolve our strategies with tailored pitches, infographics, twitter chats, videos, email marketing and more to remain relevant to and engaged with the media.

Fun fact: On a carousel of images on a web page, there’s a significant drop-off in viewing after the first image disappears. A University of Notre Dame test showed one instance of carousel click-through-rate performance: 1% clicked a feature. Of those, 89% were the first position.

This tells us that throwing as much content as possible “above the fold” does not guarantee conversions. It’s better to test what works than push as much information in front of an audience as you can.

Fun fact: In a survey of BtoB marketers, 18% said the primary goal of email marketing is to increase conversions, compared to 44% who see the goal as increasing engagement and improving brand awareness

This tells us that the continuing evolution of email marketing into more of an influence marketing channel, as opposed to a lead generation channel.

Fun fact: More than one million minutes of video are transmitted over the internet every second – making up 82% of all internet traffic, up from 73% last year.

This tells us that as consumers and businesses consume more of their information as video, video content becomes an increasingly valuable means of marketing and advertising. And with mobile video growing faster than TV, marketing should be mobile-minded from the start. Video is the future of all content.

Fun fact: BtoB buyers examine an average of five information sources before making a buying decision.

This tells us that, while an ad, media placement or owned content piece may spark a prospect’s initial interest, that’s only the start. Additional touchpoints are essential to persuade them to explore a relationship with your business or product.

Fun fact: As expected, social media marketing is the top platform for engagement. What’s less expected is that LinkedIn is in first place, with Twitter in second.

This tells us that our assumption that Facebook was easily #1 is incorrect. Good to know!

Fun fact: Cision’s 2019 State of the Media Report is full of interesting stats, but we especially page 16’s headline: “the most engaging content includes immersive visuals and data.”

This tells us that images and useful infographics are journalists’ preferred visual media. As the report says, “Focus on high-quality, relevant imagery and creative ways to display data – particularly if you can provide customized visualizations for an outlet.”

Fun fact: Total spending on influencer marketing in BtoB channels was $81 billion in 2016 – and is projected to reach $101 billion by 2020.

This tells us how significant the role of influencer marketing is becoming in B2B. The right influencer can share and sell a company’s story in a compelling and credible manner, and this stat suggests this tactic is becoming commonplace in many strategic campaigns.

Fun fact: 55% of business professionals say a great story captures their focus and keeps them engaged with content.

This tells us that as businesses push out more content, it’s getting ever harder to capture someone’s attention. This stat reminds us that quantity is less important than quality – if you can tell a story, you’ll capture more eyes, keep their attention, and just maybe sell your product or service.

Fun fact: Including emojis can make your message more memorable. Emojis in a tweet can increase engagement by 25%, while in a Facebook post they can boost likes by 57% and comments and shares by 33%.

This tells us there are always new ways to keep our communication human and humorous. And now at last we can make a genuine business case for using the octopus emoji!

Fun fact: 83% of buyers say thought leadership builds trust in an organization.

This tells us that in a crowded marketplace of ideas, it’s not enough to have a voice – you must also cut through the clutter. By investing in executive thought leadership, your company can stake its claim on a topic of interest to your buyers, laying the seeds for a fruitful business relationship.

Fun fact: While TV and radio audiences are declining, niche media such as podcasts and streaming services are growing.

This tells us how media is shifting as new generations arise. Consumers on these newer, free platforms are more willing to listen to ads; therefore, more ad placements should take advantage of these receptive audiences.

Fun fact: Two out of five millennials say they started or deepened their relationship with a company because its products or services positively impact the environment or society. The same percentage say they have stopped or lessened their relationship with those that make a negative impact.

This tells us about the increasing impact of corporate social responsibility on consumer buying habits. It gives us hope that more people are starting to care about the effect that companies have on the world.

Fun fact: Facebook is the social platform most used by both B2C and B2B marketers. B2B marketers favor LinkedIn and are also more likely to use Twitter.

This tells us it’s helpful to know what platforms B2B marketers put their energy and resources toward, how they utilize each platform and how they adapt different marketing strategies on each.

Fun fact: Across B2B companies, the percentage of marketing qualified leads (MQLs) that turn into sales qualified leads (SQLs) – accepted by the Sales organization as worth pursuing – ranges from 0.9% for email leads to 31.3% for website leads, with an overall average of 13%.

This tells us SQLs are the true measure of marketing value since only they have the potential to generate revenue.

Fun fact: One-third of B2B CMOs will shift away from “blunt outbound methods” and reorient around customer outcomes. That means they’ll look to leverage portfolio marketing to segmentation (or microsegementation) as they move their organizations toward true individualizations.

This tells us the shift is on for B2B marketers – but, like repositioning an aircraft carrier, it will take time. CMOs should not beat themselves up for not making this happen overnight. As they say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Fun fact: Context is essential to understanding the significance of any datapoint. For example: there are 1 million electric cars in the U.S. Sales of electric cars are growing at 26% per year. Tesla is producing 100,000 electric cars per month. All of these numbers are meaningless without context.

This tells us that only with appropriate context – the fact that there are 276 million cars in America – can we understand that electric cars are 0.3% of the total number of cars on the road. And that 26% growth means going from 200,000 cars sold in 2018 to 252,000 in 2019.

Fun fact: No matter the size of the organization, data is the key to creating a better experience between companies and individuals. Integrating marketing and data paves the way for a more personal, higher quality engagement experience.

This tells us that integrating marketing and data paves the way for a more personal, higher quality engagement experience.

Fun fact: 65% of those aged 25 to 49 speak to their voice-enabled devices at least once a day.

This tells us that the smartspeaker revolution continues to gain traction. Voice assistants will increasingly be imbedded everywhere, not just our personal devices. As marketers, we need to consider the growing use of voice technology in future campaigns.

There you have it: twenty datapoints to muse on as you sip that poolside piña colada. However you’re spending your summer, we hope you enjoy. And we’ll back with you in September.