B2B buyers overwhelmed with digital marketing

UK B2B buyers are fielding fewer sales calls and consuming more digital material during the pandemic, but most are still delaying their purchasing decisions, a new study says.

The B2B Buyer Insights Report 2021, from durhamlane, business development specialist, and Cyance, provider of global, third-party intent data, is based on insights from over 80 B2B buyers across a wide range of industries. 

Key findings

• More than half of buyers (56%) are engaging with an increased volume of sales and marketing content.
• They report an increase in all forms of digital marketing, including a 92% increase in direct emails and a 64% increase in newsletters.
• Three quarters (74%) believe marketers contact them too often and two thirds (64%) think they do not approach them with the right information at the right time.
• Sixty percent are putting decisions on hold due to increased budget restrictions and shifting business priorities.

What buyers want 

• An understanding of the challenges they face (71%) and education on how to overcome them (69%).
• Resources and information tailored to the current stage of their buying journey (53%)
• Preferred marketing content is case studies and customer stories (70%) followed by blog posts, articles and videos (51%).

Why it matters

Eighty percent of B2B buyers report that they are happy to engage with vendors when they are ready to buy and 88% will consider a vendor if they have a positive impression before beginning their research. But the B2B buying process has changed and marketers may need to re-evaluate their marketing strategy, avoiding over-communicating with buyers and focusing instead on getting the right messages to them at the right time to show how they can help overcome their challenges.

Sourced from durhamlane [Image: durhamlane]