B2B buyers overwhelmed with digital marketing | WARC | The Feed

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]