Eloqua Survey Reveals B2B Marketers Turning to Lead Nurturing and Conversion to
A survey conducted by marketing automation leader Eloqua at the recent Technology for Marketing & Advertising conference in London reveals that the vast majority of the marketing executives who attended believe that nurturing and converting sales inquiries into qualified leads is more important than
VIENNA, VA (April 15, 2009) –
A survey conducted by marketing automation leader Eloqua at the recent Technology for Marketing & Advertising conference in London reveals that the vast majority of the marketing executives who attended believe that nurturing and converting sales inquiries into qualified leads is more important than generating new leads in B2B marketing campaign
The survey, which took place on February 23rd, asked 80 of the top marketing executives from major European companies about their sales and marketing plans. Notably, half of respondents have a marketing automation system in place, but only 6 percent of respondents named raw lead generation as the most important component of their sales and marketing campaign. The survey also discovered that a third of the marketers didn’t know how many of their marketing leads turn into buyers, while more than 75 percent said more effective measurement would make their business more competitive.
The results support the strategies outlined in Eloqua’s new whitepaper entitled “The Springboard Effect,” which details how businesses can leverage the power of marketing automation to refine and enhance sales and marketing efforts to increase ROI and emerge even stronger after a recession.
“During economic downturns, far too many organizations spend time agonizing over where to cut back in order to recession-proof their business. Historically, the budget axe would often strike hardest in marketing because of its perceived function as a pure cost center,” said Brian Kardon, chief marketing office, Eloqua. “The results from our survey reinforce what many of today’s business leaders understand – never before has it been more important for marketing organizations to invest in solutions that enable them to better understand and track their prospects’ ‘Digital Body Language.’ Programs and processes that manage, nurture, automate and deliver a greater number of qualified leads to sales are invaluable in protecting and growing the bottom line.”
Eloqua’s survey also found that 41 percent of marketing executives reported that their sales and marketing organizations are not currently aligned. “In a tight economy, the need for a smooth hand-off of leads from marketing to sales becomes even more critical. Eloqua delivers seamless integration between sales and marketing databases as well as lead routing processes that facilitate the most efficient follow up and effective results,” continued Kardon.
For more examples of how businesses can strategically optimize their marketing and sales activities to create a competitive advantage, download a free copy of “The Springboard Effect” whitepaper at http://www.eloqua.com/resources/whitepapers/springboard_effect_recession_marketing.html.
About Eloqua
Eloqua helps clients dramatically accelerate revenue growth through Revenue Performance Management. Eloqua provides powerful business insight to inform marketing and sales decisions today that drive revenue growth tomorrow. The company’s mission is to make its customers the fastest growing companies on earth. Thousands of users rely on the power of Eloqua to execute, automate, and measure programs that accelerate revenue growth. Eloqua’s customers include Adobe, AON, Dow Jones, ADP, Fidelity, Polycom, and National Instruments. The company is headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, with offices in Toronto, London, Singapore and throughout North America. For more information, visit www.eloqua.com, subscribe to the It’s All About Revenue blog, call 866-327-8764, or email demand@eloqua.com.
Source: Eloqua