Fast & Easy Friday: A Recap of the Week’s Top Content Articles & Insights

Data empowers marketers, demand creators and sales teams to be more effective at their jobs and make smarter decisions. But when we think about data in the B2B world, it covers a vast spectrum: buyer-specific data, search data, content download and consumption, social data, site-click data and so much more. It’s enough to make our heads spin.

Where are B2B brands in terms of using this data to their advantage? The easy answer is, it varies. Regardless of where your business is in the journey, though, there is always room for improvement. So this week, we’re spotlighting a few articles that focus on data-driven marketing, predictive analytics and more:

  • Microsoft + LinkedIn = Data Mania: I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people were surprised by Microsoft’s announcement that it would acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. What value does the social network bring to one of the world’s largest tech companies? Apparently, the power is in the data. In a detailed report on the acquisition, Demand Gen Report news editor Brian Anderson pointed to LinkedIn’s vast user base, and how adding that user data to insights derived from Microsoft 365will help Microsoft “enhance machine learning and predictive capabilities going into the future.” This article provides a lot of great points on the news, especially around tech players’ increased need to reach business users, understand their behaviors and acquire a larger share of the market. 
  • Email lists uncover valuable buyer data: For all B2B marketers today, the goal should be to craft compelling content on topics that truly matter to their customers and prospects. This article from com reveals that email lists are one of the most valuable, yet untapped, data sources for marketers. Sure, you send emails to your list to promote new content, request meetings or maybe even ask them to participate in a survey. Obvious metrics include content downloads, number of meetings scheduled and total survey responses. But B2B brands also have the opportunity to use email to engage with buyers on a more personal level and ask them for qualitative feedback. This “unstructured” data can also play an important role in your future campaigns. And every time you send an email, track what recipients click and form hypotheses as to why. Over time, you can refer back to these behaviors and get a clear picture of what truly resonates with your subscribers. 
  • B2B marketers are puzzled by data management: The B2B Marketing Data Management Report from Openrise concluded that B2B marketers find data to be a challenge. Their top goals include improving ROI measurability (72%), improving data quality (65%) and increasing data use and accessibility (63%). Survey respondents understand the value of data: It allows them to make more accurate decisions. The problem? Many marketers fall victim to “analysis paralysis.” This is an extremely enlightening survey. If you feel like you’re struggling with data-driven marketing, you’re definitely not alone. 
  • Are you making the grade in personalization?: Using buyer behavior, content consumption and engagement data, B2B marketers can craft more compelling content and better brand experiences. Despite 85% of marketers using personalization of some kind, 55% give themselves a grade of “C” or lower, according to new research from Evergage. Reasons include lack of technology, budget, skills and knowledge.

 
How are you using data to improve content relevance? Share your experiences and best practices in the comments section below!

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