A rapid shift to hybrid work, economic uncertainty, supply chain problems, and increasing cybercrime have buyers and influencers focused on the future of work in their buying journeys. What does this mean for marketers? While account-based marketing (ABM) can help them reach the right people at the right time, having the right content is critical. Buyers want the right solution, and they want it now. But many marketers are still involved in guesswork.Â
Crafting the right message means understanding what influences customers as they research new solutions. To do this, marketers need the right data and tools. Madison Logic recently conducted a study to examine its proprietary data on five areas fueling conversations around the future of work — hybrid work, cloud infrastructure, AI, enterprise networking, and cybersecurity. The studyOpens a new window also tried to understand how this data can fuel a full-funnel ABM strategy.
The following are the insights from the study.
See more: Making Account Based Marketing Successful In Today’s Business Climate
Cloud Decision-makers Are Looking at Specific Topics
As millions of organizations moved to remote and hybrid working over the last two years, there was a radical shift in buyers researching cloud technology. Research trends show buyers may know what they want when engaging with content. For example, research for “cloud integration†saw an almost 50% increase last year, indicating buyers may be considering multi-cloud deployments or switching vendors. Cloud-as-a-service is another topic of increasing interest among buyers.Â
On the other hand, topics such as cloud-based analytics and cloud infrastructure are declining in search, most likely indicating the growing maturity in the cloud space. Since digital transformation and the cloud have been much talked about for some time, buyers seem to be less interested in the basics and more about the specifics.Â
Buyer opportunity summary
According to the study, cloud decisioning in Q1, 2022 was tech-aligned directors at large corporations. They will steer the future of work in their own departments and shape the overall cloud strategy in the company.Â
As more organizations adjust to a hybrid work model, their attention to cloud applications may include remote work. This means marketers should adjust their messaging and strategy toward other future-state cloud applications that prepare the company for new operational and staffing models geared toward efficiency and improved business impact.
Marketers Should Understand the Buyers Influencing the Future of Hybrid Work
Hybrid work is here to stay for at least some time. With hesitation among decision-makers and concerns over cybersecurity, marketers must have a deeper understanding of business buyers influencing the future of hybrid work.Â
The Great Resignation is impacting all industries and causing shifts in who influences business purchases. Employees are demanding flexibility and a hybrid work model. As a result, there is a demand for better collaboration tools and enterprise networking capabilities. As such, communication and collaboration solutions are on top of buyers’ minds.Â
According to the study, some of the topics with the highest search and engagement volume include these solution providers, like Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. Topics seeing fewer search volumes include digital workspace, document management systems (DMS), and video conferencing, indicating these are solutions companies have already pursued.
Buyer opportunity summary
Marketers will do best, focusing on buyers in large tech companies working in IT roles. According to the study, these people have shown much interest in communication and collaboration solutions in the last year. Data also showed the most interest and research in hybrid work technology was at the managerial level.
Companies Are Reconsidering Their Networks and Infrastructure
Companies are reconsidering the networks and infrastructure they put in place to endure the pandemic. They are now searching for new vendors or looking to close technology and experience gaps. According to research by IDCOpens a new window , companies are reconsidering the management and extension of their networks due to the hybrid work model. IT leaders have more on their plate regarding networks in the form of management and handling the challenges. There has been increased research and engagement for “VPN†and “High-Speed Networks,†which indicates access and speed are two major hurdles in a hybrid work model. Search for “Cisco Systems†suggests they may know about the potential solution.
Buyer opportunity summary
Campaigns targeting manager-level buyers in the technology roles at the largest organizations can capture the most attention. Enterprise networking was done in a patchwork fashion to support remote employees. Now buyers are searching for ways to help their staff connect more securely. Compared to the previous quarter, searches for “VPN†have gone up, indicating keeping privacy and security top of mind when looking for ways to shore up their network technology.
Regarding AI, Marketers Must Understand What Buyers Are Focused On
Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from being a concept to an integral part of businesses over the last couple of years. According to Verified Market ResearchOpens a new window , the market size of AI is expected to reach $641.30 billion by 2028. Since the technology has many applications, marketers must understand what exactly buyers are looking for to determine where AI will next play a role in the workplace.Â
According to the study, the topics with the highest search and engagement volume reflect the applications of ML to streamline operations, enhance customer service experience, and improve talent acquisition. Another important case study for AI is the remote/hybrid working model.
Buyer opportunity summary
While AI was once considered aspirational by SMBs, smaller companies now show a higher interest in its possibilities. Marketers can push affordability and scalability to accelerate the SMB buyer journey.
Simultaneously, IT directors at large companies are doing the most research on AI technology. Messaging around the critical topic of cybersecurity and how AI can help will be beneficial to targeting these higher trending departments.
Marketers Should Create Content Around Specific Cyber Threats
Cyberthreats and vulnerabilities are at an all-time high. Further, cybersecurity is paramount in hybrid work culture. Based on the top trending topics, marketers should create content around specific vulnerabilities and threats buyers are trying to educate themselves on, especially ransomware and zero-day exploits.
According to the study, research and engagement for “Anti-virus†and “Malware Detection†increased by over 60% last year. Similarly, “Zero-Day Threat†saw a lift of 47%. With the growing need for cybersecurity in the hybrid work era, buyers are focused on addressing these problems this year.
Buyer opportunity summary
The study found that engineering and technology roles are engaging more with cybersecurity content. However, marketing is saturated toward IT roles. Cyber resilience has become a necessity than an option for businesses. Marketers will find that many companies across industries are pushing cybersecurity solutions into their infrastructure. But marketers will also have to identify who is making decisions. Simultaneously, they should target SMBs with content that educates them about specific cybersecurity deployments and help them understand how they can protect themselves while staying within their budget.
The Four Pillars of Data-driven ABM
According to LinkedInOpens a new window , over $1 trillion is wasted each year in the U.S. alone, owing to a lack of coordination between the marketing and sales teams. The solution is to use better, differentiated data to deliver the necessary content and messaging to the buyers/buying committee based on their needs, challenges, and aspirations to make an informed decision.
For marketers, here are the four pillars to consider when executing a data-driven ABM strategy:
- Marketing and sales alignment
- Knowing the buyer(s)
- Match content to the buyer’s journey
- Measure the pipeline and revenue impact
See more: Conversational ABM: A Solution to the Personalization at Scale Challenge
The Power of Data To Accelerate the Buyer’s Journey
Data is the backbone of a successful ABM strategy. While today’s marketers have access to massive amounts of data, there is still the question of how to unify it to target their best accounts and activate the right strategy to accelerate them through the buyer’s journey. To do this, marketers should break down data silos and focus on a cross-channel approach to targeting and content activation to deliver the right content to the right person at the right time.
When teams agree on target accounts and deliver the messaging touchpoints to nurture key decision-makers, the entire revenue organization can meet changing customer expectations and win more deals.
How are you leveraging data to power your ABM strategy? Let us know on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .