Report: B2B message delivery, alignment needs work

"The results of Aberdeen's survey acknowledge the pain points of many B2B companies today when it comes to increasing qualified leads and revenue," said Tim Riesterer, chief strategy and marketing officer for Corporate Visions. "Marketing and sales teams need to work together to create a more integrated, customer-centric approach to message development and delivery, especially in selling conversations. In other words, only those companies that can effectively tell an engaging and unique story will be successful in capturing the market share they are looking for to meet their revenue goals."

"In the era of the hidden sales cycle and content marketing, the days of marketing and sales working in isolation are long gone," said Peter Ostrow, vice president and group director, sales effectiveness, Aberdeen Group. "The integrated demand funnel demands that marketing design programs and content that shape the buyer's vision, and that sales understands the context of that buyer's journey and how to engage it effectively."

According to the report:

• 68% say their top goal is increasing top line revenue
• 45% say increasing lead quality is their top goal
• 53% say differentiating the messaging adds pressure to their job
• 74% of brands are pushing collaboration between sales and marketing staffs rather than producing ad content in silos

Tags: advertising, B2B marketing, Corporate Visions, message alignment