Given the near-constant economic volatility over the past few years and the ongoing tech explosion, it’s nearly impossible to find an aspect of business that’s remained unscathed. Due to a conglomerate of external and internal factors, the trajectory of modern buying experiences has evolved with the times. According to the “2024 B2B Buyer Behavior Benchmark Survey,” the two biggest impacts of the market landscape on B2B research and buying habits include:

• Purchase delays due to budget freezes 34%
• Fostering an environment that requires more hands-on attention and engagement from solution providers 26%

With the lens clearly tightening on spending across the board, this survey report will analyze the current habits of B2B buyers, with a focus on the steps needed to advocate for solutions and prove their value. Specifically, this report will:

• Provide a generalized overview of the average B2B buying timeline;
• Uncover where and how buyers are researching purchases, with a focus on the role of social media and growing influence of online advertisements;
• Share buyers’ tactical, step-by-step approaches to engaging with vendors once they decide what solution they’d like to purchase; and
• Break the third wall with insights from B2B buyers into how vendors and solution providers can enhance their processes and create a more seamless experience.

The post Discerning B2B Buyers Rely On Vendor Knowledge, In-Depth Research & Peer Reviews To Guide Buying Decisions appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

Throughout this special report, we’ll discuss the current landscape of marketing measurement and attribution, with a focus on:

• The key channels and metrics businesses are tracking, with a focus on how sales and marketing are being measured;
• Where ABM fits into overall strategies and how practitioners monitor it;
• The ongoing battle in prioritizing brand or demand, with insights into maximizing both strategies;
• How to track and connect activities across all stages of the buyer’s journey; and
• A look into the future of measurement and attribution.

The post Increased Tech Adoption & Data Reliance Re-Shaping 2024 Marketing Measurement & Attribution Processes appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

Independent, collaborative and communicative are the three primary adjectives attributed to B2B prospects and buyers, as the “2024 Content Preferences Benchmark Survey” revealed that content preferences are shifting away from long-winded, gated pieces into shareable, social-friendly assets. When asked about how they used content to inform their research/decision-making over the past 12 months:

• 89% of survey respondents downloaded and consumed assets they found themselves;
• 72% shared content with relevant team members and, of the colleagues who received content, 57% downloaded and consumed those assets; and
• 46% reviewed more content on social media.

Interestingly, despite buyers’ marked preference for self-service journeys, it appears that B2B practitioners backslid into old (read: bad) habits. For example, 51% of buyers said content was too generic and irrelevant to their needs in 2024, while just 38% had the same grievance in 2023. Similarly, another 51% indicated there were too many steps involved to access content, which only 30% griped about in 2023. When asked to dive deeper into their content consumption peeves, respondents pointed to:

• An overwhelming amount of available content 56%
• Content is not objective/too much of a sales pitch 54%
• Uninformative or boring content 39%

In other words? Ouch!

But here’s the good news: Practitioners who might have missed the mark in 2023 are primed to hit the bullseye by adapting their content structure to better align with prospect and customer demands. Throughout this report, we’ll discuss the evolution of content preferences over the past 12 months, with a focus on:

• Buyers’ preference for shorter content formats that concisely convey relevant information;
• Why buyers value content that can be easily shared with colleagues and across social media platforms;
• How the increasing reliance on mobile devices for consuming content requires optimizing content for mobile viewing and sharing;
• The role of visual elements such as infographics and videos and images to enhance the digestibility of content; and
• The role of actionable insights or valuable takeaways in a condensed format to help buyers quickly grasp content.

The Shift Toward Shorter, Digestible Content

Perhaps one of the most unique nuances of the self-service buyer is the speed they consume content — as prospects and buyers put the bulk of the research and decision-making processes on themselves, they’re opting for quick content that’s easier to digest. Specifically, when asked about the content formats that they found most valuable in their decision-making process, the top two answers were short-form content (67%) and webinars/digital events (65%). Webinars, in particular, experienced significant growth over the past year, as only 52% of buyers found them valuable in 2023.

Keeping Pace With Accelerating Buyers’ Journeys

Further reflecting buyers’ haste in their journeys is the drop in interactive content’s appeal, as just 38% found it to be a draw — compared to 49% in 2023.

Of course, buying journeys are never one size fits all — but one size does fit most. While the needs of individual prospects and buyers will (obviously) vary, there are some guidelines in place that marketers can follow.

Understanding & Implementing Feedback

While it’s always nice to know the content preferences of buyers in a general sense, it’s also important to determine what’s resonating with them and what’s not. When we handed the survey respondents the microphone to share advice with our readers, the first area they tackled was organization. Solution/product 48%

The post Navigating The Attention Economy Via Snack-able & Shareable Content appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

While there’s still an undercurrent of economic uncertainty, channel ecosystem professionals are somewhat confident that significant gains in revenue attributed to partners are possible. Specifically, 71% of respondents to the “2024 Channel Partner Marketing Benchmark Survey” anticipated that partner-generated revenue will climb more than 10% this year, while one-quarter anticipated more modest increases between 1% and 10%.

As companies strive to better engage current customers and prospects at every step of the buyer’s journey, this report will review data that suggests a more disciplined approach to channel program planning and operations in 2024. This includes:

• Maintaining more manageable rosters to partners;
• Adjusting programs to include and support non-transacting partners such as referrers and influencers, and
• Aligning channel partner marketing support activities with the digital, self-service B2B buyers’ journeys.

The post Channel/Partner Marketing Benchmark Survey appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

• How companies are approaching their brand building and demand generation efforts, with a focus on the top tools and strategies;
• The prioritization of lead acquisition over the retention-based strategies of years past;
• How organizations are leveraging intent data to inform their campaigns and inform their online advertisements;
• The top priorities and emerging trends for B2B practitioners; and
• An inside look at budgetary trends and allotment distributions.

The post 2024 Demand Generation Benchmark Survey: The Renaissance Of ABM & Urgent Adoption Of Intent Data appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

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