• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, November 2, 2006

A recent Whitepaper, prepared by Omniture, Inc, a software provider for data storage and analysis, brings to light some B2B marketing insights and supporting secondary data for the development of strategies and tactics. Though not primary research, it supports good background planning.

The "Paper" concludes that Business to Business marketing, in order to be competitive in the Web 2.0 environment, has to be ahead of the trends. According to the Direct Marketing Association, says the report, by 2008 online marketing efforts will be the dominant media for business-to-business initiatives. Traditional direct mail, industry print, and events and promotions will take a back seat to more efficient and sophisticated online efforts. A Forrester Research study in 2005 indicated that by 2008, online marketing will be more ubiquitous than anything except in-person events (including sales calls).

The report continues, saying that according to CMO Council / KnowledgeStorm, more than 45% of all B2B decision makers spend five or more hours every week researching product and service information, because of the ease of access and availability, and breadth and depth of the information. 89% of business users and IT professionals state that online content has a moderate to major impact on their vendor preference and selection. For most marketers, the report says, the challenges are centered on lead generation, customer relationships, and measuring results more accurately.

The study notes that, while consumers are often motivated by impulse or status, a business prospect will spend far more time researching the product or service, weighing the risks and implications, and looking for possible alternatives.

Included in the Whitepaper are several background charts, including these:

To request the PDF format report, please go here.