Larger businesses are more likely than medium-sized businesses to have a coordinated and strategic approach to inbound marketing across all media channels. This is according to a new report [download page] from London Research and BlueVenn, which found that 42% of large businesses say they have a coordinated and strategic approach, compared to 25% of medium-sized businesses.
The report reveals that medium-sized businesses (36%) are more likely than large businesses (20%) to characterize their inbound efforts as a portfolio of digital lead generation tactics to attract leads to their website or e-commerce store.
Along with other reported benefits, using a customer data platform (CDP) appears to up the likelihood that a business will coordinate customer journeys across digital and offline channels. Close to two-thirds (63%) of the B2B and B2C businesses surveyed report that they currently use a CDP (up from 51% in 2019). Of those, 4 in 10 say they have synchronized/coordinated customer journeys across offline and digital channels that flow over a period of time and are triggered by customer behaviors, compared to 24% of those businesses not currently using a CDP.
In reference to maximizing conversion to purchase from new visits to their website or e-commerce site, CDP users are close to three times more likely to be employing an integrated cross-channel approach to lead nurturing — including lead scoring, customer segmentation, conversion journey management with triggered communications in response to an action or behavior. Non-CDP users were more likely to say they do not actively manage new leads through to conversion (32%) than CDP users (19%).
Few businesses appear to have fully integrated their owned media with other visitor interactions. Only 1 in 10 (9%) say there is a seamless experience across all offline and digital touchpoints. Instead, a plurality (39%) report a basic integration of their website with triggered or follow-up email or mobile communications. Likewise, only 16% report that personalization of their website or e-commerce site is based on all offline and digital variables.
The research also finds that only about one-quarter (23%) of businesses are using advanced customer data analytics to support real-time or time-based triggered messaging and personalization, while one-third (32%) are applying and maintaining basic segment models to target and personalize their marketing programs.
Furthermore, although one of the most important capabilities of a CDP is a single customer view across channels and devices, only 1 in 5 (19%) businesses surveyed have a full, cross-channel single customer view.
The full report can be downloaded here.
About the Data: Results are based on a global survey of 235 organizations with annual revenues of at least $50 million. Respondents come from a mix of B2B and B2C companies and are primarily located in the US (42%) and the UK (38%).
