In the face of what appears to a looming economic recession, business-to-business marketers should beef up their measurement technology so they’re ready when the chief financial officer comes calling, said a report released earlier this week by Forrester Research.
“In the face of a possible downturn, measurement tools and reports help defend key marketing programs and spending long before the CFO shows up to slash the budget,” said the report by analyst Laura Ramos.
Forrester also recommends that b-to-b marketers upgrade their Web experience to help shift costs from more expensive channels, such as advertising and broadcast. The report recommends that any Web spending be on initiatives aimed at engaging buyers and helping them complete goals, not on superficial luxury upgrades such as complicated graphics.
“If your design agency or Web designers can’t answer these two basic questions—‘Is our site designed outside in?’ and ‘Who comes to use our site and what do they need to accomplish there?’—then it’s time to find someone who can,” said the report.
Forrester also recommends b-to-b marketers deepen their knowledge of best-customer profiles, and give resellers, distributors and suppliers new ways to hook into their online systems. To cut training costs, Forrester recommends taking advantage of newly available teleconferencing technology.
The report stems from a survey of 32 marketing heads at b-to-b companies taken in the third quarter of 2007.
U.S. Gross Domestic Product growth abruptly plummeted to an annual rate of 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2007, compared to a respectable 4.9% in the third quarter, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. At the same time, a government report on Tuesday revealed that U.S. wholesale prices skyrocketed by 7.4% in the 12 months leading up to January, the sharpest rise since 1981.
Network
