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More Leads
An inside look at how progressive BtoB organizations
are jumping off the treadmill of traditional,
underperforming marketing channels and improving
the efficiency of their sales and marketing by
repurposing existing content and publishing it in new
formats.

Sponsored by

Every day some 247 billion emails are sent.
“The variety of formats now
That’s some 90 trillion per year. And the
available for marketers to use
reality of the flooded inbox is that traditional
media channels, such as email, only generate
is expanding fast. We can
response rates in the 1% to 3% range. now easily create and share
According to SiriusDecisions data, the number video, podcasts, slide decks,
of campaigns received per week for the average widgets and more.”
buyer has increased 32% since 2006, with the
- Ardath Albee, author of eMarketing
average buyer now receiving 20.3 campaigns Strategies for the Complex Sale

weekly.
Sale.” “We can now easily create and share
So how do you ensure that your company’s video, podcasts, slide decks, widgets and
message is heard? How do you create more.”
compelling and timely marketing content that
can stand out in the inbox and rise above the In an interview with DemandGen Report,

clutter and competition? The old batch and Albee said that some sectors are likely to

blast mentality of email marketing has clearly see increased open rates and click-thru rates

passed its prime, and the overcrowding and low by delivering content in a variety of formats,

turnout for webinars has made it harder to truly which is becoming the obvious preference of a

engage prospects in that format. growing number of executives. “Embrace the
interactive opportunities and make sure your
To successfully get prospects to raise their keywords and titles help your content get found
hands and engage with offers, BtoB marketers by those searching,” Albee said. “Your web site
need to provide content that is targeted, is not the only place for your content to live.
engaging and delivered in a compelling Spread it around and watch who participates
multimedia format, via multiple channels and with it. You may be surprised by new market
accessible on multiple types of devices. insights you wouldn’t have otherwise thought to
consider.”
Many progressive companies are refreshing
content that has grown stale sitting on the shelf This white paper will provide an inside look
by updating the messaging and putting it into at how leading marketers are reaching more
new, more interactive formats. “The variety of prospects by repurposing existing content
formats now available for marketers to use is and delivering it in a creative, targeted and
expanding fast” said Ardath Albee, author of the measurable format that fuels successful lead
book “eMarketing Strategies for the Complex generation—while also saving time and money.

2 • A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER

THE CAMPAIGN REFRESH “Every prospect has a different
The reality for most marketers today is that way they like to absorb content.
they are being asked to do more with less. Some people prefer traditional
They typically need to feed more leads—as well
white papers and webinars,
as better qualified leads—to their sales team,
but others are looking for more
while working with budgets that are leaner
interactive formats that they can
than in past years. In order to succeed in this
turn on at their leisure.”
challenging climate, marketers need to have
at their disposal a pool of sales and marketing - Brian Kardon, CMO of Eloqua

content that they can glean from and craft
customized campaigns to reach prospects campaigns, provide no real engagement metrics

at any time—quickly—throughout the buying after a prospect downloads. “As a marketer,

cycle. And that means continually refreshing you have no real idea if they read the paper or if

campaign content from multiple sources that they passed it along to members of their team,”

can be repurposed in creative ways that focus Kardon said. “Tools like Brainshark give us

on the specific areas of interest of your target intelligence into when they viewed the content

audiences. and how long they stayed engaged.”

Brian Kardon, CMO of Eloqua, one of the In addition to seeing increased “absorption”

top marketing automation providers, said and improved engagement metrics, Kardon

Eloqua, as well as many of his clients, are now said multimedia platforms are helping BtoB

incorporating more on-demand multimedia marketers stretch their marketing dollars by

platforms like Brainshark into their demand migrating existing content messages into new

generation campaigns. “Every prospect has formats.

a different way they like to absorb content,”
To engage prospects in their preferred medium,
Kardon said. “Some people prefer traditional
progressive marketers have learned it is critical
white papers and webinars, but others are
to deliver their message in a customized,
looking for more interactive formats that they
targeted presentation that is short, to-the-point
can turn on at their leisure.”
and utilizes multimedia tools. To be heard above

Although webinars are typically offered on- the noise and clutter of email for example,

demand, Kardon pointed out that they are utilizing video, audio and tracking tools offer

somewhat “time-locked,” which can limit a better response rate coupled with a better

their effectiveness. And white papers, which return on investment than traditional benign

are still a staple of many demand generation email blasts and bulky attachments.


MAPPING CONTENT “In order to get attention,
The reality of engaging prospects across marketers must develop
different mediums with different messages valuable, relevant, compelling
requires a coordinated library of content where and consistent messages so
you can cherry-pick the message, data and that prospects actually ‘opt-in’
information that you need to reach specific to receive the marketing. It’s the
customers or a database of prospects. And, ultimate non-sell. Tomorrow’s
working with budget constraints, most
marketing is all about publishing.”
marketers need to accomplish this at a - Joe Pulizzi, Chief Content Officer of Junta42

reasonable cost. Albee advises marketers to
create an editorial/content calendar to help are all fueled by content. Lots of it,” Albee said.

identify how content development efficiencies “That puts a lot of pressure on limited marketing

can be achieved. resources to churn out not only volume, but
also quality content that delivers a consistent
Albee is an advocate of the “Rule of Five” when storyline to a variety of target markets and
it comes to content. The Rule of Five simply customers.”
states that each and every content development
undertaking should produce content assets For example, one white paper can help you

that can be used five different ways in order create five ancillary pieces of content:

to increase the efficiency of your spend and
• A series of articles or blog posts;
engage prospects in their preferred medium.
• Several articles and a few blog posts;
“Lead nurturing, inbound pull, social networks,
• Several scripts for multimedia slidecasts
blogs, email and other e-marketing activities
(slides plus audio);

• A webinar on the same topic (give the
white paper away as a bonus);

• Targeted, multimedia emails;

Further, the Rule of Five is designed to help
marketers provide targeted content all along the
purchasing cycle—quickly and efficiently. But
the trick today is to take that content and deliver
it via formats that resonate with the target


audience. This approach greatly increases the
“By eliminating the need for
odds that it will be opened and ideally tracked
registration in order to gain
to facilitate a targeted sales call designed to
personally engage a prospect.
access to your white papers,
eBooks, and other valuable
THINKING LIKE A PUBLISHER content, you remove the
According to Joe Pulizzi, co-author of the
initial barriers to building
book “Get Content, Get Customers” and
Chief Content Officer of Junta42, a web site
relationships with prospects.”
that focuses on custom content strategies, - Jon Miller, VP of Marketing of Marketo

marketers should view themselves as publishers
Pulizzi said marketers need to create consistent
and their customers and prospects as readers.
and compelling content like any publisher.
The increased focus on feeding social media,
And in today’s world, that requires utilizing
search engine optimization and lead generation
multiple channels. It’s also important to get
has led to what Pulizzi has called the “perfect
more mileage out of your content by slicing
storm of content.”
and dicing it to target prospects all along the

Recent research from Junta42 supports the discovery through purchasing cycle.

premise that content continues to be king, as
Another key point marketers need to
more and more marketers shift their spending
remember—in thinking as publishers—is that
to conversational messages. The 2010 Content
their content must be more attractive and
Marketing Survey found 59% of marketing
compelling than the other offers arriving on a
professionals plan to increase their spending
reader’s desk or landing in their inbox. That
on content marketing this year. The marketing
includes the delivery vehicle too. Sending out
professionals polled in the survey indicated
a broad benign email coupled with a 50-slide
they are planning to allocate an all-time high of
PowerPoint attachment is guaranteed to end
33% of their overall budget to custom efforts.
up in the trash bin. “You have to examine the
“Customers are finding more ways to block
analytics and see what works and what does
unwanted messages,” Pulizzi said. “In order to
not, so you can adjust and deliver messaging
get attention, marketers must develop valuable,
that is on target and engaging,” Pulizzi said.
relevant, compelling and consistent messages
so that prospects actually ‘opt-in’ to receive the Further, it’s important to create within your
marketing. It’s the ultimate non-sell. Tomorrow’s company—like any publisher worth his/her
marketing is all about publishing.” salt—analytic tools to gain deep knowledge of


your customers/readers. And that entails having to give up on measurement. It is now more
real-time tools in place to capture data in order important than ever that content messaging
to push out targeted and engaging content to be measured, analyzed and repurposed in
increase product interest, lead generation and, multiple formats and media to continually target
ultimately, sales. prospects throughout the purchasing cycle.

REMOVING THE GATES IMPACTING THE SELLING PROCESS
While the traditional strategy to marry content Tim Riesterer, a 20-year marketing veteran
marketing with lead generation was built with a diverse sales, marketing and advertising
around putting offers such as white papers and corporate portfolio, and co-author of
webinars out through gated registration forms— “Customer Message Management: Increase
requiring prospects to supply their contact Marketing’s Impact on Selling,” has become an
information in exchange for the content—the evangelist for on-demand presentations, stating
explosion of social media has rewritten the rules that they are the best sales tool marketing has
on content distribution. ever created.

David Meerman Scott, author of “New Rules “What we discovered is that a very brief email
of Marketing & PR,” recently estimates content that compels somebody to click on a link to
from white papers and eBooks would be watch something with the promise that it will
downloaded between 20 times to 50 times more be brief, hard hitting and insightful, is way more
if they were offered without a registration gate in powerful than email alone,” he said.
front of the download.
As CMO of Corporate Visions, a Nevada-based
In a recent blog post titled “Seed Nurturing and company that helps clients create, deliver and
the Future of Lead Nurturing,” Jon Miller, VP sustain messages that offer a differentiated
of marketing at marketing automation vendor customer experience at the point of sale,
Marketo, agrees that social media is changing Riesterer knows about compressing complex
the rules of communicating with prospects. “By sales messages. The firm helps companies
eliminating the need for registration in order translate the 30,000-foot company message
to gain access to your white papers, eBooks, into a three-foot customer conversation in a
and other valuable content, you remove the way that sets them apart from competitors,
initial barriers to building relationships with communicates value and wins more profitable
prospects,” Miller wrote. business.

However, shifting to ungated delivery models Riesterer explains that his company doesn’t
doesn’t mean sales and marketing can afford send out a single email without a Brainshark

link to it. Riesterer uses Brainshark email a 70% improvement in the ability to get hold
campaigns to launch new products, notify of someone following a Brainshark email,
customers of events, and share industry compared to when we just sent out a regular
research and thought-leadership content. email in the past,” notes Riesterer.

“Basically the email contains one sentence and Riesterer also says people have tuned-out
three bullet points that compel a reader to click regular email solicitations—and the low
the link to watch a two-minute presentation,” response rates reflect that downward spiral.
Riesterer explains, adding: “We drive people With spam filters and firewalls blocking emails
quickly to the online presentation—which is with attachments, the odds further decrease
trackable—and then we can follow up with a that your email will ever being opened. “Even
phone call.” click-through or open rates have been a poor
judge to determine if a person has any qualified
Knowing the analytics of what recipients viewed
interest ... because you can’t tell how serious
and how long they viewed a presentation,
that person is about your product, which
provides immediate feedback to the sales team.
can burn a lot of marketing cycles on poorly
Sales can then tailor a follow-up call based on
qualified interest leads,” he says.
the touch points of the recipient captured from
the analytics. Utilizing Brainshark, Riesterer can respond
to serious prospects fast because the
And because the sales team is armed with
sophisticated tracking mechanism allows him
exact knowledge of a prospect’s interest, the
to know what the prospect is focused on. For
odds increase dramatically to reach prospects
example, he points to a webcast sent out to
with a follow-up phone call because the sales
prospects and found that it quickly went viral
team can strike a chord with the viewer’s
and was passed around to 100 different people
top-of-mind interest. “I’d say we have seen
who viewed the presentation. “This was spurred
from one original viewer who passed it along,
and we tracked it, which enabled us to track the
behavior of as it went around the inside of our
prospect’s company,” he said.

Because Brainshark is used for all lead-
generation digital marketing initiatives, Riesterer
says 45% of his qualified leads in the sales


pipeline were generated from utilizing the data
captured from a Brainshark marketing initiative.

“I can tell you the source,” he explains, “and
that basically is the fabric of our demand-
generation promotional campaigns, event
promotions, and sales follow-up. Every product
we have has a Brainshark, so when somebody
asks me about our products, we don’t send a
two-page overview, we send a Brainshark,” he the investigative and purchasing cycle. Further,
adds. the company knows that its technical product
information has to reach numerous people
Riesterer stresses that Brainshark puts his sales
involved in purchasing decisions. And, that
and marketing team in a position to guide and
information needs to be direct in order to stave-
facilitate their messaging throughout the buying
off distortion that can occur when information is
cycle—with real analytical knowledge—rather
passed from one person to another—especially
than just “hoping that they watched or read
when targeting a diverse global technical
something,” he said.
community.

CASE IN POINT: A NEW WAY TO A tall order, indeed. But Malvern’s marketing

DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE — team discovered a strategy that allows it to

AND INCREASE RESPONSE craft—and repurpose—its library of print, digital

As a leading supplier of analytical solutions and and event marketing materials to increase lead

instruments that measure the complexities of generation and response rates, and to better

macro molecules and nanomaterials, Malvern communicate with its existing customer base.

Instruments serves a global—and highly
“Scientists thirst for good information, and
technical—customer base. Headquartered in
because they live on the web, they want it
the United Kingdom, Malvern constantly strives
now,” says Randy Byrne, VP of Marketing, at
to engage highly technical decision-makers with
Malvern’s U.S. headquarters in Westborough,
need-to-know-now data, specifications and
MA. “But many people in our industry
information—fast.
(marketing) still approach marketing like they

And that requires Malvern to utilize an array did 20 years ago … information today has to be

of digital marketing tools that can be quickly targeted, delivered fast and measured,” he said.

crafted—and delivered—during every stage of


To that end, Malvern initiated an email strategy
“Information today has to
using the Brainshark application that delivers
targeted, engaging, and most importantly,
be targeted, delivered fast
measurable marketing and sales information and measured.”
that increases response rates to the point where - Randy Byrne, VP of Marketing of Malvern
they don’t even measure ROI anymore.
can examine the analytics and follow-up with a
“We call it switching on the light,” explained
phone call—knowing that the prospect already
Byrne. The “light” he refers to is the lead-
has expressed interest in a specific product or
generation response rate attained by sending
solution.
out targeted emails powered by Brainshark.
“When we send out an email blast, we’ll say
Here’s how it works: Byrne will generally
up front how long the presentation is so the
email out audio/video presentations to a
recipient can either view it immediately or set
targeted audience gleaned from its customer/
aside time to view the presentation later,” Byrne
prospect database. The key is to keep the
said. He adds that because the Brainshark
email introduction short and move the recipient
emails capture the recipient’s data, “we can
to click to the presentation. Here again, the
continue to send that person very specific
recipient is informed that the presentation
emails because we already know they have
will only take a few minutes of his/her time.
expressed interest in a specific product.”
When the prospect opens the email and clicks
the link to the presentation, the prospect’s
information is captured and the marketing team


CONCLUSION
By graduating from a one-and-done approach to content marketing, leading BtoB
organizations are optimizing their offers by transforming stale content into more
immersive, interactive mediums. Since executives are more comfortable accessing
content in digital formats, they are able to measure and track prospect engagement
beyond simple open rates to get detailed analytical data.

“Marketers need to consider that every touch point leaves an impression,” Albee said.
“When consistent, the cumulative effect of these impressions builds credibility through
the delivery of information and insights considered valuable from the prospect’s
perspective. This is why one-off touches don’t work well. They tend to be all over the
board based on whatever the company thinks is important at the time. This tells a
disjointed story in the eyes of your audience.”

Rather than living with the low response rates of traditional email marketing or settling
for less than half of webinar registrants actually showing up for the event, many
marketers are taking steps to stop pouring their budgets into the same old channels.
As a successful alternative, many progressive companies are breaking out of the
traditional e-mail blast and webinar cycle and attracting qualified prospects with more
desirable and differentiated offers utilizing interactive and measurable platforms.


ABOUT BRAINSHARK
Brainshark is the leader in on-demand multimedia for business.
The company’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform enables
businesspeople to create relevant, timely, measurable content
that their audiences can access anytime, anywhere, on almost
any type of device. Marketers use Brainshark to drive demand,
launch new products, and increase mindshare with their
prospects, customers, employees and partners.

ABOUT DEMANDGEN REPORT
DemandGen Report is a targeted e-media publication spotlighting
the strategies and solutions that help companies better align
their sales and marketing organizations, and ultimately, drive
growth. A key component of our coverage focuses on the sales
and marketing automation tools that enable companies to better
measure and manage their multi-channel demand generation
efforts.

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