1.
YOUR 2014 MARKETING
BUDGET BY THE NUMBERS —
EVERYTHING THAT ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE MARKETERS NEED TO KNOW
1

2.
NUMBERS: THE BEAUTIFUL TRUTH
The ancient Greeks were right. All of the secrets of the
world can be found in numbers. You can capture the
shape of a cloud in a single fractal. If you know the
variables and ratios, you can do anything.
Having a tough time knowing how to spread your 2014
marketing budget around? We got this. This ain’t our first
rodeo. We know enterprise software marketing from every
angle. And we’re happy to help you out.
2

3.
HOW MUCH TO BUDGET?
It depends. What are you trying to accomplish?
CAPTURE MARKET SHARE:
Figure 25-50% of gross revenue
for sales and marketing. Get 100%
or more if you can swing it. That’s
what it takes to win a category.
DRIVE PROFIT:
If you don’t have a rich uncle or
a VC and need to show a profit,
your marketing budget needs
to be 5% of gross revenue.
3

4.
PROGRAMS 58% | PEOPLE 42%
PROGRAMS
PEOPLE
58%
42%
P+P
After you get your budget, here’s how you split it.
You might have to tinker with this, depending on
whether you intend to take on more work in-house or
outsource it. And when you’re spending on people,
choose quality over quantity. Your best buy is a hardworking, roll-up-the-sleeves marketing director. The
hardest positions to hire are demand gen ninjas and
anyone good in product marketing.
4

5.
EVENTS: 23% OF PROGRAMS
Live events are the biggest movers in demand generation.
Don’t try to hit every show. Focus on the two or three
that matter, and go big.
Some of the other big buckets of program spending:
ADVERTISING (PRINT AND DIGITAL): 21%
MARKETING SUPPORT: 18%
DIRECT MARKETING: 14%
5

6.
MEDIA: 25-33% OF PROGRAMS
Which enterprise software marketers need
to buy media? All of them.
Media are your access to your target market. Traditionally, buying
industry media at high CPMs was the only way to do it. That’s
changing. Programmatic ad buying and behavioral targeting give
you greater reach at lower CPMs. And digital channels offer much
more focused tracking. That means you can see the ROI more
easily. Your CFO will like that.
6

7.
BRAND 50% | DEMAND 50%
BRAND
DEMAND
50%
50%
B+D
The biggest mistake that enterprise software marketers
make? Thinking that they can’t afford brand awareness.
You can build your brand without slapping your logo
on NASCAR. You can do it in ways that drive leads. But
you must build a brand that resonates at an emotional,
values level with your target market. Ignore this advice at
your own peril.
7

8.
CONTENT MARKETING: 97% OF B2B MARKETERS DO IT…
… and the other 3% are trapped under something heavy
and can’t hit the publish button.
White papers and webinars have traditionally worked great as early-stage offers.
Now that’s giving way to infographics and e-books. And here’s a question we get a
lot: What’s the ideal length for a white paper? It’s getting shorter.
WHITE PAPER LENGTH
1,800 words
1,500 words
1,200 words
2010
2012
2014
Write short. Pick quality over
quantity. And deliver the right
message to the right buyer at the
right moment. That’s context —
a word you’ll hear a lot in 2014.
8

9.
WHO’S NO. 1 IN SOCIAL MEDIA?
A little bird told me the answer is Twitter.
We’ve confirmed that with real-world
experience. You can build brand and
generate demand there.
There are lots of cool new LinkedIn
programs. There’s also a surprising
amount of bang for your buck in Facebook.
Google+ authorship is essential.
But rock out the 140 for your best ROI.
9

10.
GO MOBILE FIRST
Forget responsive. Just
design all of your online
properties for mobile.
And if you haven’t yet, you’d better
allocate some budget for that. (FYI –
like 5% of your program budget.)
You’re out of runway. You’ve got to
fix this. Like now.
10

11.
AND IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING
Get your message and position right.
Differentiate.
Be clear.
Connect with emotion.
Talk about values.
Be bold.
11

12.
GOT IT? IF NOT, CALL US.
Here’s some good news. No matter how far behind you think you
are, you’re still ahead of more companies than you’d think.
If you’re reading this e-book, you’re well ahead of the pack.
Want some easy, free advice? Let’s chat. We’ll give you a full planning session.
Email marketing@thestarrconspiracy.com to set something up.
About The Starr Conspiracy
You shouldn’t have to pay an agency to get to know your industry. The Starr Conspiracy already knows your market segment, who you are, and where you
fit in. We’re a strategic marketing and advertising agency devoted exclusively to enterprise software and services. When you partner with us, it’s to build
market share, multiply brand awareness, and drive sales leads — not to bone up on the basics. We’ve been “out there” for more than a decade, so you can
hit the ground running. Founded in 1999 and located in Fort Worth, Texas, The Starr Conspiracy has won eight best places to work awards and countless
creative awards. Visit us on the Web at www.thestarrconspiracy.com.
12