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THE STATE OF IN B2B MARKETING Benchmark Report ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITHTHE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING Introduction Executive Summary Why B2B Marketers Cant Ignore AIs Promise and Potential in 2019 Marketers give themselves a C+ on understanding AI Most are Already Evaluating or Implementing AI, but Few are Using AI Solutions Perceived Value of AI Highest for MarTech Top AI Applications Relate to Top of Funnel Low Hanging AI Fruit Still on the Tree More Buying than Building Data Scientists on Board Marketers Are Bullish on the Time-to-Value of AI Great Expectations for AI AI Poised to Revolutionize Marketing and Sales Performance Most Forecast Double-Digit Percentage Revenue Lift From AI Within Two Years Biggest Barriers: Skills and Cost Optimism for AI is High Conclusion and Action Plan Acknowledgements About Demand Metric Appendix: Survey Background Table of Contents 25 22 27 26 5 7 3 3 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING Introduction the state of in b 2b marketing ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 4 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING INTRODUCTION Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is getting a lot of attention in marketing circles and for good reason; it promises to transform marketing. To find out exactly where AI is in this transformation process, Demand- base and Salesforce Pardot partnered with Demand Metric at the end of 2018 to take the pulse of over 100 B2B marketing and sales people about their understanding, usage, impact, and optimism surrounding AI. Using a survey to collect data, participants in B2B organizations with $25 million or more in annual revenues shared their views and experience with AI for marketing and sales. The results of this report provide details on these and other key find- ings, and will help the B2B marketing community position itself to exploit AI in 2019. 5 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING the state of in b 2b marketing ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Executive Summary 6 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Theres a growing understanding of how AI can impact marketing and sales. Over 75% of study participants rate their understanding as “average” or better. This report presents the key findings from this study, and shares an action plan at the end. Some of biggest findings and takeaways include: The priority marketing and sales applications of AI are top-of-funnel related. The top applications of AI, for those who are evaluating, implementing, or using it, are improving the reach of digital advertising and identifying the right accounts or individuals to target. Despite the hype and understanding, actual usage is currently low. Perhaps to no ones surprise, few organizations are actually using AI for marketing and sales: less than 1 in 5. However, a full two-thirds are currently planning, evaluating, or implementing AI for marketing or sales. Marketing and sales organizations arent yet exploiting the AI capabilities built in to their current MarTech stack. Over 40% of the studys participants either arent aware of the AI capabilities that are part of vendor solutions they already use, or simply arent using them if they are aware. These capabili- ties represent the fast path to exploiting AI, often at no or little additional cost to the user. Those already using AI report that the hype surrounding its use is warranted. When analyzing the study data, those who are currently using AI are more bullish on the perceived value, time-to-value, and projected revenue lift that AI delivers. Of the things study participants could invest in to achieve better sales and marketing performance, over 40% say AI is the or one of the most important investments. Traditional barriers apply to AI. The top barriers to taking advantage of AI in marketing and sales organi- zations are familiar ones: cost/budget constraints and skills. Current users of AI provide assurances about both of these barriers. The projected revenue lift makes a powerful business case to offset AI invest- ment costs, and vendor AI capabilities mitigate skills concerns. 7 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING the state of in b 2b marketing ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Why B2B Marketers Cant Ignore AIs Promise and Potential in 2019 8 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING Excellent Minimal None Good Average 12% 20% 3% 38% 27% FIGURE 1: HOW MARKETERS GRADE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW AI CAN IMPROVE THE IMPACT & EFFECTIVENESS OF THEIR PROGRAMS Grading B2B marketers understanding of AI. WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 We asked what grade the B2B marketers and sales in this study would give themselves on understanding the ways that AI can improve the impact and effectiveness of marketing and sales programs. Exactly half of the participants gave themselves an “A” or a “B” for under- standing, as Figure 1 shows. Based on this distribution of responses, the average grade is about a C+. As annual company revenues increased, so did the average grade, a clear indicator that larger companies are investing more in learning about appli- cations of AI in marketing and sales. Marketers Give Themselves a C+ on Understanding AI 9 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING Using I dont know Planning No plans to adopt Implementing Evaluating 18% 5% 20% 11% 22% 24% FIGURE 2: ADOPTION STATUS OF AI FOR MARKETING OR SALES AI adoption ranges from planning to usage for over 80% of study participants. 84% of study participants are planning, evaluating, implementing, or using AI, while few have no adoption or plans to adopt AI, and some simply dont know their status. Figure 2 summarizes the adoption status of AI for marketing and sales. While few are actually using AI, its getting a lot of consideration with clear momentum toward understanding and leveraging AI applications for marketing and sales. Most are Already Evaluating or Implementing AI, but Few are Using AI Solutions WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 Interest in AI for marketing is high, but adoption remains low. 10 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING FIGURE 3: PERCENT WHO PERCEIVE THE VALUE OF APPLYING AI AS “VERY HIGH” Usage confirms the value of using AI with marketing and sales technologies. Sales technology Marketing technology 45% 20% 13% 27% 24% 60% Advertising technology Already Using AI Overall Of three major areas of technology usage for sales and marketing teams advertising, marketing, and sales MarTech enjoyed the highest percep- tion of value in the overall sample from the application of AI to these respective areas. Figure 3 shows that those who are already using AI have a very high value perception for applying AI sales technology. This data confirms the ability of AI to add value by applying it to the marketing and sales technology stacks. Even further, it suggests that the value expectations of those who havent yet applied AI in these areas are set too low. Perceived Value of AI Highest for MarTech WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 11 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING Improve the reach or efficiency of digital advertising 72% Identify the right accounts or individuals to target 66% Personalize the website in real time 51% Capture intent signals from accounts or individuals 42% Automated sales assistants (e.g. chatbots) 38% FIGURE 4: TYPES OF MARKETING AI APPLICATIONS RESPONDENTS ARE EVALUATING, IMPLEMENTING, OR USING Application priorities for participants evaluating, implementing, or using AI for marketing. For those study participants who are already evaluating, implementing, or using AI solutions, Figure 4 shows that the applications generating the most interest relate to the top of the sales/marketing funnel. The responses from study participants who are already using AI were higher across the board. Two applications in particular showed signifi- cant increases from the overall sample: Personalize the website in real time (80%) Automated sales assistants (e.g. chatbots) (65%) Top AI Applications Relate to Top of Funnel WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 The strongest interest in AI is to improve top-of-funnel efficiency. 12 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING Improve the reach or efficiency of digital advertising 64% Identify the right accounts or individuals to target 54% Personalize the website in real time 46% Capture intent signals from accounts or individuals 18% Automated sales assistants (e.g. chatbots) 14% FIGURE 5: WHERE WILL YOU PRIORITIZE IMPLEMENTING MARKETING OR SALES AI APPLICATIONS? Top-of-funnel applications rank highest for B2B marketers planning to implement AI. Figure 5 shows the marketing or sales AI implementation priorities for those in the study who are still in the planning stages of AI adoption. Those who have already started their AI journey have a slightly different view of where to apply AI than those who have not yet begun, but plan to. What they share, however, is pain at the top of the funnel. WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 Those who arent yet using AI but planning to expect it to help them optimize the targeting of accounts or individuals. 13 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING Using most or all Aware but not using Not aware Using some Planning to use 7% 21% 20% 35% 17% FIGURE 6: AWARENESS OF AI CAPABILITIES IN EXISTING VENDOR AD, MARKETING, OR SALES TECH Less than half of study participants are exploiting existing AI capabilities in their vendor-supplied ad, sales, or MarTech. Many MarTech vendors have already AI-enabled their solutions, but one out of five study participants arent aware of AI capabilities in the vendor technologies they use. Figure 6 shows the awareness range for vendor AI capabilities in the solu- tions study participants use. The AI capabilities built in to vendor solutions represent the low-hanging fruit of exploiting AI. Less than half of companies in the study, however, are taking partial or full advantage of these capabilities they already have, missing out on a fast path to the benefits of AI. Low-Hanging AI Fruit Still on the Tree WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 14 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING FIGURE 7: PLAN TO INTERNALL Y BUILD OR BUY VENDOR MARKETING OR SALES-BASED AI SOLUTIONS Nearly 80% of study participants will purchase or build and purchase AI solutions. Build and purchase No plans for AI Purchase from vendors Build internally only 48% 15% 31% 6% Most companies, when considering how to adopt emerging technology, make a build-versus-buy decision. Figure 7 shows this orientation for the study participants. Theres a clear leaning toward relying on vendor solutions, either fully or partially, to get the benefits of AI. This build-versus-buy orientation did not show significant differences based on company size, with firms in the study with annual revenues over $1 billion having the same propensity to rely on vendor solutions. More Buying than Building WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 B2B marketers in the study prefer buying to building AI solutions. 15 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING 10 or more 1 to 3 None 7 to 9 4 to 6 3% 38% 31% 4% 24% FIGURE 8: DATA SCIENTISTS ON THE MARKETING TEAM Almost 70% of B2B marketing teams in this study include data scientists. Data scientists are finding a home on the marketing team, and Figure 8 shows the range of data scientist headcount for the B2B organizations studied. Whether an organization builds or buys AI capabilities, data scientists are helping marketers leverage their data and AI tools to gain valuable insights. Data Scientists on Board WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 Data scientists arent a prerequisite to AI adoption, but they can help use AI tools and are skilled at providing insights. 16 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING Less than 1 month 7 to 12 months More than 12 months 1 to 3 months 4 to 6 months 5% 22% 16% 18% 39% FIGURE 9: HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE AI SOLUTIONS TO DELIVER VALUE Most study participants expect to see value from AI in a year or less. All technologies have expectations around the time it will take them to deliver value. Figure 9 shows the measurements of those expectations for AI, from the time of implementation to delivering value. The B2B marketers in the studys overall sample were bullish on the time-to-value for AI, with over 60% expecting value realization within six months. For those already using AI, 75% reported a time-to-value interval of less than six months. Marketers Are Bullish on the Time-to-Value of AI WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 Most marketers expect to get value in the short-term from using AI. 17 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING 67% Higher quality leads/opportunities 50% Higher quantity leads/opportunities 56% Better engagement with prospects & customers 40% More efficient ad spend 52% Better understanding of buyer intent 38% Pipeline acceleration Higher conversion rates 50% Better omni-channel attribution 27% Other benefits 1% FIGURE 10: BENEFITS AI IS EXPECTED TO DELIVER TO MARKETING & SALES More than half of study participants look for AI benefits in the areas of lead quality, engagement, and better understanding buyer intent. AI is expected to deliver benefits that check off some long-standing items on the sales and marketing wish lists, as Figure 10 shows. Three-fourths of the B2B marketers in this study who are already using AI report better engagement with prospects and customers as the top expected benefit. Better omni-channel attribution, which ranked last for the full survey sample shown in Figure 10, ranks fourth for AI users. Experience using AI clearly creates a different understanding of where the benefits come from. Great Expectations for AI WHY B2B MARKETERS CANT IGNORE AIS PROMISE AND POTENTIAL IN 2019 Marketers expect higher quality leads as the top AI benefit. 18 THE STATE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN B2B MARKETING FIGURE 11: IMPACT OF AI ON MARKETING & SALES PERFORMANCE Over half of the full survey sample report moderate to revolutionary performance impact of AI on marketing and sales performance. Moderate impact Not much 47% 46% 30% 7% 0% 70% Its revolutionizing performance Using AI Overall Using a simple scale, the study asked participants to rate the impact that AI is having on marketing and sales performance now.Figure 11 summarizes the perception of AIs impact. When interpret
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