1、eliminating Benchmark Report FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL Introduction Executive Summary Todays Marketing Funnel Marketing Tactics Usage they just relo- cate to a different part of the funnel. Introduction 5ELIMINATING FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL Executive Summary eliminating FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL 6ELIMINATIN

2、G FRICTION IN THE FUNNELEXECUTIVE SUMMARY To understand the current state of the marketing funnel, GetResponse and Demand Metric partnered to research how much friction is in todays marketing funnel, and where it most commonly appears. Using a survey, the study measured, by funnel section, the tacti

3、cs marketers are using, how well they are working, where friction exists and why, and the degree to which automation reduces or eliminates this friction. This report shares the research results and insights to help marketers achieve better performing funnels. Some of the key findings from this study

4、 include: This report details the results and insights from the analysis of the study data. For more detail on the survey participants, please refer to the Appendix. Less than 20 percent of study participants report having strong or complete integration of funnel sections. Study participants rated t

5、he top funnel section as best performing, and the middle section as worst performing. When funnel sections are automated, performance almost doubles as a result, with the biggest performance gains coming in the middle section. Integrating sections of the funnel has a powerful impact on performance:

6、The top and middle sections saw a 3X improvement compared to funnels that lack integration. The bottom section saw a 2X improvement. A minority of participants less than 30 percent have a precise understanding of funnel return on investment (ROI). The top of the funnel is the most automated section,

7、 but less than 20 percent of study participants report most to full automation for any funnel section. Todays Marketing Funnel eliminating FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL 8ELIMINATING FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL The marketing funnel was the central focus of this study, so to create some context around the finding

8、s, well begin by sharing some data about the state of todays marketing funnel. We asked study participants to share how well the sections of their funnels perform relative to each other. The top section had the highest rating, followed closely by the bottom, with the mid-funnel ranking a distant thi

9、rd. The mid-section of the funnel is the most problematic for most participants in this study. Most marketers divide their funnel into three sections: Todays Marketing Funnel Middle: where lead qualification occurs. Bottom: where qualified leads convert to sales. Top: where lead capture occurs. 9ELI

10、MINATING FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL Complete integration Low integration No integration Strong integration Moderate integration 2% 30% 11% 16% 41% Funnel integration status skews toward the “no” to “low” end of the spectrum. Funnel Section Integration Status Todays marketing funnel is a collection of in

11、ter-related processes, often supported or driven by technology. Friction in the funnel defined as forces or barriers that impede the smooth flow of leads through the funnel is a function of how inte- grated funnel processes are. For example, a poor lead scoring or qualification process would create

12、friction in the movement of leads from the top to middle section of the funnel. Lack of automation can allow leads to languish in part of the funnel. Figure 1 shows study participants rating for how well their funnel sections were integrated to allow leads to flow smoothly. TODAYS MARKETING FUNNEL F

13、IGURE 1 10ELIMINATING FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL FIGURE 2 Very precise Very imprecise Dont know Mostly precise Mostly imprecise 4% 33% 11% 25% 27% Almost three-fourths of study participants have no or an imprecise understanding of funnel ROI. Understanding of Funnel ROI TODAYS MARKETING FUNNEL With less

14、 than one in five participants reporting “strong” to “complete” integration of their funnel sections, some degree of friction in the funnel is clearly present. Marketers are historically challenged to report a return on their efforts. The funnel is central to generating ROI, and Figure 2 shows how w

15、ell study participants understand the ROI of their funnels. This funnel overview reveals that the mid-section is the lowest performer, and that most study participants dont have strong integration of funnel sections, nor do they understand ROI. A premise of this study is that automation can do much

16、to reduce the friction in the funnel. the following sections of this report examine that premise by exploring the tactics in use, the difficulty of executing them, how they perform, the accuracy of attributing results to them, and how automation impacts all these things. 11ELIMINATING FRICTION IN TH

17、E FUNNEL Marketing Tactics Usage they are people. Once they enter the funnel, their experience as a customer with a brand intensifies. They are not blind or immune to the nurturing efforts they experience. Poorly integrated funnels that lack automation create friction that leads the experience negat

18、ively as they journey through the funnel. For many competitive businesses, the experience is the only differentiator. It is therefore imperative to provide the best possible customer experience while leads move through the funnel. 28ELIMINATING FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL Strong/Complete integration No/L

19、ow integration MiddleBottomTop FIGURE 12 Integrated funnels far outperform those with no or low integration. Funnel Section Performance by Degree of Integration 70% 71% 65% 21% 21% 30% Integration through automation is the solution to minimizing funnel friction. There are simply too many things goin

20、g on in the funnel for marketers to manage the funnel using manual processes and without the aid of technology. Automation is the key to reducing the friction within and between each funnel section. Figure 12 paints a very clear picture of how integrated funnels perform in allowing leads to flow smo

21、othly through them. The effect of integration on funnel performance is enormous and uniform across all sections. Strong integration produces a 3X performance improvement in the top and middle sections, and over a 2X improvement in the bottom section. While these are impressive gains, its better to t

22、hink of what they repre- sent for each section of the funnel: Middle: more qualified leads that require less nurturing. Bottom: more leads converting to sales, and faster. Top: more leads. THE BOTTOM LINE ON FUNNEL FRICTION 29ELIMINATING FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL Based on the research findings, these r

23、ecommendations will help marketers reduce the friction in their funnels: In the final analysis, achieving a fully automated funnel may deliver the most powerful competitive advantage a sales and marketing team could hope for. Automating has the effect of turbocharging its performance. The benefits o

24、f doing so include simplifying the execution of marketing tactics, realizing better performance, and gaining more accurate attribution. These benefits ultimately extend outside of sales and marketing to impact the entire organization. Tactics selection. Emphasize the use of tactics that perform best

25、 in each section of the funnel rather than selecting the ones that are easiest to execute. 1 Focus on the mid-funnel. This section of the funnel was most problematic for study partic- ipants. The way marketers can improve the performance of all funnel sections is through automation and integration,

26、which comprise the next two recommendations. 2 Automate the funnel. Perhaps the most significant finding in this study is the impact of automation on the funnel. As Figure 7 shows, all sections realized massive performance gains from automation. The return on funnel automation investments will happe

27、n quickly because of these gains. 3 Leverage an integrated funnel. Leverage an integrated funnel: Integration is a product of auto- mating the funnel. While marketers tend to look at the funnel by sections, the best view to have is a holistic one. Leads and pros- pects want a smooth, frictionless jo

28、urney and a great experience to match. The best assurance of providing the preferred journey and experience is through a funnel that is seamlessly integrated. Having an integrated funnel creates powerful differentiation. 4 THE BOTTOM LINE ON FUNNEL FRICTION 30ELIMINATING FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL Deman

29、d Metric is grateful to GetResponse for sponsoring this research, and for those who took the time to complete the study survey. Acknowledgements GetResponse is an all-in-one online marketing platform for SMBs, with more than 350,000 active users from 182 countries. GetResponse delivers more than 1 b

30、illion permission-based emails per month, with an average deliverability rate higher than 99 percent. For more information, visit: Demand Metric is a global research and advisory firm that supports marketing professionals with primary research and benchmark reports, technology research and advice, c

31、onsulting services, training, and software. Demand Metrics core focus is to help B2B marketing organizations grow revenue by operationalizing the best practices discovered in our research. To learn more about Demand Metric, sign up for a free membership at 31ELIMINATING FRICTION IN THE FUNNEL This 2

32、019 Funnel Friction Benchmark Study survey was administered online during the period of June 2 through July 5, 2019. During this period, 284 responses were collected, 264 of which were qualified and complete enough for inclusion in the analysis. Only valid or correlated findings are shared in this r

33、eport. Appendix: Survey Background The representativeness of this studys results depends on the similarity of the sample to environments in which this survey data is used for comparison or guidance. Summarized below is the basic categorization data collected about respondents to enable filtering and

34、 analysis of the data: TYPE OF BUSINESS/MARKET FOCUS: Mostly B2B Mixed B2B/B2C $10 to $24 million Mostly B2C $25 to $99 million Non-profit $100 to $499 million Agency/Consulting firm Operations 43% 31%13% 15% 11% 7% 14% 4% 10% PRIMARY ROLE OF RESPONDENT: CEO/President/Owner Other Marketing Finance I

35、T $500 to $999 million Sales 11%6% 55% 3% 8% 4% 7% APPROXIMATE ANNUAL REVENUES: Less than $10 million 49% REVENUE GROWTH ENVIRONMENT IN MOST RECENT FISCAL YEAR: Significant increase Slight increase Flat Slight decrease Significant decrease $1 billion or more 14% 53% 26% 6% 1% 9% Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Join Linkedin Group