• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, September 4, 2014

According to the Chief Marketer 2014 B2B Lead Generation Survey, content marketing, website registrations, social media and pay-per-click advertising posted the most significant gains in usage for B2B marketers seeking new leads. 67% of B2B marketers said they would use content marketing this year, compared to only 53% for 2013. The rise in website registrations or opt-ins goes hand-in-hand with the increased reliance on content marketing: 70% will rely on online registrations this year, compared to only 58% last year.

Use of social media in lead generation rose to 68% in 2014, although the channel is still tricky for B2B marketers, says the report. “… social media has provided a way… to interact with prospects and existing customers… but conversion [via social] has been slow and challenging,” summarizes one respondent. And, “   social allows potential leads to hear a company’s voice and experience our personality even before meeting in person,” wrote another.

The Biggest Obstacles To Generating New Leads Via Social Media

• Inability to effectively measure ROI   34%
• Prospects wary of social marketing   35
• Too many channels to understand   23
• Content requirements of social   47
• Social leads not sufficiently qualified   34
• Social not relevant to core audience   20

Source: Chief Marketer, August 2014

Over 65% of respondents are using email as part of their generation strategy this year; only 15% had no plans to use email in 2014. The marketers who didn’t plan to use email this year cited a variety of reasons, including:

• Fear of looking like spammers (26%)
• Low open rates (17%),
• Low ROI (24%)
• Inability to effectively reach prospects via mobile (10%)

Marketers who use email are getting their names from a variety of sources, with 73% citing web registrations or opt-ins directly from prospects. 31% are renting files from brokers or compilers, while 20% are using third-party email opt-ins and 26% are using media or publishing partners. Only 4% admit to using addresses collected via automated harvester software.

Most respondents are thinking long-term, with 69% saying they want to acquire customers who will prove profitable over the lifetime of their relationship with the company. Only 31% said they are looking to acquire new customers who will be profitable from the first transaction.

43% of respondents say their lead generation aims for 2014 are focused primarily on finding new customers. Retention or reactivation was the core goal of 9%, while 41% are focused on current customers with an eye towards expanding outside that circle. The remainder cited a variety of approaches, including rebranding efforts and cross-channel initiatives tied to generation.

65% of B2B marketers are measuring their lead gen ROI by the cost of prospects that ultimately convert (cost per acquisition). 22% look at the cost of collecting prospect data (cost per lead), and 13% look at how many prospects are contacted by a salesperson (cost per opportunity).

With the multitude of channels available to consumers and marketers today, attributing exactly what effort was responsible for the lead or conversion is a challenge, says the report. 64% attribute leads to multiple channels and 12% to single channels. 4% attribute to first click and another 4% attribute to last click, while 10% leave it up to a customer reported source. A few of the remaining respondents said they didn’t have any methodology for attributing leads.

For additional information, please visit Chief Marketer here.