CMO Council Releases Year-End Scorecard of B2B Marketing Effectiveness In Finding, Winning and Growing Key Customer Accounts

Seeding and harvesting the sales pipeline the process of acquiring, capturing, qualifying and converting business opportunities are essential to the growth and profitability of B2B marketers across every industry and geographic sector. Marketing is largely responsible for driving this business process, yet nearly two-thirds of lead gen and engagement strategies are underperforming.

A new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council report, produced in collaboration with WM America, entitled “Fire Up Your Revenue Generation Engine,” covers critical aspects of lead generation and engagement. This includes models and metrics for tracking and measuring performance, best practice demand-gen execution, ways to score effectiveness, and more.

The latest CMO Council research finds scores of marketers falling behind in lead scoring, account-based marketing, accelerated pipeline, and intention-based marketing. Key findings from a Q4 survey of over 170 B2B marketing, sales, revenue, growth, demand gen and campaign execution leaders include:

• 63% say marketing must own and optimize a company’s revenue-generation engine
• 64% say their lead gen and engagement strategy underperforms
• 78% of highly evolved marketers are satisfied with their accelerated pipeline, compared to only 15% of lesser evolved marketers

“In today’s competitive data-driven environment, marketers should no longer be satisfied with paltry returns on their sizable lead-gen and ABM investments,” the report notes. “It’s time to turn the tables on inefficient, ineffective, and outdated practices for anticipating, adapting, and responding to customer needs and opportunities.”

Download the report at: https://www.cmocouncil.org/thought-leadership/reports/fire-up-your-b2b-revenue-generation-engine

Based on the research findings, the CMO Council provide a year-end scorecard that ranks proficiencies in critical areas of B2B marketing execution and demand gen operations:

“Marketers must climb the evolutionary ladder and leave behind outmoded and dated practices,” notes CMO Council executive director, Donovan Neale-May. “Using AI-derived, intention-based buyer data and advanced sales intelligence are among the ways growth marketers bring more precision, predictability, and performance to B2B account marketing investments.”

The CMO Council’s research revealed the top five skill sets contributing to improved ABM-driven business outcomes:

1. Better segmentation and precision targeting of buyers and influencers
2. On-demand customer business intelligence and personal buyer insights
3. Tighter integration of demand gen, channel, direct sales, and support teams
4. Greater utilization of tools and data sources for richer prospect profiling
5. Proactive and timely pre-sales follow up and cultivation strategies

The CMO Council has uncovered widening gaps in performance between highly evolved marketers and lesser evolved marketers. Gaps are occurring in four core capabilities: lead scoring, account-based marketing, accelerated pipeline, and intention-based marketing.

This report tiers factors that make up a model for better identification, engagement and conversion. The model coincides with the CMO Council and WM America’s thought leadership initiative to advance lead revenue science practices through a certified Lead Evaluation and Assurance Process, or LEAP model. “Marketers will need to take a few LEAPs of faith in the coming months, because sticking to the status quo is just not practical or possible anymore. As data becomes more critical than ever before, CMOs need to extend their visions for innovation and forward-thinking strategies,” according to Lee Salem, WM America’s Vice President of Sales.

Methodology
The report is based on a survey of over 170 heads of B2B marketing, sales, revenue, growth, demand gen and campaign execution in Q4 2023. It also included content from in-depth interviews with executives from Netline, Autodesk, T-Mobile, NTT, ABM Consortium, TechTarget, IBM, B2B Marketing, Reachdesk, Momentum ITSMA, and Xometry.

Hofeler will support the zero trust identity and network security startup’s decision to be a 100% channel organization, with goals to grow Zero Networks’ global partnerships by 50% in 2024

Zero Networks, a leading provider of zero trust identity and network security solutions, today announced the appointment of Adam Hofeler to Vice President of Go to Market (GTM). Hofeler brings to Zero Networks a deep understanding of channel sales strategy and a history of cultivating strong partnerships, and will play a pivotal role in guiding sales, channel, technology alliances, and MSP relationships. 

Hofeler joins Zero Networks on the heels of a successful 2023, which included closing $20 million in Series B funding, earning recognition as a forward-thinking technology provider supporting midmarket organizations in The Channel Company’s MES Midmarket 100, and being highlighted as a representative vendor for ZTNA (zero trust network access) and microsegmentation by Gartner. Notably, Zero Networks was also named to CRN’s Stellar Startups list for success in creating new opportunities for solution providers.

“Zero Networks is immensely proud of the five-fold revenue growth we achieved last year, which is a testament to the work we put in to build a strong solution to a real problem before we entered the market. As our new VP GTM, Adam will be instrumental in expanding and further activating our community of channel partners,” said Benny Lakunishok, CEO and co-founder of Zero Networks. “Adam's prior experience and expertise in building channel alliances in our industry will contribute significantly to the company's growth trajectory and we look forward to the impact he will make.”

With more than 20 years of IT industry experience in sales, marketing, channel management and distribution, Hofeler is well positioned to expand the Zero Networks partner program across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. Previously, he served as VP GTM Strategy at Sepio, an asset risk management platform. Prior to joining Sepio, Hofeler was VP Worldwide Sales at IRONSCALES, an email security platform. Adam has also held executive sales management roles for Palo Alto Networks and NetApp, and earned his bachelor's and master's degree from University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

"Zero Networks is tackling one of the most complex problems in cybersecurity – how to prevent attackers from moving laterally within the organizational network to exfiltrate data or launch ransomware attacks. As we look ahead to 2024, the channel will play a pivotal role in our expansion strategy,” said Hofeler. “We aim to be a 100% channel organization globally and are working to grow our partners by 50% this year. I look forward to collaborating with an expanding network of partners that share our commitment to securing the digital landscape.”

Zero Networks partners are guaranteed a plug-and-play product that will meet customer needs, strong incentives and margins, and dedicated channel managers with 24/7 response times.

Global tech leaders share their perspectives on the future of data security in latest trendbook 

Immuta^®, a data security leader, today announced the release of its 2024 Data Security Trendbook, an annual compilation of insights and predictions about data security from global technology leaders. This year's trendbook includes insights from experts and industry leaders at companies including Snowflake, Hakkoda, VMware, SanjMo, Cummins, NTT Data, Seattle Data Guy, phData, and AstrumU.

From artificial intelligence (AI) to distributed architectures and resource reprioritization, experts in the trendbook forecast a year of increased data use, the adoption of AI, and the reassignment of resources to support those trends:

• Expansion of distributed data architectures – Nearly a quarter of data professionals say that their organization is prioritizing data architecture modernization in 2024. This includes adopting concepts like data mesh due to its promise to provide secure, self-service, scalable data use on top of a distributed architecture. Experts predict that the industry will see changing data governance, management and security demands, large cultural shifts within organizations, enhanced data democratization, and more.
  
  
• Adoption of AI – In less than one year, generative AI went from buzzword to business-driving technology, and it's not slowing down anytime soon. In fact, research shows that 88% of data leaders believe that employees at their organizations are already using AI, whether or not it has been officially adopted by leadership. With the rapid development and adoption of AI continuing into 2024, experts predict that new forms of AI control systems and different approaches to LLM development will emerge, new laws and regulations will be introduced to address privacy and data security concerns, and AI data governance will continue to evolve.
  
  
• The reassignment of resources – Data and governance teams recognize the need for sustainable, data-driven success in a changing world, and many companies are reassigning resources to meet that need. Experts predict that more data teams will prioritize platform consolidation, data-centric architectures, data governance and compliance, data security and privacy enhancements, and advanced analytics in 2024.

"In 2022, organizations focused on automating and innovating their tech stacks, and streamlining accessibility and security for their growing cloud data ecosystems. In 2023, we saw even more emphasis on both democratizing and securing data access as organizations quickly realized just how big the impact of AI would be in the near future," said Matthew Carroll, Immuta CEO. "As the pace of change quickens in 2024, it's critical that data and security teams consider how to secure data for all of the varied use cases – whether it's AI or traditional BI and analytics."

Industry’s largest and most comprehensive analysis of advisor marketing data highlights best practices for SEO, video content, email marketing, and more

Snappy Kraken, the marketing technology (martech) innovator serving financial advisors, today previewed the results of its “State of Digital 2024” report. Based on an extensive analysis of some 250 million data points from campaigns sent by 10,000 advisors, the report offers unprecedented insights into the most effective digital marketing strategies for this cohort. In particular, the findings underscore the impact of search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing and video content on advisors’ growth trajectories. 

Snappy Kraken last conducted this analysis in 2021. Since then, the firm has expanded its dataset through enhancements like the Convos compliant text messaging platform and the acquisition of Advisor Websites. These enhancements have contributed to a more robust and detailed report, which offers key findings such as:

• SEO sets advisors’ websites apart. The report highlights the integral role of SEO in attracting new website visitors. The report's data reveals that advisors investing in SEO experienced a 94 percent uptick in unique new visitors to their websites. Additionally, there was a notable 93 percent increase in the number of visitors who initiated sessions, denoting enhanced engagement and interaction with the site on a monthly basis. Effective strategies include the use of long-tail keywords, maintaining an up-to-date Google Business profile, and adding a “text me” widget to drive email opt-ins.

• Email reigns supreme, but quality matters. Email remains the top-performing marketing channel. According to Snappy Kraken's data, advisors utilizing their services report that 55 percent of traffic to their websites and landing pages is driven by email marketing. However, its success is heavily dependent on the quality of subject lines. An unopened email equates to an unread message, making open rates crucial. These rates are determined by three main factors: the caliber of the email list, the effectiveness of the subject lines, and a consistent emailing frequency, ideally at least once a week.

• Video transforms email engagement. The report finds that including videos in email campaigns may lead to a 117 percent better open rate and a 120 percent higher click rate compared to text-only emails. As video consumption continues to grow, incorporating video content into digital marketing strategies is no longer optional but necessary for advisors seeking to maintain relevance and engagement.

• Texting is the best tool for immediate response. Text messaging is identified as the most efficient mode of communication, boasting a 97 percent faster response rate than email. The immediacy and personal nature of text messages make them an excellent tool for engaging clients and prospects, with shorter, more straightforward texts proving most effective.

“Our latest State of Digital Report is packed with actionable insights designed to help financial advisors drive growth through digital marketing,” said Robert Sofia, chief executive officer at Snappy Kraken. “This year's findings highlight the success of advisors who prioritize SEO, building a quality email list, and using video content to regularly engage their audience. Their commitment to consistently nurturing connections, providing value and building trust is driving outsized results. At Snappy Kraken, we take pride in equipping these advisors with the necessary tools and insights to convert marketing efforts into measurable growth.”

The report also compares the marketing activities of all Snappy Kraken-utilizing advisors to the top 20 percent performers, offering valuable insights for success. The top 20 percent are those who generate the highest email open rates, click rates, conversion rates and leads. On average, these top 20 percent of advisors manage an email list of nearly 5,100 clients and prospects, while the average list size for other Snappy Kraken users is almost 800. Additionally, they consistently run approximately four marketing campaigns per month, indicating a correlation between campaign frequency and increased lead engagement. This underscores the significance of maintaining a substantial and engaged email list while adhering to a consistent and active marketing approach.

“The results of the top advisors using our platform showcase the power of sustained strategic marketing efforts,” added Angel Gonzalez, chief marketing officer at Snappy Kraken. “What’s more, these benchmarks can serve as a roadmap for others to follow. By analyzing what works best, every advisor on our platform can refine their strategies to achieve greater results. The power of data-driven insights can elevate marketing practices across the board."

Snappy Kraken's Freedom360 solution, launched a year ago, streamlines marketing for advisors by taking care of key aspects like SEO strategies and email marketing content creation, freeing up advisors to prioritize client service while still enjoying the same marketing benefits as their top-tier peers. The release of Snappy Kraken's 2024 State of Digital report also comes on the heels of the firm’s recently strengthened partnership with Carl Richards of Behavior Gap. Together, they have developed a 10-day email-based course that advisors can utilize to engage prospects, all while building trust and credibility.

The Snappy Kraken State of Digital 2024 report will be available on February 5, 2024, with a preview available for attendees of the T3 Technology Conference 2024.

Announces Fully Portable Bot Defense for Any Web Application Firewall and New Bot Defense Data in ThreatScope™ Mobile XDR 

Appdome, the mobile app economy's one-stop shop for mobile app defense, announced extensions to its groundbreaking MOBILEBot™ Defense product, making it fully portable to any web application firewall (WAF). These extensions save mobile brands millions of dollars, extend the useful life of existing WAF infrastructures and drive down the cost to extend bot defense to the mobile channel.

Appdome's MOBILEBot Defense product is the industry's only comprehensive anti-bot defense solution built-from-the-ground-up for mobile apps. It offers mobile brands multi-layered bot detection, intelligence and defense all in one solution, easily protecting the mobile channel from 100+ attack vectors including fake apps, weaponized apps, malware-controlled apps, bot attacks, credential stuffing, DDoS and account takeovers (ATOs). It requires no SDK, no coding, and no added servers to deploy, and is fully compatible with all coding languages and frameworks used in mobile app development. With the new line up of extensions announced today, Appdome's MOBILEBot Defense product now works seamlessly with any WAF used in a mobile brand's network.

"Most mobile brands have heterogeneous WAF environments or are looking to change, add or upgrade only part of their WAF environment," said Tom Tovar, CEO and co-creator of Appdome. "By combining no-code, no-SDK and no-server value proposition with full portability for bot defense, brands now have the operational flexibility to extend bot defense to the mobile channel without forklift upgrades to the entire WAF environment."

Unlike other anti-bot products, Appdome MOBILEBot Defense can be used with any cloud, hosted or on-premises WAF including Akamai WAF, Cloudflare WAF, Fastly WAF, F5 WAF, Radware WAF, AWS WAF and more. MOBILEBot Defense does not require an SDK, mobile app code changes or any servers and offers full support for all mobile languages and frameworks, including Obj-C, C+, Java, JS, C#, C++, Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Maui, Cordova and more.

"In today's challenging economic environment, everybody is looking to do more with less," said Richard Stiennon, Chief Research Analyst, IT-Harvest. "Appdome's breadth of threat signals and attack coverage and its ability to work with any WAF leveraging existing investment, coupled with its no-code, effortless delivery, method enables dev and cyber teams to automate the implementation of all required mobile app defenses, whether it be mobile anti-bot, mobile app security, anti-fraud, malware protection, or threat intelligence – all from a single platform. The best security solutions simplify."

As part of its announcement, Appdome also released real-time visibility of bot attacks in its ThreatScope Mobile XDR. The new bot detection and analytics service allows mobile brands to measure, track, investigate, report, and respond to threats and attacks across the WAF infrastructure, providing SOC-class visibility into mobile bot attacks and threats with full drill-down on attacks against specific apps, devices, OSs, releases, and more, all without a separate analytics package, SDK or device agent.

"Portability and visibility offer a ton of financial advantages for brands with a significant or growing mobile app installed base," said Chris Roeckl, chief product officer at Appdome. "Where other anti-bot products force developers into siloed offerings using SDKs that work only with the SDK vendor's WAF. Appdome's bot defense allows brands to preserve the existing WAF investment, unify visibility and response to bot activity across WAFs and solve bot defense and WAF infrastructure separately."

Versium for Sheets™ integrates robust APIs directly into spreadsheets where customer data lives 

Versium, a leading data technology company, today released Versium for Sheets™, a new Google Sheets Extension that seamlessly integrates powerful data enrichment, cleansing and modeling tools within Sheets workflows to transform marketing data.

With this new extension, marketers can now leverage Versium's robust data APIs as formulas within their spreadsheets where customer data resides to improve campaign performance. By enabling API queries to be applied directly in Google Sheets, Versium empowers marketers to easily enhance their marketing data without leaving their Workspace.

"We believe that empowering marketers with advanced tools should not be limited by technical barriers," said Kevin Marcus, CTO and co-founder of Versium. "Versium for Sheets™ marks the first integration for our suite of tools in a non-technical application. By expanding our offering, we are making our services more accessible with easy-to-use formulas and even more options for enrichment and data hygiene."

Versium’s suite of data tools enhances data quality, simplifies data enrichment and cleansing and provides over 200 data attributes for deeper audience insights. Versium APIs available through the Sheets integration include Data Prep, which leverages Versium’s AI backend for name classification and parsing, location identification, list cleansing and standardization; and robust append functions such as contact, demographic, firmographic, consumer-to-business, IP to domain and hashed email to business domain.

Verkada, a leader in cloud-managed enterprise building security and management, today announced new investments to continue growing its go-to-market function. With the arrival of new leaders in demand generation, field marketing, channel, and product marketing, the company will build on momentum from 2023 to expand and enrich customer and partner relationships in the year ahead.

Richard Rogers joins Verkada to lead Global Demand Gen & Field Marketing; Priyanka Srinivasan as head of Product Marketing; and Adee McAninch as head of Global Channel Marketing.

"Having a strong and seasoned marketing team helps us go above and beyond in all aspects of our business to support our now 20,000+ customers," said Filip Kaliszan, Co-Founder & CEO. "I'm confident Richard, Adee, and Priyanka will play key roles in capturing the growth opportunities that lie ahead as we continue to expand our product offering and reach new customers across the globe."

These investments follow a 69% growth in the marketing team's size in the past two years and a host of new initiatives and programs – from Verkada's inaugural user conference, VerkadaOne, to their reimagined Partner Program.

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