Mirren and RSWUS 2015 New Business Tools Report_Released 051315

MIRREN & RSW/US NEW BUSINESS TOOLS: 2015 ANNUAL REPORT

Release 2: May 13, 2015


BACKGROUND

The Mirren-RSW/US 2015 New Business Tools Annual Report is a must-read resource for anyone involved in Agency New Business.

Now in its third year, The Annual Report summarizes information gleaned from close to 300 agency executives on the effectiveness of a wide variety of new business tools they use to support and grow their business.

It also surveys which tools are overrated and which tools need to be developed further. It gives agency teams a roadmap for the coming cycles of New Business, in terms of which tools to maintain and which to evaluate for the future. Mirren Business Development and RSW/US’s respective databases of senior agency executives were used for this study. The survey was fielded in March and April 2015.

ABOUT RSW/US RSW/US is a full service, outsourced agency lead generation and new business development firm that helps marketing service companies (exclusively) find and win new business. They help Agencies find qualified leads, set meetings, better position them in the market, and help move them closer to close. More information about RSW/US can be accessed at: www.rswus.com or by contacting Lee McKnight Jr. at [email protected].

© 2015 Mirren Business Development and RSW/US

ABOUT MIRREN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Mirren specializes in building new business systems for agencies. Through advanced training, we arm agencies with the systems, tools and habits to convert more business, more consistently. This impacts the agency’s effectiveness across Positioning, Competitive Reviews/RFPs, Proactive Prospecting and Organic Growth. In fact, every year, more than 700 agencies now participate in our annual conference, training programs, and webinars.

We provide three new business services: 1) Mirren Membership (Daily Leads, Guided Group Training, On-Demand Learning); 2) Training In-Person; and 3) Mirren Talent (our new specialized recruiting service). More information about Mirren can be found at www.Mirren.com or by contacting Brent Hodgins at [email protected]

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Now in the third year of developing this report, it is noteworthy that almost all categories of new business tools have seen significant growth compared to 2014. The largest of which is marketing automation/inbound marketing tools, although their usage overall is still relatively low at 40%. Increasingly, agencies see the importance of content in pursuing agency new business as a means of showing their expertise and understanding of the marketplace. Interestingly, agencies continue to make strides in capitalizing on data for clients, but struggle when it comes to their own new business data. They continue to search for better ways to simplify processes, specifically in regards to data integration, tracking and reporting. They want centralized tools that can communicate with each other-or just one tool that can do it all. This has never been truer than the CRMs agencies are using. They continue to both embrace and vilify Salesforce, as you’ll see. From past reports to the this one, there’s still no new “it” tool agencies are embracing, but they are exploring newer offerings, like HubSpot’s Sidekick, to better streamline their new business process. We trust you’ll find this report a provocative and candid look at the landscape of agency new business and the resources needed to grow your business effectively and efficiently.

USAGE OF AGENCY NEW BUSINESS TOOLS For a third year in a row, social media tools continue to be the highest ranked/most used new business tool for agencies with 93% of agencies reporting they use them for new business (up from 89% last year and 87% the year before).

Content development tools, a new category for 2015, is used the least by agencies for new business (only 19% of agencies reported using them).


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TOOLS 2015 2014 2013

Social Media Tools 93% 89% 87%

Email Marketing Services 73% 63% 55%

SEO Tools 71% 74% 67%

CRM/Contact Management Software 70% 56% 45%

Project Management / Collaboration Tools

70% 54% 59%

Social Media Monitoring Tools 62% 46% 53%

Research Services 49% 58% 60%

Prospect Contact / List Building Software

46% 38% 43%

Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing Platforms

40% 18% 22%

Content Development Tools 19% ---- ----

It is noteworthy that the use of new business tools, particularly those of technology in nature, continue to see dramatic gains.

This year, there are gains across several categories: Prospect Contact / List Building Software and Social Media Monitoring Tools up 8%, Email Marketing Services up 10%, CRM/Contact Management Software up 14%, Project Management/ Collaboration Tools and Social Media Monitoring Tools up 16% and finally, Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing Platforms up a healthy 22%.

We included 3 questions new to the report last year to lead off our findings:

1) List your agency’s three most essential new business tools;

2) What new business tool are you hearing the most buzz about?

4) If you had to name one, which new business tool/platform do you think is the most overrated?

And finally, we included a brand new question this year asking agencies what content development tools they’re using.

The answers to these questions, as well as results and perspective on specific categories and tools agencies are presented on the following pages.

% of Agency Executives that use the New Business Tools


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TABLE OF CONTENTS Who Responded? 6 What Are Your Three Most Essential Agency Tools Today? 7 Describe The Ideal New Business Tool 8 What New Business Tool Are You Hearing The Most About 10 What’s The Most Overrated New Business Tool? 11 Channel Specific Questions 12

SOCIAL MEDIA 12

SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING TOOLS 18

CRM/CONTRAT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

22

RESEARCH SERVICES 27

PROSPECT CONTACT / LIST BUILDING SOFTWARE 31

SEO TOOLS 37

EMAIL MARKETING SERVICES 40

MARKETING AUTOMATION / INBOUND MARKETING PLATFORMS 45

PROJECT MANAGEMENT/COLLABORATION TOOLS

51

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT TOOLS 55

A Look Ahead 59

Glossary 62


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Who Responded? Small, mid-size and large agencies were all well represented across the nearly 300 respondents in 2015. This is fairly consistent with the distribution of agencies nationally as well.

45.49%

19.86%

15.52%

10.83%

3.25% 3.25% 1.81%

< 25

26 - 50

51 - 99

100 - 250

251 - 500

501 - 1500

1500 +

Similar to 2014’s Annual Report, the most senior agency role, CEO, COO or President, was the most likely to respond (also noteworthy, this role increased participation by 8% from 2014). Agency New Business leads were second although we saw a slight decrease in participation.

52%

6% 3%

32%

7% President / CEO / COO

Account Manager / Director / VP

Creative Manager / Director/ VP

New Business Manager / Director / VP

Strategy Manager / Director / VP

How many employees do you have in your agency across all locations?

Please select the title that most closely represents your role in the agency.


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Before we dive into specific tool types, we asked agencies which tools they found most crucial in growing their business currently.

What were the three brand names that came up most often in this open-ended question?

Agencies continue to use a wide variety of new business tools, with no one tool seeming to be a “must-have.” In a change from previous years, HubSpot received the most mentions by far. The usual suspects – Salesforce and LinkedIn and The List – were also frequently mentioned, however The List was not as much of a prominent name as we’d seen in the past.

In the second tier of mentions were a wide variety of tools, including email marketing tools (MailChimp, Constant Contact), CRM tools, and business intelligence (Mintel).

There were a number of mentions of in-house capabilities, ranging from the agency’s own website and readily-available software (e.g., Excel) to their own personnel.

Finally, the human side of the business remains an important new business tool. As one respondent said, “people, people, people - we don't use software.”

What are your three most essential agency tools today?


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Describe the Ideal New Business Tool Once we’d learned what tools Agency execs couldn’t live without, we probed into what they’d like to see next. We asked them to describe the ideal new business tool, or a major enhancement to a tool they were already using.

As in prior years, we hit a number of pain points.

The wish list for new or improved tools was long. Four themes seemed to emerge: (1) A new tool (or improvements to current tools) to better integrate info from existing sources; (2) better tracking tools for any combination of project management, workflow, time tracking, leads, and budget/spending; (3) better reporting tools and (4) a more simple and practical CRM tool.

BETTER INTEGRATION OF DATA This was probably the most-often-mentioned area. Agencies are using multiple tools to collect a wide array of data. They wish these tools communicated better with each other. Or, they simply wish they didn’t need multiple tools, preferring one tool to rule them all.

“A truly integrated inbound marketing, content management system, eCommerce and analytics platform.”

“Tool that could connect with LinkedIn and update database as contacts change roles.”

“CRM tool that interfaced with most other major software”

BETTER TRACKING There’s a lot of information to track, and changes occur rapidly. Agencies would like to be able to keep track of changes much more quickly, preferably with automated tools and, as before, seamless integration across software.

“Something that tracks leads and conversation automatically, is integrated with Google and can general reports against pipeline and forecasts.”

“A tool that identified real opportunities when they are happening. Not just RFP’s”

“A running tab on agencies, positioning, product/service offering, client rosters and work being done for them (competitive intel) Anything that requires less input and legwork.”

“A more fully integrated Marketing, Sales &

Business Intelligence Suite ”


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Describe the Ideal New Business Tool

BETTER REPORTING TOOLS With so much data now accessible – and so much needed for successful new business efforts – there’s some frustration in how much work is required to turn data into useful reports, budget tracking, and project management.

“Something that tracks leads and conversation automatically, is integrated with Google and can generate reports against pipeline and forecasts.”

“I'd like to see a more robust/flexible reporting engine in HubSpot. Many of the reports are very helpful, but we end up exporting data and manipulating it in other places.”

“A better visual dashboard on pipeline, leads, opportunities and marketing efforts.”

SIMPLER, MORE PRACTICAL CRM We see, again, a strong love-hate relationship with Salesforce and similar CRM applications. Many agencies are still seeking a simple, tailored CRM solution that offers quick ramp-up, easy data input, and clear dashboard-like reporting.

“Something easy to start using with minimal set-up time, clean, simple, user friendly UI unlike Sales Force which is completely non intuitive…”

“An easier-to-use CRM with a more automated email marketing system”

“..simple CRM designed for agencies.”

“I'd still love to see someone come out with a better CRM system that's tailored to selling services vs. products.”

“A CRM system that is better suited for the

advertising industry and our new business

process.”


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As in the past, few new tools have broken through the buzz-barrier. In fact, there were a significant number of responses that responded with “none”. Which begs the question, in today’s tech-focused market, why are we not hearing more about new business tools?

That said, several tools are still generating a lot of buzz– HubSpot and Salesforce, with LinkedIn, Marketo and The List receiving multiple nominations.

A general area – Marketing Automation – is certainly attracting interest as well.

What New Business Tool are you Hearing the Most Buzz About?

Quote: Circle with depth style


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There’s a clear winner/loser here: Salesforce. This is similar to what we’ve seen before, though in past years, Facebook received a lot more mentions than we saw in the current survey. Perhaps agencies have come to understand how best to use it.

We suspect there’s a real love-hate relationship with Salesforce. Based on comments throughout the survey, this tool has plenty of capability but is seen by many as overly complex and difficult to use.

Which New Business Tool is Over-Rated?

Quote: Circle with depth style

Quote: Circe with depth style

If you had to name one, which new business tool / service do you think is the most overrated?


11

Social Media Tools

CHANNEL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

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SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

The vast majority of agencies use Social Media in new business. And usage is increasing, from 88% last year to nearly 93% in this survey.

As in years past, among those agencies that use social media tools, the big three are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Somewhat surprising is the relatively slow growth of Pinterest as a social media tool, despite reports by the trade that Pinterest is the fastest growing social media tool among the general adult population.


No 7.3%

Yes 92.7%

No

Yes

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

0.0%

3.8%

4.4%

27.5%

28.1%

30.6%

42.5%

42.5%

54.4%

88.1%

88.8%

96.9%

0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% 120.0%

XING

Quora

Vine

SlideShare

Pinterest

Vimeo

Google+

Instagram

YouTube

TwiIer

Facebook

LinkedIn

Do you currently use Social Media as part of your new business efforts?

Which of the following Social Media tools do you currently use? (Select all that apply).


13


SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS


Change in use of Social Media Tools 2015 vs. 2014

29.2%

96.9%

88.8% 88.1%

54.4%

42.5% 42.5%

30.6% 28.1% 27.5%

4.4% 3.8% 0.0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

LinkedIn Facebook TwiIer YouTube Google+ Instagram Vimeo Pinterest SlideShare Vine Quora XING

2014 2015

In comparing year-to-year use of the various Social Media tools, Instagram posted the largest gain in users, up 13.3 percentage points in 2015 versus 2014.

With the exception of Vine, Quora and XING, all usage of all social media tools rose somewhat, with Facebook registering the second largest gain of over 7 percentage points.

Raw data is provided on the following page.


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SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS


Change in use of Social Media Tools 2015 vs. 2014

2014 2015 ChangeLinkedIn 95.0% 96.9% 1.9%Facebook 81.7% 88.8% 7.1%Twitter 84.2% 88.1% 3.9%YouTube 52.0% 54.4% 2.4%Google+ 39.1% 42.5% 3.4%Instagram 29.2% 42.5% 13.3%Vimeo 27.2% 30.6% 3.4%Pinterest 27.7% 28.1% 0.4%SlideShare 25.7% 27.5% 1.8%Vine 12.9% 4.4% -8.5%Quora 4.5% 3.8% -0.7%XING 2.0% 0.0% -2.0%

Agencies mentioning Instagram use cite its value as a means to exhibit agency culture:

•  “Facebook and LinkedIn are the only two to have returned some active leads. Twitter, Instagram and the others serve more as a cultural showcase.”

•  “Facebook/Instagram - help show our agency culture….”


15


SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

Though social media usage is widespread as a new business tool, views on effectiveness are not uniform, and remain fairly low. In 2014, 40% of respondents scored these at a 6 or better in effectiveness. This year, that number was up slightly to around 44%.


4.4%

9.4%

19.5%

8.2%

15.7%

16.4%

12.6%

9.4%

1.3%

3.1%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

1=Not Effective

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10=Very Effective

Thinking about the Social Media Tools you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts? (1 = Not Effective; 10 = Very Effective)


16


SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

As a new question for 2015, we asked agencies what they use their Social Media tools for. A majority claimed they are used for brand awareness and PR, while also playing a role in lead generation. It seems that, since everyone is using Social Media, it’s no longer as relevant for “looking contemporary.” Research remains an underutilized area.


36.7%

40.5%

57.0%

66.5%

91.2%

Research

Looking Contemporary

PR

Lead GeneraRon

Brand Awareness

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

What do you use Social Media Tools for? (Select all that apply)


17

Social Media Monitoring Tools


18


SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING / AUTOMATION TOOLS

Though over 90% of agencies use Social Media in their new business efforts, only 62% use corresponding monitoring or automation tools. This is still a sharp increase from 2014, when less than 47% reported the use of Social Media monitoring or automation tools.

HootSuite remains the leader by a wide margin. Use of the SalesForce tool dropped by two-thirds and use of Twitter also fell. Sysomos posted a considerable gain, and Buffer is new to the top five this year.


No 37.6%

Yes 62.4%

No

Yes

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

0.0%

0.0%

2.7%

5.5%

5.5%

6.9%

6.9%

19.2%

20.6%

27.4%

28.8%

75.3%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Reachpod

Sociota

Umetric

Manage FliIerRadian6 (Salesforce)

SocialOomph

IFTTT

Social Tracker

Sysomos

Buffer

TweetDeck

Klout

HootSuite

Do you currently use Social Media Monitoring / Automation Tools for your new business efforts?

Which of the following Social Media Monitoring / Automation Tools do you currently use?


19




Top Five Social Media Monitoring / Automation Tools: Usage 2015 vs. 2014.

The top five Social Media Monitoring / Automation Tools cited in 2015 include Buffer, which was not mentioned in 2014. Aside from TweetDeck, all tools show increased usage.

56.5%

25.0%

31.5%

0.0%

12.0%

75.3%

28.8% 27.4%

20.5% 19.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

HootSuite Klout TweetDeck Buffer Sysomos

2014 2015


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It’s good to see that, though there’s room for improvement, agencies are finding these tools to be more effective than they have in the past. In 2014, 32% of respondents scored these tool 6 or above. This year, that number rose dramatically to over 43%.


6.9%

9.9%

12.9%

12.8%

14.8%

12.9%

15.8%

8.9%

3.0%

2.0%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18%

1=Not EffecRve

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10=Very EffecRve

Thinking about the Social Media Monitoring / Automation Tools you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts? (1=Not Effective; 10= Very Effective)


21

CRM/Contact Management Software


22


CONTACT MANAGEMENT / CRM SOFTWARE

CRM applications are used by 70% of respondents. This continues a trend in growth of CRM tools, up dramatically from 45% usage as recently as 2013. HubSpot’s growth as a Contact Management tool is noteworthy. Virtually off the radar in the 2014 report, it now occupies second place in our report, while Salesforce holds steady at 41%. It looks like HubSpot is responsible for growth in this category of tools, and it’s come at the expense of Excel and ACT! which each lost half their share from the prior year.


No 29.8%

Yes 70.2%

No

Yes

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0%

Use for Contact Management

0.0%

1.1%

1.1%

2.3%

3.4%

3.4%

4.5%

5.7%

12.5%

30.7%

40.9%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0%

Maximizer

Nimble

ZoHo

Infusionsoe

MS Dynamics

SugarCRM

Pipeline Deals

ACT!

Excel

HubSpot CRM

Salesforce

Which of the following CRM / Contact Management Software platforms do you currently use? (Select all that apply and if usage is for contact management only or as full CRM Suite)

Do you currently use Contact Management / CRM Software to manage your new business prospects?


23




Year-to-year comparisons of these tools, using the 2015 top five for each application, exhibit how dynamic a category this is, and how much impact HubSpot has had:

40.0%

26.2%

10.8%

0.0%

7.7%

38.7%

11.8%

5.4%

29.0%

3.2%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Salesforce Excel ACT! HubSpot Sugar

2014 2015

Software used as Content Management Tool: Year-to-Year Change

Software used as Full CRM Tool: Year-to-Year Change

42.5%

0 0.0%

2.5% 2.5%

41.5%

46.2%

7.7%

1.5% 1.5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Salesforce HubSpot CRM SugarCRM Microsoe Dynamics CRM

Infusionsoe

2014 2015


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Use for Full CRM

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

1.5%

1.5%

1.5%

7.7%

41.5%

46.2%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Maximizer

ZoHo

Pipeline Deals

ACT!

Excel

Nimble

Infusionsoe

MS Dynamics

SugarCRM

Salesforce

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM has also risen to a position as the most-used CRM tool for agencies, surpassing Salesforce, which achieved over 62% of reported usage in 2014. Together, these two tools are dominant among agencies that use CRM software.

Which of the following CRM / Contact Management Software platforms do you currently use? (Select all that apply and if usage is for contact management only or as full CRM Suite)


25




1.7%

5.1%

8.5%

7.6%

18.6%

14.4%

12.7%

13.6%

11.9%

5.9%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20%

1=Not EffecRve

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10=Very EffecRve

Overall, for both Contact Management and Full CRM, 60% of users of these tools find them to be effective, with a rating of 6 or better. This is nearly identical to the ratings recorded last year. Interestingly, within the 6+ ratings, there was a huge jump at 9-10, from 9% in 2014 to nearly 18% in 2015. Some agencies are learning how to get the most from these tools.

Thinking about the CRM / Contact Management Software you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts? (1=Not Effective; 10= Very Effective)


26

Research Services


27


RESEARCH SERVICES

Here is a very surprising finding. Since our 2013 report, reported usage of research services has declined steadily, from 60% two years ago to just 48.5% this year. The kind of intelligence available through research is vital to new business success. We’re guessing that more and more shops are gathering intel themselves.


No 51.5%

Yes 48.5%

No

Yes

47% 48% 48% 49% 49% 50% 50% 51% 51% 52% 52%

1.3%

3.8%

7.5%

8.8%

8.8%

8.8%

11.3%

11.3%

13.8%

15.0%

25.0%

30.0%

32.5%

37.5%

37.5%

42.5%

46.3%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

USA TouchPoints

GLG

trendwatching.com

Datamonitor

Gartner

Pearlfinders

Second Wind

Simmons

CEB Iconoculture

LexisNexis

Hoovers

Access ConfidenRal

Mintel

eMarketer

Forrester

AAAA (4A's)

The List

Do you currently use Research Services to support your new business efforts?

Which of the following Research Services do you currently use? (Select all that apply).


28


RESEARCH SERVICES CHANNEL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

Amongst Research service usage year-to-year, The List experienced the largest increase among survey respondents, with growth of nearly 14%. The chart below exhibits changes year to year.

32.4%

46.3%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

2014

2015

Comparative data for all services follows:


29

AAAA (4A's) 45.6% 42.5% -3.1%Forrester 42.6% 37.5% -5.1%Hoovers 39.7% 25.0% -14.7%eMarketer 33.8% 37.5% 3.7%

The List 32.4% 46.3% 13.9%Mintel 27.9% 32.5% 4.6%Access Confidential 23.5% 30.0% 6.5%LexisNexis 22.1% 15.0% -7.1%Simmons 20.6% 11.3% -9.3%Datamonitor 13.2% 8.8% -4.4%trendwatching.com 11.8% 7.5% -4.3%Second Wind 11.8% 11.3% -0.5%CEB Iconoculture 10.3% 13.8% 3.5%Gartner 10.3% 8.8% -1.5%Pearlfinders 5.9% 8.8% 2.9%GLG 4.4% 3.8% -0.6%USA TouchPoints 2.9% 1.3% -1.6%

2014 2015 Change


RESEARCH SERVICES

From the previous pages, the 4A’s, and Forrester remain highly-used services among those agencies that use such services. Notably, The List has gained dramatically in usage compared to last year, and now leads the category in reported usage. Hoover’s seems to have lost significant ground in the past year, though it’s still fairly widely used.

If agencies are less likely to use research services, at least they feel they’re getting value from those they engage. Over two-thirds of agencies scored research services effectiveness at 6 or better.


0.0%

2.5%

3.8%

12.7%

13.9%

20.3%

17.7%

20.3%

2.5%

6.3%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

1=Not EffecRve

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10=Very EffecRve

Thinking about the Research Services you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts? (1=Not Effective; 10= Very Effective)


30

Prospect Contact/ List Building


31


PROSPECT CONTACT / LIST BUILDING

Over 45% of agencies report using Prospect Contact / List Building software.


45.3%

54.7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Yes

No

This exhibits a gain in the use of these tools of nearly 7% from last year’s survey. The chart below shows year-to-year growth in use.

38.5%

45.3%

34.0%

36.0%

38.0%

40.0%

42.0%

44.0%

46.0%

2014 2015

Change in use 2014 to 2015 – Prospect Contact / List Building Software

Do you currently use Prospect Contact / List Building software at your agency?


32



Last year, LinkedIn and The List led the pack with 31% and 26% respectively. In 2015, their leads grew substantially with 65.3% of respondents indicating they use LinkedIn and 58.3% naming The List. HubSpot, which was not included in the original array of choices, received mentions from 7 of 10 responders indicating they use “other” services.


65.3%

58.3%

23.6%

13.9%

11.1%

6.9%

2.8%

2.8%

1.4%

1.4%

0.0%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

LinkedIn

The List

Access Confidential

Jigsaw (Data.com)

Hoovers

Red Books

Manta

Pearlfinders

AdDataExpress

RelSci

GageIn

Which of the following Prospect Contact / List Building services do you currently use? (Select all that apply)


33



Comparing the year to year responses shows substantial growth for the top five Contact/List Building software products.

With regard to effectiveness of these tools, a slight decline in performance was reported in 2015 versus 2014.

On a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being “Very Effective”, about 15% of respondents rated effectiveness at 4 or lower. In 2015, over 24% gave their contact/list building software in this low range.

76% of respondents rated Prospect Contact / List Building services greater than 5. In 2014, this same statistic was 84% indicating a drop in effectiveness of this type of service for agency new business.


30.5% 26.3%

9.5% 10.5%

8.4%

65.3%

58.3%

23.6%

13.9% 11.1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

LinkedIn The List Access Confidential

Jigsaw (Data.com)

Hoovers

2014

2015

Top Five Contact / List Building Software Offerings Usage 2015 vs. 2014


34


PROSPECT CONTACT / LIST BUILDING CHANNEL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

Agency comments offer mixed reviews on the accuracy and effectiveness of Prospect Contact / List Building Software for new business development:

•  “Generally accurate, but not 100.”

•  “None work very well”.

They also counsel on value these resources can offer within the overall new business strategy:

•  “Blindly adding contacts has little value unless they are extremely relevant to a persona we are pursuing.”

•  “They are tools, but in and of them selves they do not drive new business, They sort and inform.”

•  “These are helpful in determine top of the funnel prospects yet require significant follow up.”

2.7%

1.4%

9.5%

10.8%

10.8%

20.3%

14.9%

17.6%

6.8%

5.4%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

1 = Not Effective

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 = Very Effective

Thinking about the Prospect Contact / List Building services you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts on a scale of 1 – 10?


35


PROSPECT CONTACT / LIST BUILDING CHANNEL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

Looking to list building software as the Holy Grail is not realistic as reflected in the comments above.

A giant, indiscriminate list is not the best use of agency time, and will not yield desired results. A substantial, targeted list, however, broken up and coupled with more personalized outreach, is ideal.

This approach does take more time and effort, but is ultimately worth it.

Understandably, not every agency has the manpower to create lists in-house, and a solid percentage of agencies are getting help from companies that specialize in list-building, often with accompanying research.

The bottom line: the backbone of any strong new business effort is a solid list, whether built in-house or through an out-sourced group.


36

SEO Tools


37


SEO TOOLS Almost 71% of agencies use SEO tools, down slightly (-3%) from 2014. Despite the small decline, the number of agencies saying they use SEO tools reinforces the value of the information they provide in new business development.


70.6%

29.4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Yes

No

79.6%

58.3%

34.0%

17.5% 15.5%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

Google Keyword Planner

Google Trends MOZ SpyFu HubSpot*

Do you currently use SEO tools in your agency? (e.g. MOZ, Google Keyword Planner)

Which of the following SEO Tools do you currently use? (Select all that apply)

*Based on write-in responses to “other”.


In this year’s survey, responses were split across Google Keyword and Google Trends (vs. Google overall in 2014). They claimed the #1 and #2 spots with 79.6% and 58.3% of respondents reporting using these tools. Third-most-mentioned is MOZ, more than doubling percent of mentions from 14.9% in 2014 to 34% this year. HubSpot was not included amongst SEO Tool options in the survey but received enough write-in mentions to put it at the #5 position.

38


SEO TOOLS CHANNEL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

In 2014, almost 69% of respondents rated the effectiveness of the SEO tools they used at 5 or higher on a 10-point scale (with 10 being highly effective). Effectiveness – or user ability – has vastly improved over the past year with over 80% rating effectiveness at 5 or higher.

Agencies are seeing more success in harnessing SEO tools for new business to their benefit:

•  “We see a lot of business funneled through our site due to our SEO strategy and optimization.”

•  “Knowing the keywords we want to target allows us to plan our blog strategy and landing pages around them.”

•  “Our seo department is very effective.”

Still, some comments reveal further potential for agency new business programs to benefit from these resources:

•  “We don't utilize enough. If we would surely see better results and larger amount of leads.”

•  “We don't market ourselves enough, only clients.”

•  “They are effective but we haven't taken full advantage of them.”

1.8%

5.4%

3.6%

8.9%

18.8%

19.6%

19.6%

15.2%

5.4%

1.8%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

1 = Not Effective

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 = Very Effective

Thinking about the SEO tools you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts? (1 = Not Effective; 10 = Very Effective)


39

Email Marketing Services


40


EMAIL MARKETING SERVICES Over the past year, we saw another big leap in use of Email Marketing Services with over 73% of survey respondents usage of them.

From 2013 to 2015, Email Marketing Services usage has surged nearly 20% in usage as reported by survey respondents.


73.4%

26.6%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Yes

No

55.0%

63.2%

73.4%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

2013 2014 2015

Do you currently use Email Marketing Services to support your new business efforts? (e.g. Emma, MailChimp)

Growth in Email Marketing Services Use 2013 - 2015 (% of Agencies indicating usage)


41


EMAIL MARKETING SERVICES CHANNEL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

MailChimp has grown its lead over Constant Contact with over 54% of Agencies responding indicating they use it for new business development. This is virtually double last year’s number, when Constant Contact was a much closer #2 with 25.6% and MailChimp at 27.8%. Of note, HubSpot was not listed in the list of services to select from, but was identified by 30 out of 49 respondents indicating “other” in response to this question; of all respondents, 36% mentioned HubSpot, in effect, earning it the #2 position behind MailChimp.

54.2%

25.3%

14.5%

13.3%

6.0%

4.8%

1.2%

1.2%

1.2%

0.0%

0.0%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

MailChimp

Constant Contact

Emma

Campaign Monitor

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

iContact

Benchmark Email

GetResponse

VerticalResponse

Campaigner

GraphicMail

Which of the following Email Marketing Services do you currently use? (Select all that apply)


42



While almost 75% of respondents rated the effectiveness of their Email Marketing Services at 5 or higher on a 10-point scale (with 10 being highly effective), this is down somewhat. In 2014, 78.2% of respondents scored the effectiveness of their services at 5 or higher. Several takeaways come out of these responses and associated verbatim comments. First, agencies note the array of services available, and many are exploring more than one option. Second, one respondent put it well by remarking: “The tool is only as effective as the list and the messages and frequency.” The communication strategy behind Email Marketing will always be critical to the success the tool delivers. Third, multiple comments mentioned the benefits that automation features some of these service offer. It would seem agencies seeing such advantages are developing a well-thought-out strategy that leverages the potential of these services to greater degrees.

1.6%

3.3%

6.5%

13.8%

10.6%

12.2%

18.7%

17.1%

8.1%

8.1%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20%

1 = Not Effective

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 = Very Effective

Thinking about the Email Marketing Service you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts?

(1 = Not Effective; 10 = Very Effective)


43



Such comments include:

•  “HubSpot simplifies marketing automation and integrates email seamlessly into prospecting and lead nurturing.”

•  “Within the SF marketing cloud - we use Pardot. Much better than an email marketing tool. It's complete inbound marketing automation.

A considerable number of agencies shared comments that exhibit they are not using their Email Marketing Service to its full potential, particularly as a new business program. This is reflected in comments such as the following:

•  “only use email to promote events (shows, speaking engagements, etc.)”

•  “Not convinced emails are the best way to connect with prospects.”

•  “Many of our prospects don't like the general, canned approach. We find that personalized emails work better, followed by general ones.”


44

Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing

Platforms


45


MARKETING AUTOMATION / INBOUND MARKETING PLATFORMS

Almost 40% of Agencies responding this year indicated they are using Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing Platforms.


This level of reported usage is more than doubled over last year, when 18.4% of respondents reported using these tools.

39.9%

60.1%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Yes

No

22.0% 18.4%

39.9%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

2013 2014 2015

Do you currently use Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing tools to support your new business efforts?

% Agencies Using Marketing Automation for New Business Development


46




In 2014, HubSpot dominated this category of marketing technology with 62% usage. Its lead has grown over the past year, with nearly 87% of Agencies indicating they use HubSpot for Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing.

86.7%

10.0%

10.0%

5.0%

5.0%

1.7%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

HubSpot

Marketo

Pardot (Salesforce)

Act-On

SharpSpring

Silverpop

Which of the following Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing tools do you currently use? (Select all that apply)


47




Reported usage of Marketo and Pardot (Salesforce) dropped from 2014 to 2015. Act-On and SharpSpring, each cited by 5% of respondents this year, did not rank at all in 2014.

61.9%

14.3%

19.1%

86.7%

10.0% 10.0%

5.0% 5.0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

HubSpot Marketo Pardot (Salesforce) Act-‐On SharpSpring

2014 2015

In 2014, Eloqua and Genius each were identified by 2.4% of respondents. Neither were cited in 2015.

Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing Program Usage: 2014 - 2015 Comparison


48



Agencies seem to be finding greater effectiveness in Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing Platforms. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being very effective, 85.3% of respondents offered a rating of 5 or higher in 2014.

This percentage increased to nearly 92% in 2015.


The use of Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing Platforms has plenty of room for growth. The improved effectiveness scores indicate Agencies are becoming more acclimated to the programs and more fully integrating them into their agency new business structure.

As with other tools and technologies, the results they deliver are driven by the effort Agencies put into them. As one respondent observed:

“Much of our new business has come from phone calls related to inbound tools - not directly from the tools, but based on efforts utilizing those tools.”

0.0%

0.0%

3.3%

4.9%

4.9%

4.9%

16.4%

23.0%

16.4%

26.2%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

1 = Not Effective

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 = Very Effective

Thinking about the Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing tools you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts? (1 = Not Effective; 10 = Very Effective)


49



Comments from the agencies reaping results from Marketing Automation programs for their new business initiatives are strong:

•  “Critical to business. Period.”

•  “Really helps give us a single platform with combined data. This allows us to see the big picture and dig out strategies from seeing the combined data and parsing it.”

•  “Wonderful to build up lead intelligence.”

Others who haven’t seen results they would call successful, with Marketing Automation / Inbound Marketing Platforms seem to recognize the potential is there, with additional commitment to learning how to use these tools:

•  “I have not been able to use its full features yet.”

•  “Not sure we are 100% up to speed as to how to maximize its use.”

•  “Only as helpful as what I put into it.”



50



51



Use of Project Management / Collaboration tools climbed sharply over the past year. Almost 70% of agencies responding this year indicate they use such tools, up from 53.8% in 2014.

The two-most-used project management tools remain consistent from last year’s survey with Basecamp coming in at 76.8% and Workamajig at 24.2%.


69.5%

30.5%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Yes

No

Do you currently use Project Management / Collaboration Tools to support your new business efforts? (e.g. Basecamp, Workamajig)

76.8%

24.2%

10.5%

7.4%

4.2%

3.2%

3.2%

2.1%

1.1%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0%

Basecamp

Workamajig

Advantage

Asana

Pbworks

Docurated

FunctionFox

Central Desktop

Lighthouse

Which of the following Project Management / Collaboration Tools do you currently use? (Select all that apply)


52



Use of both has increased over the past year. Reported usage of Basecamp rose over 10 points with 66.7% of respondents indicating in 2014 that they had used it. Usage of Workamajig is up slightly from 22.5% over the past year.


66.7%

19.0%

76.8%

24.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Basecamp Workamajig

2014 2015

Change in Reported Usage: 2014 to 2015


53



On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very effective), over 64% of respondents rate the effectiveness of these tools at 5 or higher in helping their agencies drive new business efforts.


The lower ratings are qualified primarily by the application agencies report in relation to new business, as comments are mixed. While a few comments were moderately to highly enthusiastic about these tools for agency new business (“Couldn't live without it.”), most indicated their use mostly for existing business:

•  “More useful for client service/account management.”

•  “This wasn't effective at helping with new business, this is used more on the accounting side (timesheets, opening jobs, etc) than it is for new business.”

As with other tools and technology, agencies keep looking for an “ideal” platform”:

•  “We'd like to have an agency-wide project and program management tool that also included a financial system and a publishing system, but I don't think it exists and if it does, it's too expensive.”

7.1%

4.5%

9.8%

8.0%

16.1%

12.5%

16.1%

14.3%

8.0%

3.6%

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18%

1 = Not Effective

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 = Very Effective

Thinking about the Project Management/Collaboration Tools you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts? (1 = Not Effective; 10 = Very Effective)


54

Content Development Tools


55


CONTENT DEVELOPMENT TOOLS

2015 marks the first year we asked respondents about their use of Content Development Tools. Of agencies responding, just shy of 20% indicate they are using these tools for new business development:

Of those reporting usage, over half cite doing in-house video content development, with Zerys and Contently in the number two and three spots respectively:


19.2%

80.8%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Yes

No

52.4%

28.6%

19.0%

14.3%

4.8%

4.8%

0.0%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

In-House Video Content Development

Zerys

Contently

WriterAccess

Video Creation Marketplace

VideoPixie

Scripted

Do you currently use Content Development Tools to support your new business efforts? (e.g. Zerys, Contently)

Which of the following Content Development Tools do you currently use? (Select all that apply)


56



While 15.4% of agencies indicate the Content Development Tool(s) they are using are highly effective for new business, the majority of responses, almost 77% rated them between a 5 and a 7 on a ten-point scale.


The comments offered show that some agencies are in the learning stages in adopting these tools: •  “Just in the beginning stages”

•  “evaluating these”

Yet others seem to be very confident in the tools they are using, whether they have elected to develop and utilize in-house resources, or use an existing program:

•  “Constant Content - very simple UI and content PM tool that allows us to build teams but also purchase one-off content on the fly. Customer service is phenomenal.”

•  “We have a full staff of content markers, video production, and copywriters who develop content in-house.”

0.0%

0.0%

3.8%

0.0%

23.1%

42.3%

11.5%

0.0%

3.8%

15.4%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

1 = Not Effective

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 = Very Effective

Thinking about the Content Development Tools you use, how effective are they at helping your agency drive its new business efforts? (1= Not Effective; 10= Very Effective)


57




The category is still clearly in development as still other agencies indicate they have not been satisfied yet, have not applied the tools to new business development to date, or view the capabilities of Content Marketing programs as potentially competitive to their own services.

•  “Good tool for some clients but not so useful for new business development. Better for delivery and client service than new customer acquisition.”

•  “Surprisingly inelegant so far. Very poor content handling capabilities. Wouldn't touch Contently. We see them as direct competition.”


58

Looking Ahead

59


LOOKING AHEAD When asked, “Which new business tools do you expect to use more frequently in the coming year, 140 responses revealed a broad array of plans, across all tools discussed, and including more “traditional” tools and technologies such as:

•  phone calls

•  standard, personal emails

•  increased in-person networking

Of the long-standing traditional tools, one that was not mentioned was direct mail of hard-copy materials and communications through USPS, FedEX, UPS or other physical delivery services.

We hear prospects remark how mailed materials stand out, because they receive such mailings comparatively infrequently. If this is not a tool you are currently using, it may be worthwhile to test it again.

We also asked agencies: “Looking at your overall new business efforts, what significant issue could a new tool help resolve (thereby improving your agency's effectiveness)?”

Again, responses covered an extensive range. Categorically, agencies identify Lead Generation and Personalization (of messaging) as key issues that with the right tools, could be enhanced to improved their new business results.

•  “Enhanced lead gen.”

•  “Figuring out who I need to know, and who can relevantly introduce me to them.”

•  “Helping us identify new business opportunities before our competitors”

•  “More targeted follow-up for those in the research phase that haven't converted yet”

•  “Connecting content to contacts”

•  “Outreach to new audiences that wouldn't SPAM them.”

•  “Personalization” And finally, a few closing thoughts. As we look at the 2015 survey results, it’s clear that agencies are still searching for the new business equivalent of Thor’s Hammer. That one tool – well maybe two or three – that offers more simplicity and usability than anything they now have. Agency new business leaders are technically sophisticated and willing to experiment. Data is critical to their success, but it’s only a means to an end. Currently available tools offer both hope and frustration. It wouldn’t surprise us at all to see the same kind of shifts take place in 2016 as we have seen in 2015.


60


If you would like to reproduce any of our findings in any format, please contact either: Brent Hodgins at Mirren Business Development 212.388.9544 [email protected] Or Lee McKnight at RSW/US 513.559.3111 or [email protected]


61


GLOSSARY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Google+ Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest Quora SlideShare Twitter Vimeo Vine XING YouTube

SOCIAL MEDIA MONITROING TOOLS Buffer HootSuite IFTTT Klout Manage Flitter Radian6 (Salesforce) Reachpod SocialOomph Social Tracker Sociota Sysomos TweetDeck Unmetric

CRM / CONTACT MANAGEMENT ACT! Excel HubSpot CRM Infusionsoft Maximizer Microsoft Dynamics Nimble Pipeline Deals Salesforce SugarCRM ZoHo

RESEARCH SERVICES AAAA (4A's) Access Confidential CEB Iconoculture Datamonitor eMarketer Forrester Gartner GLG Hoovers LexisNexis Mintel Pearlfinders Second Wind Simmons The List trendwatching.com USA TouchPoints

PROSPECT CONTACT / LIST BUILDING SERVICES Access Confidential AdDataExpress GageIn Hoovers Jigsaw (Data.com) LinkedIn Manta Pearlfinders Red Books RelSci The List

SEO TOOLS Google Keyword Planner Google Trends MOZ SimliarWeb SpyFu TrackMaven

EMAIL MARKETING SERVICES Benchmark Email Campaign Monitor Campaigner Constant Contact Emma GetResponse GraphicMail iContact MailChimp Salesforce Marketing Cloud VerticalResponse

MARKETING AUTOMATION / INBOUND MARKETING TOOLS Act-On Eloqua HubSpot Marketo Pardot (Salesforce) Salesfusion SharpSpring Silverpop Velocify

PROJECT MANAGEMENT/ COLLABORATION TOOLS Advantage Asana Basecamp Central Desktop Docurated FunctionFox Lighthouse Pbworks Workamajig

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT Contently In-House Video Content Development Scripted Video Creation Marketplace VideoPixie WriterAccess Zerys




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