In “The 2022 Digital Engagement Landscape” report, 70% of B2B buyers surveyed prefer to engage with brands through digital channels

Forrester finds that post-pandemic, B2B buyers require 58% more interactions to make a purchase decision than they did in 2019. To further investigate this trend, ON24 (NYSE: ONTF) partnered with B2B marketing agency, Heinz Marketing, to produce The 2022 Digital Engagement Landscape, a survey-based research report that examines which channels and tactics are most effective at engaging B2B buyers and how sales and marketing teams can optimize their impact.

“We know that top-performing sales and marketing organizations leverage the insights that digital engagement provides to deliver a personalized and differentiated B2B buying experience.”

“B2B companies must think differently about driving revenue growth in 2023,” says Callan Young, Chief Marketing Officer, ON24. “As the industry’s trusted advisor in scaling buyer engagement through digital experiences, our goal for this research is to help sales and marketing organizations take a critical look at their marketing mix and understand which channels and tactics have the greatest potential to cost-effectively drive results.”

After separately surveying three respective groups of B2B buyers, marketers, and sellers, ON24 and Heinz uncovered that digital engagement channels are preferred by each cohort. In fact, 70% of B2B buyers stated they prefer to engage with brands virtually or in a hybrid format rather than attend an in-person event and 90% have seen an increase in their digital event participation levels. Marketers are following suit – more than half of those surveyed ran more webinars and digital events in 2022 compared to the year prior, and of those that did, nearly 75% saw improved outcomes. When sellers were asked about the importance of digital engagement channels for prospecting and closing deals, 95% confirmed that virtual and hybrid events are highly valuable.

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The research also explored the way sellers and marketers are using the data generated by digital engagement channels and found that both groups have opportunities to improve. Despite 88% of the marketers surveyed agreeing that digital engagement data provides valuable insights into the buying journey, less than one-third of marketers are using that data to personalize their next interaction with audiences. And, of the sellers surveyed, the majority do not receive detailed digital engagement data and nearly one-third feel that a lack of digital engagement data in CRM systems is one of their biggest challenges to personalizing their outreach.

“Our research affirms that a digital engagement strategy is critical for businesses to successfully drive revenue growth today,” says Young. “We know that top-performing sales and marketing organizations leverage the insights that digital engagement provides to deliver a personalized and differentiated B2B buying experience.”

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