ON24 Research: 70% Of Buyers Prefer Virtual/Hybrid Brand Engagements & Interactions

January 6, 2023
Written by Kelly Lindenau
Published in News Briefs

ON24, a digital experience platform, partnered with B2B marketing agency Heinz Marketing to produce “The 2022 Digital Engagement Landscape” survey report, which examined the most effective channels and tactics to engage B2B buyers and how sales and marketing teams can optimize their impact. To conduct the survey, the companies separately surveyed three groups of B2B buyers, marketers and sellers.

The report found that more than half of marketers ran more webinars and digital events in 2022 compared to 2021, 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. The buyer surveys backed up those findings, as:

70% of buyers preferred to engage with brands virtually or in a hybrid format rather than attend an in-person event; and
90% increased their digital event participation levels.

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 marketers agreeing that digital engagement data provides valuable insights into the buying journey, less than one-third are using that data to personalize their next interaction with audiences.

Of the sellers surveyed, the majority do not receive detailed digital engagement data while nearly one-third feel that a lack of digital engagement data in CRM systems is one of their biggest challenges in personalizing outreach.

“B2B companies must think differently about driving revenue growth in 2023,” said Callan Young, CMO of ON24, in a statement. “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. Our research affirms that a digital engagement strategy is critical for businesses to successfully drive revenue growth today. 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.”