Forty-five percent of B2B marketers find it difficult to attribute specific budget spend to revenue results, according to new Forrester research. Predictive analytics can help and currently represents an untapped opportunity to find and serve B2B buyers, but Forrester advises firms not to get ahead of themselves when considering how to put analytics into action.

Rather than “dive in,” Forrester recommends phasing in predictive analytics capabilities in four stages to ensure enduring success:

  • Stage 1: Reconcile data to better understand current and ideal customers.
  • Stage 2: Develop an audience hypothesis and build models to test it.
  • Stage 3: Use results to deliver more targeted, differentiated customer experiences.
  • Stage 4: Commit to continuous improvement.

 

Learn more about the research here.