Demandbase Increases Leads by 50 Percent with Salesforce CRM and Google AdWords

Jason Stewart is senior manager of demand generation at Demandbase, a rapidly growing software and services company in California. Demandbase’s online service allows sales and marketing professionals to acquire B2B contact information and build marketing lists in an "a la carte" fashion. Demandbase also offers consulting services to help businesses improve their processes related to lead generation.

What issues were you were facing in your business that led you to consider Salesforce CRM?

Before we were using Salesforce CRM we had a patchwork of different systems—Google AdWords, Microsoft Outlook, spreadsheets...our customer data was dispersed and we needed to see it all together to really be able to gain deeper insight into our business.

We knew we wanted a cloud-computing system because as a small and growing company, we didn't have the resources to manage installed software—it was just smarter for us to look for something that didn't require IT and avoided the costs that go along with software maintenance.

We also wanted a solution that could grow and change with our business. We knew that with Salesforce CRM we were getting the same infrastructure and feature set that even very large companies were getting, so we wouldn't have to go through the pain of switching later on. Right now we’re growing at an incredible pace—we had three people just six months ago and are now up to 14. We expect the pace to continue.

What other solutions did you consider? 

We considered NetSuite and Siebel On Demand. Salesforce CRM was a clear winner. We were all comfortable with it and knew the pricing and functionality would scale to our needs. I had also used it in a previous company so I knew it was easy to use and had the features and flexibility we needed.

Once you chose Salesforce CRM, how did you get started?

We self-implemented about two-and-a-half years ago. It was very straight-forward but it's constantly evolving along with our needs. The great thing about Salesforce CRM is that as you discover a new need or question, you can quickly make a change or create a new report to get answers to a business question.

What advice would you give companies like you getting started with Salesforce CRM?

Take advantage of the resources that Salesforce CRM provides to you! The user groups are really helpful. I also take advantage of the community all the time. I can post my questions on the message boards and someone will answer it. It’s a perfect example of how a user community can support your business. In the early stages you’re working all the time—it’s nice to log in at 2 a.m. when I’m working and find my answer right away—it makes life much easier. It’s 24x7 support with literally thousands of experienced professionals that help you quickly answer any questions.

How are you using Salesforce CRM in your business now?

We manage our business with Salesforce CRM! The dashboards have made their way into every department in our growing organization—every meeting centers on clearly presented metrics. On the sales side we use it to manage opportunities end-to-end and automate our processes—activities and scheduling, emails, etc.

For marketing we use it to quantify everything we do and connect it to revenue. Whether it’s through Google AdWords, email marketing, lead generation activities, demand generation, telemarketing…we know exactly what is working and that every dollar is going towards getting new business.

Did you use Google AdWords before you adopted Salesforce CRM?

Yes, we used AdWords before we adopted Salesforce CRM. I used to have to do all of the performance tracking manually, pulling multiple data sources together into a spreadsheet. But that all changed with Salesforce CRM and Google AdWords together. It took less than 30 minutes to set up and now not only do I see the paid search results, but I also get information on natural search. So I’ve been able to see whether changes to my Web site result in more natural search traffic, which is huge for me

How has it changed the way you’re marketing?

The key difference is Salesforce CRM and Google AdWords automates the entire process. Someone clicks on an ad, fills out a form on our site, and they immediately get an auto response. On our end the sales team is notified of a new lead and they can quickly follow up. If we don’t respond within 24 hours an automated workflow rule escalates the lead to me. Nothing slips through the cracks, which means better customer service, and ultimately, more revenue.

We’ve been able to improve our AdWords programs after linking with Salesforce CRM. We currently manage over 300 keywords, have 40 to 50 ads, and 15 to 20 landing page variations running at any given time. Salesforce CRM and Google AdWords fill a big gap for any size company. From the Google interface I could see number of impressions, clicks, and conversions with no visibility into what happens after someone fills out a form. I really didn’t know which keywords, ads, or messaging was generating revenue. With Salesforce CRM connected to my Google Adwords campaigns, I know exactly which ads and keywords are generating quality leads, if those leads are becoming opportunities in my pipeline, and whether or not they turn into dollars. Now I can intelligently adjust my messaging and keyword selection so that the people who convert are also more likely to buy. At the same spend level, the number of quality leads has gone up by 50 to 70 percent since we started using Salesforce CRM. By pulling data together in one place and in real-time, Salesforce CRM and Google Adwords give us the information needed to properly steer our online marketing spend.

What advice would you give to small companies who haven’t used Google AdWords before?

Try it – There is no better way to instantly reach out to millions of people who could potentially be searching for your product or service. It is extremely easy to get started and you can start generating results for very little investment. Once you’ve navigated the system a bit, there are a number of sites, blogs, and message boards that can tell you what you need to know. Google’s training modules are great. I also try to help search beginners out with my blog at www.demandbaseblog.com. Also, remember to use basic common sense when setting up your campaigns – How would someone search for your product or service? Think in the purchaser’s terms.

Demandbase