Ensuring data can deliver actionable insights is the key objective for marketers when using analytics.

This is according to Holger Schulze, vice-president of eG Innovations, who has discussed the issue in light of a survey carried out by CMSWire.

It found B2B marketers think there are a number of obstacles that need to be overcome for effective analytics such as systems integration (54 per cent), poor data quality (44 per cent) and a general shortage of resources (34 per cent).

Around half of the survey respondents said they already gain insights from their analytics on either a 'routine' or 'occasional' basis. Close to three-quarters (74 per cent) of those who regularly draw insights claimed this is improving their overall marketing performance.

"Gaining actionable insights from marketing analytics is by far the most important business objective," Mr Schulze stated.

In terms of technology, the spreadsheet is the most commonly used tool for marketing data analytics, with two-thirds of respondents highlighting it. Some 54 per cent make use of dashboards, while a third rely on cloud-based solutions. Just 13 per cent of marketers said they use on-premise analytics software.

Among the data studied most frequently by B2B marketing professionals is website information such as site visits and page views, with 80 per cent of respondents routinely assessing this information. However, only 54 per cent analyse what is driving conversions.

Some 62 per cent of marketers measure the reach of their social media campaigns, but just 30 per cent assess the conversions this leads to.

The survey also found close to half (46 per cent) of respondents expect their analytics budget to grow in the near future.

In July, a poll by B2Bmarketing.net discovered many B2B marketing professionals may be overlooking the insights effective data anyaltics can provide. Only 22 per cent of the respondents surveyed claimed analytics plays a key role in their content campaigns.