Top 5 Trends B2B Marketers Should Look Forward To
How to Use These Trends to Position Your Company for Success
A new year is upon us, meaning B2B marketers have just evaluated their plans for the new year and allocated their budgets. Every business has its own goals and challenges, and what works for one business may not work for another. There is no universal marketing solution. However, the same key trends will impact every business, and marketers who leverage them will be in a better position to achieve their goals.
1. Buyers Crave Content
Buyers crave useful, relevant content to build their internal business case and justify their purchasing decisions. It’s up to you to provide valuable content that helps buyers make informed purchasing decisions and helps your business generate more sales.
Take stock of your current content and align it with the needs of your target group. Then fill in the gaps. For example, if you don’t have enough content targeting affluent buyers, create an ROI calculator. Analytical buyers may not understand your novel approach to solving their problem. You might need a case study for that. If you want more visibility and authority in your market, start a blog.
When developing content, you don’t have to start from scratch. Content can often be reused and used across multiple mediums. For example, a white paper can become a webinar and then a video. Or you can repurpose a technical article into a conference presentation that can then become a series of blog posts. 2. Users want a multimedia experience
Like most audiences, professionals also read, watch, and listen to online content. Take advantage of this trend by offering more than just words on paper or a screen. Thanks to low-cost technology and high bandwidth, media like video is easy to create and easily accessible to your audience.
There is an abundance of source material to create videos from. You can record interviews, product demos and presentations to deliver anything from expert analysis and advice to product announcements and quarterly results. You can also use video to promote upcoming events, record those events and archive the videos for later use.
Don’t forget to promote your videos everywhere you can: on your website or blog with links and banners, in emails and social media.
3. Social media demands attention
Many marketers wonder how involved they should be with social media. Social media has generated a lot of buzz and excitement, but usage remains low in some business sectors. It is important not only to understand how your prospects and customers use social media, but also to ensure that your level of investment matches your audience’s usage. Your first task is to find out how your target audience uses social media and which platforms they prefer. You can gain insights by surveying your own base.
Once you understand how your target audience uses social media, you can develop the right social media strategy. Remember, social media is a complement to other marketing channels, not a replacement. To execute your strategy, you need to assign ownership for your social media efforts, integrate social media into your existing marketing programs, and establish success metrics to measure ROI.
4. New Marketing Channels Await You
With customers and prospects using the internet almost everywhere, there are more marketing channels than ever before to reach your target audience, from search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search, to online directories and searchable catalogs, to social media and email. .
The fastest growing marketing channel is online events. Virtual trade shows offer both vendors and attendees a fully interactive experience with features like live chat, virtual booths, panels, keynote presentations, content delivery, and question-and-answer sessions. Plus, you don’t have to incur travel or other expenses to attend.
It’s important to integrate all your online marketing channels into a program that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Work with a media partner that understands your needs and can help you create the right program to meet your goals.
5. Keep the focus on ROI
Asking marketers to demonstrate ROI is a trend that will continue. For now, choose measurable marketing programs and define goals and success metrics. It’s an old saying in the business world that never gets old: you can’t manage what you can’t measure.
