Are you keeping up to date with what’s going on with B2B marketing trends? Here are 4 you should be tracking…
How can you tell if a trend is merely a flash in the pan or an actual shift in the market that indicates a long-lasting impact? We’ve sorted out the passing fads so you can focus on the top four trends that will transform business for in the present and beyond. Learn from these B2B marketing trends to maximize the effectiveness of your marketing investment.
B2B Marketing Trend #1: Email Marketing and Automation
Email is an excellent means of nurturing leads because it allows you to deliver relevant information along the buyer’s journey. Email newsletters also keep existing customers engaged which increases their lifetime value.
Automation takes email marketing to the next level. The ability to personalize and schedule in advance makes email more efficient and effective. While creating workflows and triggers that send a series of emails based on the actions that a prospect takes increases the likelihood of converting them into a paying customer. In fact, automated emails average 70.5% higher open rates and 152% higher click-through rates than non-automated marketing messages. You can read more about the process and benefits of B2B marketing automation here.
B2B Marketing Trend #2: Data Reporting and Visualization
Thanks to the rise of digital marketing and tools like Google Analytics, marketers can access more data than ever before. Utilizing the right data can help you refine your target audience, improve your messaging, and attract higher-quality leads. But doing so requires turning the constant stream of data into actionable insights. Having a dashboard that compiles and presents your data in a useful format is crucial for making the most of the advantages that digital brings to your B2B marketing strategy.
B2B Marketing Trend #3: Sales and Marketing Alignment
In the minds of B2B buyers, the line between marketing and sales continues to blur. Buyers continue to do more of their research online, so your marketing must take on more of the work of traditional prospecting and consultative selling. Your marketing team must understand exactly what your sales force needs and help support their efforts from generating leads through the close. By aligning your marketing efforts to your sales cycle, you can dramatically boost the effectiveness of both. You can learn how to map and optimize your B2B sales cycle here.
B2B Marketing Trend #4: Content Marketing Drives Lead Generation
Content is king. Or more accurately, providing helpful, informative content when your prospects need it is king. Blog posts, articles, and white papers should remain the bedrock of your B2B content marketing strategy. However, viewers content media consumption habits are changing fast. Did you realize that 70% of B2B buyers already watch videos online as part of their research before purchasing?
Not only is video continuing to gain in importance, but augmented reality and virtual reality are providing exciting formats to present information and stories in more engaging ways—and these technologies will become more mainstream in 2020.
B2B Marketing Bonus Trend: Focus on the Fundamentals
You should never chase random trends or the latest flashy tactic. To truly succeed in 2020 and beyond, you need a comprehensive and actionable B2B marketing plan—one that incorporates these trends into the proven building blocks of a smarter marketing machine.
- Strategy
- Branding
- Website
- Advertising
- Digital Marketing
- Trade Shows
- Sales & Marketing Alignment
With these seven fundamentals of B2B marketing working in concert, you will have the best foundation to take advantage of emerging trends.
The Marketing Blender is a full-service B2B marketing agency focused on accelerating growth for clients in manufacturing, healthcare, software, and professional services.
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