In 2020, the onset of COVID-19 revolutionized the way we live and do business.
This transformation affected the rules of marketing in countless ways, and B2B is no exception. Now, it’s time to slow down for a moment, examine the shifting global landscape, and analyze how leading organizations have adapted to survive in this new environment.
Read on, and discover the 8 B2B trends that can help your company thrive in 2021 and beyond.
AI, Chatbots, & Automation
These tools help your teams do more with less. They can be used for a broad range of tasks: from analyzing data to sending tailored communications to users or solving common issues without the support of a human agent.
One of the most impressive features of AIs is that they allow you to perfectly customize your offers. In B2C, you see this every time Amazon displays its products based on a user’s previous purchases, interests, or searches. In B2B, this translates to engaging with hot leads as soon as they google a product like yours.
Whatever the context, the verdict is always the same: AI will only get bigger.
Customer Experience
If being customer-centric was important yesterday, today it’s absolutely vital.
One of the main reasons is that COVID-19 has changed the relationship between brands and consumers: marketers are focusing more and more on providing helpful information and reach their leads with unprecedented levels of empathy.
The effects can be sizable, not only for your reputation but, most importantly, for customer retention—a crucial parameter when acquiring new prospects becomes so hard in times of crisis.
Influencer Marketing
Although more widely used in B2C, influencers (industry leaders or experts) can have a huge impact in B2B as well.
That’s because 97% of buyers are valuing more and more the trustworthiness of the source of information when they make a spending decision or consume content. However, instead of social media, you should combine influencers with a more informative format—such as case studies or webinars.
Already trending in 2019, in 2021 B2B Influencer Marketing is hotter than ever.
Engaging with Videos
Did you know that over 90% of B2B customers watch videos online? And nearly half of them consult video sources when researching a marketing service or product.
One of the main benefits is that it brings visuals and audio into the game, making your content more engaging. However, this is also a great format to share customer testimonials and showcase the value of your brand, or to attract potential prospects with valuable free content—such as “How-to” videos and Tutorials.
Today, this medium has become more accessible even for small and medium businesses: as your competitors will be harnessing its potential, we advise you to do the same.
Podcast
The podcast “fever” has literally exploded in recent years—taking over Spotify, YouTube, and (possibly) the World. It’s only natural that marketers should leverage this trend and channel it toward their own goals.
In B2B, this means involving industry leaders, influencers, and testimonials to engage with your audience and generate real connections. This will improve your retention and conversion rates.
Besides, 44% of senior-level decision-makers on LinkedIn make time to regularly listen to podcasts, so (yes) you should definitely embrace this strategy. Too many leads are at stake.
While social media is as important in B2B as it is in B2C marketing, the relevance of each platform is quite different.
Rather than Facebook or Instagram, LinkedIn is the king of B2B—and for good reason. It is responsible alone for 80% of the leads generated by social media B2B marketing.
This is because, although not the largest social media, it’s certainly the most trusted. And authority is everything in marketing. LinkedIn also gives you the chance to easily converse and engage with industry leaders, generating golden opportunities.
Email Marketing
Ok, this one isn’t a novelty—rather a classic. However, it’s important to understand how this approach has evolved in the past months to maximize your results.
For about 60% of marketers, email was already the most effective channel for generating revenue; now, personalization promises to make those numbers go up even higher. Not only are personalized subject lines 26% more likely to be opened, but personalized emails can increase the transaction rate up to 6 times.
Now, that’s a pretty big impact.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
Instead of targeting the whole industry, ABM focuses on a few high-value accounts—the ones that are best-fit to be turned into customers.
Why is it getting so popular? It allows you to achieve sizable results—e.g. retaining or converting important clients—with relatively moderate resources.
The numbers speak for themselves: 77% of companies leveraging ABM achieve an ROI that is 10% higher than those who don’t. That’s some compelling evidence.
Final Thoughts
New technologies and marketing strategies are always under development.
To stay on top of your industry, it’s important that you keep up with the latest findings—so they can become the norm in your business before your competitors are even aware of their existence.
In this article, we’ve explored 8 essential B2B trends for your success in 2021 and beyond. Stay tuned for more game-changing tips and techniques!
