Every year the B2B marketing trends change. It can be hard to keep up with the latest and greatest.
This year more than ever, you’ll want to track and understand how things in the marketing space have shifted. You’ll want to know what things are here to stay and what will be left in 2020.
Here are the four top B2B Marketing trends of 2021 so far!
1. Enable the Buyer
B2B (business to business) buyers don’t want the purchasing process to be complicated. Make your website as easy to use as possible and an informative resource for your customers. This doesn’t just help your customer, but it’ll help your sales as well.
2. Shift to Digital
Digital marketing is not new, but during 2020, B2B marketers had to pivot most of their efforts online. If they weren’t considering shifting focus to a ‘digital first’ mentality before 2020, they certainly are in 2021.
These are the tools that most B2B marketers have already or are adding to in 2021.
Video
It would be best if you did not have a digital marketing strategy without video. Video is becoming more important in B2B marketing. 70 percent of B2B buyers watch videos throughout their purchasing journey. This is huge and should not be ignored.
Virtual Events
When COVID shut everything down, many conferences and tradeshows had to pivot to make everything available online. You may think that virtual conferences will go away as everyone gets vaccinated, but it’s looking more like we’ll see a hybrid model of live and digital moving forward.
Content Marketing
Did you know that 46% of B2B companies plan to increase their content marketing spend in 2021? This type of content creation adds value for customers and can help your buyers make informed decisions.
Brands that have blogs allow the customer to get to know and trust them on a new level. This content doesn’t have to be “dry” and “professional.” It should be engaging while also informative.
3. AI-Powered
AI is going to change our lives. Not many companies are ready to implement AI in their marketing strategies, but those who do are already saying they have better customer engagement.
AI can offer B2B marketers insights into buyer intent, personality insights and can even create content. Eventually, it will also take on repetitive tasks like transcription, freeing up your time to do more important tasks.
AI chatbots can also engage a customer immediately if they have a question. This allows customers to feel heard and can make your brand appear reliable.
4. Brand Trust and Cause Marketing
After the last year, customers are looking for brands they can trust. They want a company that is authentic and empathetic to their plights.
86% of people who took part in the Edelman Trust Barometer 2021 believe that CEOs of companies need to take the lead on societal issues. Considering the credibility of CEOs is pretty low right now, speaking out about the things your brand believes in can get you ahead of the pack.
B2B Marketing is Constantly Changing
Want to stay up to date on the newest B2B marketing updates and how you can implement them? Check out the rest of our marketing blog! You’ll find a ton of marketing and business insights.
