Top Ten Considerations

As a B2B marketer, you likely face a series of challenges in sustaining an ongoing marketing program for your brand – finite budgets, priorities that can shift with the passage of time and the evolution of the business, and the need to stay current so you can influence your most important audiences.

As an agency focused on B2B marketing for many of our clients, BLD Marketing sought an AI perspective on current B2B trends. Part one of our analysis focuses on the top 10 B2B marketing trends today. See ChatGPT’s perspective on those trends followed by a practical point of view from our agency team.

1. Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Personalizing marketing efforts towards specific accounts rather than broad demographics.

   The more segmented the database, the better. The best scenario is having three levels of eMarketing communication working in unison: 1.) Broad Topics, which are relevant to the entire database; 2.) Segment-Specific, which is engineered to resonate with specific target audiences such as architects or operations managers (with a best practice of maintaining separate lists for each audience segment); and 3.) Account-Specific, which is customized for a specific customer and sent only to the contacts within that customer’s profile. eMarketing platforms like HubSpot help to manage ABM efforts. BLD Marketing is a HubSpot partner.

2. AI and Machine Learning: Utilizing AI for data analysis, predictive analytics, and personalized customer experiences.

   An effective B2B best practice is to test and learn using AI for a variety of marketing needs. Getting AI to deliver what you seek can take time and effort. One way BLD Marketing uses AI is as an idea generator for content topics. As we are demonstrating in this article, the optimal use is to merge the AI-generated content with a customized point of view. There are several areas to utilize AI in Marketing – data analysis and predictive marketing are great examples – but there too, human contributions help to guide the results and weave a better story.

3. Content Marketing: Continued focus on creating valuable and relevant content to attract and retain customers.

   We’re living in an era of content development for the masses. The internet along with tools like AI and SEO empower B2B brands to create content and have it reach its intended audiences. The best B2B marketers follow best practices for content creation. Use trends and data to inform what is interesting to the intended audience. Craft the content into a compelling brand story. Then, deploy SEO tactics to ensure the content reaches the target.

4. Video Marketing: Increasing use of video content for product demonstrations, customer testimonials, and brand storytelling.

   Whether it is creating powerful customer testimonials, how-to videos for using materials, or creating intrigue around product introductions, videos generate emotion and fuse together the powerful combination of sight and sound to tell a story. Video has always had a place in B2B marketing. Today, video is more accessible to B2B brands as a less expensive marketing option. At the same time, the expectations have changed for B2B marketers. Customers demand more video content more frequently.

5. Voice Search Optimization: Optimizing content and SEO strategies for voice search queries as more users engage with voice assistants.

   SEO continually evolves. According to Forbes, about 50% of U.S. consumers use voice search daily. The emergence of voice search means SEO strategy should shift to longer-tail keywords and entire phrases as voice search users ask questions in complete sentences. As a marketing agency whose clients target contractors, installers, and field personnel, voice search makes it easier for these workers to quickly ask questions and solve problems while in the middle of a project.

6. Social Media Marketing: Leveraging social platforms for lead generation, customer engagement, and brand awareness.

   For a B2B marketer, having a social media presence is a standard today. Most customers expect brands to have it at some level. The question is which platforms to prioritize with a mix of content that establishes the brand; creates interest and engagement in the form of likes, follows, and comments; and offers an avenue for the customer to click through to the brand’s landing page or website to continue their journey. The first place to start is to set objectives and determine which channels best fit your intended audience.

7. Influencer Marketing: Collaborating with industry influencers to reach niche audiences and build credibility.

   Influencers can be seen as very credible and can be a powerful marketing tool for B2B brands. They can bring an immense level of attention to a B2B brand through the influencers’ social media presence. At BLD, our approach considers three important criteria: 1.) Selecting an influencer well-matched for the brand who offers a significant relevant audience; 2.) Ensuring that the B2B brand’s own social media presence and strategy is ready to integrate with the influencer’s activities; and 3.) Employing a test-and learn approach. As the results prove out, add more resources to the effort.

8. Customer Experience (CX): Prioritizing seamless and personalized experiences across all touchpoints in the customer journey.

   In the marketing world, we call this an omni-channel approach whereby the brand experience should be similar regardless of the touchpoint or channel the customer is engaging. For B2B brands, this means being more selective with distribution channels that best represent your brand and match your customers’ expectations. It also means ensuring that your digital marketing ecosystem is consistent – similar messaging and branding; easy-to-access information with clear, progressive steps toward continuing the customer journey; and demonstrating an opportunity to build conviction in your brand as your brand story unfolds. Personalizing these efforts via an account-based marketing effort is the new opportunity for B2B brands to differentiate themselves.

9. Sustainability and CSR: Highlighting corporate social responsibility efforts and sustainable practices as part of brand identity.

   While sustainability continues to grow as an important criteria, when it comes to purchase behavior, sustainability alone hasn’t been a top 5 factor. Where BLD Marketing has seen sustainability marketing work best for B2B brands is when it is attached to a practical benefit like recyclability, or a prefabrication process lessening the impact on a job site environment. The practical results fuel the drive to invest more in the sustainable process and story. Remember: No greenwashing.

10. Data Privacy and Compliance: Ensuring compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and emphasizing transparency in data handling practices.

    We are living in an increasingly technology-dependent world. More sensitive data is being gathered and stored online. The regulatory environment is trying to keep up to protect people and businesses from harm. More U.S. States are enacting consumer data privacy laws. As a result, B2B brands must consider better ways to secure data, honor more discreet methods for sharing data, and responsibly use data in a moral and professional way. Understanding the evolving regulatory requirements is a necessary responsibility that every B2B brand must fulfill.

Charting a Pathway to Marketing Success 

Today’s B2B marketing trends reflect an evolving landscape with specific drivers – technology advancements; changing consumer behaviors; and a greater emphasis on personalized, ethical, and sustainable business practices.

The key to success is capitalizing on those trends as your brand builds and nurtures a digital marketing ecosystem. It starts with a full understanding of your audience and their pain points, and it is activated with a hub-and-driver approach designed to generate awareness and credibility, drive leads, and ultimately grow your business.