B2B marketing trends show how the world is constantly changing, and 2022 has brought a flood of brand-new trends and business opportunities. Influencer marketing, content marketing, and creative social media marketing are just a few of the recent trends in B2B marketing.
If you want your company to succeed in the current marketplace and beyond 2022, you must be aware of the best B2B marketing trends to follow. By knowing the direction in which the market is moving, B2B companies can continue to invest in the appropriate channels for today’s audience.
When used effectively, these 10 B2B marketing trends can help your business grow, dominate the market, and stay relevant.
1. Digital-First Marketing
The world has entered the digital era, and it will only continue to do so. Today, there are 6.648 billion smartphone users worldwide, which equates to 83.07% of the world's population owning a smartphone.
B2B customers are increasingly choosing to make all of their purchases online, and they are becoming accustomed to the higher efficiency and lower costs of a digital-first strategy. In fact, 70% of B2B decision-makers claim they're willing to spend more than $50,000 on new, entirely remote purchases, and 27% said they would spend over $500,000.
Advertisers are investing more in mobile advertising, and by 2023, it is anticipated that this amount will have doubled to $7.43 billion. B2B companies must continue to move toward virtual sales in order to reduce costs, broaden their clientele, and maximize sales effectiveness.
2. Brand Personalization
Brand personalization – which refers to a distinctive brand voice – is a key 2022 B2B marketing trend. A brand's voice is the distinctive personality your brand takes on in all communications and interactions with customers. A personalized and unique brand voice will help any B2B company cut through the noise.
Your brand should stand out from the competition, and your marketing initiatives should attract customers. To achieve this, always keep your target market in mind when personalizing your brand and make an effort to establish a more profound, emotional connection with them.
Make sure you understand their language and the qualities they seek in a B2B partner when developing a brand voice. Make sure your brand voice is the same across all marketing channels to ensure consistency in your messaging and communications.
3. AI Personalization
While brand personalization focuses on the brand itself, AI personalization refers to the use of AI to personalize the customer experience. B2B customers want to feel valued, noticed, and appreciated at every stage of the buying process. According to recent research, 80% of customers are more inclined to make a purchase from a company that provides personalized experiences.
Personalized interactions increase brand loyalty, raise customer satisfaction, and keep your business top-of-mind. Even though you may think your B2B business provides a personalized touch, there is always room for improvement. Here are a few strategies for customizing the client experience:
- Send notes of gratitude
- Give discounts to shoppers who leave their carts empty
- Send daily reminders of their order
- Utilize AI tools like chatbots to monitor customer behavior and send timely, relevant messages in response
As marketing continues to evolve, personalization will remain crucial for B2B customers. Therefore, if you want to improve customer relationships, you must use personalization to guide your business strategies.
4. Marketing Automation
In 2022, automation has overtaken all other factors in contemporary B2B marketing. Partially fueled by AI and machine learning, automation helps companies gather data more efficiently, analyze important data to gain insights, and – as stated above – helps personalize the customer experience.
Instead of employees having to do a lot of manual labor, automation tools handle everything. This allows your marketing team and other employees to use their time to focus on important duties that cannot be automated, greatly increasing business productivity.
Since AI and machine learning are so common in marketing, we anticipate that this B2B marketing trend will only become even more prominent in the future.
5. Content Marketing
Content marketing is a thriving industry, and it is the most widely used strategy by B2B companies. While this B2B content marketing trend has been on the rise for years, it remains a vital marketing priority.
Given that 52% of B2B customers say they prefer to buy products from businesses that produce their own content, content marketing is a major factor in increasing sales. Some of the benefits of content marketing include:
- Builds trust with your audience
- Develops business relationships
- Boosts brand awareness
- Helps generate leads
- Increases conversions
- Improves brand reputation
Although these are the main advantages of content marketing, the list goes on. Whether it be in the form of blog posts, product descriptions, press releases, or newsletters, consistently producing high-quality content has the biggest impact on decision-makers. For this reason, if you don't already have one, you must develop a content marketing strategy.
6. Thought-Leadership
Use thought-leadership pieces in the content you produce to differentiate yourself from the competition. By using thought leadership content, brands can position themselves as authorities on subjects that their target audiences find valuable.
To establish a solid foundation, businesses must make sure they obtain the appropriate content. Here are some ways to produce the best content for your audience:
- Concentrate on what you already know
- Use storytelling
- Use your own opinions to assess the state of your industry
- Get straight to the point
Thought leadership content builds strong trust and enhances the reputation of your entire company. Following this B2B marketing trend of writing to your target audience will help you attract and hold the attention of users.
7. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a hot B2B marketing trend in 2022 and is now an essential part of marketing strategies worldwide. Today's consumers want information from reliable sources, which has prompted brands to turn to individuals with a strong social following for growth.
When influencers create honest product reviews – whether in the form of a video or a written post – it encourages viewers to buy the same products and increases trust among a brand's followers. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 49% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations, and 40% of them have bought products after seeing them on Twitter, YouTube, or Instagram.
Working with the right influencers on social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok can significantly boost business development. These influencers have the power to:
- Increase sales
- Improve your brand’s reputation
- Build brand authority
8. Video Marketing
Due to the abundance of fresh content, people's attention spans are dwindling. B2B companies are looking for methods to draw in and keep viewers' attention, and video marketing has proven to be successful at this. Utilizing video marketing is an excellent way to grab the interest of prospective clients and drive traffic to your website.
Wyzowl reports that 88% of people say that watching a brand's video influenced them to buy a product or service. Additionally, 81% of marketers claim that video content directly increased their sales.
Video marketing allows brands to create compelling stories, demonstrate their expertise, and build relationships with customers. A great way for B2B marketers to connect with their target audience is by producing interesting video content on social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok.
Approximately 61% of companies say that video marketing is a part of their marketing strategy, and it should be part of yours too.
9. LinkedIn Targeting
LinkedIn is an effective marketing tool for B2B companies of all sizes, with more than 380 million users across more than 200 countries and territories. It’s where business is conducted, careers are started, and relationships are formed, making it a significant B2B marketing trend in 2022. It's becoming abundantly clear in modern times that LinkedIn isn't just for those in corporate positions.
LinkedIn is one of the best platforms to generate leads, communicate your value proposition, and connect with your target audience. A Nielson study found that when a brand's advertisement was viewed on the LinkedIn platform, people perceived it to be "more professional" (92%), "more intelligent" (74%), "higher quality" (59%), and "more respectable" (59%).
In addition to posting on LinkedIn, you can also join relevant groups, take part in discussions, and communicate privately with potential clients. Whatever your B2B marketing goals are, LinkedIn is the place to achieve them.
10. Omnichannel Marketing
Due to the accelerating pace of technology and the growing demands of B2B buyers, omnichannel marketing is quickly becoming a noticeable trend in B2B marketing. Omnichannel marketing is the coordination and integration of the various channels that businesses use to communicate with customers in order to establish a unified brand experience.
The following are some possible B2B marketing channels:
- Email Marketing
- Video content
- Social media
- Virtual and live events
- Blogs
A TechRepublic study found that if a provider offered omnichannel services, 75% of B2B customers would repurchase from them. Some of the benefits of omnichannel marketing include:
- Better user experience
- Increased revenue
- Cohesive brand strategy
B2B companies that use an omnichannel strategy and a consumer-centric approach achieve much better results than those that don’t.
Overall, it is evident from these B2B marketing trends that digital change will have an impact on B2B marketing both this year and the years that follow. The ten B2B marketing trends mentioned above can help your company succeed in ways you never would have imagined.
Are you ready to see the growth you’ve always wished for? Use SalesHive to put these B2B marketing trends into practice!
Click here to learn more about our B2B sales outsourcing services today!
