Digitalisation, data protection, and personalisation are just some of the B2B trends in marketing that could not be ignored in 2021. But these trends aren’t going away in a single sweep at the conclusion each year. Some of them have been around for a while and alter the world of marketing for good. We’ve put the 2021 trends to the test and revised to 2022. Find out further about the top 10 Marketing Trends for B2B in for 2022!
B2B Marketing Trends 2022 – The Top 10
Trend #1: Digitalisation
Trend #2 Trend #2: Data protection
Trend #3: Team Empowerment
Trend #4: Hyperpersonalisation
Trend #5 5: Platform strategy
Sixth Trend: Collaboration between sales and sales
Trend #7: Customer Centricity
The 8th trend: Lead generation through content marketing
Trend #9: Account-based-based marketing
Trend #10: AI and Machine Learning
B2B Marketing Trend #1: Digitalisation
The year 2021 has witnessed further digitalisation. Digitally digitised sales and marketing processes and virtual collaboration, as well as hybrid and online events and also the speedy communications via digital channels have yet again demonstrated the advantages that digitalisation brings. The acceptance of what’s digitally achievable will continue to grow. Even though it’s unclear what this Corona situation will evolve over the coming years. The fact is that there’s always a way to connect online. Therefore, it is essential for businesses to establish their businesses electronically to ensure that communication with their their target audiences isn’t lost at any point and kept.
B2B Marketing Trend #2: Data Protection
The issue of protecting data is a recurring problem – even in marketing. Just in December 2021 the Telecommunications Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG) established a new standard for data privacy and protection. As per the law, users have to expressly accept set-up cookies which aren’t essential (opt-in). In simple terms this means that businesses are not permitted to collect data without consent or build addresses lists or build detailed user profiles. If they fail to obtain the consent of the users to email tracking or similar processing of data as well, they could face legal action. Also, data processing outside of the European Union or the European Economic Area is still crucial. Marketers who still rely upon the standard US tools or companies that send their personal data into the US and have their US headquarters US need to find legally-compliant alternatives. There are already alternatives and are plentiful: Many German as well as European software providers provide servers within the EU and legally-compliant consent management, as well as privacy by design and privacy default standards. Additionally they are able to provide proof of certificates that guarantee security and data protection and security – all of which are more important than ever before for businesses in 2022 when making use of marketing tools.
B2B Marketing Trend #3: Team Empowerment
The most successful companies are those that can inspire their clients – and continue to do so. To be successful, employees who are in contact with customers, i.e. especially , the sales and marketing team, require the proper equipment and abilities. It is rare for one to work with the other. Particularly in relation to the digitalisation and automated of sales and marketing processes with software solutions employees must be equipped. This involves knowledge transfer as well as the education of IT abilities to be able to understand the various technologies that support them, such as solutions for sales and marketing automation and be able make use of these solutions efficiently. By collecting digitally, automatically collecting and analyzing data about their clients, B2B companies gradually get closer to the desires and requirements of their clients and are able to develop custom-made solutions. Without a thorough knowledge of how technology works, the possibilities can’t be fully utilized.
B2B Marketing Trend #4: Hyperpersonalisation
Experts anticipate to receive around 319.6 million emails received and sent every day by the year 2021 (source: Statista). For businesses, it’s not sufficient anymore to tailor newsletters and mailers thematically according to the specific requirements of their customers and use a personalized salutation. If businesses wish to stand out from this crowded field of emails and to inspire their intended audiences, their landing pages that are teased when the mailer clicks the link that corresponds to it – must produce a personalized version that is specifically tailored to the individual. With the help of a marketing automation tool, such hyper-personalisation becomes possible, as it automates the processes as much as possible. In addition it allows for personalized content to be delivered to targeted groups that are finely segmented which significantly increases the effectiveness of mailers and newsletters. The foundation is solid data management. Only if your database is kept up-to-date, maintained and error-free will B2B businesses, for instance creating real-life buyer personas using data support, and therefore make sure that their message gets to the right audience.
B2B Marketing Trend #5: Platform Strategy
B2B marketing Trends 2021Sales have utilized CRM systems for years to offer professional customer service. They are now connected by software for marketing automation. Both systems will be effective in the area of new customer acquisition as well as existing customer service if they are not just connected to each other as well as other tools. A platform strategy, often known as best of breed is ideal to this. A software ecosystem that is a part of it combines various software solutions that are specialized through bidirectional interfaces, which include the ones of third-party vendors in order to create an overall system that is able to optimally map the processes that are already in place of an B2B business. Through a system designed to meet the needs of the particular field of use can B2B firms gain a complete perspective of their clients and effectively align their communications with the target audience.
B2B Marketing Trend 6: Collaboration between sales and sales
Collaboration between sales and marketing is crucial to establishing effective customer relations. To get 360-degree views of customers and to draw appropriate marketing strategies from this information, businesses must cut down the silos of existing data and consolidate relevant data. This can be accomplished through the integration of their Marketing Automation and CRM software on the one hand, and removing departmental boundaries on other. This way, businesses develop a sophisticated and integrated customer Experience Management (CXM) – for long-lasting loyal customers. Sales employees especially will come to appreciate the benefits of automation in marketing – for instance, in relation to their management of sales funnels or the structure of their sales pipeline.
B2B Marketing Trend #7: Customer Intelligence
Our daily lives are becoming increasingly digital. It is also accompanied by an understanding that consumers have developed about themselves. They’re confident as well as demanding and knowledgeable However, they can also be uncertain. They are nowadays accustomed to receiving everything they need in just a few clicks. This is why businesses are required to deliver the most satisfying experience to their clients. However, this will only succeed if they make the best use of existing data about their clients by connecting the relevant systems and performing extensive data analysis. Customer experience is also extended to the pre-sales setting and we can expect more integration with leads management systems this year to boost conversion rates and improve the quality of service that is offered to prospective customers.
The B2B marketing trend #8 is lead generation using content marketing
The evolution in how people behave is evident in B2B, too. Customers who are interested in buying products look up information on the internet and read reviews of products, read reviews and review prices. The purchasing process begins long before that first call is even made, way before a company is aware of the potential customer. This is precisely where content marketing comes into play. With the help of useful content that companies provide at various points during the buyer’s journey they are able to engage in an ongoing dialogue with him and gradually convince him about themselves and their products and services and not just through written content and videos, but also through textual content. This way, B2B lead generation starts when potential buyers start their lookup.
B2B Marketing Trend #9: Account-based Marketing
Account-based marketing, also known as ABM in short is still being considered a B2B marketing trend radar and could be a great way to support businesses with personalised address. On an account-based basis can it be possible to reach out to prospects and customers on a completely individual basis. ABM transforms the traditional sales funnel upside down because the chosen target contacts form part of a custom-made marketing strategy that is designed to meet the requirements of the individual who is being targeted. This is the reason why the performance of marketing based on account is typically extremely high, especially when it comes to generating top-quality leads.
B2B Marketing Trend #10: AI and Machine Learning
The use of intelligent algorithms can make marketing more efficient and less time-consuming in the near future. Although it may sound somewhat like the future Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well as machine-learning will allow for better personalisation and more precise messages. In this sense predictive analytics are just one option. It is a Big Data method makes it possible to forecast the behaviour and requirements of the target segment. Based on this information, the appropriate offer and content can be developed. As the trend of email marketing in 2021, intelligent methods will soon be able improve the segmentation of recipients and optimize the time to send by itself. So, potential buyers will receive the correct details to make their buying decision precisely at the right time.
