7 B2B Marketing Trends You Need to Watch Out For in 2022
The changes in the economy due to the pandemic are forces that will impact how B2B companies approach marketing. After eighteen chaotic months, innovation has accelerated at an unprecedented pace. E-commerce is on its way up as well. The digital transformation in the past year or so will significantly impact the way businesses operate in the coming year.
With the help of current data, it looks like these B2B marketing trends will remain in focus in the coming year. Let’s look at them and understand what it means for your business and revenue
B2B Marketing trends in 2022
Increased mobile-first approach
The demand for B2B marketers to provide digital experiences is only growing. It is a must-have so that buyers can interact with vendors remotely. According to a study, almost 70% of B2B buyers prefer to communicate with vendors online. The number will only increase in the coming years as people find it to be a convenient option.
Mobile advertising will grow faster than offline and traditional strategies as digital marketers shift their focus. It will likely come with more ad spend for mobile content next year.
The new generation of buyers has led to a shift in marketing that goes beyond the traditional funnel approach. As many millennials take on decision-making roles, less personal and direct methods may become popular among B2B marketers.
They will seek more transparency from brands while also asking for an experience tailored just for them. The rise of this influential group is changing how we buy things and available resources when looking at different options.
Changing lead-generation methodologies due to Covid
In a world where COVID-19 has changed how events happen, it is no surprise that marketers had to adapt quickly. The trend towards online and virtual meetups will likely continue through 2022 as businesses pivot or cancel their in-person meetings for fear of spreading the virus.
Social media remains one of the best options to generate leads in the current times. Marketers are increasingly turning to social media to generate leads that previously came from events. The driving factor behind this could be the uncertainty of B2B marketing. Social media also requires less commitment and time.
The new social media marketing trend is a highly targeted one. It offers niche content that appeals to specific audiences. Platforms like Facebook offer targeting tools with extreme levels of detail. Companies can target individual interests and needs without having broad reach in general populations that do not share those demographics or tastes.
Neuromarketing
A neuromarketing strategy is a revolutionary approach to B2B marketing. The technique leverages consumer behavior and their decision making patterns to help marketers understand their motivation. By focusing on the individual psychology behind key buyers’ decisions, marketers can spend more time than ever before focusing on what matters.
Neuroscience reveals the needs and interests of prospective audience groups. In practice, this may look like shifting from topic-driven content or advertising campaigns towards persona-driven ones. Businesses can create tailored ads accordingly with anticipated outcomes based on those personas.
Better targeting and engagement strategies to attract customers
To reach more potential buyers in the market, marketers need innovation that will help them create campaigns. In 2022, this could include optimizing for new types of searches and capturing traffic. It could happen through AI chatbots or other interactive tools like image and audio content creation during customer interactions on social media.
A few years ago, it might have been enough to get heard by your target audience. Now, people feel overwhelmed by information overload due to the time spent online. The use of high-tech advertisements has increased in recent years, with marketers focusing their efforts on capturing the attention and interest of potential buyers through innovative ad strategies.
Interactivity in emails can increase conversions and improve ROI. It will help businesses get more out of their email campaigns. AMP emails, which offer app-like functionality, are one method for delivering this interactivity. It is similar to how personalized messages work elsewhere.
Related uses in other forms could also deliver results similar because it is about interactivity while still being personal enough. It may work well with retargeting ads where marketers want people interested during initial contact.
Increased focus on intent-based marketing
Google had recently announced changes to its privacy and tracking standards. They will be stopping cookie tracking towards the end of 2022. While it is an excellent prospect for user privacy, it will hit marketers hard. It was an excellent mechanism for marketers to understand the intent of buyers.
The strict policies enforced by Google will also make it difficult to use third-party trackers. In these circumstances, marketers will have to rely on first-party data. It includes direct data of customers businesses can get through online searches, surveys, and other means. The first-party data of prospects helps marketers to take a personalized approach. It also helps them assess the position of prospects in the buying cycle.
Personalized ABM
As seen above, personalization is the key to success for any marketer, especially in the B2B domain. Account-based Marketing (ABM) will likely assume a lot more importance in the coming year. Businesses can leverage it to interact with individual prospects and close deals much better.
ABM allows you to get better insights into prospects and their companies. It is different from traditional marketing approaches, as ABM focuses on highly-targeted individuals who hold the most chances of conversions. You also get to adopt a personalized approach and come across as a genuine problem-solver for your prospects.
Change in approach to target iOS users
Apple’s recent privacy policy changes will affect marketers just like Google’s stand on the same issue. iOS Users can block their private information from senders. Apple will also cache all the data, which will likely report emails as opened even if the recipient did not view them. They will also hide the IP address of users, making the related data unreliable.
B2B businesses need to educate their sales and marketing teams on changes related to false email open rates and how to tackle them. When it comes to lead and account-based scoring programs, marketers need to focus on other reliable indicators. One of the best ways to tackle this issue is by offering valuable content to prospects so they do not use the “hide my email” feature.
Bottom line
The pervasiveness of digital transformation is not only affecting B2B marketing but also impacting it in unprecedented ways. Marketers will need to implement mobile-first approaches and invest more time on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter for effective outreach. Chatbots will also become increasingly popular among consumers.
The market is changing, and marketers must be ready for this shift. Customers are more likely to purchase products online or through mobile apps instead of traditional means without affecting pricing.
About: Sonder Digital is B2B focused digital marketing agency based out of India that delivers digital solutions to B2B firms by combining tech, marketing and creative excellence.