A look at 3 of the trends that B2B marketing agencies are following closely and using to inform their strategies
A number of experts argue that traditional B2B sales and marketing tactics are slowly giving way to a new level of innovation. What this has catalysed throughout the industry is more companies partnering with B2B content marketing agencies in order to leverage their expert advice and experience.
Rapid digitalisation, spurred on even more by the COVID19 pandemic has undoubtedly been one of the external forces that is propelling the industry into new territory. As such, B2B marketers need to think beyond the bounds of conventional marketing tactics and strategies and find ways to adapt according to how the industry is evolving.
According to research by Hubspot, these are three of the key trends that are driving change in the B2B marketing industry.
1) More B2B companies are looking to influencer marketing as a solution
Influencer marketing has taken off dramatically and is being used in a number of sectors to leverage the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Influencer marketing in the B2B space however, differs slightly from how it is used in the consumer sales environment. The influencers for B2B products are thought leaders whose viewpoints and opinions are respected in the business community.
More B2B marketers have reported that they will be leveraging the effectiveness of thought leaders to communicate their messages more as they work towards finding new and exciting ways to introduce products and services to the professional community. Chat to your B2B marketing agency about the options and opportunities that are available in this space, which in the B2B market is relatively unsaturated compared to other industries. Using thought leadership content to market your brand could provide you with an edge over your competitors and assist you in optimising the effectiveness of brand endorsements, positive reviews, client testimonials and compelling product and service demos.
2) Case studies are proving effective as marketing tools
The decision-makers who form the major part of your target audience as a B2B company are particularly interested in aspects relating to the past performance of your brand. For these industry leaders, your expertise and experience as a B2B product or service provider needs to be demonstrated in a practical way that focuses on results. This is because for business professionals, return on investment is extremely important. One way of demonstrating what your product or service can do is by using case studies to show effectiveness and how you have helped other companies to boost their bottom-line, improve employee or client relations, generate sales or improve company efficiency.
This is where working with a B2B digital marketing agency in Australia may help set you apart in the market. Agencies are well versed on how effective case studies can be at attracting new business. Case studies need to be succinct, well-written, supported by strong visuals and structured in a way that’s easy to understand and quantify. Chat to your team of experts to discuss the best way to present a few case studies that you can use to make a business case for your product or service.
3) LinkedIn is leading the pack when it comes to video content
Social media marketing in the B2B space was relatively unexplored in recent years due to the fact that it’s been a challenge for marketers to target their campaigns to speak to key individuals in the right way, at the right time. Research by Hubspot over time has shown that for B2B marketers, LinkedIn has proven to be an invaluable tool for publishing content that engages a professional audience.
Video content in particular, has proven to be extremely effective on LinkedIn, with TikTok following as a close second. For B2B marketers, the major challenge is to find ways to grab the attention and interest of decision-makers and leadership team members in a very short space of time, given that on average social media users do not spend more than a few seconds looking at content if it is not immediately engaging. For this reason, with video providing an effortless content consumption process, it can be a powerful way to cut through the industry noise and communicate your brand’s message.
If you’re considering working with a B2B marketing agency to find creative ways to connect with your target audience and convert leads into sales, we’ll gladly assist. Connect with our friendly team today and we’ll share our insights into how digital marketing can work for your brand.