As you’re welcoming 2023, it’s the perfect time to peer into the leading B2B marketing trends and plan your digital marketing strategy in line with them.
This article enlists all the key trends that B2B leaders can’t ignore this year and most likely next year as well. So, let’s uncover the future of business-to-business marketing.
Top 7 Trends in B2B Marketing to Watch for 2023 and Beyond
Metaverse-as-a-service (MaaS) solutions will expand the B2B market
Catching the wave of digital transformation, you must have certainly heard: “go mobile-first”, “try omnichannel marketing”, or similar calls to action. What about the much-hyped concept, the Metaverse?
The Metaverse is a multi-layered and multi-faceted virtual environment that enables digital experiences as replicas of real-world interactions or alternatives to them. It’s a virtual reality (VR) in which people can work, earn money, shop, socialize, etc., just like in the physical world.Who knows what future awaits today’s industries once the Metaverse gains a foothold in each of them? Will we be able to test BIA software in the Metaverse? Or will companies find other ways to make it helpful in achieving their goals?
Gartner predicts that by 2026, 25% of the population will spend one hour at minimum in the Metaverse daily. That’s why SaaS businesses are on their way to deploy the Metaverse and give rise to MaaS.
Touchcast started selling metaverse domain names at the beginning of 2022. The firms can now transfer their workflows to the Metaverse MCity without additional specific programs or VR headsets for remote work.
Since cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are the emerging web development trends that form the backbone of the Metaverse, there has been a high demand for corresponding end-to-end technologies among organizations that want to apply MaaS solutions.
The top three providers of such tech stack are:
- MetaVerseBooks – VR world-builder
- Propel – blockchain infrastructure creator
- Lovelace – NFT/cryptocurrency platform
2. AI chatbots will drive self-service and lead generation
The percentage of B2B buyers who want to self-serve some part or even their entire customer journey has grown by 13% from 2021. In 2022, virtually 100% of them were eager to have such an opportunity.
That’s where AI-powered chatbots come into play.
Based on the latest forecasts, chatbots will become the predominant channel for customer service within five years (by 2027).
First and foremost, AI messaging bots can guarantee faster self-service solutions. 68% of digital users prefer chatbots due to quicker responses they provide.
Intelligent bots have already become indispensable AI tools for marketing, because they personalize conversations, guide leads to take action so that they convert, and turn one-time lurkers into repeat customers. Nearly all B2B marketers (99%) say that chatbots increased their lead conversion rates.
Explore the most impactful chatbot trends to elevate your AI marketing game.
3. B2B customer segmentation will supercharge personalized campaigns
Personalization is imperative for effective digital marketing.
The results of the Forrester’s survey show that 52% of B2B leaders are planning to increase spend on personalized solutions for their customers.
In order to achieve personalization in marketing, you should segment customers and decode your ideal business-to-business buyer personas. Market segmentation has already helped 56% of companies generate higher quality leads.
B2B marketers typically use the following basic types of customer segmentation:
- Demographic segmentation – by age, occupation, family size, gender, education, income, location, etc.
- Behavioral segmentation – by behavior patterns, buying habits, time of product usage, etc.
- Needs-based segmentation – by wants and needs
- Technographic segmentation – by the preferred tech stack
- Firmographic segmentation – by company attributes like the number of employees, growth rate, location, revenue, etc.
Which segmentation type should you prioritize?
Jake Hill, Founder of DebtHammer, assures: “Needs-based segmentation is a fundamental mechanism that drives customer success. Customers’ needs are ever-changing and diverse, and by segmenting your audience regularly, you’ll understand what you can target your customers with and how to win them over.
It’s also highly beneficial to segment your leads demographically. Why not greet your website newcomers with a short survey? It will guide them to the perfect solution based on their location, age, income, and so on.”
See how Sprout Social uses needs-based segmentation in website design. The navigation menu directs their clients to the suitable solution depending on their requirements: by use case, by business type, by industry, and by network.
Make sure you do segmentation continuously with A/B tests, behavior tracking tools, or surveys at each stage of the customer lifecycle. E.g., Postfity, a social media scheduling software provider, pops up with a one-question mini-survey to find out what additional features users would like to have.
4. Social media marketing (SMM) will go beyond LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook
It goes without saying that you should continue using the best Facebook advertising strategies, LinkedIn marketing tools, or Twitter ads.
However, “Like man cannot live by bread alone, a B2B marketer cannot solely live by the LinkedIn-Facebook-Twitter trio,” says Colin Palfrey, CMO of Crediful.
“Let’s take Pinterest. If you believe that it’s only for DIYers, you’re missing out. Intel, IBM, and HubSpot, for example, have already set a firm footing on this platform. Following their footsteps, we’ve been taking advantage of Pinterest to provide financial advice to businesses by creating such boards as Business & Finance Mastermind, Investing Strategies, Investment Tips, etc.
The Pinterest marketing strategy has already brought us more than 27,000 followers and over 6,000 new website leads,” Colin shares.
Here’s how to master Pinterest marketing for B2B, according to Colin Palfrey:
- Repurpose your content into high-quality images
- Optimize boards and pins with keywords for search engine optimization (SEO)
- Interact with users who re-pin or comment and send personalized direct messages
- Create targeted Pinterest ads
- Re-pin more and partner with other accounts
Besides Pinterest, look closely at other networks and incorporate them into your social media management strategy. You can go with the newest social media platforms like TikTok, for example.
As 73% of people feel a deeper and more meaningful connection to companies they interact with on TikTok, 2023 can be a breakthrough year for B2B businesses on this social media site. Not to mention that the TikTok user base is aging up and those aged 20–49 account for over 60% of TikTok users.
Such companies as Adobe, Paycom, and Shopify are already one step ahead of everyone on TikTok. They collaborate with influencers, catch the hype of some trendy challenges, and share short-form guides.
5. Short-form content will remain the top priority
According to the most recent content marketing stats, 89% of B2B marketers use short posts/articles as the #1 type of content. Videos come second. It’s hardly surprising, when you discover that 95% of B2B customers give preference to short-form content instead of long-form content.
“The popularity of short-form content will grow even more rapidly in 2023, because shorter-form videos have already been spurred on by the rise of TikTok,” states Ben Michael, Founder of Michael & Associates.
“But TikTok is not the only game changer for video content marketing. We’re planning to use YouTube shorts to enrich our content strategy and create some explanatory videos packed with relevant law-related content.
Besides, trying to meet the needs of the impatient digital audience of today – skim readers, we’ve started repurposing our blog content into infographics and short guides,” Ben adds.
Consider some bite-sized content examples:
- Emails (50–125 words)
- Blog posts (up to 1,200 words)
- Infographics
- Social videos (between 15 and 60 seconds)
- Tweets and other social media posts
Check the recommended social media post length for each platform and then create content that converts.
6. MarTech will be a go-to for B2B marketers
MarTech, aka marketing technology, is any tech solution (app, software, or platform) employed for marketing purposes.
When it comes to B2B MarTech, the spending on it is projected to go beyond $8.5 billion by 2024, while in 2022, it was $6.59 billion.
If you’re considering MarTech, the below tools can help you build an effective tech stack for B2B marketing:
- For email marketing: SendX, Act-On, Mailchimp + 10 tools for email marketers
- For content marketing: AnswerThePublic, Kapost, Clearscope + 11 writing tools
- For SMM: Oktopost, Buffer, Sprout Social + 9 social media tools
- For SEO: Ahrefs, SEMRush, Moz + 10 SEO tools
- For automated marketing: HubSpot, SharpSpring, ActiveCampaign + 7 marketing automation tools
- For customer relationship management (CRM): Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho
With such a broad variety of solutions, how do you choose the MarTech stack that caters to your business needs?
Follow some pieces of advice from Mark Pierce, CEO of Cloud Peak Law Group, who has already implemented MarTech at his agency:
“Building relationships with customers is one of the critical factors for scaling your company. So, a robust CRM system should be your primary concern. It should cover all your requirements. For example, we chose the one that offers both a step-by-step registration wizard for first-timers and an advanced form for those who want to quickly order business services.
Sort marketing tools by features and functionality and pick those that offer the best solutions for your specific needs. As we help businesses in Wyoming, we aim at local marketing mostly and use Facebook Ads + Google Ads for targeted advertising, MyAreaNetwork for centralized communication with businesses in the community, and some local SEO tools.”
Local business SEO is a surefire way to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by customers in your area.
7. Reviews will define online reputation
Over 92% of B2B consumers are more likely to buy a service or product after reading a trusted review about it.
If you take into consideration the fact that 60% of buyers prefer to scroll the supplier’s website to get the first impression about a brand, “Placing reviews on your company site can be a win-win solution,” as Anthony Martin, CEO of Choice Mutual, puts it.
“You can optimize your website with the reviews your clients have given you on Google and Facebook. Additionally, encourage your clients to leave a few words about your company on the following B2B service review platforms: TrustRadius, Glassdoor, CompareCamp, Clutch.co, Yelp, GoodFirms, G2.com (formerly G2 Crowd), and the like,” Anthony enumerates.
Check this case study on how Kimble, a cloud-based PSA software provider, increased the number of qualified leads and boosted brand awareness with the G2 Crowd customer reviews.
You can do the same: point your customers to the review site, reply to both positive and negative reviews (but address the negative ones head-on), and turn those with not-so-positive reviews into loyal buyers. In fact, 18% of consumers became loyal to the brand and bought more from it after receiving a response to their negative reviews.
Get ahead of your reviews with online reputation management services and reach the top in no time.
B2B Marketing Predictions in 2023: Round Up
No more going in circles or throwing darts and hoping something sticks.
Now you know what will work the best in B2B marketing during 2023 and later on. It’s the right moment to reconsider your strategy and adjust your promotional campaigns so that you can truly reach your audience.
TechWyse can make it a no-sweat task for you. Try marketing automation and watch how your business grows steadily and effortlessly.
on
Very good explanation. Digital marketing will be more necessary part of businesses success in 2023.
on
Much obliged to you for giving this rundown of the best artical accommodation site list. The connections above are very useful in building great backlinks for our site. By and by, thank you for giving this rundown.
on
Truly Incredible work Man, Gratitude for your considerable rundown, this saved me a great deal of time to find those Blog Remarking accommodation locales. Simultaneously I’ve been making some of them in the desire to get top notch backlinks to my site. Each of the posts on your blog are having enlightening and important substance. Value your endeavors.