The world was left unprepared as no one could have predicted the devastating impact of COVID-19. The year 2020 has been a year of struggle and anxiety for many. It tested people’s resilience, forcing people to alter their lives and working schedules. The world economy has also suffered from mass layoffs, business closures, bankruptcies, and even business registrations have been dropping.
Despite such unfortunate circumstances, the business world still thrives on overcoming apparent challenges as the world welcomes the rapid changes brought by the new normal. Many successful corporations understand that all crises – even one as seemingly great to overcome as the coronavirus pandemic can bring opportunities. For the B2B market, there is always an upside even in the most challenging times. And on that note, everyone hopes that new changes will mark the beginning of a quick recovery.
Of course, for organizations, the future has many unknown variables in its B2B marketing trend equation. As such, marketers leverage these trying times to be more reflective and carefully study where their budgets would fully and effectively be utilized. Of all the ideas and ways to bring about a prosperous future for the B2B market, new analysis clarifies that going digital is of utmost importance.
What started as a crisis response has become the new normal, affecting how buyers and sellers will do business. The digital shift is here to stay as remote engagement has been embraced by B2B sales leaders worldwide. In the early stages of the pandemic, many were opposed to adopting digital technology in response to the widespread shutdowns.
But today, marketers have a growing conviction that digital is the way to go. What once digital marketing, now is just marketing in a digital world. The pandemic has driven a significant increase in user demand for digital consumption. In truth, both buyers and sellers share the same preference for digital self-serve and remote engagement over face-to-face interactions.
Unlike before the pandemic, which offered business companies ideal conditions for in-person networking, live sales pitches, and handshakes to seal a deal, the situation demanded a quantum leap to digital marketing strategies, search engine optimization, and many other technology-driven strategies.
Clinging to the old B2B marketing trends or putting them to practice would be a futile thought. Businesses must stay ahead of the marketing curve, taking into account the significant demand for digital content.
For the year 2021, B2B digital marketing trends have become more a necessity than a need. Employing such tactics can help identify trends, find loopholes, rework marketing strategies, and drive competition. With this in mind, many businesses are on the hunt for the best B2B marketing trends to leverage their strategies, sell and generate profit better than the previous year.a
One of the most effective and practical strategies that global B2B enterprises can adopt is outsourcing digital marketing. As B2B organizations continuously face numerous challenges amidst the pandemic, many resort to more effective and efficient use of resources, including outsourcing their marketing activities like graphic design outsource to trusted and capable agencies.
Outsourcing makes it possible for businesses to serve their clients efficiently by letting others handle tasks that can do them better and cheaper. Every business owner aims to scale their company into something more significant to serve the market better, and outsourcing fits right into a scaling plan.
Many B2B companies choose to outsource graphic design to stand out among competitors. It is an excellent way to work with fresh ideas or bring outside creativity to benefit the marketing team. Such outsource design work can approach a specific project from a different angle and bring innovation to a company’s design.
Another significant trend to watch and consider in the year ahead is putting greater importance on customer experience. A regular and loyal customer base is a valuable asset to any business. Retaining them is one of the most critical aspects of business continuity. It is always easier to sell, up-sell, or cross-sell to customers with whom a company has maintained a long-lasting relationship rather than pitching it to a new person. Not to mention, finding new customers can be taxing and tiring, particularly for a struggling business due to the pandemic.
Moreover, acquiring a new customer can be more expensive than retaining an existing one as it involves investing time and money to find and keep new customers satisfied. According to a Harvard Business Review, a mere 5% increase in customer retention can result in a 25% to 95% increase in profits. Hence, retaining customers is a must.
The challenges 2020 introduced to the B2B landscape prompt companies to make customer interaction memorable as failure to capture customers’ attention is a huge loss. It is a marketing trend that businesses should focus on to make more conversions. As we head to 2021, marketers should put customer interaction on top of their priorities, including understanding customer’s behavior and developing strategies to connect with them to help grow the business. There are many ways to ensure that businesses can do to get customer’s attention.
- Interactive Content – Consumers have a typical attention span of under 10 seconds. Businesses should make their content more interactive to capture their attention in mere seconds effectively. Otherwise, they will not stay engaged.
- Virtual Events – As face-to-face interactions are reduced, conducting virtual events is an excellent way to connect with consumers. Such virtual events can be used to launch new products, conduct meetings, hold exhibits and conferences.
- Augmented and Virtual Reality – Many marketers are looking to use and unlock the potential of Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR) for digital advertising. Such technologies have innovative features, particularly the capability to mimic in-store experiences even in the comfort of their homes.
- Nostalgia Marketing – As people grapple with the new changes that the pandemic has brought, many cling to more familiar things and things they can relate to. Incorporating nostalgia in a marketing campaign can lead to better customer engagement.
Marketers should consider more marketing trends and see if they can adopt these innovative tactics into their marketing strategies. Learn more by reading this infographic made by Digital Marketing Philippines.
