B2B Marketing Trends That Will Help You Win in 2023

It’s a new calendar year and there are many predictions. It can be difficult to stay up-to-date. What are the newest trends in B2B marketing? What can you do differently? When it comes to forecasts, I prefer to use reliable data. There are many things to do now that 2023 marketing research reports have fallen.

We decided to do the hard work for you and comb through all the data to find the most useful and interesting insights that will help you create a content strategy that is truly effective this year.

10 Tips to Enhance Your B2B Marketing Strategies in 2023

Here are some top tips for improving your marketing in 2023, including video and influencer marketing.

1) Make more videos.

It was something we repeated last year and it is being repeated again this year. Video is an excellent way to build a connection with your audience. It’s exploding on all platforms, especially short-form video content. There are many uses for video. Your competitors may already be doing it.

78% of B2B marketers intend to invest in video, up from 69% last.

CMI’s 2023 Content Marketing Report for B2B

Tip: You don’t need an expensive budget or an experienced video production team to produce high-quality videos. Learn about the 6 types you can make remotely and what you should look for in a professional video agency (if needed). Also, see our complete guide on brand video.

Example: DropBox uses video communication to communicate in many different ways. From explainer videos to case studies to fan engagements on social media,

2) Increase trust by strengthening your thought leadership.

Consumer trust is falling in the face of economic recession. According to GWI’s 2023Connecting the Dots Global Report (below), there has been an 11% drop of consumers trusting online reviews since 2020. Expert thought leadership is essential in order to make strong connections with people who are more critical about brands and how they present themselves.

Tip These 5 tips will help you create thought leadership with more impact on your audience.

3) Adopt more automation.

The evolution of content technologies is ongoing. Recent conversations around AI’s ability automate copywriting and other marketing functions are something that cannot be ignored. B2B marketers only 19% say they are investing in new content technologies. This means that you can be ahead of the rest by being a leader. OpenAi’s chatGPT has blown our minds, but there are other AI tools that are making waves, so get started exploring them.

Tip Check out our 100+ content management tools and resources that you can use to make your life simpler.

4) Host additional events.

In-person events are a popular option for marketers, as opposed to virtual and hybrid events in the past. B2B marketers rate them the best marketing tactic of the past 12 months.

Up from 19% in the previous year, 49% of B2B marketers said they use in-person events.

CMI 2023 B2B Content Market Report

Virtual events were ranked #2 in effectiveness, so they shouldn’t be overlooked. A hybrid approach could be especially effective for your brand.

Tip: Consider your audience’s unique needs (personal preference, location, etc.) Follow Eventbrite’s tips for event marketing after a pandemic.

Invest your brand storytelling.

It will be more difficult to retain and attract customers with the economic recession looming. However, sharing your brand story is one of the best ways to keep customers connected to your brand. What is your brand’s belief? What do you want to accomplish for your customers, employees and the wider community? Are you talking about more than just your product (e.g. your brand values, beliefs etc.)? )?

Tip To ensure people get the whole story and the right messages at all times, map your buyer journey so you can figure out how to share your brand story across multiple platforms.

6) Be authentically inclusive in marketing

D&I has been buzzing over the past year but consumers are becoming more skeptical about brands that only lip service to these initiatives. It’s one thing for a brand to make a general statement about its commitment to diversity. These “commitments”, however, are not easy to implement in meaningful and concrete ways. 2022 Deloitte research shows that 57% of consumers are more loyal brands that make it a point to address social inequities through their actions. )

Marketers have the opportunity to show, not only tell, but also demonstrate how D&I is being prioritized in all areas of their company. This is the best way for you to be transparent and accountable to all those who are invested in your brand, such as your employees and customers.

Tip According to Deloitte data, high-growth brands tend to establish key performance metrics for diversity and equity (DEI). This is in contrast with their lower-growth counterparts. Learn more about benchmarking D&I for your business.

Ex: Zendesk’s transparency regarding D&I data is a constant inspiration to us. They are proud to share demographic data about the company, which shows that they are committed to equality at work.

7)


Double down on social.

Social media is becoming more popular than traditional search for consumers to interact with brands, receive recommendations and read reviews. You can increase your social spending to reach your audience and generate better ROI.

According to our research, almost 40% of young people don’t use Google Maps or Search when looking for a restaurant for lunch. They use TikTok and Instagram.

— Google Senior Vice-President Prabhakar Raghavan

Tip: Social media microcontent can be used to connect with your audience, whether it is data visualizations, illustrations, tips, images, or simple data visualizations. Learn more about microcontent and how it can be integrated into your strategy.

Example: Divvy, a financial software company, does a great job creating relevant and interesting visual content across different platforms. They create engaging content that is more engaging than what you would expect from a financial software firm, whether it’s tips or the recounting of financial horror stories.

8 Make micro-influencers, and nano-influencers your friends.

Influencer marketing is not new and isn’t going away. It is evolving. But it’s not necessarily the influencers with millions of followers that will be dominant. Nano-influencers (100-100,00 followers) and micro-influencers (100,00-50,000. Followers have the highest engagement and loyal followings. Using smaller networks with highly targeted followers might be a better investment.

86% of B2B companies consider influencer marketing successful. A third of B2B marketers say that it has resulted in increased sales/revenue.

TopRank Marketing’s 2022 Influencer Marketing Report

Tip: Consider how influencers might fit into your marketing strategy if they are not part of your current marketing mix. If you are unsure how to justify spending on social media, check out our guide to measuring the right metrics to determine ROI.

9 Invest in channel-specific.

Personalization is becoming the new standard. You need to get to know people and then guide them on the path to purchasing. This is especially true for social platforms. It is well-known that algorithms can bury content that leads users to the platform. This makes it crucial that social media platforms continue the conversation. You must tailor your content to each platform.

Social media platforms are used by 71.6% to search for brand information.

—2022 Social Media Marketing Benchmark Report (Influencer Marketing Hub)

Tip: Be sure to keep your brand profiles up-to-date across all social media platforms. Also, look into ways to break down your content into specific platform pieces. If you have a long ebook, you could extract a tip for sharing on Twitter, an Instagram chart, and a portion to share on LinkedIn. These are easy ways to customize content and increase your content’s reach.

Example: Hubspot uses every social media platform to adapt its content to each individual audience. They have mastered the art and science of creating channel-specific content, whether it is tips for Twitter or employee spotlights on Instagram.

10) Focus on relationship-building.

Marketing is about turning strangers into loyal fans. However, it’s not easy or quick. You must invest in people and build relationships with them before, during and after they become customers. It is becoming more difficult to make personal connections as the world becomes increasingly digital. How do you do this? Your marketing should be as personal as possible. Although it may seem obvious, many brands fall prey to boring copy and generic content.

A staggering 84% of B2B buyers will buy from a supplier they have a good relationship with, even if terms are less favorable.

—2022 B2B Buyer Report (Sana)

Tip To create stronger relationships through content, think of high-value content ideas and do a competitor content audit in order to better position yourself. Learn empathy can help you make stronger connections

Turn these B2B Marketing Trends Into Real Results

These ideas should give you the motivation to create a strong content strategy for 2023. We know that creating and executing a strategy is not the same thing. It all comes down to your knowledge, time, and resources. You can ensure that your team is able to execute efficiently by following these steps:

• Create the right team. Learn why it is better to focus on roles than job titles.
• Optimize the content creation process. Use these best practices to simplify content creation at all stages.
• Outsourcing is a great option. Additional hands can make a huge difference. Learn how to locate an agency that specializes in your field and build a strong working relationship with them.

If you are looking for an agency, we can help. To learn more about working with us to develop a content strategy,see the top 10 FAQs or get in touch. We would love to make 2023 the most successful year yet.

The post 10 B2B Market Trends to Help you Win in 2023 was originally published on Column Five.

Author: Katy French