A lot has happened to force brands to change how they build and maintain long-term relationships with B2B customers.

We regularly look at our audience stats to provide an insight into how people are thinking about B2B marketing. So, we thought we'd share a round up of our most popular articles from the past 12 months. We feel this collection reflects an important shift in what people are researching, considering and learning about.

Human to Human Marketing

There was a growing interest in finding ways to refocus B2B marketing on creating human connection. One popular subject was how to build marketing strategies that treat people as people, not sales marks. People were also interested in developing a multichannel marketing ecosystem to reach people where they are and improve the B2B customer experience. Another popular topic was how to integrate AI and machine learning in a way that enhances human connection instead of replacing it.

In other words, there is a growing awareness that the B2B experience needs to be both more connected and more human. However, the work of creating this connection does not necessarily have to be executed solely by humans. To scale operations while providing the hyper-personalised experience B2B audiences are now demanding, marketers recognise that they need help from automation.

Emerging Trends in B2B Marketing

The popularity of our top ten articles shows that there is a desire for fresh thinking about marketing strategy. Old approaches fail to take full advantage of the possibilities offered by digital marketing technology. As such, a growing number of B2B organisations are looking for new solutions.

In our opinion, there are three macro trends emerging that will continue to be relevant over the coming years: integration, experience, and performance. These three trends link to the idea of platform, presence, and productivity which we outline in How to Future-Proof Your B2B Marketing Strategy.

Integration

Falling under this umbrella term are discussions on how B2B brands can break down internal silos and create a holistic customer journey. For example, using platform thinking (i.e. creating opportunities for connection and collaboration), omnichannel marketing, and integrated data collection. One particular area of interest to B2B marketers is the application of integration tools and tactics to account based marketing.

Experience

After years of lagging behind B2C, the B2B world is finally realising the importance of building a digital first customer experience. That there is a need to humanise B2B marketing and create space for connection. And that doing so requires accepting the role of the non-rational/emotional in B2B buyer purchase decisions.

As such, B2B brands are looking for insights on topics like customer centricity, creativity and interactivity, personalisation and targeting, resonance, and immediacy. For instance, how to revamp content marketing strategies to highlight a company’s purpose and ethics. Or use AI technology to create real-time personalised experiences at scale. With the rise of user-generated content, B2B brands also need to find ways to support their customers becoming part of their brand story.

Performance

The rise of human-centric, multichannel digital marketing is also leading B2B marketers to reevaluate how they measure performance. Standard methodologies are built around short-term lead generation metrics and often breakdown when applied to B2B marketing. Instead, KPIs like Contribution to Pipeline and Win Rate are increasingly being used to judge the ROI of long-term strategies like ABM.

Another piece of the conversation is the decision by leading search engines to move away from tracking cookies. Marketers need to find other, permission-based, ways to collect customer information. To develop analytic tools that balance consumer privacy while providing the data AI and automation tools need to operate effectively.

1827 Marketing’s Top Ten Articles of 2020

Digital Marketing Strategies for New Product Launches

What it is about: This article explores a product launch framework that integrates content marketing and marketing automation. It is an approach where you use marketing insights throughout the product development process to better understand what works for your audience.

Why it matters: This piece highlights the importance of working collaboratively and breaking down internal silos. Forward-thinking B2B companies are realising they need to consider the audience insights uncovered by digital marketing to create relevant solutions. Creating a high-quality customer experience should be part of everyone’s process for creating B2B products and services.

B2B and B2C Marketing – Not As Different As You Think

What it is about: This article examines similarities between B2B and B2C marketing techniques. It argues that our ability to successfully market to businesses depends on remembering the ‘person’ in ‘businessperson’.

Why it matters: Technological innovation and social shifts are transforming B2B customer expectations. The push for ABM, personalisation, and interactivity reflects the growing recognition of this fact. To sustain a long-term business relationship, B2B brands need to meet both the logical and emotional needs of decision makers.

Challenges of B2B Customer Experience Measurement

What it is about: In this post, we discuss how to turn people's experience with your brand into a measurable outcome. This includes what customer analytics you should track to know if you are meeting your customer experience (CX) goals.

Why it matters: B2B brands are re-evaluating their marketing approach and investing more heavily in creating an omnichannel customer experience. As such, B2B marketers are looking for ways to determine if they are delivering a good customer experience across their digital platform.

Creating a Powerful LinkedIn B2B Content Marketing Strategy

What it is about: In this post, we discuss how to effectively use LinkedIn for content marketing. This includes looking at new ways to target audiences, create content, and measure performance.

Why it matters: As the world's largest professional network, LinkedIn has become a core component in many B2B marketing strategies. Indeed, it has many unique benefits for B2B brands that are not obtainable through other channels. Yet many marketers are unfamiliar with the full range of tools and opportunities offered by this innovative platform.

Make Social Media Work for B2B Marketing

What it is about: From important channels to marketing automation tools. This guide aims to help you discover how to make social media work for your B2B marketing.

Why it matters: A well-researched and carefully executed social media marketing strategy can help propel a business to new heights. It can serve as a powerful force for B2B companies seeking to increase brand awareness and more personalised engagement with potential customers.

Successful B2B Marketing Must be More Digital and More Human

What it is about: This article examines the importance of branding and digital strategies B2B companies can use to develop a strong brand.

Why it matters: Just like B2C consumers, B2B prospects prefer to work with aspirational and recognisable brands. They seek emotional connection and shared values from potential vendors, in addition to facts about features, benefits and price. As such, successful B2B marketers are incorporating storytelling, creativity and brand building into their long-term strategies.

AI Applications in B2B Marketing

What it is about: This article seeks to help B2B marketers understand the benefits and best uses of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. It also explores how to avoid common pitfalls.

Why it matters: AI and machine learning are powerful marketing tools that demand serious consideration. However, it is important to carefully plan how you will integrate them into your strategy and avoid falling prey to 'shiny new toy syndrome'. AI applications can greatly enhance your marketing efforts, but like any tool, they can be highly disruptive if misapplied. 

Building the Best B2B Customer Experience

What it is about: This in-depth guide explains how an omnichannel environment enhances the customer journey. It also discusses the kind of marketing teams you need to develop a B2B customer experience strategy.

Why it matters: Customer experience is becoming a critical factor in B2B marketing. B2B sales via digital channels have increased dramatically and companies that are committed to providing an excellent customer experience are reaping the rewards.

Putting the Human Experience Into B2B Marketing

What it is about: This post argues that B2B marketing should ultimately work to create connections rather than just selling a product. That centring marketing efforts around human experience is key to creating successful long-term strategies.

Why it matters: Technology and automation are vital tools for running a digital marketing campaign. Yet they can also create distance between brands and their audience by reducing people to nothing but stats and data points. B2B brands need to know how to utilise marking technology to become more connected, not less.

How to Create an Expert B2B Marketing Strategy

What it is about: This in-depth practical guide explains how to build a multi-level digital marketing strategy through research, planning, creativity, testing and measurement.

Why it matters: You need to build a holistic B2B digital marketing strategy to engage with your audience on a human level at scale. One that is rooted in the customer experience and balances various elements (such as communication channels, marketing technology, and budget) to maximise results.

Creative B2B Marketing Solutions from 1827 Marketing

At 1827 Marketing, we believe that marketing should be rooted in creating positively impactful relationships. Our team of experienced sales, marketing and brand consultants will help you build a strategic approach to engage with your prospects and customers. We combine creative campaigns with marketing automation and AI-assisted amplification tools to get the most out of every piece of content. Contact us today to learn how we can take help you transform your marketing plan!