Marketing is an ever-evolving combination of art and science, and today the role of marketing is growing in importance. The challenges of producing tangible growth and ROI are trends that will continue to grow as competition increases and opportunities become more fragmented.
Fragmentation is creating a new frontier in terms of techniques, strategies, and reach. As niches become more focused, the concept of a “one-customer market” is becoming a reality. We need to create a “one-stop shop” experience for each prospect to drive them to conversion, build trust, and ultimately sell.
These trends deserve your attention as you navigate email list providers in france complexities and challenges of the marketplace this year.
1 - The growing role of B2B Marketing
This year will see marketing expand beyond its traditional role. Businesses today are facing new and unique challenges, including talent shortages, commoditization, and increased competition, to name a few. These are challenges that will require cross-departmental collaboration to solve, and marketing is uniquely positioned to take the lead.
Look for better alignment between marketing, sales , HR, and operations. Everything from driving branding strategies to recruiting talent to business development will be required of marketing to drive value and visibility.
2 - Balancing the “consumer experience”
Arguably the biggest trend to watch this year will be focusing on the customer experience while still driving business growth. Marketers have been focusing on customer-centric methods, basing their approach on the lifetime value (LTV) of a prospect.
This year, the focus will be on adding customer-centric techniques that provide relevant experiences across all touchpoints to deliver what the customer values most. Balancing these two approaches can deliver a more personalized approach that will generate a higher return while building strong brand loyalty.
3 - Executive Branding: Thought Leadership
In recent years, the focus of branding (thanks to the internet, mobile devices, and social media) has shifted to the individual—both aligned with the consumer and the “voice” of the business.
As a result, branding and marketing efforts are not enough. Especially when it comes to B2B marketing. Today, executive branding, or leadership development, is on the rise. Buyers want to know the “why” behind the business and put a face to the operation to build trust. To truly stand out, executive branding will be the fastest-growing trend in B2B marketing in the coming years.
4 - Formats, channels and mix.
As marketing repositions itself, the need to improve content and the marketing mix will also grow. As more channels and platforms become available, marketing teams will need to make better and broader use of marketing mix formats and choices.
For example, pre-recorded and live videos are becoming increasingly popular as they are live broadcasts of events. Diversification of content delivery formats includes podcasts, interactive assessments, and mobile-first content. Marketers will see a shift away from Twitter and LinkedIn to non-traditional B2B formats like Facebook and Instagram. With this shift will come a reliance on paid opportunities to further shift distribution away from purely organic approaches.
5 - Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
Drip marketing has been on the rise in recent years, and the trend toward “automation” will continue, as will the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into B2B marketing.
According to Forrester Research, “Artificial intelligence will provide businesses with access to information and insights before they are available.” By using cognitive interfaces, complex systems, and advanced analytics combined with machine learning technology, companies’ decisions in e-commerce, marketing, product management, and other areas will be made in near real time.