5 B2B Marketing Trends to Lookout for in 2018

B2B marketing has been far more complex than ever with each passing day. The gradual technological innovation and the rise of digital marketing have transformed the face of business. For instance, the digital world has empowered marketers with a set of new tools and channels to drive more customers and reap greater ROI.

However, the problem is that the flooding of these channels have made it difficult for marketers to pick the right ones and stay ahead.

2017 is on the brink and about to end. It is now time to make the things right by adopting the latest trends and reap the rewards right from the start of 2018. Without further ado, let’s have a look at some of the exciting B2B marketing trends everyone needs to know.

Have a look at them.

Micro Moments Transforming to Macro

“69% of online users say that quality, relevance, and timing of micro-moment messaging influences their perception of brands”.

In a few words, Micro Moments can be described as when a person instinctively turns to a device or source such as blog, app or smartphone. These moments happen every second and micro-moment marketing and help to gather more information or make a purchase instantly.

In 2018, the micro-moments will transform the digital B2B arena as more people will hunt for information via mobile and make a purchase decision after a few touchpoints with the brand. This would help in getting lead generating answers.

Newsletter will Act like a Brand Magazine

“87% of businesses plan to increase their email marketing budget”

The time has changed and magazines have been taken over by newsletter. Nowadays, the majority of brands tell their stories, promote their products or feed users with information through Newsletter, delivered straight to the subscriber’s inbox.

However, in the recent years, flooding the mailbox with automated sales repetitive newsletter had a bad impact. The year 2018 will be a little different from the previous one. It will be used more as a magazine and keep your email subject lines clear. Businesses are cleaning out the junk emails to make sure that they are more creative with actionable industry data.

Copywriting will be transformed into Storytelling     

“60% of B2B marketers admit that producing engaging content is a challenge. Narrative storytelling and purpose-driven copywriting can help you overcome”

Copywriting has not been vanished from the world of marketers, but have transformed into something known as storytelling. As the problems differ from one person to another, the same applies to businesses. As a B2B customer, there are different types of personas varying according to age, gender, problems, and demographics. The storytelling will be the mainstream in 2018 as it will address the same needs as that of a real person. Writing a story around pain points of end users and forcing them to take action through the compelling story will gain hype in the future.

Content Designed for the Future

“More than 6 billion searches take place every day, all recorded by Google Algorithm, making SERP more reflective of natural human behavior search”.

Content is more driven to the targeted users. The trend has been seen from past two to three years. The content is now being crafted more intelligently through machine learning and automated data capture. Different brands can customize the content according to the individual needs, and deliver them through emails or organically.

In 2018, personalizing and segmenting content according to individual business needs will create a buzz of customers to develop a long-term relationship with your brand.

Investment in Social Platforms

“B2B websites drive 34% more traffic via social media as compared to B2C websites”.

B2B marketing managers are not able to engage users on social media platforms as compared to B2C brands. However, in 2018, a fine tuned social strategy will be the new norm. The reason is that businesses have years of data, allowing them to know what is their current online status and what works best for them.

Companies will be more focusing on allocating resources towards a single platform and double their investments, which would likely pay off better.

2018 will be the year of change and will drive marketers close to each other. It is you who decide where to invest in technologies and strategies. Make sure to take early actions without waiting for others to take the lead.

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Written by: Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 15 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writing and Digital Marketing with a IQVIS.