As we reflect on Q1 of 2023, the Scarecrow Digital team has been looking back on the B2B digital marketing trends they have found are helping to drive growth for their customers.
As a digital marketing agency which specialises in helping B2B SaaS, tech and professional services companies grow their businesses, we are regularly exposed to ‘marketing trends’ that claim to be the next big thing in B2B marketing. But which have held up and worked in the real world? Well, we’re here to tell you!
B2B Marketing trends we loved in 2022:
2022 was a year of change for B2B marketing. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic there was a shift in the way B2B businesses operated. With many engagements still taking place remotely, a global market much more available than it was before, and automation being the hot topic for almost every business, it was and is a turbulent time for a lot of businesses. So, their marketing, messaging and approach has to evolve to fit.
In 2022, we saw and embraced a number of overarching trends that we believe all businesses need to ensure they are taking into 2023.
The collaboration between the marketing & sales department to ensure the customer onboarding process is as streamlined as possible:
- Globally, inflation has increased to record levels, economies have slowed and as a result some business spending has inevitably slowed. Anecdotally, we have witnessed that most businesses are still investing in tech, but decisions are taking longer than they did up until Q2 of 2022. As a result, we have seen a resurgence for and success from, BDR/SDR/prospecting activity to ensure clients are proactively reaching out to audiences rather than waiting on clients to find them.
- BDR should be seen as an extension of the marketing department, they are usually the first touchpoint that the customer has with your business. So the marketing team should ensure that they have created engaging and informative content/resources that can be used during the onboarding process.
- 74% of people said they wouldn’t complete a purchase if the buying process was too difficult (Groove, 2023)
- Use the BDR/sales team to educate the marketing department as to what the common pain points for customers are so this can be incorporated into the marketing materials.
Brands becoming more personable:
B2B marketers have historically erred on the side of caution when it comes to showing a personality due to the need for professionalism in the buying process. But remember, people buy from people! And it’s much more engaging and convincing to get across your brand values through fun and informative content rather than just a business mission statement.
One of the most effective ways to do this is through social media activity as it’s a great way to increase customer trust through transparency. Adopting social media marketing is key for B2B businesses as 86% of people have said they would leave their business for a competitor if they see a lack of transparency on social media (B2B Marketing Net, 2023).
Great examples of B2B companies with effective social media marketing strategies are firms such as Adobe, Grammarly & Square who have over a million followers combined on TikTok alone and create engaging content displaying their business process/key services alongside fun and interactive videos.
2023 trends:
1. Customer-Centered Content:
Anastasia – Digital Marketing Executive:
“The rise in the number of B2B companies focusing on customer-centered instead of search engine-focused. Producing content that addresses the needs of the customer was a focus for more B2B companies. B2B is a longer buying process, so customer-centered content allows firms to position themselves as a knowledge resource, meaning they can more touch points to their sales funnel.”
Lewis – Digital Marketing Executive:
“I have seen an increase in the amount of interactive content from B2B marketers. Quizzes, polls, carousel tiles, and interactive datasheets all seem to perform really well, particularly on social media. As the content is interactive more people are likely to interact (clue in the name) with this type of content, but it also can be used as a research tool to find out more about the people you are targeting.”
Stephen – Managing Director:
“With customers being subject to constant communication from organisations I would like to see more B2B marketers providing educational content as opposed to general “noise”. In 2022, I noticed a lot of marketing material with a focus purely on selling their products or services, moving forward I’d like to see more of a focus on providing educational content that serves a purpose to the consumer. No more simply posting for the sake of it!”
2. Video Content:
Lewis – Digital Marketing Executive:
“A lot of B2B organisations went all in on videos this year, with short, informative videos being a staple on LinkedIn now. A lot of this can probably be put down to the rise in TikTok over the past few years, regardless I think video marketing is a great way for B2B companies to share their personality and add a human element to the business, as well as give informative content in an easily digestible format.”
Ellen – Business Development Representative:
“I would like to see the continuation of using video within B2B marketing and the beginning of making it more personalised to the target audience, communicating with the audience and asking what value they would like to see. It was a strategy that is working well within the B2C space, and I think it can have the same effect this year within the B2B.
3. Tik Tok:
Sophie – Digital Marketing Executive:
“I think we’ll see more companies being active on TikTok in 2023. Currently, many B2C brands, entrepreneurs, start-ups and online retailers are leveraging user-generated content which is extremely effective at getting consumer products in front of the right audience. TikTok provides a new opportunity for B2B businesses. TikTok’s algorithm is designed to show users content it thinks they want to see based of behaviors and interests, so if you know how to use TikTok, post consistently about your niche, it’s more than likely your organic content will end up in front of someone that will genuinely be engaged. While it might not be a lead-generating machine such as telemarketing, tradeshows, and webinars – it’s a way of standing out, by easily and quickly creating (honestly, it’s so easy!) short-form content that like-minded people will enjoy. After all, you’re selling to the people in the business.”
4. AI:
Lewis – Digital Marketing Executive:
“I think AI will become a lot more prevalent in marketing in 2023, we’ve already seen how quickly ChatGPT gained popularity at the tail end of last year and with more and more businesses using this software, I think we will see B2B marketers use this for copywriting, analytical reporting and online chatbots in 2023.”
About Scarecrow Digital:
Scarecrow Digital is a global digital marketing agency who specialise in B2B marketing for growing SaaS, tech, and professional services businesses. We are a full-service agency which offers a range of digital marketing services designed to help your growing business. If your business needs help with marketing strategy, SEO, paid advertising, content creation, website creation and optimisation or data cleansing.
Does this sound like something your business needs? Get in touch today [email protected]