The B2B marketing landscape is constantly evolving with new technologies, strategies, and consumer behaviors. For B2B companies to stay competitive and drive growth, they must stay on top of the latest trends and be agile in adopting new approaches.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the top 10 B2B marketing trends that are expected to make an impact in 2024.
1. Social Media Marketing Dominates as the #1 Channel
Social media marketing has cemented itself as the number one channel for both B2B and B2C marketers. According to HubSpot‘s State of Marketing Report, social media leads customer acquisition for businesses:
Source: HubSpot
There are several compelling reasons for social media‘s dominance:
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Massive diverse audiences: Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook provide access to millions of users. B2B brands can target their messages to very specific demographics and buyer personas.
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Opportunities for engagement: Social platforms facilitate direct conversations, sharing, and recommendations between brands and their customers, partners, and industry networks. This builds loyalty and trust.
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Rich data and analytics: The analytics tools provided by social platforms offer deep insights into audience demographics, behaviors, content resonance and campaign performance.
To leverage social media in 2024, brands should focus on engaging professional platforms like LinkedIn, utilizing multimedia content, measuring ROI, and optimizing based on data insights. We‘ll explore LinkedIn marketing more in trend #3.
2. Podcast Popularity Rises for B2B Brands
Podcasts have emerged as a breakout marketing channel for B2B brands thanks to their storytelling power and engagement value. According to a Statista forecast, podcast ad spending in the U.S. is growing rapidly:
Source: Statista
Podcasts allow B2B marketers to:
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Share thought leadership content: Subject matter experts can establish their authority and educate audiences.
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Showcase products or services: Podcasts provide an engaging platform to demonstrate how offerings solve customer pain points.
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Make deeper customer connections: The exclusive audio format enables brands to build relationships and loyalty.
Based on their target customer preferences, B2B brands should consider launching their own podcasts, sponsoring relevant shows, or purchasing audio ads to grab attention in the booming podcast arena.
3. LinkedIn Ascends as the Go-To B2B Platform
While LinkedIn has been a staple B2B digital platform for years, its importance continues to rise thanks to strong engagement metrics and explosive growth.
According to HubSpot, LinkedIn dominates other social platforms for visitor-to-lead conversion rates:
Source: HubSpot
And based on Microsoft‘s latest earnings report, LinkedIn ad revenue has grown 40% year-over-year:
Revenue from LinkedIn increased 16% … with Marketing Solutions up 40%
For B2B marketing leaders, a strong LinkedIn strategy is a must-have. Useful tactics include building an employee advocacy program, running LinkedIn ads, publishing long-form content, and monitoring engagement analytics.
4. Investment Rises in B2B Video Content
Both live and on-demand business video content are growing in popularity. According to InsideView, 96% of B2B buyers say video content helps them make purchasing decisions.
Video allows B2B brands to:
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Increase brand awareness: Videos garner attention and views across social media and websites. Short video ads also build awareness.
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Educate potential customers: Explainer and how-to videos showcase products and demonstrate value.
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Engage audiences: Videos foster more engagement on social platforms thanks to their visual appeal.
Source: HubSpot
Video marketing was already on the rise pre-pandemic. But with in-person events hampered, video became even more critical for engagement. In 2023, B2B marketers should build a diverse video content strategy encompassing social media, ads, live streaming, and shareable asset formats.
5. Competition Heats Up in Content Marketing
Content marketing is a proven B2B growth lever, with 89% of marketers using content to achieve core business goals according to the Content Marketing Institute.
But the continued rise of content marketing also breeds more competition. Marketers are challenged to create content that cuts through the noise.
Source: Content Marketing Institute
To stand out, B2B content strategies should:
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Target Specific Buyer Personas: Tailor content to resonate with high-value segments.
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Leverage Thought Leadership: Position subject experts to build trust and credibility.
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Promote Broadly: Distribute on multiple owned, earned and paid channels.
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Continuously Optimize: Analyze performance data and double down on what works.
With smart targeting, promotion, and optimization, B2B brands can succeed despite intensifying content competition.
6. Marketing Automation Drives New Efficiencies
Marketing automation powered by artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling B2B brands to achieve more impact with fewer resources. According to Deloitte, 77% of CMOs have adopted AI to automate repetitive tasks:
Source: Deloitte
Intelligent automation improves:
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Email marketing: AI-generated personalized content and send-time optimization.
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Social media: Automated post creation and interaction monitoring.
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Ads: AI-powered ad targeting, bidding, and budget allocation.
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Reporting: Automated data capture, analysis, and dashboard creation.
Marketing automation drives major time savings that allow teams to focus on creative, strategic priorities with maximum ROI.
7. Chatbots Become a Must-Have
Chatbots have evolved from a "nice-to-have" to a essential element of B2B marketing stacks. Research predicts:
- 80% of firms already use chatbots or plan to by 2020.
- Chatbots will become the primary customer service channel within 5 years.
Chatbots boost conversion rates by providing 24/7 instant answers to prospects. They also:
- Lower support costs by handling common queries
- Reduce strain on human agents
- Enable more personalized engagement
In 2023, B2B brands should seriously consider chatbot adoption on websites, messaging platforms, and customer service channels. Intelligent chatbots now deliver ROI across the customer lifecycle.
8. Influencer Marketing Amplifies Brand Awareness
The pandemic accelerated digital consumption habits. As a result, social media influencers are more critical than ever in shaping B2B purchase decisions.
Source: Shopify
Collaborating with relevant thought leaders and industry experts allows B2B brands to:
- Expand reach into new audiences
- Boost engagement and word-of-mouth
- Establish credibility and trust
A blended influencer strategy encompassing brand ambassadors, employee advocacy, and paid influencer campaigns maximizes awareness.
9. Budgets Shift to Digital Marketing Channels
Digital marketing channels like paid search, social, email, and streaming ads are attracting the lion‘s share of B2B budget allocation. According to a Statista survey of CMOs, traditional channels like events and out-of-home ads declined:
Source: Statista
The upside of digital channels includes:
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Targeting capabilities: Reach specific personas across devices and platforms.
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Performance tracking: Monitor engagement and conversion metrics in real-time.
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Automation: Optimize campaigns and control spend automatically.
B2B marketing leaders should continue to shift budgets to digital while measuring incrementality and ROI across channels.
10. Traditional Metrics Fall Out of Favor
dimers Finally, B2B marketers are reexamining traditional performance metrics in favor of indicators that better reflect digital marketing success and business impact.
According to Gartner, metrics focused on third-party cookies, attribution, and retention are gaining importance, while legacy metrics like click-through rate are declining.
This shift acknowledges the complexity of modern B2B buying journeys. Marketers now need behavioral data beyond clicks and views to quantify impact.
In 2023, testing new metrics tied to pipeline and revenue is essential. Customer retention and lifetime value metrics also signal performance improvements.
The B2B landscape will continue evolving rapidly. We hope this overview of the top marketing trends gives leaders a blueprint to build effective strategies that deliver results.
To discuss new approaches for your organization, contact our B2B specialists or reach out via email: [email protected].