Technology and the behavior of customers continues to evolve—having a drastic influence on how business-to-business (B2B) marketers develop and carry out their strategies. Plans are altered constantly, so keeping an eye on emerging trends can give you an opportunity to improve you marketing impacts in 2019.
The following list provides perspective on the important aspects a good marketer should consider:
1. Content Marketing
Content marketing is the blueprint of B2B marketing impact for 2019. According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), content marketing is a well thought-out effort concentrated on making and distributing important, impactful content to reach and capture the attention of a specific niche—and, in the end, to attract customer loyalty. CMI disclosed not too long ago that 80 percent of B2B firms are concentrated on building a content marketing plan that will last.
2. SEM/SEO/Targeting
Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and retargeting will continue to be crucial to an optimal marketing outcome. For the past several years, significant attention has been given to managing title tags, headers, and catch-all descriptions while sharing content online. All of these concepts remain valuable. Organic web searches can bring significant traffic to B2B online content, thus higher SEO rankings almost always end up in more traffic and more customer engagement.
Search algorithms will continue to change in 2019, so you need to stay alert and informed so you can respond to any changes that impact your strategy.
Paying attention to subtle differences between search, behavioral, and contextual marketing plans, enables you to target your content with greater precision to reach the intended audience. Targeting incorporates processes by which visitors spot particular and crucial advertisements based on their browsing history, content interests, or different online behavior.
3. Integrated Marketing Communications
Marketers often concentrate on the idea of “integrated marketing communications” (IMC) as a systematic method to level up efforts across all marketing channels. IMC is not new, but the application of IMC has revived relevancy as new channels pop up. IMC is a strategic approach conceptualized to take care of advertising, direct marketing, public relations, sales promotion, digital marketing, content marketing, and different programs to work hand in hand. This approach enables you to present a consistent image of your brand with a unified front on all social media which ends up drives and captures attention from potential customers.
4. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have spilled over in many different fields as well. It is safe to conclude that chat and growth bots, engagement statistics, automated product placement and reviewers will continue to evolve and grow as effective marketing tools.
5. Social Media
One recent study revealed that more than a half of B2B prospects say that social media has a a strong influence when it comes to their purchases. Facebook is the most important platform for consumer marketers, while LinkedIn is the leading social media of choice for leading B2B marketers. Instagram growth took the world by surprise as a platform for online business in 2018—and will continue to play a strategic role in 2019.
The reason social media is so effective is that your B2B buyer and researcher are on these platforms constantly. Seeing you and your brand each day in the form of a “friend” or trusted connection builds a relationship over time. LinkedIn—particularly with its skyrocketing video usage—helps you position your business as one that provides consistent value. No less than 66 percent of the Top B2B marketers think of LinkedIn as incredibly important.