The ever-evolving nature of the marketing industry has always presented us with up and
coming ways to strategize our approach in the year 2021. The marketing world lives by
the very definition of “the only constant in the industry is change.”
It is also the ultimate truth that of the marketing industry that even though the
landscape is rapidly changing, the trends have been predictable. However, we also can
not ignore the impact of Covid-19 on the current economic scenario.
All these contributing factors to the changing economy also had their impact on the
current marketing trends.
The Impact of Covid-19 on B2B Marketing Trends
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the world, it was inevitable to avoid suffering from
its consequences. One way or another, we have all suffered because of Covid-19 either
mentally, financially, or physically.
The business world was also not immune to the struggles that the pandemic brought
with it. The worldwide economy suffered greatly due to lockdown and social distancing
norms and people were more skeptical than ever.
In 2021 as well, these changes will continue to impact the businesses and now
entrepreneurs will be required to adapt themselves and strategize accordingly in recent
times.
1. Customer Behaviour Changes
The coronavirus pandemic completely transformed the way we lived our lives. From our
day to day activities to our behavior as a consumer, everything suffered a great change.
In the year 2020, we had a completely different experience of existing due to the
worldwide restrictions posed by the government.
The social distancing norms especially had a great contribution in altering the way we
communicate on a daily basis. It changed the way we interact with our employees and
communicate on a day-to-day basis.
When face-to-face interactions were not possible due to the social distancing norms, we
realized the convenience of digital mediums and how we can use them to carry out
conversations even by being at distance.
2. Buying and Researching Behaviour
The buying and purchasing behavior of the customers got highly impacted after the
coronavirus pandemic. While many businesses suffered financially and had to stop all
the operations, many adapted to the new digitization models and reached people via
online modes.
As the e-commerce industry became more reliant on the online mediums, the customer
developed more internet-based buying and researching habits. In order to combat this
change, the brands need to ensure that their business is customer-friendly in every
aspect and is available online.
3. Budget Changes
The coronavirus pandemic certainly affected the budget spend of businesses in 2020
and it is most likely to continue with its impact in 2021 as well. As per the statistics, the
ad spend of businesses in 2020 dropped by 33% and the traditional ad spend was down
by 39%.
The budget changes are directly affected by the way businesses have been performing
and since many companies have gone into survival mode due to the pandemic and also
lost a significant amount of accounts, they definitely struggled to spend as much as they
used to in their ads.
On the other hand, smart business owners are dealing with these budget changes to
minimize loss and maximize the value for customers to gain increased revenue.
4. A shift in Tech Consumptions
There’s no denying the fact that the pandemic contributed highly to increasing our tech
consumptions due to the increased online traffic. The internet activity throughout the
day definitely witnessed a significant hike as people were working from the comfort of
their homes.
This shifted the focus of business from traditional marketing to digital marketing. And
brands that made themselves available on digital platforms automatically received more
exposure from the consumers.
B2B Marketing Trends for 2021
Keeping all the above information in mind, we have curated some of the most effective
B2B Marketing Trends that will shape the successful business strategy for your company
in the year 2021.
1. Video Marketing
The progress of video marketing in the last year has definitely been unrivaled. After
dominating the B2C market, video content is all set to rule the B2B marketing world as
well.
Video marketing has consistently provided brands with higher brand engagement and it
will continue to cater to businesses in receiving lucrative results because of its highly
impactful approach.
The Video Marketing industry has also witnessed some new and updated trends that
contributed to its popularity, such as interactive videos, animated explainer videos, etc.
Animated Explainer Videos
Explainer Videos being a new concept in the marketing world have garnered an
impressive amount of popularity. They are known for engaging the viewers with their
interactivity and attractiveness.
Animated Explainer Videos are dubbed as the latest advancement in video content
which is known for providing brands with hands-on marketing solutions. The evolution
of explainer videos has been evident, keeping the current impressive stats of video
content in mind.
Whether the industry is service-based or product-based, Animated Explainer Videos
have certainly worked their charm with their sheer effectiveness.
2. Content Marketing
We have grown tired of hearing the phrase “Content is King”, but that doesn’t make it
any less true. The advancement in the content marketing industry has only provided us
with new ways to increase our reach and engagement and ultimately get lucrative
results.
Content Marketing has been around since the very beginning and from the very start, it
has been providing brands with updated ways to enhance their approach. Content
Marketing itself is an umbrella term that covers various aspects related to content.
Long-form Content Marketing
Long-form Content basically means a longer article but what constitutes a longer article
is a matter of perspective. According to established marketers, articles above 2000
words of length are considered as long-form content.
Long-form content is getting popularity gradually because readers and writers are
starting to realize that you can not cover a whole topic in under 500 to 800 words which
is the standard for news-based websites.
Writing detailed articles result in getting higher engagement by the viewers, more time
spent on the website, and more visitors.
3. Artificial Intelligence and Automation
Artificial Intelligence has dominated almost every sector with its advanced technology
and it is again on its way to rule the business world. With technological advancements
representing themselves each day, we are provided with new and impressive methods
to curate our strategy accordingly.
Keeping the impressive stats in mind, AI and Automation are certainly at the frontiers of
marketing and brands are leveraging them for generating lucrative results.
Artificial Intelligence and Automation are having an overpowering impact in recent
times and those who will abide by them, are likely to receive higher reach.
4. Omni-channel Marketing
Omni-channel Marketing basically means approaching via multichannel to provide your
customers with an integrated experience. Customers could be using any device for their
shopping, such as mobile phone, desktop, physical store, or any other device but the
focus would ultimately be on making the experience seamless.
The growing popularity of omnichannel marketing has addressed the need to
continuously switch channels for brands. When you provide customers with a unified
platform via different marketing practices, they are more likely to convert potential
leads into sales.
Omni-channel marketing also helps you with customer retention. Statistics show that
89% of brands were able to retain their customers with said marketing strategy.
5. Chatbots
Chatbots are dubbed as the best way to improve customer online experience by
providing them 24-hour support. The latest advancements and developments in the
marketing industry have provided brands with new ways to increase their connectivity
with the audience.
Brands nowadays are leaning more towards having chatbots for their website as they
eliminate the need for having an actual human present to resolve all the queries and
complaints that they may have regarding the website.
It is no surprise that chatbots are being extensively used in recent times because of the
perks they are presenting brands with. They not only garners better engagement from
the consumers but with their human-matched behavior they also provide better
customer satisfaction.
6. Virtual Events
Virtual Events has gained an impressive amount of popularity since the pandemic. With
government restrictions and social distancing norms getting into the action, the only
way of interaction remained the online channels and that’s where virtual events became
the new mode of communication.
Whether it was about taking online classes, hosting a webinar, or joining a meeting,
virtual events were the only solution that seemed efficient.
As the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic is growing every day, the popularity of
virtual events is increasing each day at a high pace. Access to advanced technologies has
provided us with a very convenient alternative for human-interaction.
A lot of activities earlier were thought to be impossible when the Government posed
numerous restrictions limiting human interactions but with the help of virtual events,
brands, businesses, institutions, companies were able to carry out the operations.
7. Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing skyrocketed last year and businesses are still benefiting from its
effectiveness. In 2020, 93% of digital marketers focused on influencer marketing and in
the upcoming year as well, the trend is going to stay.
Influencer Marketing is getting famous because of the lucrative results that it is
presenting brands with. Instead of trusting businesses or organizations, people believe a
product or service only after they hear the experience of a real human being.
This directly means that with the help of influencer marketing, one can establish
authenticity and credibility for their brand. Although influencer marketing has proved to
be lucrative more for the B2C market until now in the upcoming year, you can
expect the B2B market to benefit from it as well.
8. LinkedIn for B2B
LinkedIn has come across as the number one platform for businesses. The impressive
statistics of LinkedIn marketing for B2B businesses have been more than impressive. It
provides countless opportunities to the marketers working in the industry to introduce
their company to potential customers, attract new talent to join, get more exposure,
increase their reach in the relevant industry and whatnot.
The statistics concerned with LinkedIn marketing have been amazing. In comparison
with other social media platforms, LinkedIn has proved to be more lucrative for
businesses and provides better lead generation.
The three major social media platforms that garner 90% of web traffic in B2B businesses
are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Apart from this, LinkedIn single-handedly provides
80% of B2B lead generation which is seven times more than any other platform.
Keeping these impressive statistics in mind, we can easily say that currently LinkedIn is
dominating the B2B market and holds the crown to make your potential customers
accessible to you.
9. Predictive Analysis
Predictive Analysis is a part of data analytics that is focused on making calculated
decisions for brands based on future predictions, analysis techniques, historical data,
etc.
The use of predictive analysis can be best seen by web-series and streaming platforms
such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos, Hulu, Hotstar, etc. In Fact, Netflix and Amazon
Prime are the ones who pioneered predictive analysis for improving their customer.
Gradually, Social Media is also accepting its importance and predictive analysis is being
leveraged by it for analyzing the customer behavior, running ads, enhancing their feed.
Apart from this, businesses and enterprises are also using predictive analytics to
optimize their marketing strategy and it is no doubt that they have received effective
results.
10. Interactivity with Audience
With modern times, the need for authenticity is constantly increasing. Now people are
expecting a real connection from brands to get a human-like experience. It is no doubt
that personalized content is the need of an hour and with the help of it, you can expect
a higher reach for brands.
Businesses are certainly wising up to these changes and curating a more lucrative
strategy for them with the help of new trends. They are able to enhance their approach
to their target audience and also improved the way their message is being perceived by
their potential or existing customers.
The advancement of technologies also has a great contribution to this. Businesses have
started to focus on making themselves techno-friendly in order to provide customers
with the best experience.
Final Thoughts
Following the latest trends has always benefitted the brands. This not only helps them
stay on the curve but also gives them more exposure in terms of online traffic and
marketing perspective.
The B2B market has been ever-evolving and it has presented us with new and updated
marketing practices to elevate our growth. Trends are known for their instant results
and with the help of them, you can achieve miraculous results for your business.
