Since we are close to the middle of 2016, it is hard to make predictions but we can easily notice the trends that are already big this year. The entire B2B market is evolving, at a rate that few people actually expected to see till now. New strategies and trends emerge. Business managers evolve and always change in order to reach the best possible outcomes.
ABM Marketing Popularity
ABM stands for Account-Based Marketing. Close to 70% of B2B businesses are interested in this, test it or already use it. The good news is that ABM technologies will evolve and will be used for a really long time. While there are still many marketers out there that do not actually know much about this technique, it is a guarantee that in the future we will be faced with more implementation.
Bolder Marketing Techniques Will Be Implemented
B2B businesses mainly focus on marketing and sales. In 2016 we already saw various different steps that were made to increase sales and that is something that will continue. We are faced with a huge focus that is put into automation and alignment for marketing and sales processes to work together for increased results.
We are basically moving away from the regular marketing metrics that we have been using for a really long time now. The most focus is put on CTR and unique users. Marketers have to remain focused on metrics that are really important for sales like funnel velocity, close rates, opportunities and ACV (annual contract value).
Higher Content Marketing Budgets
Business managers from all around the world figured out the fact that content marketing is really important. You want to basically focus on what works and it is content marketing that works great at the moment. It is a certainty that B2B businesses are always going to focus on results so in order to get the results, we will see much higher investments made in content marketing.
More Marketing Technology Is Developed
Contrary to popular belief, marketing takes a lot of time. With B2B marketing the time needed is even more. Because of this, we will need to use new tools in the future. That basically means that more money will be put into developing brand new technology that would aid B2B marketing as a whole. Besides the growth we see at the moment in B2B technology, consolidation also happens. Marketers are going to remain focused on the use of IT programs with the purpose of automating and saving as much time as possible.
On the whole, B2B is all about evolution. This practically means that patience is necessary. You want to be focused on what works so be patient. B2B is quite complicated.