We are in the last quarter of 2021, and as always, players in the marketing world are setting their sights on the coming year. Looking back into the past year, flexibility in embracing change and pivoting for recovery has been the name of the game.
The marketing landscape in 2022 is not just set to be exciting; it will be super different. With digitization and virtualization expected to continue playing a central role, next year will be a different ballgame. Besides the adoption of cutting-edge technology, marketers must be ready to adjust to customer’s needs if they’re going to reach their target audiences effectively.
What B2B Marketing Trends Can We Expect to See in 2022?
Efficiency during purchase and customer satisfaction are critical for B2B customers. To stay on top of your B2B marketing game in 2022, you’ll need to factor in these five popular marketing trends that are set to gain more traction in 2022:
- Greater Automation and Use of AI In B2B Personalization
75% of executives fear that they could be out of business within the next five years if they don’t scale up AI. On the other hand, 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. While AI, marketing automation, and machine learning have been in use for some time already, 2022 will be the year of Artificial Intelligence everywhere.
In B2B marketing, customer engagement and personalization are the most prominent uses of AI. In 2022, more marketers will be keen on leveraging AI to improve their lead generation, customer acquisition, and upselling efforts. With the global AI software market projected to continue witnessing a 54% year-on-year growth, marketers will be looking to employ tools like AI and marketing automation to personalize buyer omnichannel experiences, drive more revenue, and improve marketing results.
- The Continued Rise of User-Generated Content
Customers trust marketing content generated by other customers more than the content they create. B2B customers will expect you to provide interactive marketing and make the process of accessing information about your brand a seller-free experience. This can be realized by maximizing the potential of user-generated content to provide social proof beyond written reviews and customer testimonials.
- Mobile-First Marketing Strategies Will Continue to Be Mission Critical
Mobile-first marketing strategies will be at the heart of B2B’s marketing efforts in the coming year. Digital marketing content is more accessible for B2B users to interact with. That’s why 70% of B2B buyers prefer interacting with vendors remotely.
To make it easier for B2B users to interact with their content, marketers must make sure their websites and advertisements work well with mobile devices and that their marketing campaigns are fully optimized for mobile.
- Top-Quality Content and Original Research Will Drive Buying Decisions
In a market where buyers are more interested in the originality of research and the quality of marketing content when making purchase decisions, you should be prepared to deliver. Dispensing relevant, high-quality information to your B2B buyers when making purchase decisions is a sure way of encouraging buyers to get in touch with your sales team.
- How Customer-Centric You Are Will Be Crucial
Connecting with customers and improving the customer experience is more important now than ever. As we advance, a marketer’s ability to understand customers and personalize content based on customers’ pains will be critical in driving more conversions and improving sales. Rather than simply generating leads, marketers will have to provide customers with solutions and helpful information to improve customer experience and build more profound and longer-lasting relationships.
What B2B Marketing Trends Can We Expect to See in 2022?
With a whopping 51% of B2C marketers planning to increase their marketing budgets in 2022, marketers will need to do a lot to win over and retain customers. Here is a brief overview of what marketers should expect:
- Short Video Will Take the B2C Marketing Landscape by Storm
When it comes to marketing in the social media space, video content is king. Customers expect richer content experiences next year, making short videos an exciting frontier to watch. With ROI that was only second to that of influencer marketing and an uptake of 33% among marketers, video in short form is poised for tremendous growth.
- Audio Content Will Take a Front Seat
More B2C marketers are expected to add audio content to their marketing efforts in the new year. Marketers are now recognizing the power of audio content. Data shows that 43% of B2C marketers plan to raise their podcast investment by 2022, meaning personalized audio content is set to have a good year.
- Social Responsibility Will Be More Important
Trust is a leading factor in the purchasing decisions of most consumers. That’s why social responsibility is an effective marketing trend today. Consumers now want businesses to be more transparent and take a stand on social media on various issues. Soon, consumers will want to hold you more accountable and see your stand on various social affairs.
- Marketers Will Be Seeking to Get the Most Out of Inbound Marketing Strategies
Inbound marketing aims at attracting customers to your business. Instead of pushing your message out to consumers, your focus is on drawing consumers towards your business. Given that most marketers are either planning to invest more or keep their inbound marketing budgets as is, businesses seeking to thrive in 2022 need to do a lot more to stay ahead of the curve.
- Influencer Marketing Remains a Key Lead / Revenue Driver
With 61% of B2C marketers planning to leverage influencer marketing in 2022, influencer marketing is not about to slow down any time soon. As the highest ROI generator for B2C marketers in 2021, the power of influencer marketing is evident for all to see. On a related note, the caliber of influencer marketers involved in every marketing campaign says a lot, since they act as the touchpoint between your products or services and your audience.
There you have them. The top 5 B2B and B2C marketing trends are likely to shape the year ahead. While the upcoming changes in the marketing landscape will provide many growth opportunities, they will also provide many challenges. Only the marketing players who embrace these changes and prepare accordingly are going to reap the benefits.
As a go-to B2B and B2C marketing professional, Faster Solutions will give you all the support you need to achieve your marketing goals. For questions or discussions on how your organization can take advantage of the marketing trends that will shape the year ahead reach out to us today.