With 2022 right around the corner, now is the right time to start planning your B2B marketing and social media strategy for the upcoming year. But before you get into that, it might be a good idea to learn what the marketing trends for 2022 look like. Informing yourself about the trends for a new year can also help you plan a more effective strategy for your B2B brand and stay ahead of your competitors. So, let’s look at the top five B2B marketing trends for 2022 below.
Focus on a Mobile-First Strategy
Over the past few years, the shift to a mobile-first strategy has been imminent and 2022 will see more and more B2B companies adopt this kind of strategy. We see this accelerating further this year given the work-from-home situation continuing all over the world. According to data released by McKinsey, around 70% of B2B buyers and decision-makers prefer remote or digital interactions with vendors after the pandemic. Gartner predicts that this number is set to rise by an additional 10% by 2025. This means that buyers will be more likely to respond better to digital marketing strategies in future.
Another major factor leading the switch to mobile is the number of millennials in decision-making roles. Millennials prefer a seller-free experience so a less direct approach to marketing will become more popular in 2022 because of this.
B2B Customer Engagement will be Key
Traditional methods of B2B marketing have always revolved around in-person engagement, through meetings and events. But this will be shifting to digital channels in the upcoming year. B2B marketers will look for innovative ways to keep their customers engaged in 2022. Interactive email campaigns, new technology, AI and the use of chatbots will be ways for marketers to increase engagement.
Other methods like virtual events, email learning series and online surveys will also be used to increase engagement and capture the attention of new leads.
Focus on Customer Psychology
The use of neuroscience in marketing has been on the rise and next year will see more and more B2B marketers turn to neuromarketing to increase the efficiency of their marketing efforts. B2B marketers will focus on the individual psychology of key buyers and decision-makers to make major strategy decisions, changing the focus from top-driven to persona-driven B2B marketing. Marketers will focus on honing in on their target audience’s particular needs, desires and interests to generate more effective ads, content and events.
Switching Lead Generation Channels
B2B marketing has always relied on in-person events for generating new leads. But with the pandemic, those were impossible to conduct and this has resulted in the move to online events and seminars. This switch to online events for lead generation will continue to grow further in the upcoming year along with the shifting focus on tapping into the power of social media for lead-generation.
B2B marketers are also using social media platforms like LinkedIn to target new leads and rely on personalised strategies to bring in more high-quality leads for their business.
High-Quality Content Marketing
High-quality content marketing will be essential for B2B businesses in 2022. Online resource centres, podcasts, blogs and other content hubs will continue to be valuable tools for attracting new clients and increasing brand visibility. In 2022, B2B marketers will rely on original research to support their marketing efforts.
High-quality content marketing is also greatly relied upon for building trust and for generating traffic and leads. Quality content that is informative, engaging and entertaining will be in high demand and is what will lead to success in the digital age. B2B marketers will turn to conducting online surveys to understand the pain points of their customers better and will use insights from these surveys to tailor their marketing strategy accordingly.
