Welcome to the future of B2B marketing. Our blog series, “NextGen B2B Marketing: Maximizing Effectiveness & ROI Across Functions,” is your guide to navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of modern marketing with confidence and expertise. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or a rising star in sales & marketing, if you have revenue accountability this series is tailor-made to help you thrive in today’s competitive environment.
Why is this series essential for you? Because the convergence of sales, marketing, and technology is reshaping the B2B marketing playbook in profound ways. Your ability to navigate this evolution will determine your organization’s ability to compete and grow. By aligning sales and marketing efforts, harnessing the power of data and analytics, and leveraging the latest technologies, you’ll gain a strategic advantage over competitors that failed to adapt.
Throughout this series, we’ll explore the trends that are shaping the future of B2B marketing. From leveraging data-driven insights to drive targeted, personalized campaigns to harnessing the power of automation and AI, we’ll provide you with the knowledge and insights you need to drive results and achieve your revenue goals with confidence.
Background
To set the stage for this series, perhaps its best to briefly recap the past quarter-century of evolution in B2B sales and marketing. The new century began, as had been the case since the beginning of time, with sales teams leading the sales process with prospects from initial introduction, to awareness and interest, and eventually to a new customer or lost opportunity.
As CRM and marketing automation platforms grew in popularity, companies started to make sales and marketing materials accessible online—which combined with cookies, engagement tracking and a decent scoring model, contributed to marketing taking an active role in the selling process. We all know now that most prospects are more than halfway through the buying process by the time sales is engaged for the first time.
Looking Ahead
Of course, the pandemic accelerated this digital transformation that had been underway over the past two decades. Looking ahead, data-driven strategies will become the norm, with increased use of AI and machine learning for predictive analytics, customer insights, and automation of routine tasks. There will also be an increased emphasis on data security and compliance, driven by remote work and increased cyber threats.
Finally, the customer will take center stage with a deeper focus on personalization, and experiences that are customized to their specific needs, as well as adoption of advanced CX management tools to ensure seamless and satisfactory customer interactions across all touchpoints.
Yet, for all the progress that has been made and opportunity that still exists, there are challenges on the immediate horizon. First and foremost, privacy concerns have been building and regulatory changes are looming, which lead to the greatest change for B2B marketers to date—Google’s evolving plan to let users decide whether they will be tracked by cookies.
Stay Tuned…
Stay tuned for ongoing updates to this series as we plan to cover a range of relevant topics:
- Data
- Analytics
- Segmentation
- Messaging
- Content
- Campaigns
- Measurement & Optimization