B2B digital marketing trends have changed dramatically in recent years, and content has played a critical role in this evolution. The past few years have been very demanding for b2b businesses, with the pandemic transforming the digital landscape in unusual and unpredictable ways. But it is digital content marketing that has kept many enterprises (online plus offline) afloat. Now, with this evolution that is rapidly changing the old content marketing trends, our expectations from digital content marketing in 2022 and 2023 are high.
Market forecasts predict that content marketing will grow by $417.85 billion between 2021 and 2025. So, this is the time to start thinking about how you can improve your b2b digital content marketing strategy for next year and beyond. The first step is to understand the b2b content marketing trends for 2022 that will also be popular throughout the year 2023.
To assist you in your quest, we present to you the top b2b digital content marketing trends that you should consider.
Mobile First Approach
Mobile optimization is typically thought of as a b2c content marketing strategy, but an increasing number of b2b brands are also adopting a mobile-first approach in their digital content marketing strategies. Being available and accessible across all channels and devices has become critical for a business, be it b2b or b2c, especially since the pandemic.
According to a McKinsey study, nearly 70% to 80% of b2b buyers and decision-makers prefer remote interactions and self-service options post the pandemic. As a result, most b2b vendors and marketers will prioritize a mobile-first strategy in 2022 and 2023. A mobile-first approach is a b2b digital content marketing trend that is likely to increase buyer engagement while decreasing lead generation, allowing b2b marketers and sales teams to close deals faster.
Automation In B2B Content Creation Will Be Monumental
Great content is essential for digital content marketing. However, creating great content is not a cakewalk. It has become more complex and time-consuming with each passing year. Today, marketers must create content for a variety of social media channels. The arena is expanding as we speak, from blogs to social media, audio content for podcasts, and videos for platforms like YouTube.
Automation of marketing is the process of creating and implementing applications to simplify repetitive tasks such as tracking, ad campaigns, email marketing, and much more by automating them.
Automation in marketing is no longer an indifferent strategy whose presence or absence would not affect the business; it is the new norm. Therefore, you must use marketing automation if you intend to compete. And the best part is that digital marketing automation could save you time and money while also increasing your marketing efficiency.
Content marketers have their hands full with so much content to create and distribute, which is why automation in content marketing is becoming a big play. The content generation and content creation process are two critical areas in which automation is required.
Marketing Through Micro-Influencers
Compared to the b2c audience, the b2b audience, however smaller, is still a significant decision maker. Because the target market is smaller, influencer marketing does not fit well into the b2b content marketing strategy, as marketers have recently realized. In addition, influencers typically have a diverse following, which does not always aid in the type of targeting required by b2b businesses. Influencer marketing is also becoming more expensive and time-consuming. Micro-influencer marketing, on the other hand, can be beneficial for b2b content marketing.
Collaborating with micro-influencers and leveraging their reach is one of the promising b2b content marketing trends for 2022 and will still be for 2023. Micro-influencers are those who have a small but highly targeted audience. Furthermore, a micro-influencer campaign can drive 60% higher engagement and can be 6.7 times more cost-effective than other campaigns, as per the statistics.
Because micro-influencers have a loyal following in their niche, finding a micro-influencer who can advocate for your brand in the coming years could give you access to acquire a very specific audience.
Automation of marketing is the process of creating and implementing applications to simplify repetitive tasks such as tracking, ad campaigns, email marketing, and much more by automating them.
Automation in marketing is no longer an indifferent strategy whose presence or absence would not affect the business; it is the new norm. Therefore, you must use marketing automation if you intend to compete. And the best part is that digital marketing automation could save you time and money while also increasing your marketing efficiency.
Content marketers have their hands full with so much content to create and distribute, which is why automation in content marketing is becoming a big play. The content generation and content creation process are two critical areas in which automation is required.
Case Studies and Original Research
When compared to b2c businesses, b2b content marketing targets a very different audience. The audience here is mainly made up of businesses looking for efficient products and solutions for very specific applications. Original research-based content has been found to be more impactful in appealing to such an audience that already has some command in their field. In a b2b buyer behavior study, conducted in 2020, 52% of buyers rated informative content such as case studies and product data sheets as very important, while only 4% said it had no impact.
Case studies, original research, white papers, and so on provide actual data and statistics that buyers can trust. This type of content demonstrates that the company has made an effort to prove a point. Such fact-based content may also result in more inbound links from other websites on the internet for b2b marketers. This will be a significant b2b content marketing trend that marketers must implement to be successful.
It is critical, however, that the case studies and research are presented in a more convenient and user-friendly form so that tracking metrics becomes easier and a larger audience can be attracted.
Personalization Of a Brand
Brand personalization is another significant trend for 2022 that was previously thought to be primarily a b2c strategy. Today’s b2b content marketers are increasingly attempting to develop their own brand voice that resonates with their target audience. Instead of treating client interactions as business transactions, they are now attempting to humanize them. B2b marketers identify the audience persona and attempt to determine what type of brand voice this persona would expect from the company.
According to Salesforce’s State of the Connected Customer Report, 84% of b2b customers are more likely to invest in brands that comprehend their goals.
This is critical for all B2B marketers in this day and age. A SaaS vendor, for example, cannot pitch its product in the same way that a corporate catering company would pitch its services. Each b2b company, like each b2c company, must have its own brand voice and personality. This realization is slowly dawning on content marketers. Creating awesome brand content is thus a 2022 b2b content marketing trend that cannot be overlooked even in 2023.
Retaining Clients
Retention marketing, though not a new concept, is becoming increasingly popular in the b2b sector. As the industry’s competition grows, b2b marketers have realized the value of cross-selling and upselling. As a result, customer retention will be a major focus of the 2023 b2b content marketing trends.
Maintaining customer relationships, rewarding customer loyalty, and retargeting existing customers with valuable content will be the key areas for b2b marketing teams to focus on. According to insight for 2022, 78% of b2b marketers have been able to build loyalty with existing customers through a successful content marketing strategy. As a result, it is quite likely that this trend of loyalty-building content will continue in 2023.
According to Salesforce’s State of the Connected Customer Report, 84% of b2b customers are more likely to invest in brands that comprehend their goals.
This is critical for all B2B marketers in this day and age. A SaaS vendor, for example, cannot pitch its product in the same way that a corporate catering company would pitch its services. Each b2b company, like each b2c company, must have its own brand voice and personality. This realization is slowly dawning on content marketers. Creating awesome brand content is thus a 2022 b2b content marketing trend that cannot be overlooked even in 2023.
Short-Form and Animated Videos
According to trends and reports, video content will be the top investment area for b2b content marketing in the coming years. But that is not new. Everyone knows that video content is popular. So, how does this constitute a new trend? The trend is to focus on short-form and animated videos for b2b marketing rather than just creating marketing videos.
Short-form videos work well for both b2c and b2b audiences. Nearly half of viewers are only interested in a video that is less than a minute long. Animated videos are also highly engaging, especially in complex industries such as software. In addition, both vendors and end-users benefit from animated explainer videos and how-to videos. So, for marketers who have yet to finalize their video marketing strategy for the coming year, this b2b content marketing trend will be critical.
Maintaining customer relationships, rewarding customer loyalty, and retargeting existing customers with valuable content will be the key areas for b2b marketing teams to focus on. According to insight for 2022, 78% of b2b marketers have been able to build loyalty with existing customers through a successful content marketing strategy. As a result, it is quite likely that this trend of loyalty-building content will continue in 2023.
According to Salesforce’s State of the Connected Customer Report, 84% of b2b customers are more likely to invest in brands that comprehend their goals.
This is critical for all B2B marketers in this day and age. A SaaS vendor, for example, cannot pitch its product in the same way that a corporate catering company would pitch its services. Each b2b company, like each b2c company, must have its own brand voice and personality. This realization is slowly dawning on content marketers. Creating awesome brand content is thus a 2022 b2b content marketing trend that cannot be overlooked even in 2023.
Marketing On Social Media
Social media is not typically regarded as a preferred channel for b2b content marketing. That perception, however, is gradually changing. For b2b marketers, both organic and paid social media marketing are now important content distribution channels. LinkedIn is among the highly popular social media platforms for business-to-business content marketing. The professional networking site provides b2b marketers with access to a diverse and targeted audience, which is not always possible with other platforms, despite their larger user bases.
As per 82% of b2b marketers, LinkedIn marketing is more effective than other social media platforms. LinkedIn ad exposure has also resulted in a 33% increase in purchase intent from prospects. However, other platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, are catching up. According to these figures, leveraging social media platforms will be a critical b2b content marketing trend in 2022 and 2023.
Content Revolving Around Customer Needs
Understanding customer psychology is becoming increasingly crucial in b2b content marketing. This has always been an important aspect of b2c marketing, and now it is finding its way into b2b content marketing.
In b2b content marketing, it is imperative to understand the psychology of users, key contact people, and decision-makers to implement a customer-centric marketing strategy. Therefore, the emphasis is shifting to persona-based from topic-based content that attempts to address the needs as well as interests of the target audience.
Creating buyer personas, according to statistics, helps businesses generate higher quality leads, shorten sales cycles, and exceed lead and revenue targets. B2b content marketers are recognizing this and capitalizing on it by creating customer-focused content. Therefore, you can anticipate seeing a lot more persona-driven b2b content.
Gaming And Interactive Content
Today’s audiences have higher expectations of brands. As a result, the use of interactive content is becoming more common. Immersive experiences such as AR and VR, as well as gamification, can increase customer engagement and help better explain product features and functionalities.
B2B content marketers must begin experimenting with such content in order to allow prospects to spend more time with it.
In b2b content marketing, it is imperative to understand the psychology of users, key contact people, and decision-makers to implement a customer-centric marketing strategy. Therefore, the emphasis is shifting to persona-based from topic-based content that attempts to address the needs as well as interests of the target audience.
Creating buyer personas, according to statistics, helps businesses generate higher quality leads, shorten sales cycles, and exceed lead and revenue targets. B2b content marketers are recognizing this and capitalizing on it by creating customer-focused content. Therefore, you can anticipate seeing a lot more persona-driven b2b content.
Thought Leadership Content Pieces
The goal of content marketing has always been the same: to provide value. However, delivering value to a b2b audience is more difficult because they are usually well-versed in industry news and know-how. This is why B2B content marketers are increasingly focusing on thought leadership written pieces. To create high-quality content that is original, insightful, and relevant, subject matter experts, SEO strategists, and graphic designers are being hired.
The noteworthy amount of effort and time required to create thought leadership content pieces is prompting an increasing number of b2b businesses to outsource such tasks to experienced content agencies. This allows marketers to concentrate solely on marketing while expert content writers at agencies handle the content.
Thought leadership content can help b2b companies stand out in a crowded field. And fortunately, b2b content marketing trends for 2022 will encourage marketers to produce a plethora of proprietary reports, webinars, business guides, and other materials.
Marketing In Real Time
Real-time marketing entails tracking data from various channels in real-time and responding quickly to capitalize on sales opportunities. In addition, real-time marketing allows marketers to recommend services, products, or even content that prospects may require right now. This marketing strategy has many examples in the b2c context, but it is also making its way into b2b marketing.
This 2022 B2B content marketing trend is growing in popularity, and marketers should be aware of it as it makes its way into 2023.
Find Exclusively Designed Content Marketing Strategy for Your Business at One Digital Land
Because of the pandemic’s impact on the business landscape, b2b content marketing is likely to undergo some significant changes in the remaining part of 2022 and in 2023. In addition, changes in user behavior combined with technological advancements will also result in some developments for which all b2b digital content marketers must be prepared. We at One Digital Land are thoroughly prepared with new trends and accomplishments in the digital content marketing world.
This 2022 B2B content marketing trend is growing in popularity, and marketers should be aware of it as it makes its way into 2023.
These b2b content marketing trends stated above should prepare you, too, to compete and outrank others in your industry with a solid digital content marketing strategy to your credit. And if you are not equipped, One Digital Land has just the right content marketing strategy designed exclusively for your business.
Visit us here to know more.