A successful marketing strategy is as important to a company as a captain is to a ship on the high seas - because just as the captain steers his ship safely through uncharted waters and is prepared for unforeseen obstacles, a well-thought-out marketing strategy steers the company through the complex ocean of competition. It sets the course, maximizes resources, and ensures that the company stays on course and successfully reaches its destination, even in stormy times. To help marketing teams and companies chart the best course, we've taken a look into the crystal ball and compiled the three most important B2B tools.
In order to set the right sails in B2B marketing, it is important to always be informed about the latest developments and trends. After all, a new wind is constantly blowing in B2B marketing that can have a lasting impact on interaction, communication and cooperation between companies. Recognizing and understanding these trends can therefore become an extremely valuable compass for companies that want to remain relevant, competitive and successful in today's dynamic business world. To help you use this compass properly, we have taken a close look at the three most important trends and forecasts.
1. Personalization becomes more and more important
Can you still remember when it was an absolute sensation to have the name of the e-mail recipient at the top of a newsletter? Today, this is no longer a "nice to have" but an absolute must. Even more: customers want their individual needs to be recognized and taken into account. As a result, people are automatically more likely to turn to companies that make them feel understood, that underscore their own values, that solve their problems. And this is precisely where personalization comes in.
What does personalization in marketing mean?
Personalization in marketing is a data-driven approach that makes it possible to provide customers with relevant information on an individual basis, based on their interests, needs and behaviors. By analyzing historical behavior patterns, supported by technologies such as machine learning, the individual preferences and tastes of each customer can be determined. In the B2C sector, for example, you can create tailored content and product recommendations that not only pique your customers' interest but also specifically address their needs.
In B2B, cold-calling emails are still a widely used campaign tool. However, the open rate of such emails is only just under 30%. To increase the open rate, personalization is the key. One effective way to attract attention, for example, is to respond to posts by the recipient from platforms such as LinkedIn or Twitter.
To help you improve your B2B email strategy, below is a list of tools that can help you find customers, personalize and manage your emails:
Breakcold is a platform that helps businesses with social selling and efficiently managing their sales process. It helps find potential customers, track their progress in the sales process, and adjust communications depending on their status in the sales process.
SalesBlink is a comprehensive, automated tool for contacting prospects. It is designed to find targeted prospects and launch custom outbound campaigns.
Overloop is an automation platform for outbound sales. Essentially, you can use the tool to find prospects and create automated email sequences and follow-ups.
SalesHandy offers numerous automated features such as form letters, email personalization, email templates, email scheduling, automated follow-ups, and more. With advanced email analytics, you can track opens, clicks, responses, and bounces.
Woodpecker is a sales tool designed to target potential customers through comprehensive cold email campaigns. The platform has a database that ensures a prospect only receives emails from a member of your sales team.
Wiza is an invaluable asset for streamlining your LinkedIn Sales Outreach, as it empowers you to effortlessly construct email lists via LinkedIn prospecting and seamlessly transfer contacts from LinkedIn Sales Navigator directly to your CRM.
Why is personalization so important in marketing?
Personalization has the potential not only to increase sales, but also to retain customers for the long term. By providing personalized content, you lay the foundation to increase customer engagement and optimize your close rates. Studies already show that when people are addressed personally, they feel better understood and therefore not only respond more frequently to offers, but also build a more intensive relationship with the company - which ultimately leads to an overall improved customer experience (more on this under point 3). The fact that major players such as Amazon, Zalando, Spotify & Co. are investing massively in the development of personalized communication in the B2C but also in the B2B sector further underlines this thesis.
What data is required for personalization in marketing?
The effective implementation of a personalization strategy requires, depending on the sales and target group, a comprehensive collection of data such as information on purchasing behavior, interactions with a newsletter, interactions on the website, interactions with an email campaign or interactions with shared content such as a presentation. This data forms the basis for enabling personalized recommendations, messaging and queries through the use of machine learning. However, the choice of algorithm depends heavily on the business model and product variety.
In addition to data collection and analysis, depending on the business model, proper automation and seamless integration with various communication channels (e.g., email, website, app) is also a critical step. Since the technical basics can be a bit daunting, it's a good idea to start with a simple use case.
2. Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are becoming more and more prevalent
In the ever-advancing age of digitalization, another powerful gust of wind is shaping B2B marketing: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. Not only can these take on repetitive tasks and create content in text and image form, but more importantly, they can recognize data patterns and deliver meaningful insights that drive content personalization, among other things.
Through the intelligent use of AI, marketing teams can thus gain insights that sharpen their strategies and optimize personalized approaches. Automation, in turn, frees up resources that can be used for more demanding tasks such as creative content design or nurturing individual customer relationships.
What are the benefits of AI and automation in marketing?
By integrating new technologies, AI in both B2C and B2B marketing becomes a valuable tool that supports strategic action and simplifies processes. Specifically, the benefits are as follows:
- More efficient personalized marketing: customers and partners can be addressed in a more targeted and individualized manner via various communication channels, as already mentioned under point 1.
- More precise prediction of procurement or purchasing behavior: The ability to predict the behavior of interlocutors facilitates the planning of targeted marketing measures. At the same time, targeted win-back campaigns can minimize customer churn.
- Reduction of scatter losses: A more detailed analysis of the target group enables more precise targeting and thus more efficient use of the available marketing budget.
- Relieving the burden on employees: AI can take over recurring tasks in analysis processes and in deriving strategic decisions, which noticeably relieves the burden on employees.
Given these potentials, keep an eye on the following AI tools:
- Zapier is a web service that automatically links actions between different web applications and synchronizes the applications with each other.
- Jasper is an AI-based copywriting tool that helps companies create emails, social media posts or landing pages, among other things.
- Surfer is an SEO platform that helps drive organic traffic, increase visibility and improve Google rankings.
- Synthesia is an AI video generator that creates videos from simple texts with AI avatars including voice-overs - and in more than 120 languages.
- Personalize is an AI marketing tool that tracks customer interests and behavior to recommend personalized products and services and create highly personalized marketing campaigns.
- Murf is an online AI voice generator that offers a wide range of voices and dialects.
- Hootsuite is a platform that helps manage content for social media.
- Hubspot is a comprehensive inbound marketing tool that assists with automated workflows.
3. The client experience is becoming more and more important.
Imagine sailing on a sea of spectacular scenery and breathtaking coastline. The client experience in B2B marketing is akin to this unforgettable vista and emblematic of the wind that blows the sails and propels the ship with power. Today's customers value a customized journey - from their first touch with your brand to a long-term relationship. Every contact, every message, and every interaction helps shape that journey.
Why is the client experience so important?
A great customer experience is critical to the sustainable growth of any business. A positive customer experience not only builds loyalty among your existing customers, but also has the potential to attract new ones. Satisfied customers and partners are more likely to work with you again, stay loyal, and recommend your products or services to others. This, in turn, can expand your customer base and increase your revenue. At the same time, a first-class customer experience strengthens your brand's image and positions you positively in a competitive marketplace.
How do you create a perfect client experience?
The key to creating an outstanding experience lies in a comprehensive understanding of the entire collaboration. Start with a thorough analysis of your B2B buying journey, looking closely at every step and interaction with your business customers. What touchpoints exist and how do your customers feel at those moments? Identify any bottlenecks, obstacles, or inconveniences that could affect the experience and look for ways to eliminate or minimize them. Keep in mind that every detail is important - from initial contact to aftercare.
Based on this comprehensive understanding, you can take targeted action to turn each of these interaction points into a positive experience for your business customers. This may include optimizing site navigation, personalizing communications, simplifying the buying process, or delivering marketing and sales content quickly and efficiently. Creating the best B2B customer experience requires continuous adjustments and efforts as customers' needs and expectations change over time. By focusing on your business customers and actively shaping their experience, you can not only increase satisfaction, but also build long-lasting relationships and strengthen your position in the market.
Conclusion: The marketing of the future relies on technology
Die Zukunft des B2B-Marketings verspricht spannende Chancen und Herausforderungen. Wenn Sie diese Trends und Prognosen in Ihre Marketingstrategie integrieren, können Sie Ihre Wettbewerbsfähigkeit stärken und Ihre Zielgruppe effektiv ansprechen. Nutzen Sie den technologischen Fortschritt für personalisierte Erlebnisse und innovative Ansätze – denn die Zukunft gehört denjenigen, die sich anpassen und die Chancen der sich wandelnden B2B-Landschaft nutzen.
The future of B2B marketing promises exciting opportunities and challenges. By integrating these trends and predictions into your marketing strategy, you can strengthen your competitiveness and effectively engage your target audience. Leverage technological advances for personalized experiences and innovative approaches - because the future belongs to those who adapt and seize opportunities in the changing B2B landscape.
If you want to set your sails anew and integrate AI tools like ChatGPT into your marketing activities, we would be happy to welcome you to one of our free ChatGPT webinars with lots of tips and tricks!