2020 was a year of change for marketers around the world, much of it not for the best of reasons. Will B2B marketing, and demand generation in particular, be “normal” again once the pandemic has subsided and the economic recovery sets in, or will recent trends become an important tactic in the months and years ahead?
We asked our colleagues at Spear Marketing Group to identify their best demand generation predictions for 2021 and the trends they believe are most likely to last. This is what they had to say:
“With the advent of 5G technology and lower latency, creative trends will continue to create opportunities for more interactive formats (videos, 3D renderings, interactive graphics) and short snippets that are immersive and quick to load. B2B doesn’t have to be boring – more brands will use personalization and playfulness to engage with buyers. “
– Sandi, Group Account Director
“I expect more credit and payment reviews will be attached to B2B marketing data. These are included in the lead and account scoring, possibly as criteria for what can become an MMS. Leads must pass “creditworthiness” before a closed / won is accepted. Marketers need to stay ahead of the curve by including ratings in the qualification process. “
– Sarah, Marketing Automation Specialist
“I think a major trend for B2B marketing and sales in 2021 will be video. Statistics show that video content will account for 82% of all internet traffic by 2022 (Facebook and LinkedIn are the two main platforms for video marketing, now ahead of YouTube). If your lead generation and content marketing plan / budget for 2021 doesn’t include video, I would recommend getting creative on how to do it or taking the risk of being left out in the cold. “
– Koka, VP Client Services
# Forecasts for generating B2B demand for 2021 Click to tweet
“The conversion rates for B2B leads are 2%, which means that 98% of the traffic (paid and earned) is not converted. Instead of increasing media spend to get more and more low-conversion leads, I think we will see increased focus and investment in conversion optimization in 2021, with an emphasis on down-funnel levels. Tactically, this means deeper audience segmentation (and more data), improved creative and personalized content that better suits the interests of buyers and customers. “
– Tom, VP Business Development
“In continuation of a pandemic-induced change in brand voice and brand design, more and more B2B brands will proactively show (maybe even discover) their“ softer ”human side in order to better empathize with potential customers and customers, much like B2C brands did after Apartment crash 2008. Where this human side was once a way to break through the noise, it can very well become the noise itself – which makes it even more important to know and address the right target groups through better segmentation or account-based marketing strategies. “
– Ben, creative director
“I believe 2021 will be the year ABM fully enters the marketing mainstream and becomes a standard part of the demand generation mix, as opposed to a tactic or philosophy that companies have to“ adopt ”to the exclusion of other strategies. For most B2B companies, ABM will be part of the B2B demand generation landscape as well as paid search or lead maintenance. It’s no longer whether you do ABM – it’s a question of how and when. “
– Howard, President
Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash