B2B Marketing Trends You Can’t Miss in 2024

B2B marketing has undergone significant changes in the past few years. A new generation of strategies and tactics is replacing old technology with new, more efficient methods of reaching potential clients. Old strategies and tactics are no longer effective due to AI and personalized marketing. 

Taking into account the future of B2B marketing in 2024, we explored a few trends that will influence the industry. 

What Is B2B Marketing? 

Here’s a quick recap of B2B marketing before we get into the latest trends. 

In B2B marketing, products or services are promoted and sold to other businesses rather than to individuals. 

It is typically a longer sales cycle in B2B marketing, and there are typically more decision makers involved in the decision-making process than in business-to-consumer marketing. 

All our future trends will keep these key differences in mind, since B2C marketing is more emotional and impulse-driven while B2B marketing is more rational and data-driven. 

In 2024, B2B marketing trends are expected to dominate the industry. Some may not apply to you, but here are some examples. 

Your business can benefit from the ones you choose.

B2B Marketing Trends You Can’t Miss in 2024

Following are some of the best marketing trends a business should follow to grow in this fast paced era of digitalization.

1. AI Will Be In the Picture 

Obviously, AI is already part of B2B marketing campaigns now, but 2024 is going to see it become more prominent. 

A new AI-powered advertising service from Google, which was launched in 2023, has taken the lead in this field. 

There’s plenty to like about these ads, but the AI-powered asset creation tool is perhaps the most intriguing. Simply enter a few instructions, and Performance Max will create your ad’s text, video, and image. 

Its ads solutions are said to be effective by Google.

You can use ”can help you achieve your goals with campaigns that help you find customers across all of Google, accurate measurements, and actionable insights about your performance.” Besides Google, Facebook also uses artificial intelligence in its advertising solutions. Advantage+ helps businesses reach their target audiences faster and more efficiently by using machine learning. 

In a similar way, TikTok has also launched a Creative Assistant that will help you brainstorm ideas, identify trends, and uncover best practices.

B2B marketing campaigns will be reliant on AI in 2024, with every platform promising some form of AI-powered advertising.

How to Implement? 

Take advantage of all AI-powered features. Give them a try, but do not rely on them entirely yet. Most of these tools are still in the infancy phase and will require time to mature. 

It’s very easy to ignore them, but it can cost you a competitive advantage down the road. So, give them a chance and make any necessary adjustments based on your human instincts.

2. Non-Traditional Venues Will Gain Popularity

There is a slight change expected in venue types for B2B events this year, as conference halls, exhibition centers, and hotels are usually the main venues. 

A statement by Trademark Event Production’s Founder and President, Jon Frost states:

For immersive experiences, designers will use projection mapping, high-definition displays, creative lighting, and transformative surfaces. “Essentially, B2B marketers will create memorable experiences for their customers.” Events may be held in unusual locations like museums or parks instead of a traditional conference venue. 

An evening at the Mob Museum and a party at the container park were planned as unique experiences at the Lean Startup networking event.

How to Implement?

Try hosting your events in an unusual setting, such as a park where attendees can use your product in a real-life setting, rather than a traditional conference. 

Provide attendees with merch that they can keep as a memento, such as art galleries and historic buildings. 

A customized deck of cards could be given to attendees, but with a twist – each card would contain a marketing tip or pun.a

3. First-Party Data Takes the Center Stage

The era of third-party cookies is about to be over. In 2023, Google announced that,

The same year, Google announced that Chrome will restrict third-party cookies for 100% of users by H2 2024. To facilitate testing, Chrome now restricts cookies by default to only 1% of Stable clients and 20% of Canary, Dev and Beta clients.

Therefore, it’s clear that B2B marketers will need to gather first-party data now, and they need to be familiar with ethical data collection methods and tools. 

Building a mailing list is a great way to collect first-party data, since these individuals have been willing to provide you with their details. 

In exchange for a client’s email address, you’ll probably need to offer some kind of incentive. For example, you might offer them a free trial for an unlimited time if they sign up. 

As an alternative, you can host a giveaway or contest. This is basically a prize giveaway, and you have to collect people’s email addresses to enter. You can spend a small amount on the prize, but you may make a lot with the emails you receive from the giveaway. 

You can also collect email addresses by offering gated content.

As an SEO agency, let’s say that you’ve created a State of SEO report for 2024. On your website, you can get a sneak peak at the report. 

There is a brief description of the report on the website of CX Network’s “2024 Customer Service Trends Report.” 

Both companies will later use the emails to market their services to businesses using the email addresses you enter when downloading their “2024 Top Customer Service Priorities.”.

How to Implement? 

In a Google survey, 80% of consumers are concerned about their privacy online. You might want to brush up on your first-party data collection strategy. 

It’s really important that you are completely transparent about any data you collect, how it is used, and how it is protected. The good news is, your customers aren’t as reluctant to share their data as you might think. 

Several studies have shown that 90 percent of consumers willingly share their personal information with businesses if they receive a good incentive, such as more convenience.

4. Customer Reviews Drive Software Purchase Decision-Making 

There will be a spike in software solution purchases in 2024, according to Gartner’s 2024 Global Software Buying Trends Report.

In this day and age, customer reviews aren’t just feedback. They also aid in making decisions on purchases. 

In addition, customers will trust verified reviews more than most testimonials because they’re more likely to trust them than any other testimonial. 

As a result of Gartner’s analysis, the following conclusions were drawn: 

• Buyers report that reading reviews before making a purchase is important to them 98% of the time. 
• Third-party reviews are preferred by 66% of buyers. 

Review verification is becoming increasingly difficult as customers become more wary of fake reviews. You must take proactive measures to ensure that your reviews are authentic.

How to Implement? 

First, you need to ensure satisfied customers are leaving reviews. Make the review-leaving process as simple as possible so they are more likely to do so. 

Providing a review can also earn you an incentive like 10% off your next subscription. 

People want to read about recent experiences in order to get a sense of how your software is performing at the moment. Make sure to keep your reviews updated. A review from 2019 won’t be as effective as one from now. 

If you are worried about the authenticity of reviews on Software Advice, UpCity, GetApp, and Capterra, use a service like Gartner Digital Markets. It will verify all the reviews you submit on these sites to ensure that they are accurate. 

Engaging with reviews is another thing you can do. No matter if it’s a negative comment, get back to the customer and address their concern. 

In conclusion, you can use positive reviews in marketing. You can use them on your website and social media accounts and in email campaigns, such as in newsletters that tell your customers’ success stories.

5. Video Marketing Continues to Dominate the Market 

The importance of video content has already been established in 2023, but we will see it grow even further in the future. 

“The market has seen two changes which indicate the need for more video content. First, artificial intelligence (AI) is disrupting the search landscape. Second, audiences are increasingly consuming video content.” says Kyle Denhoff, Director of Marketing at HubSpot.

The State of Video Report 2024 from Wistia shows that longer videos still receive more views. Video lengths over 60 minutes are viewed 58% more than 30 to 60 minute videos with 23% more views than under 1 minute videos. 

There has been a 56% increase in demo requests and interactions have risen by 8% year over year through webinars for B2B marketers. Experts at X state that webinars are still effective for B2B marketing. 

These types of videos provide more time for explaining complex concepts and demonstrating the features of the product in detail, securing more customer interest and engagement. 

You won’t get viewers’ attention by producing videos alone. You must also incorporate triggers. 

Almost half of the businesses listed in Wistia’s report added CTAs, emails, and annotation links to their videos.

How to Implement? 

Using video marketing to increase conversions can be done in many ways: 

• Put a direct link to your product or service at the end of your video. 
• Limit-time offers and promotions in videos can create a sense of urgency. 
• To provide viewers with more information or a demo, use shorter videos as teasers and redirect them to a longer video. 
• Your video can be made more engaging by incorporating interactive elements like quizzes. 
• You can make your videos more relevant by sending a personalized demo video to a potential client based on their industry or pain points.

6. Influencer Marketing Will Be a Standout Trend

Often, influencer marketing does not come to mind when it comes to B2B marketing. However, this will become increasingly important in 2024. 

Sway Group’s CEO Danielle Wiley says,

In this way, key stakeholders will be able to reach out and influence their decisions in a more authentic and effective way. 

A B2B influencer is defined as an industry expert or thought leader who has a strong presence on social media platforms and is highly regarded.

Their knowledge of the topic can make them a trusted resource. Marketers and decision-makers will likely listen to them because they know what’s going on. 

Are these influencers easy to find? 

Among the most popular platforms to find these figures are social media platforms, such as LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also look on industry-specific blogs and websites for more information. 

If you are developing a tool for businesses to improve their content using AI, and your expertise is in content marketing, you might be able to influence him. 

By leveraging influencer marketing, you can now reach Jesse’s 20k+ followers and earn their trust through his integration with your product. 

How to Implement? 

Find experts in your market whose content is related to your product. Think about the content areas that are relevant to your product. 

There are a variety of professional associations and events where influencers can be found, as well as business leaders.

7. Storytelling Is the Way Forward

It’s time to move away from the old method of finding a pain point and then pitching your product. 

Storytelling is more popular now than ever before. 

What challenges did your clients face, and how did your product resolve them? These are the things your clients want to know. 

The Vice President of Next PR, Shannon Tucker, explains that people are interested in hearing about the story behind the product rather than just the technical details.

It is the use of storytelling in social posts or the use of video to communicate impact in company blogs that will help B2B marketers engage potential buyers more effectively.

How to Implement?

Think of a story that relates to your product and your values that you bring. Don’t limit yourself to the functionalities of your product.

Your story can be told with a variety of media, including videos, blogs, social media posts, and webinars. You can also make your story more memorable with industry puns, stereotypes, and pop culture references.

8. TikTok Is Now a B2B Marketing Channel

TikTok used to be out of bounds for B2B marketers. But how times have changed. 

As Generation Zers (also known as Zoomers) and Millennials enter their 20s, they are graduating college and beginning to enter the workforce.

GenZ makes up 44.7% of all TikTok users in the US. They are also the ones who make purchasing decisions in many B2B companies.

Although TikTok now supports 10-minute videos, the platform is primarily used for short-form video content. You can harness TikTok to create engaging content around your product or service directed at a young demographic. 

How to Implement? 

TikTok can be leveraged in three ways. 

TikTok now offers an AI-enabled virtual assistant for running your ad campaigns, along with custom audiences so you can target your campaigns more accurately. 

It is also possible to create organically viral content. For example, Mailchimp shares marketing hacks and tips on its TikTok account, which has over 100,000 views.

With its TikTok account, Hootsuite creates educational content for businesses that is extremely popular. In addition, the company also collaborates with other companies in order to maintain relevance. 

9. Sustainability-Driven Marketing Creates an Impact 

Today’s generation is passionate about environmental and social issues, and they expect companies to support them, too. Businesses and nonprofit organizations will need to collaborate on sustainability projects in 2024. 

B2B customers are also businesses, but their customers may demand social responsibility from them. 

A retailer is your client, but their customer cares about the carbon footprint of their shopping habits, so if you run an agency that implements software for retailers, your client is retailers. 

In order to meet the retailer’s customers’ demands, they need a sustainability-focused software provider. That’s where you come in.

How to Implement?

Make sure your business values align with the social cause you choose. 

Software providers can partner with organizations that plant trees for every package sold, and then create content and campaigns to highlight their partnership and impact. 

It will be easier for your business to engage customers with similar values. 

Conclusion

Hopefully, this list of the B2B marketing trends for 2024 will be helpful to you in deciding where your company should begin. 

Our recommendation would be to integrate TikTok into your marketing channels and to engage influencers. Develop personalized video marketing and invest in it. 

You should always tell your brand’s story in a way that makes it relatable to your customers.