December.
Our NextGenB2B newsletter has a simple, single purpose: to share each month the things that everyone working in B2B marketing ought to know, but might have missed. So for our last newsletter of 2024 we thought we’d apply the same principle to the year that’s passed and do an ‘ICYMI” special. Read on for a round-up of the key things we brought to your attention over the course of the year...
We kicked off the year with a focus on Community - starting with a report that ticked all the content, community and culture boxes… “Brands have always wanted to be where culture is happening. But increasingly, especially amongst Gen Zers, culture seems to be cultivating in ad-free, closed-off group chats and more private online communities. If brands want to continue to be part of those cultural moments, agency execs say they’ll have to either find ways to access these communities or build communities of their own.” And we wrote about the value and potential of businesses building workplace communities for the Guild 2024 community trends report and they made it one of the top trends for 2024. 12 months on, businesses continue to wrestle with getting people back into the office so perhaps worth a (re) read…
We shared a great example of B2B brand publishing - the latest report from SEMRush, Think Big with AI: Small Business Content Marketing in 2024, published on their owned content platform, Good Content. Definitely worth a read for all B2B SMEs. Or better still, don’t read it - instead ask their AI chatbot to summarise the findings for you - the first example of a custom LLM being used to make thought leadership more accessible and useful.
YouTube caused us to ask What’s the point of agencies??As their priorities for the next 12 months included giving creators on the platform access to powerful AI for content. If independent creators can produce incredibly sophisticated design, visuals, video, etc then what’s the future for marketing agencies? Developments over the course of ‘24 suggest there is indeed an existential challenge (crisis) in agencyland leading to consolidation by the corporates and tough decisions for indies.
We wrote about the risk of ‘Enshittification” ?in the application of AI in B2B marketing. Referencing an FT article where journalist Corey Doctorow described the way that tech platforms evolve by getting worse and worse…
“…first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves.”
Thought Leadership Drives Sales! The 2024 LinkedIn and Edelman Thought Leadership Impact Report included new data showing that 75% of C-suite respondents researched a product/service after engaging with thought leadership content, 23% went on to purchase, and 70% considered switching suppliers after seeing competitor content. BUT -? only 48% rate the quality of thought leadership they encounter as "good," and just 15% as "very good or excellent." The rewards are clear, but many companies (still) lack resources, metrics, and skills for effective thought leadership. Training internal talent, outsourcing strategic content management, and leveraging existing data for performance tracking are (still!) low-hanging opportunities.
“The Smarter We Get, the Duller We Get” At the 2024 British Brands Lecture, Adam Morgan presented data on how dull brand positioning, messaging, and storytelling hurt financial performance. His advice? Stop imitating competitors and draw inspiration from businesses in adjacent categories. (We couldn't agree more; our ‘laterals’ analysis is always the most useful part of any strategy project).
NextGenB2B spotted in the wild - Jason Miller focused on marketing’s role in the age of AI in his piece, In the Age of AI, What's Left for Marketing to Actually Do? suggesting that while AI handles tasks like design, copywriting, and campaign management, the human “meat machine” still shines in creativity and intuition. His conclusion: Brand is all we have left. In today’s market, trust and authenticity are critical.
Younger Generations were Changing B2B Buying ?New Forrester research highlighted shifting expectations from Gen Z and Millennials, who now make up 71% of B2B buyers. The findings mirror the principles of community building — giving customers agency, prioritising authenticity, and fostering peer connections. In short, B2B brands should create environments where buyers shape offerings and feel connected, not just sold to.
The Flight to Quantity in AI - Generative AI’s ability to revolutionise content creation was everywhere, with major developments at this point in the year, including Accenture, Adobe Firefly, and Nvidia collaborating to deliver “personalised content at scale.” The counterpoint to this was the growth of AI content detection platforms presenting a challenge for marketers relying heavily on AI-generated material.
Podcast recommendations - In a month when we’d been busy auditing the B2B podcast landscape for a media client (spoiler: the market is crowded, but underexploited niches exist in the UK) we shared our recommendations of the best ones out there.
A downbeat tone to the May newsletter as we reflected on budget cuts, in-housing, and project delays becoming the norm.?
And we summarised our experience at Advertising Week Europe, including sessions on branding, buying group evolution, and AI’s impact on content creation, and new LinkedIn research reframing branding as a clear, customer-centric “Promise to the Customer.”
We focused on the importance of effective content distribution in being visible, distinctive and memorable, referencing:
We shared new data from LinkedIn’s B2B benchmarks report which revealed that bold creativity is on the rise. Over two-thirds of UK B2B marketers say innovative creative work improves engagement and drives conversions.
Always worth a read is the annual State of Digital report from LUMA partners - slides 59-67 this year break down the economics of the influencer / Creator Economy and how personal brand, influence and audience is a very real threat to the established / traditional media company model and ecosystem.
A headline caught our attention: 92% of B2B tech businesses plan to increase content production, yet Linkedin research tells us that fewer than 50% of businesses rate the quality of their content as good. This is a strong argument against doing more and instead doing better.?
The 2024 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks report highlighted that 57% of marketers struggle to create the right content for their audience. This shift from "creating enough" to "creating well" reflects the noisy internet landscape and evolving audience expectations.
领英推荐
We suggested that you ask yourself:
Oh, and we launched our podcast, The Problem with B2B Marketing, kicking off with Matthew Gale of Deloitte on the problem with B2B podcasts…
September was a bumper thought leadership special focusing on the many and varied challenges in getting it right. We looked at two powerful shifts in B2B marketing:
With budgets tightening and inboxes overflowing, how can you create thought leadership that resonates?
ExitFive recommends a “Broken Record” Strategy - define what you want to be known for and repeat it relentlessly. This avoids the cost and complexity of constantly creating new content while reinforcing your core message. (Love this.)?
Amelia Sordell and Meagan Loyst highlighted the impact of personal profiles over corporate channels. Sharing insights through individual LinkedIn profiles generates three times the impressions and five times the engagement of company pages. Harnessing this principle can transform your content’s reach and authenticity.
We shared a really interesting dive by The B2B Growth podcast? which asked Can Starbucks and Coke match Red Bull’s success with owned media? - following the recent launch of Coke’s B2B content platform COCA-COLA LENS and Starbucks dipping their toe into the owned media space with a new studio.?
And the second episode of our own podcast, The Problem with B2B Marketing featured ex-Googler Lucy Ferguson, unpacking common thought leadership mistakes and sharing advice on creating audience-first content.
Another deep-dive, this time we looked at the reasons for a rise in interest and talk about influencer marketing in B2B, including:
And ep 3 of our podcast The problem with B2B Marketing featured Nick Andrews, Partner and Head of Commercial Marketing at Knight Frank, discussing the problem (and solutions to) the "B2B Blandemic”.
Last month we had a bit of a rant about the SHEER AMOUNT OF BS in B2B… From jargon-filled content to tired conference formats and lead-gen grifters. Meanwhile, research like Marketing Week’s State of B2B Marketing 2024 and Dentsu’s Superpowers Index reinforced the urgency to rethink and innovate.
We called out the (too many) businesses chasing short-term metrics—empty-calorie MQLs—at the expense of brand-building and long-term growth with a reminder to create content for the 95% of your audience not ready to buy right now. (Echoed by this piece advocating for content that engages buyers before they’re actively seeking a solution and 6Sense data showing 80% of B2B buyers make first contact after completing 70% of their journey.)
We shared a revealing look at LinkedIn’s murky world of paid posts highlighting the need for greater transparency.
Our podcast guest was Mat Morrison from Digital Whiskey, media agency for the professional services sector, talking about the problem with B2B orthodoxy - and how to break it.
And we ended the year where we started - focusing again on Community - as HBR highlighted how B2B communities, with the right moderation strategies and AI tools, are easier to manage than their B2C counterparts.
Team VOLUME.
Final episode drop of the year: The Problem with B2B Networking (and why we need to reframe it)
In this episode of The Problem with B2B Marketing, Kevin’s joined by Gemma Greaves, co-founder of Nurture & Partners, to tackle an issue many find uncomfortable: networking. Gemma shares her candid perspective on why traditional networking methods often fail, how to overcome the awkwardness, and why reframing it as “not working” can unlock more meaningful connections.
Drawing from her personal experiences and professional insights, Gemma challenges the stereotypes around networking and explains how focusing on authenticity, generosity, and curiosity can lead to stronger, more impactful relationships in business. Listen here.