Three Skills B2B Marketing Teams Need for 2023
We live in a volatile business environment these days. Find out why market research, influencer marketing, and storytelling will be essential skills for B2B marketing success in 2023.
As we enter the new year, the B2B landscape is shifting. Some significant trends are emerging on which marketers need to focus as they plan their content strategies.
Specifically, I believe successful B2B marketers will need to build on three essential skills in 2023. These are:
I’ll explain my reasoning for choosing this skill set below.
Market Research
Research has been the foundation of sound marketing for as long as people have been in business. What makes it important for the year ahead is the unprecedented access to information that B2B marketers now have thanks to the internet, big data and artificial intelligence (AI).
I’m finding research levels that clients would have found impressive just a few years ago are now merely table stakes. More than ever, buyers in the B2B space want to see facts and evidence to back up every marketing claim.
Information overload and deliberate disinformation have fostered unprecedented skepticism and even cynicism in the business world and society at large. So, potential customers and content publishers look for extensive links to credible sources.
Beyond fact checking to ensure content is valid, sound and convincing, detailed research also drives B2B marketing strategy to an unprecedented degree. In the past, some marketers viewed market research as an essential tool for startups, but less important for well-established firms.
Todays’ most astute firms use research data as a competitive weapon to gather intelligence on their customers, their competitors and business trends. The rapid pace of change we’ve been experiencing?will only accelerate in 2023, making thorough, strategic market research more critical than ever to sound decision making.
The good news is that the research tools marketers need have never been more accessible or easier to use. Courses are also available to enable marketers to take their online research skills to the next level.?
Marketers in the B2B space need to take advantage of these opportunities to raise their game. As that well-known marketing strategist Dr. John sang, “If I don’t do it, somebody else will.”
Influencer Marketing
I’m seeing more and more interest in influencer marketing techniques as the new year dawns. The numbers seem to back up my impression.
Statista reports that the global value of influencer marketing has more than doubled since 2019.?No wonder clients are asking me to interview business leaders?or to write byline articles for them far more often.
My clients give several explanations for?shifting toward more influencer content. Some happen to have an influencer with a sound reputation on staff, or work closely with someone whose views align with their brand image.
Others are looking for thought leaders who challenge the “received wisdom” within their marketplace. Controversial opinions from “outside the box” can definitely draw attention, and they can also provide thought-provoking arguments for a brand’s value proposition.
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Some well-connected influencers have a treasure trove of personal contacts. Many B2B marketers find that associating their brand with a thought leader’s reputation gives their sales force access to that valuable network.
Many of my clients invite business leaders to field questions in “ask me anything” webinars that respond to their target audience’s common issues. It can also help brands uncover pain points or other industry trends of which they weren’t aware.
Storytelling
Although storytelling has become something of a buzzword in marketing circles, it’s also an essential concept for the future of B2B content marketing. The reason "storytelling" has lost some of its polish is that people in some circles think it involves lying or exaggerating.
Genuine storytelling is based on the principle of modern advertising pioneer, Harry McCann. He called storytelling, the "truth well told.” It’s still the motto of the McCann Worldgroup agency he founded back in 1912.
The B2B market space is cluttered with mediocre, irrelevant content. You can differentiate your brand in the new year by appealing with honesty to your audience’s humanity and emotions.
In the past, B2B marketers have resisted this approach, preferring to rely on cold, hard specifications, facts and figures. Although you’ll always have to make a business case for your B2B brand, stories are the way to build a rapport with your target audience, at home or at work.
According to a joint study by Google and Gartner, B2B purchasers are almost 50% more likely to buy a product or service when they perceive personal value from it. By “personal value,” the researchers meant benefits like career advancement or pride in their decision making.
The data show that it's never been more important to understand a potential customer’s problems and then craft a story explains why your brand is the solution. Stories help target audiences visualize the personal value cited in the Google and Gartner study.
Volatility
It’s an understatement to say we’re living in a volatile business environment. There are socioeconomic forces at play that none of us can pretend to grasp or predict.
Even so, I’m confident that a content strategy grounded in thorough research, partnering with effective influencers, and telling meaningful stories will win the day no matter what the new year has in store.
I wish every reader all my hopes for a successful 2023.