Editor's Picks for B2B Marketer Magazine

While some B2B firms continue to put their content behind a firewall because that's how they like generating leads, a rising number of companies think that providing free content is a better way of courting prospects and turning them into customers.

B2B marketers continue to monitor what remains an unpredictable economic environment, as the possibility of a recession looms.

Marketing budgets increased nicely in 2022, growing to nearly 10 percent of total company revenue, according to Gartner. But the upswing is muted by a downward economy. In an interview with B2B Marketer, Ewan McIntyre, chief of research and VP analyst at Gartner, said marketers are already feeling the negative impact of severe inflation and must continue finding cost efficiencies and moving toward a digital-first strategy.

Customer data platforms (CDPs) are fast becoming an effective tool for B2B companies to locate, engage, and retain new customers. But adoption rates remain low, and fully leveraging CDPs remains hampered by the inability among B2B marketers to break down their company's business silos and connect the digital dots.

Marketers have had years to prepare for the demise of third-party cookies, coming in 2023. But B2B brands continue to lag in their efforts to adapt, with just 21 percent planning to build out their first-party data strategies this year. As cookies fade, marketers need to recalibrate their technology stack and develop a process for sharing data across multiple departments.

Most B2B brands are taking a wait-and-see approach toward the metaverse, as they first get a firmer hold on other, less complicated digital channels. At the same time, B2B marketers must weigh this caution against the fact that younger people now transitioning into decision-making roles have been conditioned to a digital-first world in which virtual- and augmented-reality experiences are a natural part of their day.

While in-person sales meetings slowly come back and offices start to reopen, digital communications — including video calls — remain the go-to strategy for brands that want to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones.

A rising number of B2B marketers are starting to adopt account-based marketing (ABM) strategies. But developing ABM programs can't be done quickly, and it requires a concerted effort to align sales and marketing departments.

Sales and marketing alignment remains one of the toughest challenges among many B2B companies. However, while they may have different views of what defines success, sales and marketing executives are acting much more in tandem when it comes to serving their customers, says a new study. Buyers are also playing a key role in pushing marketers to integrate with their sales counterparts.

A recent study reveals that priorities among B2B buyers have shifted dramatically amid the pandemic. No longer satisfied with companies that simply save them time or boost their productivity, decision-makers are now looking for companies that can help them stay on top of the marketplace and deliver their products and services quickly.

B2B marketers see themselves as more ethical and honest than average, according to a recent Forrester survey. However, separate studies show that people have a different take, causing a trust gap within vertical sectors. To start to close the gap, B2B organizations need to conduct a comprehensive assessment of their brand and figure out where the weak spots lie.

Improving the customer experience (CX) is a major priority for B2B marketers, according to a recent Forrester study, as companies look for new and creative ways to deliver their content across the purchasing landscape. Having comprehensive measurement programs may be half the battle.

B2B brands continue to struggle getting the most out of their marketing technology stack. The problem ranges from a lack of training among sales and marketing teams to the integration of all of their disparate software programs. But that's starting to change, as companies put more strategies in place based on collaboration.

Bombarded by marketing content for nearly the past two years, B2B buyers are feeling burned out and are dramatically reducing their content intake. But that doesn’t mean brand managers can let up when it comes to developing their messaging efforts. To the contrary, CMOs and marketers have to stir their creative juices to develop the kinds of campaigns that have a touch of fun and, perhaps more important, treat their customers like humans.

Marketplace and industry factors are forcing marketers to adopt new metrics for measuring email engagement, and they’re taking a close look at the value (and content) they’re providing to customers and prospects while they’re at it.

While search still commands the biggest portion of the budgeting pie, display advertising is poised to pull even with search in 2022 and overtake it in 2023. As digital spending continues to shift, B2B companies are looking to optimize all their various online ad formats and drive better outcomes.

B2B marketers were betting that the economic impact of the pandemic would be short-lived. It hasn't turned out that way, and now they're facing major budget cuts. With fewer dollars to demonstrate returns, marketers are turning to pure-play channels — encompassing paid, earned, and owned media — and moving more of their work in-house. Lead-gen programs are also taking precedence over branding efforts.

A recent survey shows that the right hand seldom knows what the left hand is doing when it comes to melding virtual and in-person B2B events.

Against the backdrop of seismic changes in customer behavior, B2B companies are taking major steps to optimize their marketing assets and cultivate more collaboration among disparate teams who share the same goals.

The pandemic has forced many B2B marketers to reevaluate their overall content marketing strategy, what with buyers’ needs changing at a rapid clip. Amid the last gasps of ‘spray and pray,’ B2B companies seem to be finally moving toward developing more personalized messaging that seeks to solve customers’ problems rather than just provide them with information.