2021 was a year of changes and challenges in marketing for companies that manage a B2B business system. The health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic turned the sales processes and the way of reaching customers upside down. The trends in B2B marketing for 2022 will define the panorama, and it will be necessary to anticipate them.
The pandemic was, in short, an accelerator of digital and economic transformation in general. Companies with a B2B business structure have found it necessary to adjust their marketing strategies and be effective.
Adjusting to new currents and trends is the only way for companies to achieve successful business and satisfactory sales closings for both parties.
B2B marketing is still evolving and has expanded over the last three years, probably the most challenging for B2B companies in a long time. For this reason, knowing the B2B marketing trends for 2022 means taking advantage of the sales and negotiation revolution to make a difference.
The health crisis forced marketing professionals to innovate quickly and continuously to survive the withering effects of the pandemic, which is why many experts trust specific trends that, when implemented, will take B2B to the next stage.
Last September 2021, the Spanish Marketing Association, together with Garlic B2B and sponsored by Adobe, presented the Marketing Hot Trends study, in which they mentioned the main trends in B2B marketing for 2022, based on the aspects and most representative areas to invest time, attention and money during this year.
Several of the trends to take into account are linked to strategies of emphasis on the way of communication and customer service, the experience of the same, and new concepts such as the Metaverse, among others detailed below.
The Metaverse
The Metaverse was first conceived as an idea in one of Neal Stephenson’s books, called Snow Crash. This science-fiction book poses this concept as a virtual reality-based on user-generated content.
The word is composed of “meta”, which means “beyond”, and “verse” associated with the universe, which refers to “beyond the universe”, to discover an immersive and multisensory experience, thanks to the use of specific technology devices and equipment via the Internet.
The Metaverse is within the trends of B2B business models for 2022 due to the recent Facebook announcement, in which they announced the change of their name to Meta. Zuckerberg is betting on this concept to enable a vast web of 3D simulations, in which marketers must undoubtedly start working and looking for business opportunities.
Zuckerberg’s project to build and work in the Metaverse is a fact. Although it is one of the best known, other technology companies such as Microsoft are also working to enter this space, in which virtual and augmented reality will also seem to dominate digital marketing in business to business.
Any company that is based on a B2B business model and intends to remain current and updated in its sales strategies will need to join and adapt to this project, investing human and economic resources to have the necessary structure and be part of the Metaverse, which It is presumed that it will be consolidated during 2022.
Currently, the Metaverse is covered in a more significant percentage by technology and gaming companies. Still, it is estimated that B2B business models will also have a place and that investment by this type of company will multiply by 10 in 2022.
Customer Experience Optimization
The B2B client is a company does not necessarily mean that the service should not be humanized. Today, regardless of the business model, the customer needs and demands to be well attended, receiving fast and precise service.
Creating meetings, and putting a face on the service or product, will be essential during 2022, as well as getting involved from the negotiation stage, through the closing of the business, to providing post-sale or post-closing follow-up.
The B2B client is one of the most demanding, and in 2022, there is no doubt that they will demand attention that implies empathy regarding their needs and requests. The customer will want to feel, today more than ever, well cared for with a broad understanding of their needs.
The process of closing deals or sales in the B2B field is usually much slower than in the B2C business system because it involves evaluations and decisions of an entire department, which are generally very well analyzed. For this reason, the optimization processes must be improved so that once the decision is made, concretizing the business is immediate.
To optimize the customer experience, the personalization of attention through marketing strategies will play a fundamental role in loyalty in a business system such as B2B.
Part of providing an optimal customer experience is displaying and offering services to suit their needs and requirements. One of the recommendations based on the B2B marketing trends for 2022 is to show a straightforward notion to customers about the business opportunities to which they are exposed, facilitating processes, service, integration and, of course, product transparency. Or service.
Mobile Team Marketing Priority
Companies under a B2B system adapt to mobile optimization as a content strategy, directed and focused on mobile devices. After the pandemic, the most significant interaction or web traffic is taking place through these teams, and this will undoubtedly set a precedent when creating B2B marketing strategies for 2022.
Working on sales and advertising strategies focused on mobile devices should be a priority within B2B marketing for this year since it is estimated that this methodology will increase interaction, the interest of other companies and the probability of sales and closing deals more quickly. And instant.
After the health crisis due to COVID-19, companies have found it necessary to provide better accessibility to customers through all possible channels. Considering the percentage of mobile users in recent years, this trend will continue in 2022 and the following years.
Both digital advertising and B2B sales or negotiation must go hand in hand with the evident preference of the client in having a digital or remote business interaction through their mobile phones or laptops with companies and their vendors.
Regardless of whether it is a financial services company, consulting, health, or any other field, as a marketing strategy in B2B businesses, it will be necessary to invest in the technological structure that achieves the same level of interaction and exposure of the service both in the web format, as for the mobile design.
Today, small and large companies pursue experiences that involve less personal interaction but with more direct contact, so strategies focused on facilitating access to content and business relationships through the use of smartphones, and tablets, among other mobile, will need special attention from B2B companies to boost their service management.
Artificial intelligence will continue to cover ground
Another trend in B2B marketing for 2022 is artificial intelligence. Taking advantage of this technology and tools such as the chatbot will be a very effective way to improve interaction with customers and reduce response times for company representatives.
According to experts, the implementation of technologies of this type as a B2B marketing strategy continues to be a trend for 2022 and the next few years. Fast and instant communication will remain a priority when establishing a business or support relationship.
By 2022, it is estimated that tools such as voice search to speed up service attention and problem-solving management will continue to remain in trend within B2B marketing.
Artificial intelligence has shown that it is here to stay, as it is considered one of the most effective marketing strategies for those who manage their e-Commerce or service platform. Its implementation has covered specific customer needs, making their business experiences more complete and satisfactory.
Companies in different sectors and business areas maintain artificial intelligence as a marketing automation strategy, not only for basic tasks but also for continuous exploration of prediction of what companies want to trade, how to do it and when.
B2B social media marketing
One of the B2B marketing trends for 2022 will undoubtedly continue to be the exposure of services or products on social networks, or what is also known as Social Commerce.
B2B companies and brands during 2022 must maintain their presence on social networks if they want to increase the possibility of successfully closing sales and keeping up with their competition. This is because, thanks to the exposure of social networks, it is possible to take advantage of a tool such as Social Selling, which helps to consolidate the interaction and relationship with new prospects.
B2B becomes more prevalent when the companies involved understand the strength and power that a presence on social networks can imply. Unlike B2C, the parties involved in B2B are somewhat resistant to going full-on social media and practice more traditional marketing strategies.
However, with the proper use of their social networks, companies with B2B structures can attract new customers and promote their services or products. In the same way, it is possible to strengthen long-term relationships with other companies that are already clients and with those that could become clients.
Social networks, in some way, always return control of the business cycle to give it a human approach. Having a technological structure supported by artificial intelligence and solid marketing strategies applied to B2B businesses will allow an active and immediate response to the needs of regular customers and potential new customers, which will strengthen continuous exchange.
Establishing a solid structure in social networks with quality, precise and concise content for companies and allowing customers to process their purchases without leaving social networks will be key during 2022 and the coming years. The possibility of doing it from Instagram, Twitter or Facebook makes networks an important sales channel and one of the best B2B marketing strategies for this year.
The behaviour of companies through their corporate social networks has shown in recent years that the B2B business system can also be a simple and fast process. The fact that the company can follow through social networks from showing its catalogue to the closing of the sale will benefit both parties.
The pandemic has revolutionized the way companies negotiate, which has led to the implementation of new B2B marketing strategies that generate sales growth and a high level of customer satisfaction.
Considering these trends in B2B marketing for 2022 and applying these strategies, it will be possible to adapt to the new needs of all parties involved in the business and make the most of the tools that the Internet provides to companies to promote your services and products.
LinkedIn: the social network that dominates B2B marketing
Everything seems to indicate that by 2022, LinkedIn will remain in the first place as the best channel in social networks to create B2B marketing strategies and achieve contact with potential clients.
According to the report issued by the SafeFrog Marketing Group at the end of 2021, all trends indicate that more than 80% of B2B marketers who were surveyed would choose LinkedIn as the leading social network to get leads and close their sales in 2022.
According to this report, the level of preference for LinkedIn by marketing professionals is much higher than that of networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram since it has been stated that they do not generate the same level of trust.
LinkedIn will remain within the trends in B2B marketing for 2022, as it is a tool through which it is much easier to reach people or companies with significant influence in the market or industry and, in the same way, to be able to create a link with members who have active participation in decision making.
The most significant benefit that B2B marketing professionals point out about LinkedIn is the possibility of finding quality contacts who occupy jobs that have an essential role in closing sales. The high selectivity of the social network is also used to register its members.
LinkedIn increases the chances of generating a high-level network of contacts, which comprises the desired target and developing extensive networking to make those contacts become valid Leads.
The pandemic has revolutionized the way companies negotiate, which has led to the implementation of new B2B marketing strategies that generate sales growth and a high level of customer satisfaction.
Considering these trends in B2B marketing for 2022 and applying these strategies, it will be possible to adapt to the new needs of all the parties involved in the business and make the most of the tools that the Internet offers companies to promote their services and products.