Consolidation of MarTech tech stack and quality integration. Intent-first, account-based targeting. Personalized, Targeted Content. Retention Marketing.
With Gartner forecasting that hyper-automation could lower operational costs by 30% by 2024, and with a plethora of other trends emerging, it is important for B2B marketers to understand the technologies and strategies that will be most successful in this upcoming period.
Let’s take a closer look at what B2B marketers need to know about 2023 trends.
Trend #1: Consolidation of MarTech tech stacks
We see digital marketing headed toward consolidated tech stacks with strong quality integrations. While many systems claim to have hundreds of integrations, it’s the quality of those integrations that matters — and often only a small percentage of those are true integrations. But one of the biggest challenges of marketers is getting data to flow efficiently across their systems.
Forrester predicts that “marketing leaders will turn to smarter (more autonomous and automated) solutions with complex tech stacks”. Forrester also predicts that marketing tech budgets will increase. We expect to see B2B companies investing more money into fewer, but be better tools in order to streamline their systems, improve workflows, increase productivity, and ultimately see stronger ROI.
The quality of an integration should be assessed in terms of how well it can integrate with other systems and how quickly it can transfer data. It is also important to look at how easy it is to use and maintain over time.
To ensure data flow efficiency, it's important to look for systems that offer automated processes such as APIs or webhooks that allow you to easily move data from one system to another without any manual effort. It's also important to ensure that the systems you choose can handle large amounts of data so that there won't be any bottlenecks in the process.
Companies should prioritize investments in tools that are reliable, secure and have strong integrations with other systems so that they can get the most out of their tech stack. It's also important to keep up with industry trends so you know which tools are most likely going give you the best return on investment in the long run.
Trend #2: Intent-first, account-based targeting
Account-based marketing (ABM) is an example of hyper targeted marketing tactics that have proven successful in generating leads and driving conversions in the B2B landscape. By focusing on specific accounts rather than broad audiences, ABM allows businesses to hone in on key decision makers within an organization and tailor messages accordingly for maximum impact. Furthermore, ABM can be coupled with additional technologies like automation tools or advanced analytics platforms for even better results - something that all B2B organizations should consider doing in 2023.
Trend #3: Personalized, Targeted Content
In the age of personalized content, consumers expect content that is tailored specifically for them - not just generic content that's been recycled over and over again. As such, B2B marketers should focus on creating content that speaks directly to each customer's needs and interests instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. Additionally, leveraging artificial intelligence technologies can help marketers target their message even further by segmenting potential customers into different groups based on their behavior and preferences.
Trend #4: Retention Marketing
Marketers are shifting digital strategy, from Funnel to Flywheel Model. As technology advances and customers become more sophisticated, many companies are beginning to shift from traditional sales models (such as the funnel) to more modern models such as the flywheel model. The flywheel model places an emphasis on customer retention and loyalty, rather than just acquisition or sales. To achieve this goal, marketers must integrate their technology stacks with those of other teams such as customer success teams, and align data between marketing and sales departments for maximum revenue growth potential.
Conclusion:
As we move into 2023, it’s clear that there are several key trends that all B2B marketers should be aware of - from hyper automation to account-based marketing - in order to stay competitive in this rapidly changing landscape.
Additionally, organisations should focus on consolidating their MarTech systems with quality integrations around the smartest CRM platforms in the market - Symantra's core expertise - so they can get the most out of their marketing efforts while also staying aligned with other teams like sales or customer success teams needed for collaboration towards revenue growth goals expected from both sides. Knowing these trends will help ensure your business remains successful now and well into the future!