2021 Marketing Trends for B2Bs

This is the time of year we begin thinking about the new year and wondering what it will bring. While marketers try to predict what’s hot, we have to remember that no one saw what 2020 had in store for us. For that reason, we’re adding the idea of flexibility to be one of the biggest marketing trends for B2B in 2021.

With the new year right around the corner, the COVID-19 continues to disrupt businesses of all types. The ability to adapt to these changes has been the difference between success and failure for many companies in 2020.

While we do see a light at the end of the tunnel, we believe that 2021 will continue to be shaped by the pandemic and the economic upheaval it caused.

2021 Marketing Trend: Audio and video will continue to be vital.

Audio and video content has been a growing trend in B2B marketing since 2018. However, with the pandemic of 2020 cutting into face-to-face communication, the importance of video redoubled. We don’t believe that trend is going to roll back. In fact, we think that the use of audio and video content will grow exponentially in 2021.

There’s good reason to put your faith in audio and video marketing. In fact, according to the Small Business Trends, 87% of those surveyed said video marketing has increased traffic to their corporate website. In addition, 81% of respondents said video marketing increases the time visitors spend on their page.

One of the biggest advantages of audio and video for B2Bs is the ability to showcase products. If a picture is worth a thousand words, than a video of your product is worth at least a thousand still images. Adding video to your website is a great way to showcase your product offerings. You can see what a difference it makes for products here or for emotional impact, here.

2021 Marketing Trend: Look for the continued transformation of digital communication.

2020 could well go down as the year that changed how people did business forever. Companies that relied on personal connections were forced to accept online tools to communicate with the thousands of people working remotely.

The switch to working remotely with its reliance on digital communications significantly sped up the adoption of technology. Logically, you can assume that your target audience is now also much more likely to be comfortable with technology than they were in Q1 of 2020 – including the use of technology in sales and marketing.

So, what does this mean for 2021 marketing trends? For starters, it means marketing budgets may be much different. For example, traveling for every sale may be history. Money your company historically used for business travel can now be allocated to updating technology.

Even after people feel safe getting back together in person, the importance of digital communications will not go away. There are definite steps you should take to stay ahead of the curve. For example, if you’re sending out more digital communications, it’s vital to make sure your company has accurate digital contact lists so your message is heard.

The 2021 marketing trend of expanded digital communications also makes digital content creation more important. Which brings us to our final B2B marketing trend.

2021 Marketing Trend: The role of digital content will continue to grow.

Content is king. That’s a big marketing trend for 2021. However, how content should be used is changing as well.

Longer form content is more acceptable now. The insistence of keeping everything brief for shortened attention spans is disappearing. The average length of industry blogs are now 1,269 words. But, research shows that longer blogs, 2,000 plus words, score better results.

Content doesn’t have to be dumbed down, either. Use white papers and other more challenging information to gain leads. More in-depth content helps build relationships. The Content Marketing Institute says that almost half of B2B marketing experts use white paper marketing, with 47% saying they used it in the past 12 months.

The importance of content creation as a trend for 2021 cannot be overstated. An overwhelming 70% of respondents surveyed for the 2021 B2B Content Marketing report, put content creation as the top B2B marketing investment.

Content creation may be the biggest marketing trend for B2Bs of 2021. However, knowing that is a far cry from knowing where to start. If you have any questions or need advice about content creation, or any of the B2B marketing trends for 2021, please contact me directly.