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Published on: June 4, 2021 / Update from: June 12, 2021 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Online Marketing Agency – Image: wavebreakmedia|Shutterstock.com

Marketing strategies and trends

There are various marketing strategies used by B2B companies to promote their products and services. B2B (Business-to-Business) marketing refers to marketing activities aimed at business entities such as manufacturers, suppliers and retailers. Some of the most popular traditional advertising methods are in-person events such as trade shows and conferences. These events allow companies to showcase their products, create brand awareness and network with other companies and potential partners. It is estimated that the global B2B trade fair market value will exceed $40 billion by 2023, with the US accounting for a large portion of the total. But while these formats remain among the most profitable B2B media strategies, marketers today are increasingly turning to digital channels: U.S. marketers predict ad spending on traditional media will decline in 2020, while digital marketing spending will decline for both B2B -Products as well as services will increase.

Content is key

In 2019, B2B digital advertising spending in the United States exceeded an estimated $6 billion. This allocation towards digital marketing channels reflects the overall digital shift in the B2B landscape. In the United States, the adoption of B2B e-commerce solutions has visibly increased in recent years. In addition to lead generation tactics like the use of email or search optimization, one of the most effective B2B online marketing tools is content marketing. B2B marketers primarily distribute paid content via social media, sponsorships, or search engine/pay-per-click methods to build brand awareness and ultimately generate high sales/ROI. The leading social media platforms used by B2B marketers worldwide include Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Trends and developments in the B2B marketing landscape

Another trend that is gradually reshaping B2B marketing in the United States is the implementation of marketing technologies. In 2019, the value of the global MarTech industry exceeded $131 billion. As marketing technology continues to make customer acquisition and retention easier, it will play an increasingly larger role in the marketing world of the future. What that future will look like also depends on the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In the US, B2B marketing spending has already fallen by more than 50 percent at the beginning of 2020, and while the pandemic is still a major setback, there are already signs of an increasingly digital focus in marketing resources and efforts.

Marketing strategy: Percentage of B2B companies with their own in-house marketing team

Proportion of B2B companies with their own in-house marketing teams – Image: Xpert.Digital

In 2019, B2B marketers in the United States were surveyed about their marketing plans and strategies. The survey found that 41 percent of responding B2B companies conduct marketing activities in-house, while the remaining portion have these tasks either completed in-house or outsourced.

59% – External marketing agencies and in-house
41% – In-house

B2B Companies – Change in Digital vs. Traditional Marketing 2020

US – B2B Companies – Change in Digital vs. Traditional Marketing 2020 – Image: Xpert.Digital

Change in spending on digital marketing and traditional advertising, according to B2B CMOs in the US. 274 respondents; among marketers of for-profit companies.

In a June 2020 survey of U.S. B2B marketers, respondents were asked about changes in their traditional and digital media spending plans. According to marketers focused on B2B products, their traditional advertising spending is expected to fall by 1.82 percent next year compared to the last 12 months, while digital marketing spending is expected to increase by 10.27 percent.

Marketing Technology: Marketing Automation

Marketing Technology: Marketing Automation – Image: Xpert.Digital

Market share of leading marketing automation solution providers in the United States as of July 2020

• 26.05% – Hubspot
• 13.01% – Adobe Marketing Cloud
• 9.18% – Oracle Marketing Cloud
• 6.34% – Salesforce Pardot
• 6.06% – Active Campaign
• 4.29% – Marketo
• 3.39% – Demandforce
• 2.95% – SharpSpring
• 2.75% – Salesforce Marketing Cloud
• 2.24% – Drawbridge

The top three marketing automation solutions chosen by US industry experts are Oracle, Adobe and Hubspot, which account for just over 48 percent of the market. Of the three, Hubspot is estimated to be used by about 26 percent of customers. That's a pretty impressive result - considering the number is only slightly lower than the other two solutions combined. Reasons to Choose Marketing Technology Solutions: The total global marketing automation market is expected to reach $15.6 billion in 2019 and further grow to $25.1 billion by the end of 2023. Its growing value is not surprising considering how popular omnichannel digital marketing is becoming. It is now necessary to have a holistic view of these channels and their performance, hence the popularity of technologies that automate the repetitive tasks (like email marketing) and tools that make it easier to consume and analyze large amounts of data. In fact, these are some of the top reasons why marketers prefer certain technology providers over others. These technology solutions are also expected to integrate well with other marketing and sales software (e.g. CRM) to accelerate common processes.

Current PDF libraries to support your marketing planning and activities

We provide you with further numerous insights into numbers, data and facts that can help you optimize and expand your marketing:

• Customer Demographics Library – Demographics Knowledge Base (PDF)
• Online Marketing Library (PDF)
• E-Commerce Library – Knowledge Base (PDF)
• Social Media Marketing Library – Knowledge Base (PDF)
• SEO Library – SEM knowledge database (PDF)
• Search Engine Advertising / SEA Library – Search Engine Advertising Knowledge Base (PDF)
• Extended Reality (XR) Library (PDF)

Do you need more input on marketing?

• Content marketing: supreme discipline with obstacles and the most valuable types of content marketing
• The most effective marketing channels for leads, the most effective tactics, the most effective early stage engagements, and the most effective channels to increase conversions
• Personalized customer approach is gold
• Marketing challenges. Are you new to the company or is your marketing no longer running smoothly? To do this, you should ask yourself three questions

More topics on SEO

• Supreme discipline for search engine optimization, search engine marketing: Mobile SEO
• SEO focus: Mobile-ready for local information searches
• Local search optimization: “Nearby” search in Google Maps
• Search engine advertising – search engine advertising
• How your target group interacts is crucial for SEO, SEA and SEM
• Business Research: Keeping an eye on things

That's why Xpert.Digital for Heidenheim, Aalen and Ellwangen!

Konrad Wolfenstein

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Xpert.Digital – Konrad Wolfenstein

Xpert.Digital is a hub for industry with a focus on digitalization, mechanical engineering, logistics/intralogistics and photovoltaics.

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Market intelligence, smarketing, marketing automation, content development, PR, mail campaigns, personalized social media and lead nurturing are part of our digital tools.

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