Generating Leads: Consider These B2B Marketing Trends In 2022

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is changing the world as we know it, and marketers need to respond to changing ideas and behaviors among businesses and consumers. Some of those changes reflect in B2B marketing trends for generating leads that are emerging and will continue to gain momentum in 2022.

Spending And Marketing Changes The re-prioritizing of consumer values was reflected in the findings of a 2020 IBM study. The study found that 41% of respondents said they look for brands that offer convenience as well as value-driven services and products.

40% of respondents were purpose-driven consumers who look for products and services that are compatible with their lifestyles and values. 13% of respondents said they were brand-driven, preferring products and services from brands they trust. Only 6% of respondents said they focused on product functionality.

The impulsive purchase is taking a back seat as consumers become more conscious of their own financial limitations as well as the importance of healthier, earth-friendly lifestyles. This is something marketers need to consider if they are serious about generating leads.

In addition to affecting consumer purchasing habits, the pandemic also impacted business’ spending. The Gartner CMO Spend Survey for 2021-2022 found that marketing budgets dwindled to 6.4% of overall company revenue in 2021. In 2020, marketing budgets were at 11% of overall company revenue.

The firm’s research co-chief and VP analyst, Ewan McIntyre said that this is the first time that marketing budgets have dropped below 10% recently.

There is no denying that the current situation poses many challenges for B2B marketers. That said, there are some who are rising to the challenge. This is visible in the B2B marketing trends to focus on in 2022.

Top Trends For 2022 The most important B2B marketing trends to focus on next year are:

• Personalization
• Simpler content marketing
• Video marketing
• Customer experience
• ABM

1. Personalization In 2022, marketers will need to look increasingly at automated, personalized experiences and marketing funnels. A McKinsey survey found that 80% of respondents want a personalized experience.

Marketers will need to rely on data collected through channels such as blog activity, website usage and searches, and social media usage. The data will allow marketers to personalize content for specific audiences.

2. Simpler Content Marketing The majority of B2B marketers use content marketing in their strategies. This is not surprising, given the prevalence of the dictum “content is king” over the past few years. Content marketing undoubtedly will continue to play an important role, but it also will change.

Simplified content is one of the trends to focus on in 2022. Going forward, content for blogs, social media, and other channels should be simple, effective, informative, and not aimed entirely at generating sales.

Cisco offered a good example of how content is changing. Rather than turning to traditional blog posts or an infographic to share internet safety information, the company used comics to convey the message. Simplified content is sure to assist with lead generation next year.

3. Video Marketing Although B2B video marketing isn’t new, it is going to get bigger in 2022. The 2021 Wyzowl video marketing report found that 95% of marketers intend to increase their spend on it. 89% said that the option results in a better ROI for them, and 87% said video marketing improved lead generation.

As effective as video marketing can be for generating leads, that’s not all it can do. The report found that 43% of marketers who use video marketing said it decreased the number of support calls that they received.

Video marketing is an area in which simpler content that engages and entertains through storytelling can shine. The trend is one that marketers cannot afford to ignore.

4. Customer Experience A B2B marketing trend that cannot be ignored in 2022 is improved customer experience. As seen in the IBM study statistics, 41% of respondents said they look for brands that offer convenience. This goes beyond simplified ordering, streamlined invoicing systems, and a choice of payment options, to include the easy access of information online.

Automation can vastly improve the customer experience. Some of the B2B marketing operations that are easily automated include behavior-driven software that offers insights on clients’ use of website search keywords, lead nurturing tools that integrate with onboard emails, A/B testing programs implemented prior to creating and implementing campaigns, and social media automation tools that offer analytics, post scheduling, and other functions.

5. Account-Based Marketing Account-based marketing or ABM is not a new trend, although it is likely to gain greater momentum in 2022. The trend is based on account awareness through which companies and individual prospects interact.

According to Unbound B2B, ABM is a route to improved results and insights. ABM uses sets of roles to ascertain the value of prospects. This is one way in which ABM distinguishes itself from traditional approaches that target higher to lower leads.

An IndustryARC report on ABM predicted that its market size will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 13.53% between 2019 and 2025. Celsius, Drift, Evergage, and HubSpot are among the companies that have adopted a strong ABM approach.

B2B Marketing Trends To Avoid As much as there are B2B marketing trends to focus on for generating leads in 2022, there also are trends to avoid. Two that should be left firmly in 2021 are spamming on LinkedIn and using the phrase, “the new normal.”

LinkedIn is an excellent platform for generating leads when used correctly. Unfortunately, a trend of LinkedIn spamming has arisen, leading to endless invitations to connect and give a moment of your time.

Initially used to emphasize the social and other changes that resulted from strict Covid-19 regulation, the phrase “the new normal” has gathered negative associations. Rather than being due entirely to overuse, those associations are also of a brand that is trying to cash in on the pandemic. Leave “the new normal” in 2021.

Follow The Trends Generating leads will always be a goal of B2B marketers, but the way in which that happens must change with the times. Focus on the trends above in 2022 as they should drive success and increase engagement.