As you work on your marketing plan for 2019 with your team, it’s important to be aware of emerging marketing channels for B2B companies. Technology rapidly becomes more sophisticated, and depending on your industry and your target audience, staying on top of new channels may be the best way to beat your competition. B2B marketing is always very competitive, therefore any new technique is important to pay attention to.
1. Personalization
Personalization isn’t brand new, but the demand for it has grown exponentially. Whether you connect with your prospects and customers via email, text, chat or over the phone, personalization can make each connection more meaningful. Segmenting contact lists and crafting marketing for specific groups will make your prospects feel noticed and special.
2. Podcasts
As personalization and streaming become more mainstream, clients are selecting what they listen to more carefully, whether they are in the office or running on a treadmill at the gym. You can’t rely on traditional media channels anymore. Even if you are marketing to streaming customers, you can increase your engagement with a podcast that answers questions for your target audience. According to Statistica, there were 73 million people listening to podcasts in the U.S. in 2018. Your target market is sure to be some of those people.
Podcasts are easily digested by most people. They are the type of recording listened to while exercising, driving or traveling. They are uniquely positioned to entertain and inform listeners who are mostly focused on the content without interruptions. Additionally, you can build relationships with vendors and clients by interviewing them for your podcast giving them a chance to build their brands. In all, a podcast is a cost-effective channel to start an in-depth conversation with your target audience.
3. Audio or Voice Search
Search engines like Google have become the most common way for people to find information. Google is used to search for written, image and video content for desktop and mobile devices. However, an up-and-coming search channel is Voice Search. You may already use Voice Search at home or in your office if you own any device that runs Alexa (Amazon), Siri (Apple), Cortana (Microsoft) or Google Voice Search. Voice Search is still taking baby steps, but it is growing rapidly. This is the right time to research SEO for Voice Search so your B2B company doesn’t get left behind.
4. Artificial Intelligence
AI is fast becoming the best way to learn more about your prospect or customer. AI is evident in several new search channels, but you can easily see it in use with chatbots that help visitors find information on many websites. Chatbots respond to your questions by learning more about your needs, narrowing the field of content that is recommended. AI is becoming more sophisticated, making it a good tool to use for marketing automation to help personalize each user’s experience.
5. Intent Data
Being able to reliably predict what buyers are interested in is the goal behind intent data. Using intent data to select content topics, design marketing campaigns and interact with buyers will upend how B2B marketing is done. Intent data allows marketers to better understand a buyer’s interests and use that information to improve the level of content served. Using intent data will give you a collection of data points from your customer’s online research and behavior.
