Originally published in our InTrends LinkedIn newsletter on July 21st of 2024
Part of my job is to stay updated with all the B2B marketing surveys and translate them into our clients’ projects.
So I decided to focus this issue on sharing some of the stats B2B execs need to know about and amend their marketing plans to address.
2024 & 2025 B2B Marketing Trends
Global consultancy and research firm Ipsos partnered with LinkedIn to interview over 2,000 B2B leaders from eight countries, covering different industries.
The data focuses on insights that have a direct impact on the marketing strategy of said companies.
1- 67% of CMOs anticipate a marketing team restructure in 2024, with 40% of all surveyed companies already reporting a recent restructure in Marketing teams.
2- Top needed skills for CMS and marketing execs today are: Strategic thinking and Technology expertise, including using marketing automation platforms and CRM systems is a mandatory skill. Data interpretation and analysis are also in high demand.
3- 68% of B2B marketing budgets increased in 2024, 17% of which increased by 25% at least. 72% expect their budgets to increase next year.
4- 66% of B2B marketers are currently using Generative AI (Gen AI).
5- Gen AI adoption grew by an average of 20% YoY across most industries.
6- 33% are using Cen AI specifically for targeting and personalization of marketing campaigns
7- 59% of respondents say their organization has established guidelines for use of Gen AI and 55% of organizations provide training opportunities on GAI.
8- Paid campaigns represent some 23% of marketing budgets; organic social media and content marketing account for 19%; while events and sponsorships receive 18%.
9- Pursuing new customers is still the priority of marketers, over client retention, dividing marketing budgets at 60:40 between the two.
10- 70% of businesses increased the budget for lead generation.
11- However, 64% are actively directing more budgets this year towards improving customer experience
12- 61% of B2Bs are using email marketing
13- 42% of B2Bs have blogs, with around 40% of those surveyed planning on increasing their use of blogs as a customer conversion tool
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14- 70% of companies have the right tech in place to measure the impact of marketing activity
15- Nurturing high-quality leads is the top concern for most B2Bs.
16- Budgets allocated towards video and B2B influencer marketing are expected to increase next year.
Leaders are Basing their Investment Decisions More on Customers than Competitors
Merkle Inc., a management consultancy, surveyed 820 business leaders around the world with decision-making influence on customer experience at their organizations, 65% of which have revenues exceeding $1 billion.
17- 58% of those surveyed say they base their investment decisions on customer feedback
18- Only 33% of leaders say they integrated Gen AI to enhance customer experience. The number climbs to 40% in terms of integrating technology in general.
19- 36% of managers lack of clarity about which CX initiatives to invest in.
Which channels are B2B Marketers Using?
A just-released report by SaaS provider Salesforce titled the State of Marketing Report. The insights are based on the responses of over 5,000 marketers worldwide.
20- Marketers are using an average of 10 channels to promote their offering and engage potential customers
21- At least 90% of responders are using those 4 channels: Social media; company website; digital ads; email marketing
22- Only 56% are relying on SEO and organic search
23- 78% are satisfied with their cross-channel customer engagement, though 32% of high-performers say they are completely satisfied with the overall outcomes of marketing investments
24- The use of 3rd-party data has dropped from 72% to 61% in one year.
Here’s What Concerns Your B2B Customers
VERICAST, a consultancy and media company focused on financial institutions, published a report focusing on seven key marketing insights. The report is based on a wide survey of their customers and vendors (no further data was announced).
25- Integeration complexity and high maintenance costs are the two most complained about issues when dealing with SaaS products and vendors.
26- 30% of B2B consumers prefer to have a variety of options and packages for payment
27- 30% of B2B clients expect a seamless experience where all online and offline communication is well-communicated.
28- Only 31% of consumers prioritize loyalty programs.
29- 75% of CMOs are to reduce their technology spend by emphasizing a pivot toward operational efficiency and smart martech investments
30- 66% of marketers who use coupons plan to continue utilizing coupons to nurture customer loyalty, endorse products, and gauge marketing success.