Marketing for applications, SaaS and tech in general in the B2B sector has rapidly closed the distance on consumer marketing. By incorporating resources like social media, marketing automation and rich visual content in their repertoire, B2B tech marketers can enjoy many of the same benefits consumer-facing industries do. Chief among these benefits are a more efficient sales pipeline, better reach to more qualified leads and a general lift in brand image that helps serve as a differentiator.
Put together, many of the latest tech and app marketing trends all serve to bring digital marketing closer to a cohesive whole — the omnichannel ideal.
Here are 4 top trends for 2017 and where technology marketing could be headed in the short to medium term future
1- Data-Driven Decision Making Through Analytics
When surveyed, marketers from around the world indicated that the most beneficial marketing activity was content marketing, but “big data” fell in second by a razor-thin margin.
Most non-enterprise level companies do not have a “big data” strategy per se, but considering that “big data” within the survey included “market and customer insight and predictive analytics,” you can see why most companies signaled that as a top priority. After all, marketing activities generate heaps and heaps of data, and being able to visualize it all is key to maximizing ROI and effectiveness.
Those who implement a predictive analytics component go the extra step, helping them anticipate possible strategies optimized to fit their current audience’s tendencies. Many applications are also infusing analytics and data reporting functionality, opening up tremendous opportunities for white labeling and delivering a more functional product to market.
2-B2B Embraces Experiential Marketing
Tools like virtual reality and 360° video have been revolutionizing the types of content we absorb, and consumer-facing companies have been discovering new ways to combine them with older channels like event-based marketing and social media. Now B2B companies are picking up on the game, offering immersive experiences either through an audience’s device or at big events like trade show conventions. These experiences not only help improve branding and draw engagement, but they can also provide a more tactile explanation of the benefits that brand offers.
3-Native Advertising Gets More Sophisticated
In an era where over a third of online users are adblocking, marketers have to find ways to get messages across without seeming like more noise. As such, they have embraced native advertising.
B2B brands in particular see benefits when their native ad content is seen on the same level of prestige as the publishing venue, allowing them to achieve more substantial mental buy-in from discerning C-suite members.
4-Mobile-First Design and Product Integration
In late 2016, mobile and tablet internet usage surpassed desktop usage, in relatively short time. This underscores the need for mobile-centered responsive designs for web pages and other digital content (e.g. ad copies, online promotions, opt-in forms etc.). This is especially true for the Tech marketing community given the diversity of advertising collateral and the various formats it can potentially acquire.
Tech Marketing Trends in 2017 Will Lead to Huge Growth in Video and Visual Content Marketing, Content Re-purposing
Content marketing is already a given in the B2B tech world — 89 percent of companies use it overall — but the packaging of that content is getting increasingly sophisticated. According to Hubspot, just over half of B2B marketers were prioritizing the creation of visual content assets last year. These visual assets grab attention more effectively, communicate more efficiently and generate greater reach through shares and improved CTR.
Repackaging existing marketing assets into visual content is also highly cost effective. If your brand is interested in content repurposing to amplify audience reach, then it can start working with a best-of-breed content marketing company like Syptus to help your existing assets go further.
