5 B2B marketing trends for 2011

So the goose is cooked and eaten (and probably re-cooked and eaten again), the presents are being crammed into cupboards and we’re all back to work. The new year brings its usual bright eyed, bushy tailed exuberance and the dawning realisation that the deadlines that looked so far away before Xmas are not so distant now. And we‘re all beginning to think about how 2011 may shape up for the B2B marketer.

Rather than make some hard and fast predictions for the year ahead (and look like a complete idiot in 12 months time) I thought I might point out some of the trends that I see bubbling up for the year ahead. There’s no science here, merely observations from current projects and discussions with clients and agency folk.

1: The return of brand

There are many that have enthusiastically trumpeted the death of brands and branding. It is, they say, fatally undermined by the more open conversations of social media. These days there’s simply no place for companies to craft images of themselves that won’t be tweeted into oblivion the next day (Gap logo anyone?).

Well, yes, to a degree this is true. At least it is when brands try to be something they’re patently not. But what about when the brand is a relatively accurate depiction of the company behind it? What about when it resonates with customers?

When the media are as hyper-fragmented as they now are, you cannot be everywhere, engage in every conversation, befriend every commenter. And neither should you. You need to be where it matters most – in the mind of the customer when they think about shortlisting, buying or recommending your product. Everything else is garnish.

Curiously enough, of course, this is where branding comes firmly back into the picture. It provides that layer of comfort and reassurance, a degree of personality and a bunch of emotion that can just tip buyers over the edge into purchasing. And while it is more difficult than ever to reach your customers, the effects are both longer lasting and more valuable.

2: The marketing automation chasm

I’m quite seduced by marketing automation. I love the theory, the on-demand capabilities it offers, the way you can evolve a campaign over time. The thing is though, I’ve now been in meetings with half a dozen or so clients who have bought into the theory and are now left utterly frustrated by the reality.

They’re finding implementing automated campaigns so complex and time-consuming that the frustration is palpable. As a result, despite spending oodles of cash on one of these systems, many are still basically doing the same batch-and-blast campaigns as before (albeit with slightly better analytics).

Note to marketing automation vendors – it would be a tragedy if this chasm means that we’ll never get to the kind of smart, dynamic campaigns we all know are possible.

3: The de-hyping of social media and a focus on what works

We’ve gone through the giddy excitement of social media as the bright shiny new thing, the panacea that will sweep away traditional approaches. We’ve counted the followers, fans and likes. And we’re blogging and tweeting our little hearts out trying to keep up. What next?

This year, I think we’ll see the absorption of social media approaches and techniques back into the overall marketing mix. Yes they’re important but they’ll have to fight for their place at the table along with everything else.

There is plenty of good sound research available on what works with B2B and tech buyers. It’s time we all started taking note of it so when the board asks what we’ve done with the marketing budget we can look them in the eye. Who knows, we may even get more money to work with.

4: Utilitarian marketing (or helping people get stuff done)

Most of the time, people do not care about your product. Most of the time, there are a hundred and one other things they need to think about before getting to you. In fact, most of the time, they’d really rather get home on time to see their kids.

While this could be an excuse for some collective wrist-slashing it is also a massive opportunity. While not new – see the explosion in apps of all sizes – this year will see more efforts by smart marketers to help their customers and prospects get stuff done faster and easier. This needn’t be about apps, it can be about how-to guides and videos, podcasts, ebooks, whatever. It’s the intent that matters.

5: Mobile everything

Okay, so mobile has been predicted as the next big thing for marketing for a few years now. But with the growing dominance of the smartphone for B2B buyers, surely now is the time to really get it right.

This can be as simple as making sure your content plays nicely on tiny screens but it could also be about putting the right information in people’s hands just when and where they need it (see trend 4 above).

One thing to note, while us fluffy marketing types are all in love with our iPhones and their lovely big screens, the vast majority of B2B buyers (especially in tech) use Blackberries (see trend 3 above about doing what works).

That’s it, now to get on and see how much of it actually happens. Happy new year.