1. ‘Movement’ marketing will engage B2B audiences, says Rob Mitchell, co-founder and CEO, Longitude.
Most companies currently apply a broadcast approach to developing thought leadership. They conduct research, create content and then push it out to the audience, who receives it passively. But the very best thought leadership engages its audience and makes it feel part of a movement.
So-called ‘movement marketing’ is as rare as hen’s teeth in B2B marketing, but it will need to become more widely used to ensure that companies can cut through the avalanche of content that currently crashes down onto time-poor c-suite audiences. In B2C, movement marketing is a more common tactic: think Dove’s Real Beauty campaign. As is so often the case, B2B needs to harness these powerful B2C tactics in order to create stronger engagement with audiences.
2. AI will go from buzzword to reality, says Sprinklr’s chief experience and marketing officer, Grad Conn.
Next year will mark our perennial ‘end of decade’ exhaustion with VR/AR/3D which we’ve been repeating since the 1950s as we once again realise that people don’t like wearing glasses. Instead, 2019 will be the year when the AI buzz turns into AI implementation in most of our marketing tools. Companies are realising that AI is crucial for implementing 1:1 marketing – particularly across social media channels.
3. A human touch will build trust in buyers, says Tom Pepper, senior director, head of marketing solutions, LinkedIn.
Over the past few years, trust has become the word on everyone’s lips within the marketing industry. And looking ahead to next year, I don’t believe that’s going to change. In a world of increased transparency and heightened customer awareness, trust really does reign supreme.
But next year, I expect to see even more brands and businesses harnessing the power of thought leadership, communicating with a human voice and using it as a tool for building trust and authenticity amongst their key stakeholders. Increasingly, B2B marketers are looking at buyers and decision-makers beyond their corporate roles, gaining a better understanding of and tapping into the emotional drivers of decision making to build stronger relationships.
4. Sales enablement will become a mainstay of sales and marketing teams, says Stuart Small, UK managing director, UK managing director, Showpad.
Next year will be the year of sales enablement, as it becomes an increasingly important pillar of sales and marketing. There are currently more than 300 vacancies listed on job search website Indeed with ‘sales enablement’ in the role title or description, and this will no doubt rise as buyers’ relationship with vendors continues to evolve.
Sales enablement is about equipping teams with exactly the resources, tools and content they need to build engagement with buyers, and sustain it through the sales process, and even beyond purchase. Buyers are more savvy and demanding than ever. They want the right information at the right time, and expect knowledgeable and consultative reps who provide solutions to their problems. This means reps must be much more than just a walking talking brochure.
5. Companies will learn the art of listening, says Rebecca Martin, CMO, Calabrio.
In the midst of what many call the fourth industrial revolution in which digital, physical and biological worlds are colliding, companies must consider the impact technology has on the customer experience. While consumers expect a quality product for a reasonable price, they also want an emotional tie to a brand, and that comes through a human connection.
Companies will finally learn the art of listening in 2019 by developing a strategy that engages customers in the right way, at the right time and on the right channel. Leveraging analytics, smart companies will monitor the entire customer journey across channels to ensure a consistent experience that drives loyalty.
6. Privacy will continue to rein over data, says Lindsay McEwan, VP and managing director EMEA, Tealium.
The data landscape is continually evolving and, despite the industry working towards settling into a rhythm post-GDPR, there is still work to be done. And with other countries looking to implement regulations, inspired by the EU’s GDPR, UK businesses need to get a grip on their customers’ information to set best practice across the globe.
As a result, privacy will remain at the forefront of all data-driven decisions, with the need for a robust data foundation being greater than ever; failure to collate a comprehensive profile will produce a misleading view of the customer.
Consumers are acclimatised to real-time responses and convenient experiences, so organisations must continue to stitch information across an increasing number of channels to obtain a true 360-degree view of individuals. Subsequently, the need for customer data platforms will continue to rise as more businesses look for solutions to manage customer data in a compliant, secure and insightful manner.
7. Improved tools will see better user engagement online, says Andy Evans, CMO, Sovrn.
With publishers increasingly re-focusing on the user-first experience, 2019 will see deeper analysis of the user journey. This investment will help to deliver improved audience engagement and retention, which in turn will help to deliver even more valuable advertising, improved ecommerce, and subscription opportunities. In addition, expect to see more AI tools being used to help deliver even more accurate related content.
Moreover, with ad tech tax set to remain high on the agenda, having closer relationships between buyers and publishers will continue to be important next year. Publishers should be thinking about how they can leverage these relationships through holistic, integrated advertising and sponsorship packages.
8. Sleeping giants blockchain and Amazon will awaken, says Andrew Buckman, managing director EMEA at Sublime.
While Google and Facebook have coined their place as the ‘duopoly’ that dominates digital advertising, the sleeping giant to watch will be Amazon, as it continues to evolve in this space.
We will also see blockchain gain more traction and continue to make noise in 2019. Although there have been discussions for blockchain to enhance the way programmatic advertising is served, acceptance as a mainstream transparency driver is slow as it is still misunderstood. Nevertheless, blockchain appears to have a promising future, with investment expected to grow 79.6% from an estimated £3.21 million in 2017 to £6 billion in 2022.
