THE FUTURE OF MARKETING
We cannot ignore the huge shift in digital marketing and the disruption it has caused across the B2C & B2B environment. Prospects and customers have become more demanding, competitors have become more technically savvy, and technology has changed.
Customer requirements are evolving faster than traditional marketing practices allows us to cater for, but digital marketing is very different – it’s reshaping industries, transforming businesses, and more importantly altering consumer behaviour.
(B2B) relationships represent 69% of all e-commerce transactions – nearly twice the size of first-time usage (B2C)*
*Forester – Projection is front end based commerce, excluding edi based commerce
For years, many B2B marketers have targeted businesses rather than individuals. We need to understand the person; who the audience is, and market to them as individuals. In the same way, B2C companies need to start marketing towards the individual rather than broad demographic data sets.
To captivate prospects we have to provide them with a relevant, contextual experience from day one and we have to nurture each relationship if we are to ensure they become customers.
We also have to consider our own people and processes, taking a good look at every customer touchpoint. To create a single view of each customer and provide omni-channel marketing we need to break down the data silos within our organisations.
The future of B2B marketing is customer-centricity. It’s all about how you create great experiences, and how you solve problems for them. We need to think about what the customer needs, and how we can provide the right information and right products/services when they need it.
The B2B marketing organisation of the future will be organised around data, content and technology
- MORE MOBILE
- MORE SOCIAL
- MORE INFORMED
- MORE EXPERIENTAL
- MORE MULTICHANNEL
89% of B2B customers search online before making a decision, but we also know that 78% of customers don’t receive a tailored, cohesive experience across channels. They need it NOW, on the platform or channel that suits them. Its need to be convenient, contextual, relevant & digestible on their device at hand.
‘Your website’ is expected to be everything. It can no longer just be a CMS. They are being viewed across an array of device types and as devices and users become more sophisticated, the number of connection points increases. To provide an impact in today’s B2B space we now need to think of the full digital ecosystem. All possible brand touchpoints. It used to be just a URL / a shop window but this is evolving fast. Users today begin on one device and finish on another. As a result, the way we define a website has to change. We have to design for all devices.
For your customer, your brand is the sum total of every experience with your company. It is up to you to give your customers a total experience that makes them want to become your lifetime customers. We must use customer data to create a single view of the customer, and in order to achieve this, B2B marketers need to view the total digital ecosystem through a single experience platform.
We cannot market on mass, the message must be personalised, and fit the context. It is not just marketing, but it is sales and service too. It is the total brand experience. This is experience marketing.
