9 B2B Marketing Trends That Could Boost Your Business in 2024

For B2B brands and marketers, staying ahead of the curve is essential to achieving sustained businesses growth. And for those looking to gain (and maintain) market leadership, it’s an absolute must. But of course, in such a constantly and quickly evolving B2B landscape, just keeping up can sometimes be a considerable challenge.

As we make our way into 2024, the B2B marketing realm, driven by technological advancements, shifting consumer behaviors and an ever-expanding digital ecosystem, continues to evolve as quickly as ever. And to truly thrive in this environment and keep ahead of the competition, B2B businesses must go beyond simply adapting — they must actively anticipate the emerging trends that will shape their future marketing strategies.

9 B2B marketing trends set to have an outsized impact in 2024

Here at Brandon, our team of seasoned B2B marketing experts has worked with a long list of B2B brands to help them elevate their marketing efforts, including Atlas Copco, Continental, Foodbuy, Sonoco, ScanSource, Wastequip and many more. And to help B2B brands stay on the leading edge, we’ve identified some of the top marketing trends in the category — the ones we expect to have the biggest impacts on the B2B marketing landscape in 2024 and beyond.

Read on for our picks on the top B2B marketing trends set to reshape the industry in the coming year … and to offer big opportunities to the B2B brands that leverage them.

1. AI-assisted content

When leveraged by marketers, AI-assisted content can not only enhance efficiency, but also empower brands to deliver highly personalized and relevant messages to their target audiences. With the help of artificial intelligence, B2B marketers can quickly and thoroughly analyze vast datasets to gain valuable insights into potential customers’ behaviors, preferences and trends. This data-driven approach facilitates the creation of tailored content that resonates with specific buyer personas, ultimately fostering deeper connections and added engagement. Moreover, AI algorithms can optimize content distribution across various channels, helping ensure that B2B brands reach their target audiences with added precision.

2. … and AI-driven personalization

For all marketers and brands, personalization can be a key component of attempts to forge stronger connections with prospects and existing customers. And in the B2B arena, where relationships and trust are paramount, AI’s ability to quickly analyze vast datasets allows for the speedy creation of hyper-personalized and fitting experiences for B2B brands’ consumers. Through sophisticated algorithms, B2B businesses can tailor their content, recommendations and interactions based on customers’ and prospects’ individual preferences, behaviors and historical data. This level of personalization not only enhances customer satisfaction by positioning B2B businesses as perceptive, responsive and committed partners in the eyes of their customers, but also significantly improves the chances of converting leads into loyal clients.

3. Video content

Offering a dynamic and compelling way to convey complex information, showcase products and establish thought leadership, video content has, unsurprisingly, proven itself to be a highly effective tool for marketers of all types. In fact, according to surveys, 87% of marketers say video marketing has helped them increase sales, while 91% say it has helped them increase traffic and 95% say it has helped them boost brand awareness. Meanwhile, B2B buyers are increasingly turning to video content for information and engagement. Video marketing content captures attention more effectively than traditional text, and it also provides an immersive experience, helping foster a deeper connection with the audience. As we navigate the crowded B2B landscape in 2024, we see more B2B brands strategically leveraging video content to drive engagement, build brand authenticity and influence decision-makers in a competitive market.

4. User-generated content

Serving as a powerful testament to the authenticity and credibility of a brand, user-generated content (UGC) provides a unique opportunity for B2B businesses to showcase real-world experiences and testimonials from satisfied clients. This type of content helps humanize the brand, and also offers a genuine perspective on the value and impact of its products and/or services. By encouraging clients to share their success stories, challenges and insights, B2B businesses can leverage UGC to build and grow their brand communities, foster increased consumer trust and establish themselves as industry leaders.

5. B2B influencer marketing

In 2024, we expect to see influencer marketing continue its evolution from a predominantly B2C strategy into a powerful tool for building added trust and credibility in the B2B space. Utilizing influencers within specific industries or niches enables businesses of all types to tap into existing networks, leveraging the influencer’s authority to enhance their brand image. And in the B2B world, where relationships and expertise are especially pivotal, influencers can lend their credibility to endorse B2B brands’ products and/or services, helping them elevate their brand reach and resonate with targeted professional audiences. And they can do that all while amplifying brand awareness, establishing thought leadership and fostering the kind of connections that can drive business growth in competitive markets.

6. Interactive content

Interactive content offers B2B marketers a dynamic and engaging way to capture the attention of decision-makers. Whether via quizzes, assessments, calculators or virtual experiences, interactive content stands out by encouraging active participation from the audience. And in the process, it can serve to educate prospects and also to simultaneously collect valuable data on their preferences and needs. This two-way communication fosters a sense of involvement, making the content more memorable and impactful to B2B brands’ target audiences. And it does that by helping to drive consumer engagement, facilitate meaningful interactions and, ultimately, differentiate B2B brands from their competitors in a crowded marketplace.

7. Conversational content

Conversational content is transforming the way businesses communicate with their audiences in the 21^st century. Often facilitated with the help of chatbots, messaging apps or live chat features, conversational content can provide B2B businesses with a real-time, easily accessible means of engaging with prospects quickly and effectively —at any time of the day. This technology-driven approach enhances the customer experience and allows for immediate responses to queries, thereby helping to expedite consumers’ decision-making process. Further, conversational content enables businesses to gather valuable insights into customer needs and preferences while answering their questions and serving their needs. As we move through 2024, we expect that more and more B2B brands will strategically leverage conversational content to help them foster meaningful consumer connections, drive added customer satisfaction and elevate their responsiveness in an ever-evolving digital marketplace.

8. An expansion of self-service sales

In a B2B industry in which complex and consultative sales processes have long been the norm, an expansion of self-service sales marks a significant shift — and is bringing substantial opportunities for B2B brands to increase their prospect conversions. Empowered by advancements in digital technology, many of today’s B2B buyers are now seeking added autonomy in their purchasing journeys. Self-service portals, e-commerce platforms and automated systems enable these prospective customers to research, compare and even complete transactions independently. This trend streamlines the buying process and also aligns with the preferences of a growing demographic of digital-native decision-makers. In 2024, we expect to see the continued expansion of self-service sales in the B2B landscape, underscoring the importance of providing seamless, user-friendly interfaces that cater to the evolving needs of buyers.

9. B2B marketing/sales alignment

In the B2B landscape, creating a synergy between marketing and sales teams is becoming increasingly essential to any B2B brand’s sustained success. The alignment of B2B marketing and sales teams ensures a cohesive and coordinated approach — one where shared goals, strategies and communication foster a seamless customer journey. A well-integrated marketing and sales alignment enables a smoother transition of leads through the sales funnel, reduces friction and enhances the overall customer experience. And by fostering collaboration, breaking down silos and ensuring a unified understanding of target audiences, B2B businesses can optimize their efforts, streamline processes and ultimately drive revenue growth.

Looking for more expert insights on increasing the effectiveness of your B2B marketing efforts? Check out these recent articles on the Brandon blog:

• 5 Research-Based Tips for Effective B2B Marketing
• The Promise to the Customer: A New Mental Model for B2B Marketers

Brandon: B2B marketing experts, ready to help you boost your brand

At Brandon, we view B2B marketing differently — because the strategies and tactics needed to sell directly to other businesses require time, attention and an entirely different playbook from what’s used in other marketing arenas. We work with some of the largest B2B companies in the world (and plenty of smaller ones), and we’re here to help your B2B brand reach your prospective customers where they are, with just the right balance of respect and persistence.

Further, as a fully integrated marketing firm, we can cover the full spectrum of your B2B brand’s marketing needs. From SEO and social media to email marketing, digital marketing, media, creative, analytics, public relations, brand strategy, web design and much more, we can cover all your marketing needs in one place. To get started with help ranging from a simple website analysis to a comprehensive strategy tailored to boost the performance of all your marketing campaigns, contact us today.