The new year has begun, which means several lists are emerging that look ahead to 2017. This time it's B2B marketing's turn. What trends will we encounter in B2B marketing in the new year?
We have compiled a list of the 7 most important B2B trends in 2017:
1.LinkedIn advertising continues to grow
Advertising on LinkedIn is expected to grow strongly in 2017 - a growth of as much as 23 percent. Do you need hulp need help setting up LinkedIn advertising? Contact contact with our advertising specialists.
2. More and more B2B marketers are starting with marketing automation
For us B2B marketers, lead generation is the main focus. If you want to follow up on your leads properly, you need to use marketing automation. Currently, only 30 percent of Dutch B2B marketers are using marketing automation. In 2017, this will increase to about 23 percent. 15 percent say they have no idea about using marketing automation yet.
Are you among those 15%? Read more here marketing automation and our case study How we used marketing automation to collect targeted leads. Don't get left behind! Get more out of your business with marketing automation.
3. Google Adwords remains a favorite
A large portion of B2B marketers use paid forms of online advertising to generate leads. Search engine marketing is still the most widely used form in this regard. Currently, 70 percent of B2B marketers prefer Google AdWords.
Read in this case study how we deployed Google Adwords for one of our clients.
4. Webinars as a new lead generation channel
By using online webinars, you can generate leads in the B2B world very easily. Currently, only 24 percent of B2B marketers in the Netherlands still use them. In 2017, as many as 32 percent of B2B marketers want to conduct webinars. So it seems that webinars are gaining a lot of popularity. However, we are not yet as far as the American B2B marketers. Of these, about 58 percent are already deploying webinars.
5. The suitability of websites for mobile
We also addressed this point in our previous blog. And in this blog we reiterate that it is very important to follow up on this trend! The number of mobile website visits is increasing all the time. Therefore, it is M-E-G-A important to make your website mobile friendly. Currently, 19% of websites are not yet mobile friendly.
Make sure your website doesn't fall within that 19% ... Take a critical look at your website and adjust as needed. Need help? Our web team can help. Click here to contact them.
6. CRM systems are an important component within B2B
Currently, 70% of B2B marketers in the Netherlands already use a CRM system. The most commonly used CRM systems are Salesforce (21%), Microsoft Dynamics (10%) and PerfectView (8%).
At SearchUser, we use Marketing Automation software with a built-in CRM system. Would you like to know more about this? Then please contact us.
7. Content marketing important pillar
To get leads, website visitors are of course needed. Content marketing is very important here and actually indispensable in your B2B marketing strategy. More than half of B2B marketers have already realized this (61%) and are deploying content marketing. However, the U.S. is already running, as in most cases, ahead of us with 89%. We expect that also in the Netherlands the use of content marketing will already increase in 2017.
The main focus in 2017 is on lead generation
If you summarize all the above points, you actually come to one conclusion and that is that the main focus in 2017 is lead generation. Of course, as a B2B marketer, this is also your "main goal. More leads, means more business! The above trends each contribute to lead generation in their own way.
Need help generating leads? We help you gladly!
