As businesses return from the festivities, and hopefully a restful break, there’s often a drive and renewed energy to refresh and refocus marketing efforts.  In doing so, it helps to be mindful of future trends that might affect your plans.

Here we discuss a number of trends we believe will impact B2B marketing in 2023.

Don’t forget the forthcoming Google Analytics changes

If you haven’t already taken note of Google Analytics’ new GA4, time is ticking before it takes over completely from the traditional Universal version. Many businesses rely on Google Analytics to measure the effectiveness of their website and its relationship with their online ads, social media, and email campaigns.

Google announced they were transitioning across to GA4 in the summer and on the 1^st of July 2023 standard Universal Analytics will be withdrawn (along with the historical data you’ve collected on it).

The advice is to get set up on GA4 as soon as you can, and run both Universal and GA4 in parallel until the switch.  That will enable you to build up a bank of historical data on GA4 for future comparative analysis and trend-spotting.

LinkedIn Updates for 2023

LinkedIn released a number of updates in 2022, and while some Social Media platforms had a rather rocky year, LinkedIn continued to see growth.  It remains the B2B marketing platform of choice both for businesses and individuals.

Research has shown posting 5 times per week from the company page is the optimum amount, and the new format of carousel posts has already proved to be one of the best ways of increasing engagement, with LinkedIn’s algorithm giving them priority.

You can now schedule posts from within LinkedIn without a separate scheduling tool, and updates to Competitor analytics will no doubt prove a useful resource for many. Check out these recent tips from LinkedIn for Company pages and this overview of the new features.

LinkedIn is tipped to become even more important in 2023 and, in 2 years, predictions show it will account for 25% of all B2B Advertising spend!

Quality will still win in 2023

Content marketing is now a well-established means for most companies to highlight their products and services. Feeding channels like websites, social media and email campaigns, it will continue to play an important role in 2023.

With so many businesses on the content marketing bandwagon, the challenge though is to get yours noticed.

The advice here is that relevant, quality and engaging content wins every time with target audiences.  The quality factor was reinforced even more last year with Google’s Helpful Content algorithm.  In search results, it is rewarding webpages created for people rather than search engines. Valuable and helpful content gets prioritised.

So in your 2023 planning, consider your audiences and what would interest and appeal to them.  Where possible favour images and short videos over the written word, as people are struggling with the latter in our digitised world.   Last month, we wrote about injecting more joy into all kinds of marketing as a way to get noticed.  Can your marketing use more joy and sensitivity?

Catering for the smaller screen

Is your website really mobile-friendly?  This has been a crucial issue for a number of years now, but 2023 is likely to make it a priority given the increased use of mobile search in B2B decision-making.

Research shows that since the pandemic started, 33% of B2B buyers stated that they spend more time looking for products on mobile devices and social platforms than before.

Do periodically check the following when assessing your mobile site as software updates and new devices can affect it.  Run tests to determine:

• It’s just as appealing and eye catching in a mobile format – and for different mobile devices
• Its site speed is quick (use this checker)
• Navigating through the site is quick and intuitive
• Links are easy to click on
• Phone numbers are set with click to call functionality
• Email and other links are easy to click on

Sensitivity to the current mood

The past few years have seen dramatic societal and economic changes. This obviously has an impact on your customers and other stakeholders.  Given the challenges ahead, it’s important to be sensitive to current mood and ensure your marketing and sales messages remain relevant and resonate in a good way.

Monitor trends and changes in sentiment.  Forecasts show that in 2023, costs, the recession, sustainability and social responsibility will heavily influence B2B buying decisions.

In previous recessions, people become savvier about the price they pay but they also want to ensure their investment is right first time. Mistakes and problems are expensive to fix.  The good news here is that customers will value those suppliers they trust or who they know will do a good job.

A key component in helping strengthen your client relationships is to make the experience of buying from and working with you a personal and positive one. Consider personalisation and alignment in everything you do including your marketing, offers, product/service provision, invoicing and after sales care.

On the horizon

Looking longer term, developments such as the Metaverse and Web3.0 and the use of AI, will no doubt continue to evolve over the next 12 months.  For some B2B companies there will be opportunities to be early adopters – definitely an area to watch.

Key takeaways

2023 brings both exciting possibilities and worrying uncertainties.  The UK recession will mean a renewed focus on effective as well as cost-efficient marketing. Those B2B businesses that plan for, monitor and quickly adapt to changes in their markets will boost their resilience and succeed more in the coming months.

For a successful 2023, here are 4 lessons to take away:

1. Have a plan where everyone in your business understands what the key focus is.
2. Where there are budget constraints, it’s wise to do less but better.
3. Being customer-centric will always win.
4. Employees can be your best business advocates. If everyone supports and amplifies the marketing effort great things can be achieved!

If your business could benefit from ideas and help in 2023, please do get in touch, either contact us or tel. 01483 429111.