The B2B Marketing Trends to Watch for in 2024

Staying on top of marketing trends is the only way to compete with the ever changing B2B market. What's better than learning about these emerging trends from the marketers themselves? We at Market Inspector as professionals working with B2B marketing for their insights. Here is what 15 thought leaders have to say about the latest B2B Marketing Trends of 2024:

One trend that has been gaining momentum is the use of niche-specific machine learning. This approach tailors AI algorithms to address the unique challenges and opportunities within specific industries, enhancing the precision and effectiveness of B2B marketing strategies. Rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all AI model, companies are leveraging machine learning that is finely tuned to their sector's nuances, whether it’s healthcare, finance, or e-commerce.

This trend has emerged from the need for more targeted and efficient marketing solutions in a landscape where generic strategies no longer suffice. By capitalising on this trend, businesses can achieve higher engagement rates, more accurate predictive analytics, and improved customer experiences, thereby gaining a competitive edge.

Our agency, for instance, has started implementing machine learning models designed specifically for the tech industry, resulting in a significant uptick in lead quality and conversion rates.

Tristan Harris, Demand Generation Senior Marketing Manager, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency

One of the biggest B2B marketing trends for 2024 is the increase in the use of AI-powered personalisation in marketing. AI has evolved from a buzzword into a powerful tool that allows us to personalise our clients' experiences like never before. Eighty percent of customers say they're more likely to buy from a brand that offers personalised experiences, so AI personalisation has truly changed the game.

Through the use of AI, Stallion Express has developed a deep understanding of customer data and behaviour. This has enabled us to develop tailored campaigns and offers to meet our customers' specific needs. For example, we can use AI algorithms to predict shipping preferences based on past behaviour and provide tailored solutions to our customers, increasing customer satisfaction and retention.

In addition, AI-powered personalisation isn't just about recommendations. It's about understanding your customer's needs and offering proactive solutions. By anticipating your client's needs using AI analytics, you can provide proactive support, deliver smooth shipping experiences, and build long-term relationships.

This trend isn't just about staying ahead of the competition; it's about meeting our clients' changing needs in an ever-changing digital landscape. As industry pioneers, we're dedicated to using AI-powered personalisation to redefine the shipping experience and lead the market.

Diana Zheng, Head of Marketing, Stallion Express

One notable B2B marketing trend for 2024 that I'm closely watching, and beginning to leverage, revolves around the increased use of artificial intelligence in personalised marketing strategies. This trend is propelling a shift toward highly individualised marketing campaigns. By utilising real-time analytics and data-driven insights, we've been able to craft campaigns that resonate deeply with target audiences, leading to higher engagement rates and improved customer retention.

Another emerging trend is the focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in marketing narratives. Consumers and businesses alike are increasingly drawn to brands that not only deliver value but also demonstrate a commitment to ethical practices. In response, we've integrated sustainability into our brand strategy and storytelling, emphasising our clients' dedication to eco-friendly practices and social betterment. This approach has not only enhanced brand perception but has also opened up new markets and partnerships aligned with these values. Through leveraging these trends, we're not just staying ahead in the competitive landscape but are also driving meaningful engagement and fostering long-term loyalty among B2B clients.

Timothy J Williams, Principal Consultant, Thinksia

A notable trend in B2B marketing for 2024 is the strategic use of podcasts, not primarily for audience building, but as a source of rich, reusable content. This approach has emerged as a clever solution to the challenge of constantly shifting search engine results, allowing businesses to generate a diverse range of marketing assets from a single podcast episode.

By focusing on the content’s repurposability from the outset, I’ve aligned our podcast strategy with our broader content distribution plans, maximising the impact of every interview and insight gathered. This method opens up a new avenue for idea generation and industry insight, significantly enriching our marketing arsenal.

Marco Genaro Palma, Freelance CMO and SEO Consultant, GenaroPalma.com

In recent years, cold outreach has been a typical element of B2B advertising, but I foresee a shift in this trend in 2024, brought on by email providers' stepped-up measures to guard against email spam. These measures are prompting marketers to think deeply about, and to diversify, their outreach strategies. They are working hard to sustain the efficacy of their cold outreach mechanisms even as they expand communications via multiple channels.

Stricter spam filters and increased regulation around email communication make it more important than ever for businesses to not only refine their email outreach content but to also incorporate other channels into their outreach strategies. This might include LinkedIn messaging, targeted social media ads, and even traditional methods like direct mail or phone calls, depending on the target audience's preferences. This kind of multi-channel outreach not only helps businesses avoid the pitfalls of relying on email alone but also expands their reach and engagement by making connections with potential clients on platforms where they are more receptive and less inundated by competitive noise.

Blake Smith, Marketing Manager, ClockOn Rostering, Attendance & Payroll

One of the most exciting B2B trends this year is the rise of account-based marketing (ABM), with a focus on personalisation. Gone are the days of generic messaging. ABM allows us to tailor content and outreach to the specific needs and challenges of high-value accounts.

We've seen this emerge as B2B buyers demand a more consultative approach. By personalising the journey, we're building stronger relationships and driving faster conversions across industries.

James Owen, Co-Founder & Director, Click Intelligence

AI-powered personalisation is an essential B2B marketing trend that is rapidly gaining popularity in the IT world. This trend involves the use of targeted and personalised content and communications to improve consumer experiences and engagement. With the help of AI tools, organisations can scan huge amounts of data to understand client behaviour, preferences, and intent. This allows them to create marketing campaigns with unparalleled precision, which has transformed business-to-consumer engagement, increasing conversion rates and ROI. Graham SEO is taking full advantage of this trend by using AI-driven personalisation in SEO. We deliver highly relevant content and offers to our clients' target demographic using AI algorithms, which ultimately increases qualified leads and campaign performance.

Another crucial IT B2B marketing trend that is expected to become more prevalent in 2024 is voice search optimisation. As speech-enabled devices and assistants become more common, businesses must tailor their content to voice search inquiries. Due to shifting consumer behaviour, more people are using voice search for quick and convenient information. To ensure a high search engine ranking and audience satisfaction, Graham SEO is optimising our clients' websites for voice search. We create conversational content and use schema markup to boost search engine understanding, helping our clients stay ahead of the competition and drive organic traffic to their websites.

Graham McCormack, SEO Specialist, Graham SEO

One trend that's shaping the B2B marketing landscape in 2024 is the rise of interactive content. This trend is transforming how businesses engage with their audiences, moving beyond static content to more dynamic, engaging formats that encourage active participation.

Interactive content has emerged as a response to the increasing demand for more engaging, personalised experiences in the digital space. Industries across the board, from SaaS to healthcare, are leveraging this trend to deepen engagement, collect valuable data, and differentiate themselves in crowded markets. Types of interactive content, such as quizzes, calculators, and interactive infographics, are proving particularly effective in driving engagement and lead generation.

At OnCourseCRM.com, we've harnessed the power of interactive content by integrating interactive product demos and configurators on our website. This allows potential customers to explore the capabilities of our CRM solutions in a hands-on manner, tailoring their experience to their specific needs and interests.

Not only has this approach enhanced our website's engagement metrics, but it has also significantly improved our lead qualification process. By analysing interactions with our content, we can gather insights into potential customers' priorities and challenges, enabling us to personalise follow-up communications and sales pitches more effectively.

Interactive content stands out as a powerful tool in the B2B marketing arsenal for 2024, offering businesses a unique opportunity to engage prospects on a deeper level while simultaneously gathering valuable insights. By embracing this trend, companies like OnCourseCRM.com are not only enhancing their marketing effectiveness but are also setting new standards for customer engagement in the digital era.

Daniel Merrill, Founder - Sales and Marketing, Oncourse CRM

The ethical collection of data has become a popular topic of discussion among businesses to navigate the constantly evolving data privacy and compliance environment. In our organisation, we are proactively increasing our focus on transparent and responsible data practices to stay ahead of the curve. We make sure our data-gathering techniques are spotless, emphasising user approval and adhering to laws. Maintaining ethical standards reduces risks and builds trust with our clients and their customers. It's all about conducting business ethically, which is mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

Cody Jensen, CEO & Founder, Searchbloom

Blockchain technology is starting to play a more significant role in B2B marketing, particularly around the transparency and authentication of transactions and customer interactions. This emerging trend is helping industries like finance and manufacturing ensure the integrity of their supply chains and communications. We are capitalising on this trend by integrating blockchain into our marketing operations to provide verifiable and secure transaction records, enhancing trust with our clients.

Sergey Taver, Marketing Manager, Precision Watches

One trend I see gaining traction in 2024 is the integration of B2B e-commerce platforms. As digital transformation accelerates, more B2B buyers are expecting a consumer-like buying experience. This shift is impacting industries by increasing the demand for online sales platforms that cater specifically to business customers.

My company is responding by developing a user-friendly e-commerce platform that simplifies the ordering process for our B2B clients, integrating features like bulk ordering, quick reorder capabilities, and personalised product recommendations based on previous purchases.

Brooke Webber, Head of Marketing, Ninja Patches

One prominent B2B marketing trend for 2024 is the increasing emphasis on hyper-personalisation in marketing communications. As businesses continue to harness the power of data analytics and AI-driven technologies, the ability to deliver highly tailored and relevant content to individual prospects and clients has become paramount. This trend has emerged in response to the growing demand for more personalised experiences from B2B buyers who expect the same level of customisation they encounter in their consumer interactions.

At our company, we've capitalised on this trend by investing in sophisticated customer relationship management (CRM) systems and marketing automation platforms that enable us to collect and analyze vast amounts of data about our target audience. By leveraging this data effectively, we're able to segment our audience based on various criteria, such as industry, company size, and previous interactions with our brand. This allows us to deliver personalised content and messaging tailored to the specific needs and interests of each segment, ultimately driving higher engagement and conversion rates. Additionally, we've implemented dynamic content strategies that adapt in real-time based on user behaviour, ensuring that our communications remain relevant and timely throughout the buyer's journey. By staying at the forefront of hyper-personalisation trends, we're able to differentiate ourselves in a competitive market and forge stronger, more meaningful relationships with our B2B clients.

Anna Learie, Marketing Specialist, BOSS Audio

The increasing adoption of virtual and augmented reality technology has had a significant impact on the real estate industry. It has allowed for more immersive and interactive property tours and presentations. One way that I have capitalised on this trend is by incorporating virtual tours into my property listings. This allows potential buyers to get a realistic sense of the property without physically being there, saving time and increasing convenience for both myself and my clients. In addition, I have also started utilising virtual staging for properties that are currently empty. This technology allows me to digitally stage a property with furniture and decor, giving potential buyers a better idea of how the space could look when furnished. This has not only helped to attract more interest and offers on vacant properties but has also saved my clients the cost of physically staging the property. Overall, I believe that virtual and augmented reality technology will continue to be a crucial aspect of B2B marketing in the real estate industry. It allows for a more engaging and efficient way to showcase properties, making it an essential tool for any successful real estate agent in the coming years.

Linda Chavez, CMO, Eazy House Sale

My favourite B2B marketing trend for 2024 is the integration of sustainability into marketing messages. As awareness of environmental issues increases, companies are emphasising their commitment to sustainable practices to attract like-minded business partners. This is particularly impactful in industries like manufacturing and technology, where sustainability can differentiate a company in competitive markets.

To capitalise on this trend, I've focused on highlighting our sustainability efforts in all marketing communications. This includes sharing case studies that demonstrate our sustainable practices and showcasing any relevant certifications.

By positioning sustainability as a core part of our value proposition, we not only enhance our brand reputation but also meet the growing demand for corporate responsibility, attracting clients who value environmental stewardship.

Andrew Jenkins, Owner, Catalyst RVA Marketing Agency

The world of B2B marketing is constantly evolving, and keeping up with the latest trends is crucial for businesses to stay competitive. With technology advancing at a rapid pace and consumer behaviour changing, it's important for marketers to adapt and capitalise on emerging trends. Personalisation has been a buzzword in marketing for quite some time now, but it's expected to become even more crucial in B2B marketing by 2024. With the abundance of data available and advancements in AI technology, businesses will have even more opportunities to personalise their marketing efforts. Personalisation goes beyond simply using a customer's name in an email or targeting them based on their demographics. It's about understanding their needs and preferences and tailoring your messaging and offerings accordingly. In order to effectively capitalise on this trend, B2B marketers will need to invest in data analytics tools and AI technology. This will allow them to gather and analyze customer data in real-time, allowing for more personalised and targeted campaigns. By doing so, businesses can improve their customer experience and drive better results. Another trend that is expected to shape B2B marketing in the coming years is the rise of influencer marketing.

Justin Carpenter, Founder & CEO, Modern Maids