– Thought leadership influences the entire buying process of B2B customers
– 95% of B2B customers are not actively searching for products or services
– Predictive data revolutionizes B2B marketing through personalized content
B2B marketing is changing, and thought leadership is increasingly being recognized as a strategic tool to unlock new business opportunities, explains Joe Kingsbury, Global Chair of Business Marketing at Edelmann campaign. Rather than simply selling products or services, companies can use thought leadership to provide valuable insights and solutions to their target audience’s specific challenges. This influences the entire buying process, from initial attention to post-purchase retention. What is crucial, however, is that this content is substantive and actually helps customers rather than just serving as sales messages. Thought leadership enables companies to position themselves as a trustworthy partner and stand out from the competition.
Another key issue is the need for close coordination between sales and marketing. Since the majority of B2B buyers are not actively looking for products and purchasing cycles are becoming longer and longer, marketing measures must be clearly verifiable for their effectiveness. This requires close collaboration between departments in order to understand the impact of campaigns and their impact on sales. At the same time, brand building and brand awareness are becoming increasingly important as they support long-term success in the B2B sector.
An increasingly important trend in B2B marketing is the use of predictive data. By analyzing data such as potential customers’ consumption behavior and search queries, companies can deliver personalized content before the customer even actively searches for a solution. This data-based strategy helps B2B companies to place relevant content at the right moment and thus be present early in the buying process. In combination with thought leadership, predictive data makes it possible to specifically address customer needs and thus promote sustainable growth.
