A Napier presentation highlighting the ten top B2B PR & marketing trends to watch out for in 2014.

1. 10 Things to Expect in the
B2B Environment in 2014

2. Storytelling
Every company has a story, and the ability
to effectively tell this story is the best way
to cut through the B2B information
overload and resonate with customers.
Within any effective storytelling effort,
both rational and emotional triggers
should be used, in order to influence
purchase decisions. Consider structuring
your content around a problem (and how
your company can solve it), while also
including a human interest element, all the
while incorporating topicality and keeping
it both relevant and on-trend.

3. In-Depth Content
When it comes to content, many marketers have been quick to
claim that less is a whole lot more. But what many haven’t
considered is that there is still a significant place in the market for
longer form content, after all 73% of adults who consume news
on their tablets, read in-depth articles*. This behavioural trend
suggests that marketers will continue incorporating in-depth
marketing collateral into their content marketing strategy.
*Pew Research, 2012

4. Video
Content may have been king in 2013,
but 2014 is all about which type of
content is deserving of the title. My
vote would be video. With 63% of B2B
marketers believing that online video is
one of the most effective forms of
content*, 2014 could be the year that
video becomes a mainstream tactic.
Consider allocating a significant budget
to create videos such as product
demos, company footage, leadership
interviews and client testimonials, and
additionally consider mastering Vine to
tell your story in 6 seconds.
*Content Marketing Institute, 2013

5. Increased Importance of Content
Thanks to Google’s recent updates
to their Panda, Hummingbird and
Penguin algorithms, it is safe to say
that the keyword game has very
much changed. Now that a
company’s ranking is no longer
reliant on keywords, but rather
high-quality, relevant content, in
2014 more and more marketers
will have to consider content
marketing as less of an option and
more of a necessity.

6. Marketing Automation
Marketing automation has recently began to move from being solely an automated
email platform, to a platform that includes tracking campaigns that view user
activity from a 360 perspective. Despite being highly effective, marketing
automation is still very much underutilised as a marketing tactic, with only 46%
currently automating campaigns. 2014 will see this figure rise, with many
marketers becoming more strategic in their marketing automation efforts, as
platforms begin to include better integration with CRM, social and mobile, and
better analytics and reporting.

7. Visual Messaging
2013 saw the likes of Vine and
Instagram become major marketing
tools, in not only the B2C
environment, but also (surprisingly) in
B2B. As content marketing continues
to become a vital element of any
strategic marketing plan, it is expected
that visual content will be even more
prominent.
When it comes to using this tactic
effectively, remember to combine
usefulness, inspiration and empathy
to inform and develop your visual
messaging.

8. Purpose-Driven Marketing
Over the last few years we have seen
plenty of purpose-driven marketing
campaigns in the consumer world;
however it is more recently that the
major B2B players have taken notice and
began to replicate this purpose-driven
messaging. Think IBM with its ‘Smarter
planet’ repositioning*. While it is far
from a new tactic, it is expected that in
2014, more and more B2B companies
will become smarter in identifying their
core point of differentiation, allowing
them to connect with their customers in
a more relevant and personal manner.
*Smarter Planer – IBM, 2013

9. Mobile Strategy
Throughout 2013, a large emphasis
was placed on marketers to have a
mobile presence. In 2014 this is no
longer enough, and marketers will be
encouraged to begin developing a
solid mobile strategy. Companies will
need to look at how they can raise
the bar on mobile customer
experiences, and take advantage of
developments in mobile analytics and
mobile marketing. This will allow
them to effectively capture data and
leverage it for personalisation.

10. Tailoring Content in the Sales Cycle
77% of buyers request targeted content
at each stage of their research, and only
43% of marketers actually do so*. As B2B
buyers’ expectations of content quality
increases, marketers are faced with two
options; capitalise on this growing need
for tailored and targeted content, or face
losing customers and prospects to
smarter competitors. Consider using blog
posts and video to initially educate
prospects, and as they begin to move
down the sales funnel, content should
become more personalised and relevant
to their need, for instance through case
studies and whitepapers.
*Pardot, 2013

11. Corporate Social Responsibility
Social media has become an
important tactic for a successful
PR strategy, however merely
having a social presence is no
longer enough. 2014 will see
more B2B corporations develop
strategic social responsibility
initiatives, using social media to
amplify their good deeds in the
local community, further
demonstrating how they are
making a positive impact on
society and the environment.