By Alistair Norman

B2B Marketing Predictions for the Rest of 2013 [INFOGRAPHIC]

Everything is changing rapidly in the world of marketing. What do the industry experts expect to happen in the last half of 2013?

The past few months saw some big changes in the world of marketing as digital really did take centre stage. We think there are some key questions that need answering to see what the rest of 2013 might have in store…

Is outbound marketing over?

The first part of the year saw the continued growth of social media and the ‘Big Data’ explosion – will the next six months deliver more of the same, or are there more new strategies and functions on the horizon?

According to Useful Social Media’s research with over 100 CMOs, 2013 will see:

The death of push marketing – with the advent of inbound marketing, it’s long been predicted. But will 2013 really be the end for outbound?

The difference between inbound and outbound marketing expenditure grew by 50% from 2011 to 2012.

More customer centricity – the companies that understand their customers and prospects best and put them firmly at the centre of everything they do will have the greatest success.

81% of companies with strong capabilities and competencies for delivering customer experience excellence are outperforming their competition.

Will your marketing be retro and responsive?

Meanwhile, on the Marketing blog, they’re predicting B2B will see the rise of:

Responsive websites – by 2015, mobile is expected to surpass the PC as the most popular way to get online. All websites now need to resize automatically to the screen they are viewed on.

Statistics prove that 61% of web users who visit a non-friendly mobile website are likely to turn to the business’s competitor’s site.

Retro offline approaches – apparently, more brands will decide to go retro and personal in an attempt to cut through the noise facing decision makers with a return to direct mail! Who’d have thought it?

The B2B Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends study revealed that 24% of B2B content marketers still use print newsletters!

Is marketing automation taking over?

The use of marketing automation continues to rise as businesses see the rewards those already using it well are reaping. SiriusDecisions has some predictions for how it will evolve:

More choice, more functionality – the solutions available will become more sophisticated; and email marketing solution providers will enter the automation space by adding increased functionality to their existing systems.

The adoption of marketing automation technology is expected to increase by 50% by 2015.

Advanced tactics – those best-in-class companies that are already using it well will up their game even further with more advanced lead scoring processes.

Companies using marketing automation for lead management processes gained an increase of 451% in qualified leads.

Rest of 2013 ‘To Do’ List

Invest more budget in inbound marketing
Focus everything on the ‘customer experience’
Adapt your website for mobile viewing
Run a retro marketing campaign to stand out from the digital crowd
Make the most of what marketing automation has to offer
Up your lead management game with better scoring processes

Make sure you’re ready for the rest of the year with our eGuide ‘CEO’s guide: Building shareholder value through an opt-in community’!

The Author

Alistair Norman | Marketing Director

Alistair is responsible for the strategy, design and implementation of our Inbound and Content Marketing, with a focus on developing B2B and B2C markets.