Written by: Vickie Sullivan | February 29, 2024
2 B2B Marketing Shifts Creating New Opportunities
With companies cutting their budgets for training and development, as well as leadership, many B2B service providers are looking for new markets to find clients. One area that holds promise is the B2B marketing space, according to research from marketing agency Sagefrog.
The reason is obvious: growth. The research shows two shifts are paving the way for possible new opportunities:
• In-person events surpass SEO for generating leads: Over a third of respondents say their top sales and marketing lead sources were in-person tradeshows and events. Twenty-five percent say they’re spending the most in this area. Compare that to spending for SEO: Only 14% invested money here in 2023, compared to 26% in 2021. Translation: Connecting in real life is opening doors and generating leads. It’s time for you to show up.
• Brand awareness and recognition is back: Brand awareness is the top priority for 2024. The difference this year is how marketers do it. Webinars lead the way here, as a whopping 89% believe this format is effective for achieving this goal. (Last on the list: panel discussions and speaking engagements at 18%.)
It’s an interesting dichotomy. The people surveyed say in-person meetings are effective, but speaking at them is not. Bringing in outside presenters to generate excitement (and attendance) will be the key to succeeding in this area. That’s good news for both professional speakers and those who use speaking as a marketing tool.
Listen: How to Compete in a New Budget Arena
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