The Irreverent Guide to B2B Marketing Trends of 2024

I’ll confess, I absolutely love perusing through B2B guides and articles this time of year to find out what bandwagons I need to jump on and which hip trends have fizzled out. As always, this was a year of rapid change, and one where the companies that survived – and thrived –  were the ones to anticipate and adapt to the market. So what can we anticipate for 2024?  

Welcome to our guide to 2024 B2B Marketing: where predicting the future is a sport, and we’re the slightly overconfident players. Let’s be honest, hindsight might be 20/20, but foresight is way more fun (and a little bit reckless).

Trend #1

AI: At the Top of Literally Every List

Ah, AI – the trend you absolutely must embrace or you’re desperately behind the times. This is one rabbit hole that I just can’t seem to get out of (not that I really want to – it’s fascinating!) Gone are the days when AI was just a fancy party trick. Now, it’s the backbone of personalization, totally transforming what we used to consider cutting-edge. Demand Gen Report tells us that with 62-75% of enterprises operationalizing AI, we’re seeing not just increased revenues but a drop in churn rates too.

AI isn’t just about personalization, though. It’s also the new wizard of content creation, as the Content Marketing Institute points out. From brainstorming topics to drafting snappy headlines, AI tools are the new go-to. The catch? With only 28% of marketers not jumping on the AI bandwagon, the question is no longer if you’re using AI, but how creatively you’re wielding it​​. It can feel tough at times to keep up with all the possibilities.

So, what’s the 2024 playbook for AI in B2B marketing? Embrace it, but don’t let it eclipse the human touch. Remember, we’re marketers, not robots. Use AI to enhance creativity, not replace it. And let’s not forget about ethics – AI is powerful, but with great power comes great responsibility. 

Trend #2

Navigating the Content Tsunami: Quality Over Quantity

Of course, the danger with AI-generated content is that it feels like suddenly you should be putting out 20x more than you were. And you could certainly, but should you? 2024 is the year content marketing gets a reality check. It’s not about churning out content faster; according to the Content Marketing Institute, the real challenge now is creating the right content for the right audience. With 57% of marketers wrestling with this, it’s clear that understanding your audience is more crucial than ever​​.

Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room: resources, or rather, the lack of them. 58% of content marketers are feeling the pinch, struggling to align their aspirations with reality​​. The trick in 2024 is to stretch your creativity without breaking the bank. It’s about being smart and selective, focusing on quality over quantity, and ensuring that the content you put out is reaching and engaging your most important audience(s).

Trend #3

Unmasking the Mystery of ‘Direct’ Traffic in B2B Marketing

As we step into 2024, the B2B marketing world is experiencing a tectonic shift, particularly in how we measure success. Forget the old days of throwing budgets at various channels and hoping for a miracle. We have to be smarter and more precise about the measurement that’s transforming the way we understand our marketing efforts.

B2B marketers have long faced the challenge of linking their spend to actual revenue. Advanced tracking technologies (though we’re not playing favorites by naming names) are now offering insights that were once a marketer’s daydream. These tools are changing the game, allowing us to measure and compare the financial impact of our digital investments.

The most striking impact of this shift? Tackling the notorious “Direct” traffic black hole. I’ve got loads more thoughts on this problem, which you can read here if you’re so inclined. The Cliffs Notes version is that for too long, a significant chunk of website traffic – sometimes as much as two-thirds – has been lumped into this mysterious category. But now, Channel99 is aiming to help marketers get real answers. As we forge ahead into 2024, this ability to accurately attribute traffic sources isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential.

The Wrap-Up

As we wrap up this irreverent and unapologetically blunt guide to 2024’s B2B marketing landscape, one thing is clear: the only constant in marketing is change. From AI’s dominance to the quality-driven content renaissance and the demystification of ‘Direct’ traffic, the winners will be those agile enough to adapt and innovate. Cheers to another year in this wild world of B2B Marketing; I’m excited to be on this journey with you all.