It’s the start of a new decade and all brands should be looking to regenerate their company. Implementing some creative thinking will add a fresh aspect to the brand. But the question is, where should they start to excel in B2B marketing?

Today’s millennial world

As we enter this new decade, we must acknowledge that this could be the most important time for B2B marketing as the millennials now have the power. A study by the US agency Merit showed, 73% of millennials “are involved in product or service purchase decision making in their job”. Similarly, 1 in 3 millennials also say that they are the sole decision-maker for their department!

The digital wizards that are millennials are now expecting to see your brand make the most of today’s advanced technology. This means that play it safe concepts and minimalist designs could become a thing of the past, with B2B marketing now being very much ‘go big or go home.

An ice cream cone being held up in the sky to make a cloud look like the ice cream.

 

Extraordinary? That’s ordinary 

High-end creative software was at its peak for large brands and businesses in the dawn of the 2010s. Now, thanks to the recent democratisation of high-end software, even the tightest of budgets can stretch to afford 3D rendering and FX-heavy video. This means that businesses and brands can now take creative risks without taking financial risks. Their turnaround time would be a matter of days, at most, rather than weeks.

So, in 2020 we are expecting to see brands do new creative and exciting things in terms of images and motion design. Virtual reality and augmented reality may also be increasingly used in tandem. The technique has recently been gaining traction in B2B marketing as it’s an immersive and detailed way to tell stories and information about the brand.

A person wearing VR goggles.

No more Epics, here come Vignettes 

Attention spans are getting shorter. It is simple when you think about the rise of immersive technology. It was always going to make other things less appealing, but we have quickly become desperate for a quick fix of gratification. For this reason alone, it is no surprise that the rise in the use of GIFs, short entertaining videos, and animations in recent years has been so effective in advertising in B2B markets.

GIFs are an excellent B2B marketing selling tool. They fill the criteria of selling a brand’s story, which can be done in 6 seconds rather than a 60-second video. It means that it is still effective and making a real emotional impact on the consumer.

Long term goals

Short term goals and not looking ahead into the future has been a killer blow for so many B2B markets over the past decade. We would hate to see that coming into this new era of marketing. Brand building is a must, especially for healthy sustained businesses. This is because quick-fix tactics like sales activation are producing diminishing results. This can be fatal to businesses that aren’t building their brand and bringing it into this new decade.

In 2020 we need to see B2B becoming brave with their marketing. We should be breaking the old mould of risk-free, play it safe marketing. Businesses need to invest in bold and creative ideas.

In recent years, it is obvious that it has been a tough time for B2B businesses. But no matter what happens this decade, brands need to push themselves to make creative and influential content. They should be building their brand to get themselves noticed and excelling in B2B marketing.