Report: CX and Personalization Offer Most Opportunity for B2B Marketers

A new report by Adobe and Econsultancy shows B2B marketers believe customer experience, personalization and big data hold the most promise for B2B marketing over the next five years, as the focus on digital continues to grow.

Nearly a quarter of B2B respondents (22 percent) named customer experience as the greatest opportunity; followed by personalization (16 percent) and big data (13 percent). These responses matched up with B2C marketers, indicating digital tactics for both segments are converging.

“With the pace of change in digital marketing, fueled by the expectation of B2B prospects for consumer-like experiences, one might surmise that B2B marketers will be pressured to pivot their focus to customer experience and personalization in the very near-term,” the authors of the report wrote.

BUDGETS EXPAND FOR DIGITAL

The trend toward digital marketing continues. Sixty-five percent of B2B marketers said they would be “experimenting heavily” with digital in 2015. Within B2B verticals, the professional services (79 percent) and technology (69 percent) sectors were the most focused on digital marketing efforts.

The survey showed the healthcare and pharmaceutical vertical lags behind in the integration of digital into marketing programs – 44 percent of the healthcare respondents said digital and traditional marketing efforts are still separate.

Additionally, research released earlier this year from Conductor found approximately 65 percent of B2B marketers planned to spend more on digital efforts in 2015. About 28 percent of respondents said the increase in spend over the previous year would be significant – more than 25 percent.

All screenshots taken from “B2B Digital Trends 2015” report, July 2015.