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The other day was one of those beautiful, clear and sunny winter days. Sure it was cold, but with the sun beating down it felt like anything was possible. How do we have more days like that in our day-to-day lives, deal with anxiety and still focus on building B2B possibilities in 2022?

Give this song by Tom Petty a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week…

B2B – A New Era of Uncertainty?

Workin’ on a mystery? Goin’ wherever it leads?

The process of B2B tech buying is changing. This shift is partly due to the post-COVID changes in the marketplace and that many buyers, like many of us, find themselves with less time on their hands than ever before. So, what exactly has changed? Let’s take a look at some of the changes that have led to this shift.

  • With massive amounts of information on the internet, buyers can find almost anything they want to find about a product, technology, or service without ever having to speak to a representative.
  • The buying process has gained a new level of complexity, with many sales interactions being completely remote.
  • And there’s been a massive shift in the number of touchpoints between problem and solution, with buying interactions increasing from 16-17 pre-pandemic to 17-27 in the last year!

What the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on is a deep Era of Uncertainty that may very well last the rest of this decade.

So how do we deal with this as marketers?

Those now in charge of B2B tech purchases (often Millennials) care more about self-service, remote connectivity, data security, and privacy than previous buyers. These are the new concerns that have to be addressed, and they have to be addressed through passively provided information.

Hit cruise control when you provide good, direct information to your buyers. Allow them to discover that information on their own and make it easy for them to finalize purchases without having to go through a representative.

The B2B Metaverse?

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings is reportedly planning to acquire gaming smartphone manufacturer Black Shark in a move that could help the company build its own metaverse.

Tencent has stiff competition from other tech giants in a race to build the metaverse – namely from Meta (formerly known as Facebook). We’re definitely seeing a lot of expectations around metaverse technology plays.

What are your thoughts on metaverse as a B2B tool? Is there an application? How can we leverage this new medium to put the pedal down and make some time (and sales)?

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat