AI and Its Impact on B2B Marketing Trends for 2024

by Tom Snyder on Mar 14, 2024

As B2B marketing strategies continue to evolve with digital advancements and the rise of AI, it's crucial to approach these changes with a blend of enthusiasm and caution. I recently presented a cautionary treatise on Artificial Intelligence. Here, I follow up with a look at the latest trends for B2B but with a mindful eye on the specific potential risks of over-relying on AI, especially when it supplants human expertise. As I explore how leveraging AI effectively can enhance your B2B marketing efforts, I'll highlight the importance of maintaining the human touch in understanding and engaging your audience.

Trend One - Customer Journeys Created with AI

In the B2B sector, decision-makers increasingly rely on online research, completing 70% of their buying journey before contacting sales representatives. AI tools, such as IBM's Watson, facilitate personalized engagement and insights based on user behavior, enabling the creation of educational materials tailored to prospects' needs. These include AI-generated reports and personalized whitepapers designed for different stages of the buying process.

While integrating AI is vital, it's crucial to apply it thoughtfully to avoid generic content that may erode trust. The effectiveness of AI in customizing user journeys hinges on striking a balance between personalization and privacy, as highlighted by Econsultancy's analysis. Marketers should use AI to create content that educates and addresses specific needs at various stages of the buying journey, ensuring the quality and authenticity of AI-generated content to maintain credibility and trust with the audience.

Trend Two - Data-Driven Personalization

Data analytics has become a cornerstone of B2B marketing, transitioning from a mere trend to an essential practice. Data-driven personalization in B2B marketing, enhanced by AI tools as used in platforms like Marketo and HubSpot, is pivotal for increasing engagement and conversion rates. The ability to collect and analyze large amounts of data enables unparalleled personalization and targeting. Beyond traditional web analytics, current practices include AI and machine learning to extract deeper insights from data across various touchpoints.

Yet, there's a caveat. Over-reliance on data and AI can lead to communication that is blatantly obvious as a failed attempt to use AI to create familiarity. It takes a huge database and uses LinkedIn or other data to send thousands of cold, spam emails that are obviously automated and insincere.

Here are just a few examples of emails in my spam folder, most of which were sent there by Google, but some made it to my inbox for me to report:

"Hi Tom, I see "'Trivera Interactive Inc' uses leading Marketing Automation services."

"I was checking out your company online and I see that you're doing a sensational job with clients like MKE Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport & I know you're the perfect fit for us."

"I am writing to express my sincere interest in exploring a potential partnership between (a contract manufacturing company) and trivera smart design creative technology."

"I am checking your availability. Our leaders will be visiting Menomonee Falls,Wisconsin Area. They are interested in meeting with you to discuss briefly current technology trends, particularly our work with gen AI and other latest technologies."

"Your visionary leadership at Trivera Interactive since its inception in 1996 has set a benchmark in the industry. I am truly impressed by your enduring success and innovation."

"Hey Tom - I'll be in the Milwaukee area March 26 - 29 visiting our partners at (a Company in Santa Barbara) to celebrate their $140M acquisition by (a Chicago company)."

I have thousands more, but you get the idea. Patronizing, pseudo-personal, AI-generated content that recipients (and spam filters) can easily identify as such have a detrimental effect, eroding trust and the perceived diligence of the marketer. Marketers need to leverage AI for personalization judiciously, ensuring that the output resonates authentically with the target audience while upholding your privacy and trust.

Trend Three - Advanced SEO and Digital Presence

The importance of SEO is underscored by reports that 68% of online experiences start with a search engine. Modern SEO must adapt to mobile and voice search. Google's BERT algorithm, it's Multitask Unified Model (MUM) and Gemini are all examples of its commitment to advancing search technologies and algorithms. Companies adapting their SEO to these changes, like topic clusters and user intent, have seen significant traffic increases. This trend emphasizes the need for comprehensive on-page and technical SEO, along with long-tail keyword optimization for higher conversion rates.

SEO strategies must adapt to the rapid evolution of digital landscapes, taking into account the frequent updates of search engine algorithms and using all available tools to identify the opportunities and risks. While AI's role in SEO, such as in keyword analysis and content optimization, is becoming increasingly pronounced, caution is advised. Overreliance on AI for content creation can lead to generic, less engaging content that fails to resonate with human audiences and gets flagged by Google as AI created. Authenticity and relevance are key in SEO and digital presence; hence, a balance must be struck. AI should be used to enhance human creativity and understanding, not replace it. It's crucial to remember that effective SEO isn't just about trying to please algorithms but creating valuable, relevant content that genuinely addresses the needs and interests of your target audience. Employing AI responsibly in your SEO strategy ensures your content remains impactful, engaging, and most importantly, human centered.

Conclusion

In the 2024 B2B marketing landscape, informed decision-makers, data-driven personalization, and a robust digital presence are all paramount. While AI is also essential for effectively engaging with a B2B audience and guiding them through a sophisticated buying journey, over-reliance on AI can lead to impersonal, ineffective and even damaging tactics. It's vital to balance AI's capabilities with human intelligence, intuition, and experience. Unless you have someone on your team skilled in navigating the complexities of AI, an agency partner that can ensure that these powerful tools enhance, rather than replace, the irreplaceable human elements is essential for the success of your marketing campaigns.

About Tom Snyder

Tom Snyder - Trivera Tom Snyder, founder, president and CEO of Trivera, a 28-year-old strategic digital marketing firm based in suburban Milwaukee. Tom has been blogging since 1998, sharing the insight gained from helping businesses and organizations reinforce their brands by taking full advantage of digital and web technology as powerful tactics.