The entire team at Motion has been excited to share the recent rankings published in B2B Marketing’s “2024 US Agency Benchmarking Report.” The annual report listed The Motion Agency as among the top 20 B2B agencies in the U.S. and, more importantly, the #8 fastest growing B2B marketing firm.
As pleased as we were to receive the accolade, we weren’t entirely surprised. Growth is our passion, after all. And we’ve found the best way for us to grow is by accelerating growth for our clients. Which sounds great, of course. But how exactly do we do that?
A necessary first step, we’ve found, is by maintaining a rich, real-time understanding of the B2B landscape. This requires nonstop monitoring of the marketplace to keep ahead of emerging trends and evolving tech. There’s a lot happening fast these days, so companies can’t afford to take their eyes off the road or their foot off the pedal, even for a second.
If you’re looking to accelerate your growth by more effectively connecting with your key customers, here are a few recent trends it may be wise to tap into.
1. The “toolbelt generation” has become increasingly comfortable with the trades.
There is a growing number of young people choosing to forgo college in favor of vocational schools that offer paid on-the-job training. According to a survey by New America, a Washington Think Tank, more than half of Gen Z respondents say it’s possible to get a well-paying job provided they can learn new skills.
This shift affects B2B marketers in two important ways. First, the personae of the primary purchasers will be evolving with this change. From manufacturing to construction to infrastructure and beyond, buyers will now have deeper, hands-on experience in many areas within their expertise. This includes significant product knowledge, along with greater understanding of the value of tools and/or accompanying services.
The second way this generational shift will affect B2B marketers is that many in this demographic are highly entrepreneurial, and many will have an eye on starting their own company. This will lead to expanded involvement, not just within the sales cycle, but across all business operations including technology, finance, marketing and HR.
2. A younger workforce expects a more seamless customer experience.
Regardless of where or how today’s workers are educated, they’re younger than they’ve been in recent memory. The role of the Boomer is changing, even if they haven’t been retiring in large numbers. Millennials and Gen Z are now the primary decision makers. And because they are so comfortable with technology, they expect a seamless customer experience. This has led to a reevaluation of traditional B2B purchasing processes and a greater emphasis on more modern, efficient solutions across all channels.
3. Personal interactions matter more than ever and will set you apart.
Make sure you are well positioned to gain access to customer preferences and insights. These will be critical to creating tailored communications around individual needs, interests and pain points. It is key to forming meaningful connections with your target audiences and driving more engagement and conversions. More importantly, it will set you apart from your competition as you build trust and loyalty with your best customers.
By considering these trends and implementing outreach strategies accordingly, you’ll be able to supercharge your marketing towards accelerating your growth. You’ll also be able to see incremental improvement in how changes in your messaging results in changes in behavior. This kind of ongoing optimization becomes the best pathway for generating high-quality leads and keeping more customers coming back for more of what you have to offer over a longer period of time.
