By Sachin Sharma
Looking at the transformation of B2B marketing this year, there’s one priority that stands out for me: creating content that buyers relate to. Especially in a market as diverse as India, there’s nothing more important than showing your audience that they matter to you. In the year ahead, as B2B marketers continue to prioritise ROI, those who pay equal importance to building trusted relationships will be truly successful.
Here are the big predictions that will chart the path to success in 2025:
Personalised, consistent storytelling will make your customer believe in your brand: This year, 76% of B2B CMOs in India have struggled to reach buyers due to competing demands. In the year ahead, marketers must closely listen to their audience, and pair this data with the power of AI to build personalised relationships that make your brand unforgettable. The antidote to ‘out of sight, out of mind’, is ‘always in sight, top of mind’. When your buyers see you constantly across touchpoints, they’ll eventually turn to you as a valuable brand that they can trust.
Video stories and expert voices will help buyers make purchase decisions: As per research, video content continues to dominate engagement among buyers. 66% of B2B buyers say their purchase decisions are often influenced by short-form videos. Going forward, video will be the B2B marketers’ go-to tool to educate buyers on complex concepts and make them see the value in their products and services. Bringing influential voices from the industry into the mix will further reassure buyers, encouraging them to engage with your brand.
CMOs will need to look beyond output and focus on building resilient teams: B2B marketers will need to build an arsenal of capabilities to balance customer expectations. Using soft skills like creativity supercharged with technical prowess, marketers will maximise the potential of AI to solve bigger business problems while constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation. As they do so, the CMO’s role will transcend from guiding teams to ensuring that these teams are able to navigate change seamlessly. As they master leadership, they must pair it with support from HR to cater to their teams’ challenges, answer questions, and provide upskilling opportunities to help them thrive in a technology-driven yet people-centric environment.
In a world that’s increasingly AI-driven, a more humanised approach to brand building will be critical in creating trusted relationships. An intentional approach to trust backed by purpose will elevate your brand’s reputation in the eyes of your customer, positioning it for long-term success.
The author is director, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, India.