Gone are the days when traditional marketing strategies were enough; today’s brands must be creative and innovatively showcase their unique value to gain a significantly larger market share.

2023 is set to bring some significant changes in the world of B2B marketing, both in terms of anticipated economic instability and a shift from traditional marketing channels. Customer centricity and building solid relationships will be the top priorities, with AI-based chatbots taking the lead in enhancing customer experiences. 

According to Ross Graber, Principal Analyst at Forrester and co-author of its annual predictions, B2B marketing trends in 2023 will focus on customer health, personalized interactions, and value creation across all customer lifecycle stages. 

Businesses must adapt to these changes to stay ahead of the game or risk being left behind. 

Now is the time to embrace the power of B2B growth hacking.

B2B marketing trends to keep on your radar in 2023

Experts predict these significant changes in the B2B landscape for this year:

• Less investment in paid advertising: Due to policy and customer behavior changes, traditional strategies like paid advertising could become less effective. Without paid advertising, companies will have to rely more on organic reach and alternative marketing tactics such as B2B content marketing, email marketing, and influencer marketing. 

• Higher investment in influencer marketing:  According to a HubSpot report, 89% of marketers currently using influencer marketing will increase or maintain their investment in 2023, while 17% plan to invest for the first time. The shift towards micro- and nano-influencers stems from their ability to drive more authentic and relevant content and humanize brands.

• Prioritizing customer health metrics: More B2B marketing leaders will prioritize customer health in 2023, with 33% of CMOs planning to use customer-related metrics to assess progress and scale engagement programs. This focus on customer health could lead to improved customer targeting and more effective retention, cross-selling, and upselling efforts of B2B marketing ideas.

• More focus on client referral and loyalty programs: Client referrals and loyalty programs can significantly impact the 2023 B2B landscape by generating valuable leads and increasing customer retention. These programs are more likely to succeed in filling the top of the funnel, carrying virtually no incremental costs and working perfectly for the B2B market. 

• Build demand generation: One of the most sought B2B marketing ideas, demand generation lets companies focus on building brand awareness and generating reliable leads. By 2023, demand teams reporting into sales are expected to increase to 20%, indicating the increasing importance of demand generation in the B2B marketing landscape.

• Building long-term relationships with subject matter experts (SMEs): Building long-term strategic relationships with subject matter experts (SMEs) will be a significant B2B marketing trend in 2023, with some marketing leaders already investing in this area. 

Engaging multiple SMEs and considering content development as a long-term partnership based on trust can also lead to better outcomes. Asking specific questions, valuing SMEs’ knowledge, and establishing that both parties’ roles are equally important from the outset can create a good relationship between both parties.

• More AI-driven technologies and platforms: AI has transformative capabilities to revolutionize business operations. Moreover, AI is expected to alter our sense of time and how social interactions are conducted, affecting businesses’ marketing activities and customer engagement. It’s worth noting that AI is not about replacing humans but rather using technology to bring out the best in people and create new organizational structures that drive innovation and growth.

• The shift from channel marketing to robust partner ecosystem marketing functions: Partner ecosystem marketing will play a critical role in the evolution of the B2B marketing strategy. Microsoft’s partner ecosystem already influences over 95% of its commercial revenue, highlighting the importance of a strong partner network. As B2B channels transition towards an indirect ecosystem of affiliates, advocates, alliances, and referral partners, businesses that invest in building thriving partner ecosystems will have a competitive advantage.

6 game-changing B2B marketing hacks to win in 2023

B2B growth hacking is a process that uses rapid testing and data analysis to improve customer and revenue growth, with a focus on collaboration, data, and experimentation. It combines product development, analytics, and online marketing to generate, prioritize, and test ideas for rapid business growth. 

The advantage of B2B growth hacking is that it allows for an innovative, unconventional, or bold marketing approach that anyone with some planning and research can employ. 

Look at the top 6 B2B SaaS growth hacks for quick results. 

1. Create channel-specific and shareable content: An automated omnichannel strategy that considers the differences between each platform can support effective communication with customers and drive brand awareness. 

B2B content marketing that demystifies complex topics and builds trust with buyers can drive traffic and sales. 71.6% of internet users search for brand information on social platforms. Validating the audience’s opinions and creating shareable content that reinforces those opinions can also help to drive engagement and social sharing. 

2. Explore API and app integrations: With APIs, businesses can build software applications and specify how they interact with one another. This allows for developing native app integrations, which connect marketing automation tools with other platforms. 

Using the power of both native app integrations and APIs, businesses can rapidly develop B2B integrations for centralized visibility across all transactions, end-to-end monitoring of enterprise performance, and enhanced security. 

3. Offer free product trials: One of the most neglected B2B marketing tips, offering a free version of the product or service can work positively. According to Gartner, product demonstrations and free trials are the most valuable form of content for new users to understand a product’s value and can help convert users to paying customers.

By providing a free trial, businesses can allow potential customers to try their product or service without the risk of a financial commitment and use the trial period to demonstrate the value of their offering. 

4. Build a valuable referral program: B2B referral programs generate valuable leads for 78% of marketers, with 54% reporting a lower cost per acquisition. This is especially true for B2B purchases, which are usually larger and have a longer sales cycle, making a trusted recommendation very influential.

Through referral programs, businesses can streamline the sharing process, track all referrals, and automatically reward them for sharing.

5. Leverage the power of live streams: Live streaming is not only popular among consumers for self-entertainment, but it is also emerging as an important B2B marketing trend to reach a wider audience. The online influence economy is growing, and influencers’ live-streaming schedules are found to influence consumer purchasing intentions. In fact, by 2023, it is forecasted that there will be 163.4 million live video viewers in the US alone.

Companies can use live streams to showcase their products or services, conduct live events, engage with their audience in real-time, and improve brand visibility. With the increasing demand for live content, businesses that effectively leverage live streaming will have a competitive advantage in their respective markets.

6. Collect customer reviews: Approximately 48% of website visitors do not engage deeper with any marketing collateral after visiting the primary landing page of a SaaS company’s website. This shows that SaaS providers can optimize lead conversion rates by improving their website’s user experience.

One of the best SaaS growth hacks, collecting customer reviews can significantly impact B2B marketing in 2023. Positive reviews can create goodwill between the company and its clients and be used as sales collateral, increasing the chances of converting new customers. 

92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review. Modern B2B sales and marketing teams can leverage the power of product reviews to make better decisions and achieve continued success in the coming years.

B2B marketing hacks in action: 3 B2B marketing examples to learn from

A growth hack involves developing innovative customer acquisition, activation, and retention strategies while keeping expenses low. With growth hacking, many brands have gone from $0 to millions. 

Given below are some impressive B2B marketing examples to inspire your next strategy:

• Hubspot: Hubspot made marketing automation a household name by using one of the most innovative growth hacking tricks ever: offering a free version of their tool. Coupled with this, the company also generously shared free advice through its blog. The result of these ingenious moves? Over 100,000 paying users and over $1 billion in annual revenue. 

• Groove: By overcoming financial strife and a lack of marketing funds, the Groove customer service platform achieved a colossal increase in revenue from $100,000 per month to an impressive $5 million per year through B2B content marketing. Groove’s trademark approach involved creating rich and valuable content that resonated with its intended audience. Their efforts were rewarded with a whopping 250,000 daily visitors and a $500,000 MRR.

• Dropbox: The renowned SaaS brand Dropbox skyrocketed to success through referral marketing. At their launch, they gamified their referral program by offering 250MB of bonus storage space for every person they invited to join. This clever tactic proved a game-changer, propelling Dropbox to now have a massive 15.8 million paying customers and an annual revenue of nearly $2 billion. 

Final Words

B2B and SaaS companies are turning to B2B growth hacking to acquire and retain customers without breaking the bank. This innovative approach is all about using analytics, creativity, and strategic thinking to outpace competitors and achieve sustainable growth. But it’s not as simple as just throwing some tactics at the wall and calling it a day. Like any strategy, growth hacking requires a thoughtful and thorough approach to be successful. If done right, however, it can be a game-changer for B2B companies.

Want to focus your marketing efforts and increase your company’s revenue? Let Marketboats Consulting help you! 

Our insight-rich lead generation, enrichment, and qualification services will identify, nurture, and prepare high-potential leads while removing unqualified ones. Say goodbye to wasted resources and hello to a more practical approach. 

Get in touch with us today!