Content will always be king, we know that will never change. But there are plenty of new trends and developments shaping content marketing as we wind up 2019, and look toward a new year. These are some of the directions, ideas and trends in content marketing that we think are key for 2020.

New technologies and trends continue to push the envelope for B2B marketers. Here’s a look at some of the digital marketing trends and technology developments to watch in 2020.

The end of the year is approaching, which means it’s time to take a look forward, and consider which B2B marketing developments are going to have a big impact in 2020. These are three marketing trends you’ll want to keep on your radar for the coming year.

In our previous blogpost, we looked at the reasons why the best marketing strategies now are digital, and how to shift to an inbound focus with your marketing programs. In this post, we drill down into best practices for your key digital marketing tools – website, online content, social media and email programs – with specific suggestions on how you can apply these best practices to your marketing strategies.

Let’s face it, in 2019 the best marketing strategies for B2B are digital marketing strategies. In the past, the marketing plans we created might have included a small section on digital, outlining how we’d manage our website and maybe try some social media, in addition to all the traditional marketing tools. Now, our marketing strategies are primarily digital, with maybe a few traditional tools (like brochures, trade show booths, flags and banners, etc.) included in the mix.

Well, if you haven’t already got an inbound marketing strategy in place, you strongly need to consider one. Inbound marketing is a highly-effective, customer-centric approach to lead generation, which will revolutionize your sales and marketing activities.

When you decide to build or refine your corporate narrative, you’re not starting from zero. Unless you’re launching a startup, you have a basic version of your corporate narrative already. When someone asks what you do, and where you work, you don’t have to think about your answer: “I’m a sales rep for a pharma company”, or “I handle marketing for a medical device manufacturer.” And everyone at your company, from your receptionist to your CEO, has their own tailored version: “I manage customer support for our hospital customers” or “I develop software for a mammography system.” These statements are short and sweet, and they get the message across.

Do you need a corporate narrative? As B2B marketers, we’re all storytellers, shaping and sharing the stories of our companies, customers and products. But there’s another story that is just as integral to your organization’s success. Your corporate narrative is much larger in scope than the stories you tell about your company’s innovations, or your customers. It’s not your mission statement, and it’s not a history of your company and its rise to success. Instead, your corporate narrative explains nothing less than who you are, and how you are changing the world. There isn’t a fixed beginning or end, as this story is still evolving.

New branding opportunities in the digital age How has B2B branding changed in the digital age? Well, what you used to be able to convey with a logo, some colors and a font now needs to compel across multiple platforms and mediums, over which you have varying degrees of control. From review websites to comments on social media, your brand is constantly being defined and re-defined, and it’s a lot harder as a marketer to direct the process. And consider that the smartphone is emerging as one of the most popular mediums for B2B research. According to a recent study by Google and the Boston Consulting Group1 , 50% of B2B search queries are made on smartphones today, and that number is expected to grow to 70% by 2020. So your branding has to work very hard – on a very small screen. So how do you keep a tight rein on your brand, and at the same time stand out in the multichannel universe? Here are some points to consider in strengthening your brand in the digital age: