A recent headline in The New York Times sums it up perfectly: “The virus has changed the way we internet.” The off- and on-line worlds have undergone a seismic shift, with significant impacts for B2B marketing. In this blogpost, we cover some recent findings from HubSpot, including those in HubSpot’s “Not Another State of Marketing Report,” a mid-year look at the current state of marketing, including new developments and emerging trends for 2020. (The full HubSpot report is available as a download at the end of this blogpost.)

Is demand generation the most important part of the B2B marketer’s job? Well, you might say so – because if there isn’t any demand for your product or solution, there’s no point to the rest of your marketing activities.

Once you decide that you want to develop a community for your customers, what’s the next step? You can start by answering these questions:

Is your primary B2B marketing goal to drive sales? Probably – but unless you define it more specifically, it may be hard to achieve. Eighty-five percent of B2B marketers cite lead generation as their most critical marketing goal. But to choose the goals that are most relevant for your organization – whether it’s B2B lead generation, closing sales, or improving customer satisfaction - you need to start from an in-depth understanding of your organization and the environment in which you’re operating.