B2B Tech Marketing Strategies in 2022: What to Expect

New year, same challenges. As we kickoff 2022, we continue to deal with labor shortages, COVID and an uncertain economy. As marketers, we also face big growth targets.

You might think to yourself: “Well one of these things is not like the other.” And you’d be right in a sense. Despite the continued uncertainty, Corporate Ink’s pulse survey of executives and marketing leaders found that 88% are still planning for growth in 2022. More than half of the respondents expect to grow by at least 20%.

How is this growth being achieved? Where should you invest? Do you have the marketing skills, capacity and resources necessary to hit your goals?  

Corporate Ink’s survey report releasing on January 13^th will have the answers to those questions and more. For now, we offer you a sample-sized bite of information from that report.

Marketing Planning Kickoff: Begin with Priorities and Budgets

Setting priorities is crucial. Do you put all your eggs in one basket and prioritize lead generation, or should you focus on other value drivers, like brand awareness and competitive differentiation?

Our survey found that lead generation was the top marketing priority for 2022. Increasing brand awareness and improving pipeline conversions rounded out the top three.  

Prioritizing correctly makes it easier to hit your business objectives and budget effectively. Where are you peers investing in 2022? Here’s a snapshot:

• 72% plan to increase content marketing investments – with 52% saying they plan to increase budgets significantly

• 72% also plan to increase PR investments – with 32% planning a significant budget increase and 40% planning a moderate increase

• 68% plan to increase investments in paid digital

• 64% plan to increase investments in video

Content Marketing Reigns Supreme Again

Content is king. You know it. We know it. Everybody knows it. But producing blog after blog and social graphic after social graphic can get tiresome and dull. It’s important to bring fresh content ideas and approaches to the table.

In 2022, more marketing teams will invest in engaging and interactive content. Blogs and social graphics will continue in 2022 of course, but marketing leaders will push the envelope with content that is refreshing, differentiated and bold.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with new types of content and try something that you have never done before – like an interactive maturity model or podcasting. It could end up being the best piece of content you produce. Even if it’s not, you will learn from the outcome.

What types of content marketing strategies are in-demand for 2022? Well, according to our respondents, data-driven content such as market surveys, research and use of proprietary data is the best way to elevate content programs (64% of respondents). Interactive content followed closely behind at 60%.

PR Shows Its True Colors

PR has always been a key enabler for high-growth tech organizations – and in the past couple of years, the function has continued to grow in importance. There are several key factors driving larger PR investments, including the shift away from in-person events, competitive dilution, oversaturation on digital and a society that struggles to trust.

Our survey found that the majority of respondents will be increasing their PR budgets in 2022. Similarly, increasing brand awareness and value is a top two marketing priority for 2022, behind only lead generation.

The respondents surveyed by Corporate Ink identified four primary ways PR creates value for their organizations: brand value and awareness (72%), market education (60%), competitive differentiation and market trust (52%) and sales demand (52%).

In addition, marketing leaders will rely on PR experts in 2022 to drive non-marketing business objectives such as hiring and retaining talent, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, and more.

The Great Resignation Forces Your Hand

Speaking of hiring and retaining talent, is there a hotter topic right now? A perfect storm has erupted due to the fusion of marketers planning to leave their jobs and employers looking to hire. And like any great storm, this one has a name: The Great Resignation.

The Great Resignation has left many marketing teams with skill gaps to fill. Corporate Ink prompted respondents to tell us which skills were most in-demand for their teams. The results:

• Messaging, positioning and storytelling – 56%
• Campaign development and strategy – 44%
• Writing and content development – 36%

This section revealed some of the most interesting findings of the report. Where are teams looking to develop internal skills versus where are they looking to outsource? Are they more focused on technical, strategic or positioning?

If you are setting out on a strategic marketing journey for 2022, there’s no better place to start than Corporate Ink’s survey report, which will be available for download on January 13^th. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the report, please fill out the form below, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for more updates.