Anti-Predictions for B2B Marketers in 2015

The year is coming to a close, which means you’re probably very close to suffering from a dangerous syndrome we like to call “Trend/Prediction Fatigue.” In other words, you’ve read so many lists of 2014 trends and 2015 predictions that you’re about ready to crawl under your desk with a tin of cookies and not come out until Valentine’s Day. 

Here at Demandbase, we also have some thoughts about what’s coming next year. To change things up a bit, we decided instead to tell you what’s not going to happen.

2015 won’t be the year of anything — or everything

While some of the media have coined it the “year of marketing analytics,” other outlets deemed 2014 the “year of customer experience,” or the “year of the marketing cloud,” and more. In 2015, no single buzzword will emerge as the single priority for marketers. Instead, businesses will implement a number of more sophisticated and interlinked strategies offered by the marketing cloud platforms.

There will be no one dominant channel for marketers in 2015

Mobile, social, video and online will continue to be important components of a marketer's mix — if too much emphasis is put on one channel, opportunities are sure to be missed (we call this the “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket” rule).

No more noisy content in 2015

Given the explosive growth of content marketing, the web has become overly “noisy,” with too much content, around too many disparate topics, for marketers to actually reach and engage their target audiences. This noise will force marketers to re-think their approach to content marketing, using it as a surgical tool in their toolbox, rather than a spray and pray weapon in their arsenal. 

Sales and Marketing won’t be the only ones aligning in 2015 

Sales and marketing will continue to make an effort to align in 2015, but they won’t be the only ones. Organizational alignment is anticipated across the board, with IT, HR, and Finance also making alignment a priority for greater effectiveness in achieving company goals for the year.

Breaking old habits won’t be easy

With the rise of programmatic platforms and advanced targeting methods, digital advertising will be even more relevant for B2B marketers in 2015. While some brand marketers understand that blanketed, non-personalized strategies won’t work, a considerable percentage of marketers will struggle to break old habits and will continue to advertise across multiple networks, to multiple companies that are unlikely to convert to revenue.