Here are some key charts taken from our latest B2B Digital Trends report in association with Adobe, highlighting four areas of focus right now. 

Playing catch up on content optimization 

While the below chart shows content optimization to be the biggest digital priority for B2B organizations in 2016, it is interesting to note that this was top for B2C marketers two years ago.

Today, while optimization still remains important for B2C, personalization and targeting have taken precedence.

If this is anything to go by, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see B2B marketers citing the same in 12 to 24 months down the line. 

For now, catching up on optimization remains the most pressing matter, as does marketing automation, in part reflecting the continued importance of email campaigns.

Data-driven marketing will be key

Looking even further into the future, it appears that B2B marketers aren’t thinking too much in terms of technology innovation or major channel shifts. 

Rather, they foresee improvement within a current area of opportunity – data. 

More specifically, mastering the tools needed to analyse customer data correctly and optimize the customer experience.

While B2B marketers clearly understand the opportunity data presents, many companies report barriers due to lack of training, resources and involvement from management.

Implementing a strategy to underpin CX

With optimising customer experience cited as the most exciting opportunity now and in five years – what are the elements needed to achieve it?

On a scale of one to five, 50% of marketers rank strategy as ‘most important to success’.  

While the aforementioned element of data is crucial to developing compelling customer experiences, it is likely to be lost without an overarching strategy to guide decision-making.

Optimising across multiple touchpoints

Lastly, we can see that a big priority for B2B marketers is bringing together all of the above, combining them to create a seamless experience for customers across all channels.

Despite a lack of focus on mobile, delivering a consistent message across all customer touchpoints is still thought to be most important priority.

For lots more information, download the full B2B Digital Trends report.