B2B marketers are constantly trying to find new, innovative ways to attract their ideal customer.
What does that incessant search mean for traditional marketing approaches? Gone forever?
The answer is a resounding NO!
Instead, the traditional approaches are changing to suit the needs/preferences of the audience.
In this month’s blog we’ll highlight how certain marketing channels/tactics are changing, and how your business can adapt.
Let’s begin!
Thought Leadership
“The expression of ideas that demonstrate you have expertise in a particular field, area, or topic.”
Leveraging experience within your industry to generate engaging content for an audience has been around, well forever!
However, there have been some changes in the last few years. Here’s a few that stick out to us.
Channel Diversity: Many think of thought leadership as written content (articles, blogs, etc.). Instead, thought leaders are expanding to podcasts, video content, and creative ways to connect.
Artificial Intelligence: AI is infiltrating every level of business, and thought leaders are leveraging it too. Identifying new topics, data analysis, trend identification, etc.
Solution-Based: Every audience has problems to be solved (whether or not they know it). Establishing your business as a trusted advisor to the industry means proposing solutions to the big problems. This creates tangible value!
Just about every marketer (regardless of industry) uses email in some capacity.
As one of the most crowded channels out there, email trends over the last few years often seem more “iterative” than they are “innovative”.
However, one shift garnering attention in 2025 might be around to stay…
Interactive content.
While not completely new to the world of email, the utility of interactive content has grown due to AI. Collecting information from your audience (in the form of a survey or quiz) can be leveraged much faster than in the past.
The shorter the window from “new data input” to “revised marketing output”, the more impactful marketing content will be!
Emails with interactive content see a 73% higher click-to-open rate than static emails.
Direct Mail
Evolution of marketing tactics isn’t limited to just the digital realm, it’s also apparent in “physical” marketing tactics – like mail!
(New to direct mail? Click here)
Several trends have become apparent: Sustainability, Tracking/Analytics, Digital Integration, etc.
But the change that’s been catching our eye is hyper-personalization. And no, using your customer’s first and last name doesn’t count!
With more data to leverage, the bar has been raised significantly. Customers are expecting each piece of mail to feel unique and relevant to their needs/interest.
Data from direct mail marketing services reveals that personalized campaigns can boost response rates by up to 135%.
In a year where brand loyalty is set to decline, make each interaction count!
Website Optimization & Retargeting
It’s no secret that potential customers judge your business by the organization and intuitiveness of your website.
75% of users judge a company’s credibility by its website design!
It’s where they get information on your: product/service, real-world application, FAQs, etc.
So why aren’t businesses driving more customers to that medium?
The answer is often, a lack of structure around how to do it.
Enter website optimization – specifically retargeting.
This is a process whereby website visitor information is captured to support proactive marketing (and re-engagement) with potential customers.
These potential customers are more likely to respond than “cold” prospects. Mainly due to the combination of pre-existing brand awareness and the relevance/timeliness of the marketing message.
The proof of the effectiveness is in the numbers – 77% of marketers run retargeting campaigns to retrieve lost leads!
Conclusion
Each marketer has their own perspective on what trends are going to be the most impactful going forward.
The common thread? Effective decision-making is powered by reliable data.
And that’s where we come in.
Happy Marketing!
-The IDS Team
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