Staying Adaptable

Everyone has an opinion of what marketing communications will look like in the future. It’s a lot to wrap your mind around, especially when the pace of technological change happens with lightening speed.

So, what are some things to look for in B2B markets? Two broad trends stand out:

1. More and more people will depend on smaller handheld devices to get information. That means marketing communications and email messages – with all of their graphics and attachments – will need to work on these mobile platforms. If your customers and prospects can’t access the messages, they will simply delete them, and you won’t make that connection.
2. The lines between marketing communications, customer service and technical support will blur as more people use wireless and handheld devices. Engineering and maintenance personnel, for example, will depend on a handheld wireless device to access technical information for onsite work. If you provide online support, your ability to work in this environment will be part of your marketing effort as well as part of your business model.

For most B2B marketing, the messages will be the same and info about your customers and products will be the same. There will always be a problem to solve, a solution and a benefit. Marketers will need to adapt to all media and communications platforms to deliver those messages. And it will be our job to make sure each one delivers the message.