Conclusion: A year of change for the revenue team

What's on the horizon in 2021?

There’s no doubt that 2020 was a year of transformation for sales and marketing in B2B. But was it as challenging as some reports might suggest?

With the pandemic forcing a change in strategy, marketers and salespeople did what they do best - adapted. What emerging trends have our respondents identified?

Contrary to many a headline, email is not dead. In fact, it’s very much alive and well, coming out as the top lead generation tool from both sales and marketing.

That begs the question: are traditional channels the ones becoming extinct? Not just yet, but we can certainly see the growth of online over traditional lead generation channels.

However, although online channels have seen significant growth over the past year, this brought with it a huge challenge: data quality. Sourcing quality data has become a huge issue that B2B organizations need to consider in 2021. We anticipate that quality, rather than quantity, will become the number one driver for data-based lead generation over the next 12 months.

And, in keeping with quality, where does content stand?

“Content is king” or so they say, but is the crown slipping? Quite the opposite - content’s crown has been cemented in place. Content marketing was a huge growth area in 2020, with the majority of marketers dedicating their budgets to it in 2021.

Events budgets have also been reallocated for 2021 and many are being spent on virtual events. This highlights how the pandemic has led to a growth of virtual strategies as much of the business world was forced online.

With the pandemic forcing a change in strategy, marketers and salespeople did what they do best - adapted.

Another trend that is likely to grow in 2021 is personalization. Our respondents identified its importance but they also highlighted how tricky it can be to implement. A greater focus will be required this year to really make personalization work for marketers and salespeople alike.

As we’ve seen throughout our report, trends that have been growing for a while accelerated in 2020. Digital roadmaps had to come to life...and fast. Networking moved from in-person mingling to virtual/online events, and online mediums dominated.

With the uncertainty of COVID-19’s lingering presence and everyone being way beyond “the new normal”, it remains to be seen as to whether these trends are here to stay or just a temporary realignment.