The MarketingProfs team convened a virtual roundup of marketing expert friends to get their take on trends and predictions that CMOs will need to be aware of to succeed in 2021.

Here’s what they predict.

1. A long-term approach is the Miracle-Gro that B2B brands need to thrive

Ann Handley
Chief content officer, MarketingProfs

In 2021, one-off B2B marketing programs are permanently choked off so that true relationships can thrive. We reward the companies that have been there for us in these weird times.

Marketers will need to (a) refine what the customer needs from us right now from a content, service, and product point of view; (b) lead with empathy—not regular, garden-variety empathy… but pathological, focused, extreme empathy; (c) find creative ways to enhance/improve customer interactions to make them memorable; and (d) avoid delivering a disjointed customer experience. (I call this the business equivalent of a “Zoom mullet”: Your business is perfectly presentable from one perspective, but a hot mess from another perspective.