As B2B companies shift how they evaluate and purchase solutions, aligning your marketing strategy with these changes is essential for success in 2024. The old “one-size-fits-all” approach to marketing, where companies push their agenda through ads, emails, and demos, is falling out of favor. Instead, the emphasis must be placed on understanding the buyer’s journey and creating value through content and trust-building.

“Too often, companies try to shoehorn prospects into their desired sales cycle, rather than adapting to how customers actually evaluate solutions,” says Liran Herlinger, a B2B marketing strategist. The need for marketers to rethink their approach is more critical than ever, as B2B buyers have evolved. In 2024, buyers are more informed, independent, and driven by their own research before contacting sales teams.

The Evolving B2B Buyer Journey

The modern B2B buyer loves to conduct their research and compare options before ever speaking to a sales representative. According to Pierre Herubel, an expert in B2B content strategy, buyers prefer to “self-educate” and want access to insightful content that helps them understand the solutions available. “Skipping straight to demand capture might seem efficient, but without building trust and awareness through demand creation, you’re missing the foundation that helps buyers make informed decisions,” Herubel explains.

As B2B marketers, it’s vital to respect this evolving journey. Attempting to rush the process or push for quick demos is no longer effective and often results in buyers flagging your outreach as spam. Instead, you need to develop a marketing strategy that aligns with how buyers actually behave today. “It’s all about creating value before trying to capture demand,” adds Vidhya Boopathi, a digital marketing strategist.

The Importance of Demand Creation

Herubel emphasizes a two-pronged approach: Demand Creation and Demand Capture. Demand creation focuses on building awareness, interest, and authority. This is the phase where you need to produce valuable, educational content, such as blog posts, podcasts, webinars, and case studies, that positions your brand as a thought leader in the space.

“Buyers crave education, not a hard sell,” Herlinger points out. The goal is to grow interest organically by understanding where your audience seeks insights and what type of information they need to move forward in their research. It’s a long-term play but one that pays off by nurturing potential buyers who already trust your brand when they are ready to engage with your sales team.

By running content programs and fine-tuning your messaging, marketers can build authority in their space. Companies that fail to prioritize demand creation will struggle to stay relevant in a market where buyers increasingly value information over immediate sales pitches.

Demand Capture: Turning Interest into Sales

While demand creation is about education and trust-building, Demand Capture focuses on transforming that interest into sales opportunities. This is where a well-structured system comes into play. Interested buyers won’t magically convert into customers; they need the right prompts at the right time.

“Optimizing your system for inbound demand is crucial,” says Matt Swain, a marketing expert. “You need to have a well-designed funnel that accommodates the buyer’s timeline, not your own.” This means ensuring that your website, social media, and other inbound channels are optimized for conversions while also engaging in warm outbound actions like retargeting and direct messaging.

Sophisticated attribution tools also play a role here, helping you understand where your leads are coming from and how to best nurture them. “You need to mix traditional attribution tools with self-attribution reporting to get a complete picture,” advises Herubel. This blended approach allows for a more accurate understanding of what’s driving conversions.

Balancing Creation and Capture

One of the common mistakes many companies make is over-emphasizing demand capture at the expense of demand creation. “The difference between being seen as spam and a trusted partner is in the details of how you engage,” says Mukesh Jangid, a business consultant. Focusing too heavily on the capture phase without first investing in creation can result in wasted resources and a frustrated customer base.

Understanding that B2B marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, is key to long-term success. “Reducing friction in demand capture and making the buyer’s journey intuitive and seamless is where the magic happens,” adds Kalyan LC, a fractional CMO. By balancing the need to create interest and authority before capturing leads, companies can position themselves as trusted advisors rather than pushy vendors.

2024 B2B Buyer Relies on Content to Guide Decisions

The modern buyer values control over their purchasing process and increasingly relies on content to guide their decision-making. “It’s all about understanding their process and adapting your strategy accordingly,” says Joud Altanji, a content marketing specialist.

Companies that succeed in B2B marketing will be those that can effectively align their demand creation efforts with the real-world behaviors of their buyers. “In 2024 and beyond, aligning your marketing with how buyers purchase is not optional—it’s mandatory,” Herubel asserts. By respecting the buyer’s journey and meeting them where they are, rather than forcing them into a premature sales conversation, B2B companies can build lasting relationships and, ultimately, drive more conversions.

Aligning your marketing with how B2B companies buy in 2024 requires a strategic balance of educating, nurturing, and engaging buyers throughout their journey. Marketers who adapt to these new realities will find themselves in a position of strength, while those who cling to outdated tactics will struggle to keep up.