If products are to be marketed successfully, marketing plays a decisive role. However, this also applies to industrial SMEs, for whom measuring the success of marketing activities is a major challenge. This is shown by the results of a trend study conducted by the Bundesverband Industrie Kommunikation (bvik), which highlights trends in the field of marketing.
The results of the latest bvik survey clearly show that the direct involvement of the marketing department in central strategic decision-making processes is considered essential, with an approval rate of 92 per cent.
„Companies miss out on great economic opportunities if the interfaces between marketing, communication, sales and HR are not utilised at the highest level. The company-wide challenges require a holistic approach at the highest management level - networked and focussed on a common goal.“
Ramona Kaden, Managing Director of the bvik
However, the holistic approach is only successful if Company data of all kinds are brought together, analysed and made tangible for everyone. 86 per cent of the study participants see this as an important lever. „In order to utilise the potential of existing data profitably, it is important to sustainably break down the silo mentality within the company so that the integration and interpretation of available information can bring the greatest possible benefit from an overall corporate perspective,“ sales and marketing expert Prof. Dr Nicole Klein is convinced.
What has long been common practice in the consumer sector will remain one of the biggest challenges for industrial SMEs in 2024, according to 73 per cent of those surveyed: the Measuring the success of marketing activities and targeted control on the basis of customer activities. Although established key figures are widely available, there is often a lack of internal company benchmarks, clear dashboards and the derivation of targeted, success-orientated measures, according to the participants.
„The results underline the increasing Importance of new technologies, data-driven strategies and the balance between proven marketing practices and innovative approaches in B2B marketing,“ explains Prof Dr Seon-Su Kim, the academic supervisor of the study. SMEs urgently need to catch up when it comes to AI in particular: „Generative AI is disruptive, especially in marketing. The bvik trend theses show that half of the companies are ‚embracing‘ these changes. The other half seem to have uncertainties that we should work together to overcome in order to exploit the full potential of this technology,“ analyses Prof. Dr Uwe Kleinkes, Head of the Technical Management and Marketing course at Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences.
„Our aim is to analyse current trends in the B2B context from our neutral position and assess their relevance for the B2B sector. This enables us to enable companies to integrate these findings into their marketing strategies in order to successfully meet changing requirements. In our view, building up expertise and knowledge in teams at high speed is the order of the day for 2024.“
Ramona Kaden
Source: bvik
