The last annual prediction article we wrote was at the end of 2019. We offered up a multitude of well thought-out ideas on what might be coming next in the world of B2B revenue generation for 2020. …And we all know what happened next! Everything we thought we knew changed and everyone’s speculations about what was to come got turned on their head. (Although, strangely enough, our predictions did mention the possible use of masks in the future, albeit for very different reasons.) After that experience, we were a little hesitant as a team to offer up our industry predictions for the coming year once more. But 2025 is the year when we’ve decided to get back at it and give you our annual predictions again!

A Recap of 2024

We can probably all agree that the biggest development of 2024 was the increased use of AI across a wide range of business activities, such as:

• Video and image production
• Social media
• Customer service
• Internal process development
• Data analysis

At the beginning of 2024 we didn’t know the full extent of what AI could do, and we still don’t! However, we’re starting to see more of what it’s capable of and how it may be used in the future.

Unfortunately, even AI hasn’t been able to bridge the gap that still exists between sales and marketing, which is a problem that has always challenged growth efforts for B2B organizations. In fact, 2024 likely saw a widening of this gap in some respects because with the constant proliferation of new technology possibilities, the likelihood of organizations being pulled in different directions internally has continued to increase. The crux of the issue is that not enough companies are utilizing an all-in-one platform to facilitate better alignment between sales and marketing. Instead, they are cobbling together solutions, which has resulted in siloed data and goals.

Now that we know what the landscape looks like now, let’s talk about what we think 2025 may hold in store for B2B sales and marketing to drive revenue generation!

What Will be The Biggest Trends to Watch in 2025?

All political insights these days seem to indicate that big changes are coming on the regulatory and policy side of things in 2025. There’s uncertainty around what this may mean for B2B companies, but what is clear is that digital trends, new technology, and ongoing innovation will continue to positively shape the B2B landscape.

The most important change happening right now is the evolution of AI across business activities. As AI continues to shape the way organizations do business and it will continue to impact SEO as well. Companies will need to embrace these changes, not run from them.

The most successful organizations will gain a competitive advantage by finding ways to leverage AI to do things like improve internal processes, analyze big data, deploy chatbots for 24/7 customer service, and create social posts to expand engagement.

And yet, while the rise of AI is generally regarded as the most important trend of 2025, the interesting part is that there’s a prevailing sentiment from customers that they do not want to overtly see AI being used. Instead, they largely still desire the personal touch that comes from interacting with a human, which means companies will need to respond by using AI in ways that aren’t especially obvious to their customer base. Human-based personalized content is still as desirable as it was before, which means an organization’s use of technology cannot be entirely hands off.

Video usage by brands will also continue to rise in 2025 with more short videos being produced to showcase everything from products and operations to clients and company culture. Video production is getting easier and less expensive as time goes on, making it more accessible to organizations of all sizes. With social media influencers having a growing impact on purchasing decisions making collaboration videos with well-known industry names will likely become more popular as well.

You may have already noticed this, but nothing that’s trending this year is entirely new. Things like AI, digital tools, video, and influencer marketing have been around for many years already, they’re just sticking around and continuing to enjoy their heyday as they grow in popularity. That’s why it’s so important to be open to new approaches that you may not have tried before and stay curious about how you can continue to improve what you’re already doing. Don’t get stuck on any one approach and don’t assume that what worked last year will continue to work this year!

What’s Dead for 2025?

What has become passé in 2025? Passing off AI generated content as your own! If you’re going to publish AI generated content, you need to disclose that. There are ethical and regulatory issues to consider when you’re using machine generated items to promote or represent your business. And, while you could just slap a label on everything that you used a machine to create to stay on the good side of compliance rules, the better solution is to ensure that everything you put out has a human component.

Remember, your customer is a person, not a machine, so they don’t want to interact solely with a machine. Your brand perception can suffer serious damage if your leads, customers, and ad partners feel like there’s not a person behind what you’re saying, doing, or selling. Use technology, but don’t replace people!

Will 2025 be a Boom or Bust for B2B?

Do today’s top trends pose a risk or provide an opportunity for B2B organizations? The truth is that they do both! The risk comes when B2B companies refuse to embrace any of today’s biggest shifts (or misallocate their resources into just one trend) and the opportunity comes when they leverage today’s prevailing trends to do something to grow their business. What B2B organizations do now will determine what 2025 (and 2026 for that matter) holds in store!

How Can Small-to-Mid-Sized Organizations Keep Up?

The future of B2B buying and selling may vary somewhat by industry, but the more important factor to consider is size. Clearly, a small or mid-sized company won’t have the same kind of resources as a large or enterprise-level organization. Small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMBs) need to invest the time into discovering what the best technology is for them so they can attempt to level the playing field with those larger players. Then, they need to align that with their goals and mission.

The worst thing they can do is to jump on a new trend if it doesn’t align with their business needs and goals. However, this requires a good understanding of the most foundational elements of their business. Companies that lack good foundational systems, processes, and platforms should get those areas in order before pursuing new revenue streams, marketing approaches, or sales initiatives. Understand the basics like who your customers are, what they want, the other options they have, how they buy, and which of your offerings are the most profitable. Don’t try to jump to “the next big thing” without having this figured out first.

One strategic way to set a firm foundation is to use a single platform across your entire business to bring sales and marketing onto the same page and keep them there. Digital customer hubs like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Oracle not only bring everything into one system but have embedded AI functionality to improve what you’re already doing.

And yet, technology isn’t the only component needed to stay competitive. Relationships will always be of paramount importance in B2B. Building and nurturing relationships is how smaller B2B organizations will fuel growth. As I explained in a article on B2B relationship management last year,

“Relationship building has not diminished in importance. In fact, it’s probably more important right now than ever before! With the increased siloing that we are seeing throughout our culture both personally and professionally, relationships in B2B sales are becoming even more valuable. Even with recent AI advancements we are still nowhere near the point of complex B2B sales eliminating the need for a conversation with a real person. And, as long as people are still buying from people, the relationship formed during the sales process will still be crucial to prioritize.”

This year it won’t be enough to do just one thing. B2B organizations will need to be able to do it all – firm up foundational business elements, pursue new trends that show growth potential, and prioritize relationship building.

How Should You Prepare for Success?

Now that you know what you need to do, how do you get started? The answer is simple: just start!

Don’t just run out and spend tens of thousands of dollars on something tomorrow but get started now on researching what you’ll need and what it will take to implement it well. Develop a plan and then use new tools to expand and build on that plan. Even if you’re only doing industry research once a week while eating your lunch, start looking at today’s emerging trends, talk to people, join a business organization, and get involved in your local business community. The more you learn the more information you’ll have to evaluate what is going to be the best fit.

Some business owners are afraid of AI but if you don’t realize that your competitors are likely already using it, then you’ll be left behind. You can’t wait until something like AI is perfected because it never will be, and you’ll miss out on leveraging what it can do for you now!

When you need strategic revenue guidance, we can help! We offer fractional Chief Revenue Services to organizations that need less-than-full-time sales and marketing leadership. Our approach seeks to build new revenue streams and grow existing revenue profitably and sustainably. Contact us to start a conversation!