See the future of B2B marine marketing. You will discover: - How marketing in the marine industry is continuing to evolve - Our top 10 predictions for 2016 - Marine specific advice for gaining an edge with your B2B marketing

1. maboxmarine.com
The future of B2B
marine marketing
Our top 10 predictions for 2016

2. Driven by increasingly sophisticated technology,
B2B marketing continues to evolve at a rapid pace.
So what’s coming next?
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To help you prepare for the
new opportunities facing marine
industry marketing, here are our
top 10 B2B trend
predictions for 2016.

4. 1. Big data keeps growing
Big data keeps on getting bigger. In 2016, B2B
companies will continue to use their data to create
personalised content for their customers/prospects.
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5. Historically slow to adopt new practices, the
marine sector is behind with B2B techniques that
use big data to win business. Maritime companies
that employ big data effectively will push ahead;
however, it is not just about the data, it is as much
about knowing which questions to ask.
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6. 2. Be mobile-responsive
90% of B2B buyers already use
smartphones to research business
purchases. Mobile browsing is set
to further increase in 2016.
90%
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With nearly half (44%) of the top 100 maritime
websites now being responsive, mobile interaction
is becoming a key requisite of marine marketing.

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3. Stop selling. Start guiding.
Overt selling is over. No one’s buying it anymore.
2016 will see salespeople becoming advisers.
Sales will be achieved by recommending options,
not pushing products.

9. 9
Across the marine industry, many transactions
are relationship-based. These now need to be
nurtured. Buyers do not want to be sold to,
they want to be guided.

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4. Content marketing continues
to drive purchase decisions
Today, 70% of buyers' journeys are complete before
they contact vendors. So 2016 is set to be another
year where the winning vendors will impress prospects
early with content addressing specific business issues.

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With the marine industry traditionally averse
to change, firms who embrace content
marketing will get a head start.

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5. Listening-led marketing
Many businesses make the mistake of talking
about themselves, rather than listening to customer
needs. However, in 2016, listening-led marketing
will prevail – enabling marketeers to address
specific customer issues.

13. 13
Due to long-term maritime relationships, companies
have a great opportunity to ask questions and adapt
their activity accordingly.

14. 6. Get moving with video marketing
The way buyers consume information has been
changing. Reading brochures is being replaced by
viewing websites and videos. Multimedia will continue to
be the dominant platform for delivering content in 2016.
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15. To stay ahead – providing prospects with information
in the format they prefer – marine vendors should
integrate video into their 2016 marketing.
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16. 7. Get personal
Recent surveys reveal that for over
55% of their decisions, executives rely
on emotion. In other words, businesses
must treat buyers as individuals, rather
than faceless companies.
55%
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17. For the marine industry, longstanding relationships
are common. Vendors can take advantage of this
to translate the power of one-to-one exchanges
into one-to-many communications.
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18. 8. Ensuring employees are on-message
Employees now have online profiles. This makes
them part of PR. Negative messaging can reflect
badly on the company while positive messaging
creates interest and trust.
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19. As marine buyers embrace today’s networked world,
2016 will see those vendors who manage employees'
online platforms (eg LinkedIn) gaining an edge.
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20. 9. Turn up the volume with paid
amplification
As more firms utilise content marketing, the need to
reach large numbers of prospects becomes paramount.
In 2016, many will use paid amplification, including
sponsored posts and banner ads.
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21. Investing in amplification is a great opportunity
for marine vendors who want to be heard in an
increasingly noisy market.
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22. 10. Dare to share
B2B businesses are establishing eco-systems of
complimentary resources. Sharing information
strengthens brand relevance, creates thought-leadership
and widens opportunities.
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23. For the marine industry, abandoning traditional
competitive boundaries will be a challenge.
But in 2016, vendors who embrace this could
watch others slide into the sidelines.
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Here to help
» we're the B2B specialist agency for the marine industry
» our content marketing expertise encompasses every B2B
discipline – we can ensure shipping industry vendors stay
relevant and competitive by keeping up with the latest
trends in attracting and converting prospects
» with our cost-effective skills, you can differentiate your
brand and generate sales
+44 208 735 9115
tim@mabox.co.uk
maboxmarine.com
@Mabox_Marine
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