The last five years have forced B2B marketers to rethink nearly every aspect of how they reach and engage their audience. What worked in 2019 doesn’t necessarily work in 2025, and the pandemic only accelerated trends that were already in motion.
Trade shows, once a cornerstone of B2B engagement, took a massive hit in 2020. While some have returned, they’re struggling to recapture their former impact. Meanwhile, direct marketing has faced new challenges—many professionals are working remotely, making it nearly impossible to target them by business address or IP.
For marketing leaders at mid-size companies, this shift requires more than just adjusting tactics. It demands a fundamental change in how they think about audience engagement and, just as importantly, how sales and marketing teams work together.
The Decline of Traditional Trade Shows and the Rise of Digital Engagement
Pre-2020, trade shows were where deals happened. They were efficient—hundreds (or thousands) of potential buyers, partners, and vendors all in one place. But when in-person events disappeared overnight, companies had to find new ways to connect.
Now, even as trade shows return, they don’t hold the same weight. Attendance is lower, and the buying cycle has shifted. B2B decision-makers have gotten comfortable researching, networking, and even closing deals without ever setting foot in a convention center.
How marketers should adapt:
- Trade shows should be part of an omnichannel strategy, not the entire strategy.
- Use virtual and hybrid event formats to engage audiences before, during, and after the show.
- Invest in personalized digital outreach to connect with attendees (and non-attendees) meaningfully.
- Ensure sales teams are aligned with marketing efforts—CRM integrations like HubSpot and Salesforce can track engagement before, during, and after events to streamline follow-ups.
Direct Marketing in a Remote-First World
For years, direct mail and IP-based targeting were go-to strategies for reaching decision-makers. But now, with professionals working from home or hybrid setups, those tactics have lost effectiveness.
You can’t rely on a corporate mailing address or assume a business IP represents the right audience. The entire concept of "business hours" has changed, too—decision-makers engage with content at different times, on different devices, in different locations.
How marketers should adapt:
- Shift from IP-based targeting to first-party data and intent-based marketing.
- Leverage LinkedIn and other professional networks where B2B audiences actively engage.
- Invest in account-based marketing (ABM) strategies that focus on engaging high-value prospects across multiple touchpoints.
- Use sales and marketing automation tools to keep messaging consistent—when marketing generates leads, sales should have visibility into previous touchpoints to continue the conversation seamlessly.
Marketing and Sales Alignment: The Key to B2B Success
One of the biggest shifts in B2B marketing over the last five years isn’t just about channels—it’s about collaboration. The traditional handoff from marketing to sales no longer works. Buyers expect a seamless experience, whether they’re interacting with an ad, downloading a white paper, or speaking to a sales rep.
To make this happen, marketing and sales teams need to be integrated at the data level. Platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce allow for real-time tracking of leads, engagement, and customer interactions.
How marketers should adapt:
- Ensure marketing and sales teams are using shared data and insights rather than operating in silos.
- Use lead scoring and automation to prioritize the most engaged prospects for sales outreach.
- Implement multi-touch attribution to understand which marketing efforts drive real revenue.
- Align content with sales enablement—marketing should create materials that directly support sales conversations and objections.
Content Needs to Do More Than Capture Attention—It Needs to Drive Action
The shift to digital-first B2B marketing has flooded buyers with content. Webinars, white papers, reports, and LinkedIn posts are everywhere. The problem? Much of it is forgettable.
Marketing leaders need to ensure their content doesn’t just add to the noise. Instead of producing more content, focus on making better content—content that is relevant, actionable, and directly tied to business needs.
How marketers should adapt:
- Focus on quality over quantity—fewer, more impactful pieces of content are better than churning out generic content.
- Align content with specific stages of the buying process. What does your audience need at each step?
- Make it easy for potential buyers to take the next step, whether it’s a demo, a consultation, or another high-value action.
- Leverage CRM insights to create content that addresses real objections and questions from leads.
The Bottom Line
B2B marketing is no longer about forcing prospects into a pre-set funnel—it’s about meeting them where they are. The shift away from traditional trade shows and direct marketing requires new thinking, but it also presents opportunities to engage audiences more effectively.
The companies that succeed in 2025 and beyond will be those that embrace change, integrate marketing and sales, and continuously adapt their strategies to meet evolving buyer behaviors.
Are you ready for what’s next?
Accountable Digital offers a wide range of digital marketing services that can help your B2B organization grow. Check out our "get started" programs, or schedule an initial discussion with our B2B team.
