🥶 Brace yourself. The 2025 trends reports are coming.

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We’re a month away from the first takes on 2025 trends. Some of these trends will be based on legitimate research and analysis that offers noteworthy, useful insights. A regrettable number of the forecasts, however, will throw together a list of the obvious hot topics, many of which will say nothing interesting about them, and call them trends.

In B2B marketing, for example, we can expect to see things we’ve seen a lot of in our feeds over the past year…

• Generative AI

• AI search optimization

• Founder brands

• Influencer/creator partnerships

• Video podcasts

• Out-of-market buyers

• B2B communities

• Customer data enrichment

• Data privacy and compliance

• Audience research

There’s nothing inherently wrong about these topics. I’m certain they’re top of mind as B2B marketers head into 2025. But they don’t really feel like trends because, unless you’ve been living off the grid somehow, these “trends” have dominated our feeds and the ethos of our work.

I’m also not bashing anyone who’s responsible for producing one of these.

In fact, if you find yourself at the helm of a trends report that cobbles together a list of the obvious hot topics, make sure to say something insightful or interesting.

To explain what I mean, let me use the Hopin’s 2022 Event Trends Report as an example.

When I met with Julius Solaris, event industry legend and longtime friend, to discuss the project, I pointed out how the event trend content we pioneered had been commodified and that whatever we did needed to differentiate itself.

Lots of great ideas were tossed around by the time I mentioned that we could predict the 2022 trends with a high degree of accuracy given the decades of experience in the events industry between the two of us (plus the troves of event professionals Hopin had on staff at the time). So we went with the idea to spend the budget paying subject matter experts who could weigh in on the “trends” while the other trendsetters wasted time and resources forecasting the present.

This novel approach to tackling the annual event trends piece was a bet on quality that achieved two major wins for Hopin and our content strategy going forward.

1. Better ROI: We were able to produce the 2022 Event Trends Report in a couple of months compared to the six typically required for the format Julius and I pioneered at EventMB and Eventbrite. We paid each subject matter expert for their time being interviewed and reviewing their contributions. But, all in all, the total cost of incentives plus time and resources tied up by the project were infinitesimal compared to our old approach.

2. An EEAT feat: Best of all, the pieces we published for the project outranked all our competitors in search for “2022 event trends” — without ever thinking about or caring about the damn Clearscope score. As it turns out, people searching for event trends are more interested in reading about the implications from known and trusted voices in their niches.

Hopin’s content was unceremoniously deleted from existence or I’d be able to share the 2022 Event Trends Report with you. I’m sure there’s a version of it on the Wayback Machine but it’s beside the point, which is once again…

If you absolutely have to produce a listicle of hot topics boldly positioning itself as “trends,” please don’t blindly follow industry norms and instead consider what yours can do or say that others won’t.

Now, here’s what’s top of mind for B2B marketers in 2030.

What B2B Marketing looks like in 2030.

I’ve been to the future. The year 2030, actually.

Now, obviously, I can’t tell you everything about the next five years. What I can tell you, though, is that B2B marketing will rise to the occasion.

I can’t tell you how, exactly, or when. But I can share some words of wisdom that’ll put you on the right course.

Embrace the fluidity of media. It’s important to understand that media is not static; it is fluid, constantly evolving with technological advancements and cultural shifts. Recognize that what works today might not work tomorrow. Stay agile and be ready to pivot your strategies in response to emerging trends and technologies. Cultivate a mindset that thrives on adaptability and continuous learning.

Ditch the marketing-sales funnel concept. The traditional marketing-sales funnel is aptly shaped and poorly labeled. As a visual, it accurately shows buyers as a disproportionately smaller group than non-buyers. But TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU are abstract nonsense. Ask 10 marketers to define them and you’re guaranteed to get 37 conflicting definitions. Opt instead for product-awareness stages (unaware, problem aware, solution aware, product aware, most aware) because they shed light on the customer’s mindset and the role of content for each stage.

Know thy audience and what matters to them. The future of content lies in its ability to be contextually relevant and personalized. Don’t just do keyword research and call it a day. Speak to real people and gather qualitative data to understand your audience’s preferences, behaviors, and needs when it comes to your business and your content. This begets content that speaks directly to their context, making them feel seen and understood and more inclined to remember you when it’s time to buy.

I wish I could tell you more. Except for, maybe, stop waiting for another playbook to come and save you. ‘Cause it ain’t coming. Sorry not sorry.

In lieu of that…

Welcome to Content Reorientation

Today I’m officially opening the waitlist for the first cohort-based course guaranteed to fundamentally change how you think about and ultimately approach content called Content Reorientation.

Content Reorientation isn’t a framework. It’s not another playbook. It’s a fundamental understanding of how content actually works — how it captures demand for your business and how it shapes perception of your brand in the marketplace.

You can dive into the details (e.g., syllabus) on the Neutral Ground Labs website and join the waitlist if you’re interested. The course will have limited capacity and I’ll be giving folks on the waitlist first dibs for all future cohorts.

And, because I think it’s important to demonstrate the change you wish to see in the world: Unless you are already a subscriber, submitting your email to the waitlist does not enroll you in this publication or any email communications other than those meant to inform you of enrollment opportunities. Just know I’m going to make the case for sticking around in the waitlist confirmation email.

Until next time…

😈

Ronnie