For six years, MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute have put together this report on how marketers use content and how they develop content strategies (if at all). Dive in to learn more about the state of content marketing in B2B organizations!
Enterprise Content Marketing - Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends 2021
Welcome to our annual Enterprise Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report. Here we present the findings from enterprise marketers (those who work in organizations with 1,000+ employees) who replied to our 11th Annual Content Marketing Survey.
At the time of the survey, content marketers had just made it through the first half of 2020. Most reported that their organization made quick changes when the pandemic hit, most notably by changing their targeting/messaging strategy, adjusting their editorial calendar, and changing their content distribution/promotion strategy. The majority (57%) expected to spend about the same on content marketing during the second half of 2020 as they spent in the first half (17% expected a decrease).
Team size hadn’t changed drastically compared with the previous year (48% said it stayed the same); yet, another 35% reported an increase.
Overall, one-third of the enterprise respondents reported high levels of content marketing success. These top performers said the top two factors contributing to that success in the last 12 months were “the value our content provides” (79%) and “website changes” (62%).
Looking forward, 74% of respondents felt the pandemic would have a major or moderate long- term impact on their organization’s overall content marketing success. It will be interesting to see how enterprise marketers rise to the challenges in 2021.
B2C Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America
For three years we’ve looked at B2B content marketing trends, and this year, we are excited to bring you these compelling B2C findings.
According to our research, both B2B and B2C marketers are still struggling with the effectiveness of their content marketing. So while we are happy that more marketers are engaging in content marketing to attract and retain customers, we also realize we have a ways to go.
2015 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends for North America
This is the fifth year that MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute have put together this report on how marketers use content in their marketing mix. With changes in the industry, the report may look a little different than you remember. Dive in, and enjoy!
This document discusses challenges with content marketing and technology. It notes that many organizations do not have a formal content strategy and are unsure how to measure success. There are also opposing priorities between marketing and IT teams - marketing wants to move fast while IT focuses on stability. The document proposes a layered approach to content and experience management with four layers - awareness and introduction, engagement and relationships, intelligence and insight, and shared values and expectations. It provides examples of companies applying this approach and emphasizes the need for cross-functional collaboration between marketing and IT.
The Evolution of Google's Search Results Pages & Effects on User Behaviour
The document discusses the results of an eye-tracking study that compared how users interact with Google search results pages (SERPs) from 2005 versus 2014. It found that the introduction of new elements like the Knowledge Graph, carousel, local listings, and sponsored listings has disrupted traditional search patterns. Users now scan SERPs more quickly and spend less time on each result. They also look outside of the top-left "Golden Triangle" more often since top organic results are no longer always located there. The study provides analysis and recommendations for how businesses can optimize different elements on the SERP to maximize visibility and clicks.
The majority of content marketers surveyed (53%) currently use interactive content as part of their content marketing strategies. Usage is higher among large enterprises. Most users find interactive content effective at grabbing attention, enhancing message retention, generating repeat visits, and increasing engagement. Common interactive content types used include assessments, calculators, contests and quizzes. Marketers see educating audiences as the primary purpose of interactive content over engagement or lead generation. Measurement of interactive content's effectiveness remains immature, though marketers with more experience report higher effectiveness.
Manufacturing Content Marketing: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends - Insights f...
Welcome to the Manufacturing Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends with Insights for 2022 report. This report looks back on the last 12 months and includes expectations for 2022.
This year’s research suggested that the pandemic awoke a sleeping giant – content marketing, that is. Without in-person events and face-to-face selling, many who had previously paid little attention to content marketing suddenly became aware of its power. More content marketers got a seat at the table and helped keep many businesses on their audiences’ radar. Some discovered new audiences altogether.
Videos and virtual events/webinars were big over the last 12 months with the manufacturing marketers we surveyed. In addition, 85% expect continued investment in video in 2022, making it the top area of predicted investment.
Yet manufacturing marketers continue to face content marketing challenges within their organizations: 51% said they are challenged with creating valuable content instead of sales-oriented content as well as with overcoming the traditional marketing and sales mindset. Fifty percent said they are challenged with accessing subject matter experts to create content. If manufacturing marketers can overcome these challenges, they’ll improve their odds of achieving greater content marketing success in the coming year.
How to Build Your B2B Marketing Empire From the Ground Up
As we celebrate and reflect on our 10th anniversary at the MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum, let's look to the future with hope and excitement. Let's learn from what has worked, and abandon what hasn't. Let's challenge one another to achieve epic results. Let's build to last.
Technology Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
Welcome to Technology Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. This report is based on the findings from our 10th annual content marketing survey. Technology marketers continue to make progress with content marketing. Approximately one-third rate their organization’s overall content marketing as extremely or very successful, and 76% report they are much more or somewhat more successful compared with one year ago. What makes them successful? When we look at the top performers, we see they treat content marketing as a strategic business function, craft content thoughtfully, experiment with distribution, and measure their results. They use content marketing not only to create brand awareness and generate leads, but also to build loyalty and subscribed audiences.
2018 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends - North America
Greetings Marketers,
Welcome to B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America. This is the companion report to the B2B research we released in September 2017. The data presented in both reports was generated from our eighth annual content marketing survey. One of our key observations this year is that while B2C marketers reported slightly higher levels of overall content marketing success compared with last year, there was a decrease among those who agreed their organization has realistic expectations about what content marketing can achieve. A documented content marketing strategy can help, as it sets expectations for what teams should prioritize; yet, only 38% of B2C marketers reported having one.
Our annual research has consistently shown that those who document their content marketing strategy get better results than those who don’t. Another important key to success is an efficient workflow process (page 4 shows how top-performing B2C marketers rate their project management flow and other distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from their peers). We hope these research findings will be helpful as you consider which content marketing priorities to focus on in the year ahead.
Survival Guide: How to Navigate the Wilds of Social Media for Content Marketing
Unpredictable algorithm shifts. Falling reach and lower engagement rates. Growing consumer mistrust from fake news and data breaches.
Despite woes like these, people still use social media platforms – and marketers are still drawn to their relationship-building powers. In fact, in 2019 research from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, 61% of B2B marketers and 69% of B2C marketers say they’ve increased their use of social media for content marketing compared with one year ago.
However, navigating the social media landscape is like entering a dark forest without a map. If you aren’t familiar with the terrain and don’t have a solid plan, you can’t expect to reach your destination, let alone make it out of the woods unscathed.
This guide is full of tools that will help you find the best path to success, from planning your social media explorations, to growing legions of brand fans, to engaging them in meaningful ways.
We’ll cover the top content marketing opportunities in the social sphere, including:
- Landmark locations like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
- Video viewing-centric channels like YouTube and Twitch
- Streaming media sites like Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories
- Emerging social platforms like Vero True Social and WeGather Online
2020 Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends - North America
Most B2B organizations have small content marketing teams, with over half having just one person or no dedicated team. Content creation is the activity most commonly outsourced. While goals focus on top-of-funnel awareness, more organizations report using content marketing successfully for deeper goals like nurturing and revenue generation compared to past years. Analytics tools and email software are the most used technologies. Documented strategies are becoming more prevalent and correlate with success.
Mastering the Buy-In Conversation on Content Marketing: The Essential Starter...
When it's time for that conversation to get buy-in on your content marketing ideas and initiatives, how do you proceed? Do you have all of the resources you need? The research and support to justify your programs? We're here to help. Download our "Mastering the Buy-In Conversation on Content Marketing: The Essential Starter Kit" now to help you. We've done the legwork so you can focus on your content marketing. Good luck, and let us know how else we can help.
Virtual conferences and events provide new opportunities for you
to showcase your product or service, meet 1:1 with your current
and potential customers, and listen to the needs of the industry. With such a large investment of time, money, and human resources, it’s no surprise that management expects great returns on each event that your company sponsors.
On behalf of the Content Marketing Institute team, we’re all here to help you. We’re ready for exciting experiences, great ROI for sponsors, and new ways for customers to advance the practice of content marketing because of partner relationships built at our events.
The agenda outlines an advocacy conference taking place from 2:00PM to 5:15PM, with various presentations and networking sessions. The opening presentation is titled "The Advocacy Imperative" by Tracy Eiler of InsideView. Following presentations include "The More You Give, The More You Get" by Genevieve Guerette of Clarizen, "Advocacy: From Backroom to Boardroom" by David Feber of Referential Inc. and Abby Atkinson of FireEye Inc., and "Our Customers, Our Heroes" by Nicole Granucci of Genesys. The closing presentation is "What Is Your Advocacy Advantage?" by Deena Zenyk of Influ
Business Video Marketing Report: The Definitive B2B Marketer’s Guide to Using...
Throughout 2012, video marketing for B2B marketers undoubtedly showed an upward trend in both effectiveness and popularity, and most industry observers expect this to continue into 2013 and beyond.
Here are the top content marketing trends in the B2B space for 2020. We look at organic vs. paid distribution and content marketing budgets vs. ROI on content.
The document is a report on content marketing trends among business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers in North America in 2016. Some key findings include:
- More B2C marketers have a documented content marketing strategy compared to last year, and those with documentation are more effective.
- B2C marketers are producing more content than in 2015 and using more tactics, especially infographics and visual content.
- Meetings to discuss content marketing are common and valued highly among more effective B2C marketers.
- Facebook remains the most used and effective social media platform, and its effectiveness increased the most over the past year.
Nonprofit Content Marketing - 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends - North Ame...
This document is a report on nonprofit content marketing practices in North America. Some key findings include:
- 61% of nonprofit professionals surveyed said they use content marketing.
- 35% said their organization is effective at content marketing.
- Only 23% said they have a documented content marketing strategy.
- Common goals for nonprofit content marketing include brand awareness (87%), engagement (84%), and client/constituent retention (82%).
- Popular metrics used to assess success include increased event attendance/participation (55%) and engagement metrics like social shares (53%).
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of North American B2C content marketers. It finds that only 23% are successful at tracking ROI, and 51% cite measuring effectiveness as a challenge. Having a documented strategy helps increase effectiveness. While 69% are creating more content than a year ago, only 27% have a documented strategy, and 50% have a verbal strategy. B2C marketers struggle most with measurement but want to learn more about creating engaging content and measuring ROI.
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of North American B2C content marketers. It finds that only 23% are successful at tracking ROI, and 51% cite measuring effectiveness as a challenge. Having a documented strategy helps increase effectiveness. While 69% are creating more content than a year ago, only 27% have a documented strategy, and 50% have a verbal strategy. B2C marketers struggle most with measurement but want to learn more about creating engaging content and measuring ROI.
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of North American B2C content marketers. It finds that only 23% are successful at tracking ROI, and 51% cite measuring effectiveness as a challenge. Having a documented strategy helps increase effectiveness. While 69% are creating more content than a year ago, only 27% have a documented strategy, and 50% have a verbal strategy. B2C marketers struggle most with measurement but want to learn more about creating engaging content and measuring ROI.
B2B Content Marketing Research: Focus on Documenting Your Strategy
This reserach - B2B Content Marketing 2015: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends — North America, produced by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs and sponsored by Brightcove, reflects the progress our industry is making in exciting new ways.
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of B2B content marketers in North America. It finds that having a documented content marketing strategy is linked to higher effectiveness. While 70% of marketers create more content than a year ago, measurement remains a challenge. LinkedIn and search engine marketing are the most used distribution channels. Marketers want to learn more about measurement, ROI, and marketing automation.
B2B small business marketers in North America were surveyed about their content marketing practices. Key findings include:
- 45% said they are effective at content marketing, up from 34% last year.
- 48% have a documented content strategy, more than larger companies.
- 75% are producing more content than last year, more than large enterprises.
- The top three tactics used are social media, website articles, and eNewsletters. Case studies and in-person events are seen as most effective.
- Brand awareness is the top goal. Web traffic is the primary metric measured.
- 60% plan to increase their content marketing budget over the next year.
Welcome to our yearly report on the content marketing practices of business-to-business (B2B) technology content marketers in North America. Here you’ll see how technology marketers replied to our sixth annual content marketing survey, and how the results compare with the 2015 ndings.
A new question about content marketing maturity level revealed that 71% of technology marketers who say their organizations are e ective at content marketing are in the “sophisticated/mature” phase, indicating that success grows with experience.
In this on-demand webinar, SilverTech’s Principal Strategist, Samantha Maltais, and Content Strategist, Ian Hughes, review the results of our industry-wide State of Digital Marketing survey. They discuss the main challenges and opportunities marketers face and share what they believe will be the most effective digital strategies of 2018.
Welcome to our annual Enterprise Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report. Here we present the findings from enterprise marketers (those who work in organizations with 1,000+ employees) who replied to our 11th Annual Content Marketing Survey.
At the time of the survey, content marketers had just made it through the first half of 2020. Most reported that their organization made quick changes when the pandemic hit, most notably by changing their targeting/messaging strategy, adjusting their editorial calendar, and changing their content distribution/promotion strategy. The majority (57%) expected to spend about the same on content marketing during the second half of 2020 as they spent in the first half (17% expected a decrease).
Team size hadn’t changed drastically compared with the previous year (48% said it stayed the same); yet, another 35% reported an increase.
Overall, one-third of the enterprise respondents reported high levels of content marketing success. These top performers said the top two factors contributing to that success in the last 12 months were “the value our content provides” (79%) and “website changes” (62%).
Looking forward, 74% of respondents felt the pandemic would have a major or moderate long- term impact on their organization’s overall content marketing success. It will be interesting to see how enterprise marketers rise to the challenges in 2021.
For three years we’ve looked at B2B content marketing trends, and this year, we are excited to bring you these compelling B2C findings.
According to our research, both B2B and B2C marketers are still struggling with the effectiveness of their content marketing. So while we are happy that more marketers are engaging in content marketing to attract and retain customers, we also realize we have a ways to go.
2015 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends for North AmericaMarketingProfs
This is the fifth year that MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute have put together this report on how marketers use content in their marketing mix. With changes in the industry, the report may look a little different than you remember. Dive in, and enjoy!
This document discusses challenges with content marketing and technology. It notes that many organizations do not have a formal content strategy and are unsure how to measure success. There are also opposing priorities between marketing and IT teams - marketing wants to move fast while IT focuses on stability. The document proposes a layered approach to content and experience management with four layers - awareness and introduction, engagement and relationships, intelligence and insight, and shared values and expectations. It provides examples of companies applying this approach and emphasizes the need for cross-functional collaboration between marketing and IT.
The Evolution of Google's Search Results Pages & Effects on User BehaviourGerardo E. Juarez
The document discusses the results of an eye-tracking study that compared how users interact with Google search results pages (SERPs) from 2005 versus 2014. It found that the introduction of new elements like the Knowledge Graph, carousel, local listings, and sponsored listings has disrupted traditional search patterns. Users now scan SERPs more quickly and spend less time on each result. They also look outside of the top-left "Golden Triangle" more often since top organic results are no longer always located there. The study provides analysis and recommendations for how businesses can optimize different elements on the SERP to maximize visibility and clicks.
The majority of content marketers surveyed (53%) currently use interactive content as part of their content marketing strategies. Usage is higher among large enterprises. Most users find interactive content effective at grabbing attention, enhancing message retention, generating repeat visits, and increasing engagement. Common interactive content types used include assessments, calculators, contests and quizzes. Marketers see educating audiences as the primary purpose of interactive content over engagement or lead generation. Measurement of interactive content's effectiveness remains immature, though marketers with more experience report higher effectiveness.
Welcome to the Manufacturing Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends with Insights for 2022 report. This report looks back on the last 12 months and includes expectations for 2022.
This year’s research suggested that the pandemic awoke a sleeping giant – content marketing, that is. Without in-person events and face-to-face selling, many who had previously paid little attention to content marketing suddenly became aware of its power. More content marketers got a seat at the table and helped keep many businesses on their audiences’ radar. Some discovered new audiences altogether.
Videos and virtual events/webinars were big over the last 12 months with the manufacturing marketers we surveyed. In addition, 85% expect continued investment in video in 2022, making it the top area of predicted investment.
Yet manufacturing marketers continue to face content marketing challenges within their organizations: 51% said they are challenged with creating valuable content instead of sales-oriented content as well as with overcoming the traditional marketing and sales mindset. Fifty percent said they are challenged with accessing subject matter experts to create content. If manufacturing marketers can overcome these challenges, they’ll improve their odds of achieving greater content marketing success in the coming year.
How to Build Your B2B Marketing Empire From the Ground UpMarketingProfs
As we celebrate and reflect on our 10th anniversary at the MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum, let's look to the future with hope and excitement. Let's learn from what has worked, and abandon what hasn't. Let's challenge one another to achieve epic results. Let's build to last.
Welcome to Technology Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. This report is based on the findings from our 10th annual content marketing survey. Technology marketers continue to make progress with content marketing. Approximately one-third rate their organization’s overall content marketing as extremely or very successful, and 76% report they are much more or somewhat more successful compared with one year ago. What makes them successful? When we look at the top performers, we see they treat content marketing as a strategic business function, craft content thoughtfully, experiment with distribution, and measure their results. They use content marketing not only to create brand awareness and generate leads, but also to build loyalty and subscribed audiences.
Greetings Marketers,
Welcome to B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America. This is the companion report to the B2B research we released in September 2017. The data presented in both reports was generated from our eighth annual content marketing survey. One of our key observations this year is that while B2C marketers reported slightly higher levels of overall content marketing success compared with last year, there was a decrease among those who agreed their organization has realistic expectations about what content marketing can achieve. A documented content marketing strategy can help, as it sets expectations for what teams should prioritize; yet, only 38% of B2C marketers reported having one.
Our annual research has consistently shown that those who document their content marketing strategy get better results than those who don’t. Another important key to success is an efficient workflow process (page 4 shows how top-performing B2C marketers rate their project management flow and other distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from their peers). We hope these research findings will be helpful as you consider which content marketing priorities to focus on in the year ahead.
Unpredictable algorithm shifts. Falling reach and lower engagement rates. Growing consumer mistrust from fake news and data breaches.
Despite woes like these, people still use social media platforms – and marketers are still drawn to their relationship-building powers. In fact, in 2019 research from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, 61% of B2B marketers and 69% of B2C marketers say they’ve increased their use of social media for content marketing compared with one year ago.
However, navigating the social media landscape is like entering a dark forest without a map. If you aren’t familiar with the terrain and don’t have a solid plan, you can’t expect to reach your destination, let alone make it out of the woods unscathed.
This guide is full of tools that will help you find the best path to success, from planning your social media explorations, to growing legions of brand fans, to engaging them in meaningful ways.
We’ll cover the top content marketing opportunities in the social sphere, including:
- Landmark locations like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
- Video viewing-centric channels like YouTube and Twitch
- Streaming media sites like Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories
- Emerging social platforms like Vero True Social and WeGather Online
Most B2B organizations have small content marketing teams, with over half having just one person or no dedicated team. Content creation is the activity most commonly outsourced. While goals focus on top-of-funnel awareness, more organizations report using content marketing successfully for deeper goals like nurturing and revenue generation compared to past years. Analytics tools and email software are the most used technologies. Documented strategies are becoming more prevalent and correlate with success.
When it's time for that conversation to get buy-in on your content marketing ideas and initiatives, how do you proceed? Do you have all of the resources you need? The research and support to justify your programs? We're here to help. Download our "Mastering the Buy-In Conversation on Content Marketing: The Essential Starter Kit" now to help you. We've done the legwork so you can focus on your content marketing. Good luck, and let us know how else we can help.
Virtual conferences and events provide new opportunities for you
to showcase your product or service, meet 1:1 with your current
and potential customers, and listen to the needs of the industry. With such a large investment of time, money, and human resources, it’s no surprise that management expects great returns on each event that your company sponsors.
On behalf of the Content Marketing Institute team, we’re all here to help you. We’re ready for exciting experiences, great ROI for sponsors, and new ways for customers to advance the practice of content marketing because of partner relationships built at our events.
The agenda outlines an advocacy conference taking place from 2:00PM to 5:15PM, with various presentations and networking sessions. The opening presentation is titled "The Advocacy Imperative" by Tracy Eiler of InsideView. Following presentations include "The More You Give, The More You Get" by Genevieve Guerette of Clarizen, "Advocacy: From Backroom to Boardroom" by David Feber of Referential Inc. and Abby Atkinson of FireEye Inc., and "Our Customers, Our Heroes" by Nicole Granucci of Genesys. The closing presentation is "What Is Your Advocacy Advantage?" by Deena Zenyk of Influ
Throughout 2012, video marketing for B2B marketers undoubtedly showed an upward trend in both effectiveness and popularity, and most industry observers expect this to continue into 2013 and beyond.
2020 B2B Content Marketing Trends and BudgetsTheia Marketing
Here are the top content marketing trends in the B2B space for 2020. We look at organic vs. paid distribution and content marketing budgets vs. ROI on content.
The document is a report on content marketing trends among business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers in North America in 2016. Some key findings include:
- More B2C marketers have a documented content marketing strategy compared to last year, and those with documentation are more effective.
- B2C marketers are producing more content than in 2015 and using more tactics, especially infographics and visual content.
- Meetings to discuss content marketing are common and valued highly among more effective B2C marketers.
- Facebook remains the most used and effective social media platform, and its effectiveness increased the most over the past year.
This document is a report on nonprofit content marketing practices in North America. Some key findings include:
- 61% of nonprofit professionals surveyed said they use content marketing.
- 35% said their organization is effective at content marketing.
- Only 23% said they have a documented content marketing strategy.
- Common goals for nonprofit content marketing include brand awareness (87%), engagement (84%), and client/constituent retention (82%).
- Popular metrics used to assess success include increased event attendance/participation (55%) and engagement metrics like social shares (53%).
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of North American B2C content marketers. It finds that only 23% are successful at tracking ROI, and 51% cite measuring effectiveness as a challenge. Having a documented strategy helps increase effectiveness. While 69% are creating more content than a year ago, only 27% have a documented strategy, and 50% have a verbal strategy. B2C marketers struggle most with measurement but want to learn more about creating engaging content and measuring ROI.
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of North American B2C content marketers. It finds that only 23% are successful at tracking ROI, and 51% cite measuring effectiveness as a challenge. Having a documented strategy helps increase effectiveness. While 69% are creating more content than a year ago, only 27% have a documented strategy, and 50% have a verbal strategy. B2C marketers struggle most with measurement but want to learn more about creating engaging content and measuring ROI.
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of North American B2C content marketers. It finds that only 23% are successful at tracking ROI, and 51% cite measuring effectiveness as a challenge. Having a documented strategy helps increase effectiveness. While 69% are creating more content than a year ago, only 27% have a documented strategy, and 50% have a verbal strategy. B2C marketers struggle most with measurement but want to learn more about creating engaging content and measuring ROI.
B2B Content Marketing Research: Focus on Documenting Your StrategyMadalina Balaban
This reserach - B2B Content Marketing 2015: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends — North America, produced by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs and sponsored by Brightcove, reflects the progress our industry is making in exciting new ways.
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of B2B content marketers in North America. It finds that having a documented content marketing strategy is linked to higher effectiveness. While 70% of marketers create more content than a year ago, measurement remains a challenge. LinkedIn and search engine marketing are the most used distribution channels. Marketers want to learn more about measurement, ROI, and marketing automation.
Throughout this report, you’ll see how technology marketers have changed their content
marketing practices over the last year and how they compare with the overall sample of B2B
marketers who completed our annual content marketing survey
This document discusses the results of a survey of B2B technology content marketers in North America. Some key findings include:
- 93% of technology marketers use content marketing, focusing on lead generation as a top goal.
- Only 33% have a documented content marketing strategy, though those who do see better results.
- Lead generation, engagement, and lead nurturing are the most important goals. Common metrics for success include website traffic, sales lead quality and quantity.
- Only 24% feel successful at tracking ROI of content marketing, though initiatives aim to improve measurement and content engagement.
B2B Technology Content Marketing Benchmarks Budgets and Trends North AmericaRajkumar Seo
This report presents the findings fr om the 420
respondents who said they were B2B technology
marketers in North America.
Many of the B2B companies are using content marketing as a lead generation.
B2B Content Marketing 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends - North America
Hello Content Marketers, Welcome to the fifth annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America report. It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since we first surveyed marketers on how they use content as part of the marketing mix. Since then, the survey has grown to reach marketers all across the globe. This year, we heard from more than 5,000 marketers—in 25 industries in 109 countries—from for-profit and nonprofit organizations. In this report, you’ll learn how the B2B marketers from North America responded. As you’ll notice, we made some changes to this year’s survey to better reflect how the industry is growing. We added new questions, changed the way we asked some of the prior ones, and even removed a few. We also asked content marketers about the initiatives they’re working on—and the list is long, as you will see… We’re thrilled to be with you on this journey.
Yours in content,
Joe & Ann
Joe Pulizzi
Founder
Content Marketing Institute
Ann Handley
Chief Content Officer
MarketingProfs
Sponsored by Brightcove
B2C Content Marketing 2018 - Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends - North America MarketingProfs
Our annual content marketing research with new insights useful for 2018 budget planning and benchmarketing. This new report focuses on business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers and their content marketing benchmarks, budgets, and trends.
MANUFACTURING CONTENT MARKETING 2019 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends Andrew Flynn
Welcome to our Manufacturing Content Marketing 2019—
Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report. We surveyed content marketers worldwide about a range of content marketing topics including strategy, audience development, technology proficiency, and content types. This report presents the data from the marketers who work in manufacturing organizations.
2017 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and TrendsMarketingProfs
This document provides an overview of a report on B2C content marketing trends in North America. It includes the following key points:
- Sections cover usage and team organization, clarity and commitment to content marketing, strategy, content creation and distribution, goals and metrics, budgets, and methodology.
- 63% of B2C marketers report being more successful with content marketing than one year ago, while the top reasons for stagnant success were lack of strategy and not enough time for content marketing.
- 40% of B2C marketers have a documented content marketing strategy, while 76% say their strategy includes operating content marketing as an ongoing process rather than just campaigns. 53% say their strategy is extremely
Our annual content marketing research, with this report focusing on B2C marketers and their content marketing budgets and trends. New questions, an interesting twist to our research, and valuable budgets and trends as we head into 2017 planning season.
Most B2C content marketers report being successful with content marketing. They rely heavily on email newsletters and social media like Facebook. The majority outsource content creation and have small internal teams. In 2020, marketers will focus on improving content quality/conversions and expanding audiences.
When Content Marketing Institute (CMI) first reported on manufacturing in 2014, we noted that manufacturers were later to adopt content marketing than other industries we studied. They’ve certainly come a long way since then.
As you’ll see in this report—based on the results of our 10th annual content marketing survey—manufacturing marketers have become more strategic with their content marketing and are feeling less challenged with communicating complex content. Many are reporting success with their overall approach to content marketing. The ability to craft content for different audiences across various stages of the buyer’s journey—and distribute that content with precision—will be important to continued success in 2020.
A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action
Welcome to our annual report on the content marketing practices of technology marketers. This report focuses on the North American technology marketers who participated in our seventh annual content marketing survey. New for this year, we asked technology marketers about their success with content marketing:
• 24% said their organization’s overall approach to content marketing is “extremely” or “very” successful
• 64% said that compared with one year ago, their organizations are “much more” or “somewhat more” successful with content marketing
• 92% of those reporting increased success attributed that success to doing a better job with content creation.
Seventy-four percent said their organization always or frequently prioritizes delivering content quality over content quantity. That stat is even higher (92%) among the top-performing technology marketers (see the chart on page 4 for our definition of a “top performer”).
Read on for more insights into how your peers are approaching their content marketing—and where they are heading over the next 12 months.
Similar to 2016 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends Report (20)
[Research] The State of B2B Marketing TrainingMarketingProfs
Only 19% of B2B marketers feel very prepared for their future in marketing.
Yikes.
And only 31% feel their team is very effective in their roles. A quarter don’t think everyone on their team has a basic understanding of marketing.
A third feel burned out. And two-thirds are seeking new job opportunities.
Double, triple, quadruple (!) yikes.
These are among the key findings of the inaugural MarketingProfs State of B2B Marketing Training Report.
So what’s going on? And more importantly, how can marketing reverse these trends in 2022? (And beyond.)
Our data (and experience) shows that marketing teams are participating in training. But it’s not helping them be as effective in their roles as it should, and it’s not helping them feel confident about their future.
In other words: Offering team access to training is a good thing. But access alone just isn’t enough.
Our data shows that how marketing organizations train their teams directly impacts how prepared marketers feel. And there are many specific, actionable things marketing leaders can do to move teams from where they are… to where they need to be.
Read on to learn what the “state of the state” is in B2B marketing training.
But more importantly, learn from the marketers who are doing things a bit differently and feeling more prepared. The end of the report outlines the specific steps Marketing leaders can take right now to future-proof their own teams.
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3. 3
WELCOME
Greetings, Content Marketers,
Welcome to the sixth annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—
North America report.
Over the years, we’ve talked a lot about content marketing effectiveness. But in your
organization, is it even clear what content marketing success or effectiveness looks like?
We were surprised to find that 55% don’t know.
To be more effective at content marketing, you have to know what success looks like,
but that’s only the starting point. Best-in-class marketers are more likely than their less
effective peers to have a documented content marketing strategy and editorial mission
statement. They meet with their teams frequently, experiment with a broader range of
tactics, and more.
Read on to learn about the state of content marketing in B2B organizations today and
how the most effective marketers stand out. For access to tools to help you become more
successful at content marketing, see the back of this report for ways to get in touch.
On with the content marketing revolution!
Joe & Ann
Joe Pulizzi
Founder
Content Marketing Institute
Ann Handley
Chief Content Officer
MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
4. 4
KEY TAKEAWAYS
One key theme that emerged from this year’s B2B research is that
effective content marketers do several things differently:
Here are some key takeaways:
■ Only 30% of B2B marketers say their organizations are effective at content marketing, down from 38% last year.
Effectiveness levels are greater among respondents with documentation, clarity around success, good communication, and
experience.
■ 44% of B2B marketers say their organization is clear on what content marketing success or effectiveness looks like;
55% are unclear or unsure.
■ 44% of B2B marketers meet daily or weekly—either in person or virtually—to discuss the progress of their content marketing
program; however, the more effective the organization is at content marketing, the more often they meet (61% of the most
effective meet daily or weekly).
They understand
what successful
content marketing
looks like
They document
their content
marketing
strategy
They document
their editorial
mission statement
They
communicate
frequently with
their team
1 2 3 4
SPONSORED BY
5. 5
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key takeaways continued:
■ Fewer B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy compared with last year (32% vs. 35%), even though
the research consistently shows that those who document their strategy are more effective in nearly all areas of content
marketing.
■ Respondents’ content marketing maturity levels were roughly equally apportioned: approximately one-third were in the
early stages; one-third, in the adolescent stage; and one-third, in the sophisticated/mature stage. In general, marketers
become more effective as they gain experience, the findings show.
■ B2B marketers allocate 28% of their total marketing budget, on average, to content marketing—the same percentage as last
year. The most effective allocate 42%, and the most sophisticated/mature allocate 46%.
■ Lead generation (85%) and sales (84%) will be the most important goals for B2B content marketers over the next 12 months.
■ Over the last six years, B2B marketers have consistently cited website traffic as their most often used metric. This year,
however, we also asked them to rate metrics by importance. The most important metrics are sales lead quality (87%), sales
(84%), and higher conversion rates (82%).
■ B2B marketers, as in years past, continue to be heavily focused on creating engaging content (72%), citing it as the top
priority for their internal content creators over the next year.
SPONSORED BY
6. 2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
6
USAGE EFFECTIVENESS
Does your organization
use content marketing?
Last year, 86% of respondents said they
use content marketing.
Content marketing is defined as “a strategic
marketing approach focused on creating and
distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent
content to attract and retain a clearly defined
audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable
customer action.”
88%
Yes
12%
No
Percentage of B2B Respondents
Using Content Marketing
SAY YES
88%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
7. 7
USAGE EFFECTIVENESS
How would you describe
your organization’s content
marketing maturity level?
This was a new question this year. In general,
effectiveness levels are greater among marketers
with higher levels of content marketing maturity:
• 64% in the sophisticated/mature phase say
they are effective at content marketing
• 23% in the adolescent phase say
they are effective at content marketing
• 6% in the young/first steps phase say
they are effective at content marketing
SAY SOPHISTICATED
OR MATURE
32%SOPHISTICATED
MATURE
ADOLESCENT
FIRST STEPS
YOUNG
Providing accurate measurement to the
business, scaling across the organization
Finding success, yet
challenged with integration
across the organization
Have developed a business case,
seeing early success, becoming more
sophisticated with measurement and scaling
Growing pains, challenged
with creating a cohesive strategy
and a measurement plan
Doing some aspects of content,
but have not yet begun to make
content marketing a process
8%
24%
29%
27%
11%
How B2B Marketers Assess Their
Content Marketing Maturity Level
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
8. 8
USAGE EFFECTIVENESS
Overall, how effective
is your organization
at content marketing?
Lastyear,38%ofB2Bmarketerssaidtheywereeffective.
Effectiveness levels increase with:
• Experience (64% of sophisticated/mature marketers
say they are effective)
• A documented content marketing strategy (48%)
• A documented editorial mission statement (49%)
• Organizational clarity on what content marketing
success looks like (55%)
• Daily or weekly content marketing meetings (41%)
How B2B Marketers Rate the
Effectiveness of their Organization’s
Use of Content Marketing
VeryEffective6%5
22%2
NotatAllEffective4%1
24%4
44%3
SAY THEY ARE
EFFECTIVE
30%
Note:Forthissurvey,wedefineeffectivenessas“accomplishingyouroverall
objectives.”Werefertothosewhoratetheirorganizationsasa4or5(onascaleof
1to5,with5being“VeryEffective”and1being“NotatAllEffective”)asthe“most
effective”or“best-in-class”marketers.The1sand2sareconsideredthe“least
effective,”whilethe3sareneutral.
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
9. 2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
9
USAGE EFFECTIVENESS
In your organization,
is it clear what an effective
or successful content marketing
program looks like?
B2B marketers whose organizations have
a clear vision of content marketing success
are more effective than those that do not:
• 79% of the most effective marketers have clarity
• 77% of the least effective marketers lack clarity
Percentage of B2B Marketers
Whose Organizations Have Clarity
on Content Marketing Success
Unsure21%
No34%
Yes44%
SAY YES
44%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
10. 10
STRATEGY ORGANIZATION
Does your organization have a
content marketing strategy?
Last year, 35% of B2B marketers had a documented
content strategy, 48% had a verbal-only strategy,
and 14% had no strategy.
A documented content marketing strategy
impacts effectiveness:
• 53% of the most effective marketers have a
documented content marketing strategy
•40%oftheleasteffectivemarketershave
nostrategyatall.
B2B marketers who have a documented content
marketing strategy get better results from their
content marketing tactics, social media platforms,
and paid methods of content distribution (i.e., they
rate them as more effective when compared with
their peers who don’t have a documented strategy).
48%
Yes, but
it is not
documented
Unsure
No Yes,
and it is
documented
32%
16%
4%
Percentage of B2B Marketers Who
Have a Content Marketing Strategy
HAVE A DOCUMENTED
CONTENT MARKETING
STRATEGY32%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
11. 11
STRATEGY ORGANIZATION
Does your organization
have an editorial mission
statement for the primary
audience you target?
This was a new question this year. The likelihood
of having a documented editorial mission
statement increases if the marketer also has
a documented content marketing strategy
(56% of those with a documented content
marketing strategy also have a documented
editorial mission statement).
In addition, 48% of the most effective marketers
have a documented editorial mission statement.
Yes, and it is
documented
No Yes, but
it is not
documented
35%
28%
30%
Unsure
6%
Percentage of B2B Marketers Who
Have an Editorial Mission Statement HAVE A DOCUMENTED
EDITORIAL MISSION
STATEMENT28%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
12. 12
STRATEGY ORGANIZATION
How often does your
team meet (either in person
or virtually) to discuss the
progress/results of your
content marketing program?
Effectiveness is greater among teams that
meet more frequently (61% of the most effective
B2B marketers meet daily or weekly).
SAY DAILY
OR WEEKLY
44%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How Often B2B Marketers
Meet to Discuss Their
Content Marketing Program
Weekly
8%
11%
16%
8%
6%
14%
36%
Quarterly
Monthly
Onlywhenitisnecessary
Other
Biweekly
Daily
SPONSORED BY
13. 13
STRATEGY ORGANIZATION
How valuable are
team meetings in helping
your organization to be
more effective at
content marketing?
B2B marketers who meet daily or weekly are
more likely to consider meetings valuable
(70%) than those who meet biweekly or
monthly (49%).
SAY MEETINGS
ARE VALUABLE
54%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How B2B Marketers Perceive
the Value of Internal
Content Marketing Meetings
19%
35%
35%
6%
3%
ExtremelyValuable
VeryValuable
SomewhatValuable
NotVeryValuable
NotatAll Valuable
SPONSORED BY
14. 14
CONTENT CREATION DISTRIBUTION
Compared with 2015,
how much content
will your organization
produce in 2016?
While 73% of the most effective B2B marketers
plan to produce more content, the least effective
plan to produce even more (81%).Unsure
SameAmount
More
76%
19%
2%
Less
2%
Expected Change in
B2B Content Creation
(2015 vs. 2016)
SAY THEY WILL
PRODUCE MORE
76%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
15. 15
CONTENT CREATION DISTRIBUTION
Which content marketing
tactics does your
organization use?
These results are similar to last year’s findings.
Illustrations/photos was the tactic with the
biggest jump in usage (from 69% last year to
76% this year).
Note:Fewerthan50%ofB2Bmarketerssaidtheyuse
thefollowingtactics:ResearchReports(49%),Microsites/
SeparateWebsiteHubs(47%),BrandedContentTools
(42%),eBooks(39%),PrintMagazines(36%),Books(30%),
DigitalMagazines(29%),MobileApps(28%),Virtual
Conferences(25%),Podcasts(23%),PrintNewsletters
(22%),andGames/Gamification(12%).
B2B Content Marketing Tactic Usage
Social Media Content — other than blogs
Case Studies
eNewsletters
In-person Events
Blogs
Videos
Articles on Your Website
Illustrations/Photos
White Papers
Infographics
Webinars/Webcasts
Online Presentations
93%
82%
81%
81%
81%
79%
79%
76%
71%
67%
66%
65%
Average
Number
Used
13
USE SOCIAL MEDIA
CONTENT
93%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
16. 16
CONTENT CREATION DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the tactics
your organization uses?
In-person events, which has been rated the most
effective tactic for the last six years, increased from
69% to 75%. Effectiveness ratings increased for
all the other tactics shown here as well, except for
blogs (60% last year vs. 59% this year). The biggest
increase was for infographics (50% last year vs.
58% this year).
Effectiveness Ratings for B2B Tactics
In-person Events
Webinars/Webcasts
Case Studies
75%
66%
65%
White Papers 63%
Videos 62%
Research Reports 61%
eNewsletters 60%
Blogs 59%
Infographics 58%
Online Presentations 58%
SAY IN-PERSON
EVENTS ARE
EFFECTIVE75%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
17. 17
CONTENT CREATION DISTRIBUTION
Which social media platforms
does your organization
use to distribute content?
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube remain
the top 4 social media platforms. Compared with
last year, there haven’t been major increases or
decreases in their use.
Last year, the use of Google+ had risen 9
percentage points from the previous year. This
year, it decreased slightly (from 64% to 62%).
SlideShare and Pinterest use decreased (by 4 and
8 percentage points, respectively). Instagram use
increased from 24% to 29%.
B2B Content Marketing
Social Media Platform Usage
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
94%
87%
84%
YouTube 74%
Google+ 62%
SlideShare 37%
Instagram 29%
Pinterest 25%
Average
Number
Used
6
USE LinkedIn
94%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: Fewerthan25%ofB2Bmarketerssaidtheyusethefollowingsocial
mediaplatforms:Vimeo(21%),iTunes(10%),Tumblr(9%),Vine(7%),
Medium(6%),Periscope(6%),andSnapChat(5%).
SPONSORED BY
18. 18
CONTENT CREATION DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the
social media platforms
your organization uses?
Once again, B2B marketers rated LinkedIn
most effective (64% last year vs. 66% this
year). The effectiveness ratings of YouTube and
Instagram also increased slightly, and Twitter’s
rating stayed the same.
The effectiveness rating of Facebook decreased
slightly over the last year. The ratings of Pinterest
(-5%) and Google+ (-7%) decreased most.
Effectiveness Ratings for
B2B Social Media Platforms
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
66%
55%
51%
SlideShare 41%
Facebook 30%
Instagram 22%
Pinterest 20%
Google+ 13%
SAY LinkedIn
IS EFFECTIVE
66%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
19. 19
CONTENT CREATION DISTRIBUTION
Which paid advertising
methods does your
organization use to
promote/distribute content?
For the second consecutive year, search engine
marketing (SEM) is the paid method that B2B
marketers use most frequently. The use of all of
these methods has increased over the last year.
The largest increase was for promoted posts
(42% last year vs. 52% this year).
B2B Paid Advertising Usage
66%
Content
Discovery Tools 14%
Average
Number
Used
3
39%
51%
52%
55%
Print or Other Offline Promotion
Traditional Online Banner Ads
Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads)
Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets)
Native Advertising
(long-form paid content placement
on external sites)
57%
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) USE SEARCH ENGINE
MARKETING (SEM)
66%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
20. 20
CONTENT CREATION DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the paid
advertising methods your
organization uses to
distribute content?
Once again, B2B marketers say search engine
marketing (SEM) is the most effective paid
method for promoting/distributing content.
The effectiveness ratings for all of these paid
methods have increased over the last year. The
largest effectiveness rating increase was for
content discovery tools (36% last year vs. 45%
this year).
Effectiveness Ratings for B2B
Paid Advertising Methods
55%
29%
31%
40%
45%
Print or Other
Offline Promotion
Traditional Online
Banner Ads
45%Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads)
Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets)
Native Advertising
(long-form paid content placement
on external sites)
48%
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Content Discovery Tools
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SAY SEM IS
EFFECTIVE
55%
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CONTENT CREATION DISTRIBUTION
Which content offers does
your organization ask its
audience to subscribe to?
87% of respondents extend at least one
offer. Even the most effective marketers
and those whose content marketing level is
sophisticated/mature tend to focus most on
eNewsletters and blogs.
Content Offers B2B Marketers
Ask Audience to Subscribe to
6%
7%
7%
12%
Podcasts
Other
Online
Community
Blog
Print
Magazines
10%Digital
Magazines
56%
eNewsletters 72%
Video
Series
12%Do Not
Extend Offers
22%
SAY eNEWSLETTERS
72%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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22. 22
GOALS METRICS
How important will each
of these content marketing
goals be to your organization
in the next 12 months?
Lead generation and sales, in that order, are
the two most important content marketing
goals of most B2B marketers, no matter what
their effectiveness level is or whether they have
a documented strategy and editorial mission
statement.
The exceptions:
• Organizations that are in the first steps of their
content marketing program place greater
emphasis on sales (85%) than lead gen (78%).
• Enterprise marketers (1,000+ employees) say
engagement is their most important goal (82%),
followed by sales (81%), and lead gen (79%).
Organizational Goals for
B2B Content Marketing
85%Lead Generation
Sales
Lead Nurturing
Brand Awareness
Engagement
Customer Retention/Loyalty
Customer Evangelism/
Creating Brand Advocates
Upsell/Cross-sell
84%
78%
77%
76%
74%
61%
58%
SAY LEAD GENERATION
IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT GOAL85%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: Percentagescomprisemarketerswhoratedeachgoala4or5ona
5-pointscalewhere5=“VeryImportant”and1=“NotatAllImportant.”
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GOALS METRICS How important are
the metrics your
organization uses?
Regardless of how effective they are at content
marketing, B2B marketers consistently cite sales
lead quality, sales, and higher conversion rates as
the top 3 most important metrics.
Most Important Metrics
B2B Content Marketers Use
87%Sales Lead Quality
Sales
Higher Conversion Rates
Sales Lead Quantity
Website Traffic
Brand Lift
Customer Renewal Rates
84%
82%
71%
71%
69%
66%
SEO Ranking
Subscriber Growth
Purchase Intent
67%
62%
64%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: Percentagescomprisemarketerswhorated
eachmetrica4or5ona5-pointscalewhere5=“Very
Important”and1=“NotatAllImportant.”
Note: Additionalmetricsratedasimportantwere
QualitativeFeedbackfromCustomers(61%),Data
Capture(60%),TimeSpentonWebsite(59%),Inbound
Links(54%),SocialMediaSharing(50%),andCost
Savings(36%).
Sales lead quality, sales,
and higher conversion rates
top the list
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GOALS METRICS
What is THE MOST
important metric
your organization uses?
Most B2B marketers say sales lead quality is
the most important metric. The exception
is micro-size organizations (1-9 employees),
which are more focused on sales (32%) than
sales lead quality (24%).
The Most Important Metric
B2B Content Marketers Use
SalesLeadQuality
Sales
HigherConversion
Rates
Sales
Lead
Quantity
Brand
Lift
WebsiteTraffic
SubscriberGrowth
Other
31%
23%13%
9%
7%
5%
3%
3%
SEORanking
6%
SAY SALES
LEAD QUALITY
31%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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BUDGETS SPENDING
Approximately what
percentage of your
organization’s total marketing
budget (not including staff) is
spent on content marketing?
The average proportion of total marketing
budget allocated to content marketing last
year was also 28%.
There is a correlation between effectiveness
and the amount of budget allocated. The
most effective B2B marketers allocate 42%,
on average (up from 37% last year), whereas
the least effective allocate 15% (down from
16% last year).
B2B marketers whose content marketing
maturity level is sophisticated allocate the
most (46%).
Percentage of Total Marketing Budget
Spent on B2B Content Marketing
Unsure
1%-9%
0%
10%-24%
25%-49%
50%-74%
75%-99%
1%
23%22%
20%
16%
10%
4%
3%
100%
IS THE AVERAGE
28%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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BUDGETS SPENDING
How do you expect
your organization’s content
marketing budget to change
in the next 12 months?
More than half of B2B marketers plan to
increase their content marketing budget.
Even 57% of those who are least effective
at content marketing plan to increase their
budget.
35%
Remain
theSame
Decrease
Unsure
Increase51%
3%
11%
B2B Content Marketing Spending
(Over Next 12 Months) SAY THEY WILL
INCREASE SPENDING
51%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CHALLENGES PRIORITIES What are your organization’s
top five content marketing
challenges this year?
Thisyear,weaskedB2Bmarketerstoselecttheirtop5
challengesfromalistthatalsoincludedthefollowing:
•Gapsinknowledgeandskillsofinternalteam(25%)
•Understanding/choosingtechnologythatweneed
(24%)
•Lackofintegrationacrossmarketing(23%)
•Findingortrainingskilledcontentmarketing
professionals/contentcreators(21%)
•Lackofbuy-in/visionfromhigher-ups(19%)
•Implementingthetechnologythatwealready
haveinplace(18%)
•Other(6%)
•Nochallenges(1%)
ThemosteffectiveB2Bmarketersaremorechallenged
withmeasuringcontenteffectiveness(53%)thanthey
arewithproducingengagingcontent(49%).Thesameis
trueforthosewhoaresophisticated/matureincontent
marketing(54%vs.51%).
Top Challenges for
B2B Content Marketers
57%
60%
57%
52%
35%
35%
ProducingEngagingContent
MeasuringContentEffectiveness
ProducingContentConsistently
MeasuringtheROIofContentMarketingProgram
LackofBudget
ProducingaVarietyofContent
SAY PRODUCING
ENGAGING CONTENT
60%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CHALLENGES PRIORITIES What are the top five
priorities that your
organization’s content creators
will focus on this year?
This year, we asked B2B marketers to select their
top 5 priorities for internal content creators from
a list that also included the following:
• Content optimization (38%)
• Content curation (22%)
• Content personalization (20%)
• Becoming stronger writers (19%)
• Other (3%)
• No priorities this year (2%)
Creating more engaging content was also the
top priority last year, no matter how effective the
marketer or what size the company.
Creating more engaging content is an even
bigger priority for those who are in the first steps
of their content marketing maturity program
(82%); that group is highly focused on producing
engaging content, with their second priority (better
understanding of what content is effective) trailing
far behind (64%).
Top Priorities for
B2B Content Creators
65%
57%
72%
51%
41%
CreatingMoreEngagingContent
BetterUnderstandingofWhatContent
IsEffective—andWhatIsn’t
FindingMore/Better
WaystoRepurposeContent
CreatingVisualContent
BecomingBetter
Storytellers
41%BetterUnderstanding
ofAudience
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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COMPARISON CHART
Profile of a Best-in-Class
B2B Content Marketer
Chart term definitions: A“best-in-class”contentmarketer(aka“mosteffective”)isonewhorateshisorherorganizationa4or5ineffectivenessonascaleof1to5,with5being
“VeryEffective”and1being“NotatAllEffective.”Thosewhoratetheirorganizationa1or2are“leasteffective.”Thenumbersunder“average/overall”representtotalrespondents.
Most Effective Average/Overall Least Effective
Organization is clear on what an effective or
successful content marketing program looks like
79% 44% 23%
Describes organization as sophisticated/mature 70% 32% 4%
Meets daily or weekly to discuss content marketing program 61% 44% 25%
Finds meetings extremely or very valuable 72% 54% 38%
Has a documented content marketing strategy 53% 32% 13%
Has a documented editorial mission statement 48% 28% 14%
Average number of tactics used 15 13 11
Average number of social media platforms used 7 6 5
Average number of paid advertising methods used 4 3 3
Percentage of total marketing budget allocated to content marketing 42% 28% 15%
Plans to increase content marketing budget in next 12 months 48% 51% 57%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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30. 30
B2B B2C
Uses content marketing 88% 76%
Considers organization effective at content marketing 30% 38%
Organization is clear on what an effective or successful content marketing program looks like 44% 43%
Describes organization as sophisticated/mature 32% 37%
Meets daily or weekly to discuss content marketing program 44% 48%
Finds meetings extremely or very valuable 54% 59%
Has a documented content marketing strategy 32% 37%
Has a documented editorial mission statement 28% 39%
Average number of tactics used 13 12
Average number of social media platforms used 6 7
Average number of paid advertising methods used 3 4
Percentage of total marketing budget allocated to content marketing 28% 32%
Plans to increase content marketing budget in next 12 months 51% 50%
Differences Between B2B
and B2C Content Marketers
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
COMPARISON CHART
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DEMOGRAPHICS
B2BContentMarketing:2016Benchmarks,Budgets,andTrends—NorthAmericawas produced by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs
and sponsored byBrightcove.
The sixth annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers
using lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, the Business Marketing Association (BMA), Blackbaud, The Association for Data-driven
Marketing Advertising (ADMA),IndustryWeek, NewEquipmentDigest, and WTWH Media.
A total of 3,714 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—completed the survey
during July and August 2015. This report presents the findings from the 1,521 respondents who said they were B2B marketers in North America (1,334 of
whom said, “yes, our organization uses content marketing”), producing a +/-2.5% degree of accuracy at a 95% confidence level.
The B2C percentages shown in this report (p. 30) derive from the same research study. The full findings for B2C North America are available in a separate
report.
B2B Industry
Classification
26%
20%
14%
9%
4%
4%
3%
3%
17%
■ Advertising/Marketing
■ Technology
■ Manufacturing
■ Consulting
■ Publishing/Media
■ Banking/Accounting/Financial
■ Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals
■ Engineering/Construction/Architecture
■ Other
Size of B2B Company
(by Employees)
B2B Content Marketing Roles
19%
31%
27%
22%
■ Small (10-99 Employees)
■ Micro(Fewerthan10Employees)
■ Midsize (100-999 Employees)
■ Large (1,000+ Employees)
60%Content Marketing Leader for Overall Program
Writer
Website/Technology
Editorial Lead
Internal Content Curator
Audience Development
42%
32%
29%
28%
19%
Traditional Marketing/Paid Media
Community
Management
Designer
27%
15%
Influencer
Relations 14%
Agency/Freelance
Relations 14%
Sales 13%
Other 9%
15%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: Multipleresponsespermitted.
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ABOUT
Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs thank all the survey respondents
and distribution partners who made this survey possible.
About Content Marketing Institute (CMI)
Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how
to attract and retain customers through compelling, multi-channel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content
marketing-focused event, is held every September in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and the Intelligent Content Conference event is held every spring.
CMI publishes the bi-monthly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of
the best-known brands in the world. CMI has been named an Inc. 5000 company for the last four years. Watch this video to learn more about
CMI. View all CMI research at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research.
About MarketingProfs
MarketingProfs offers real-world education for modern marketers. More than 600,000 marketing professionals worldwide rely on our free
daily publications, virtual conferences, MarketingProfs University, and more to stay up to date on the most important trends and tactics in
marketing—and how to apply them to their businesses. Visit MarketingProfs.com for more.
About the Business Marketing Association (BMA)
For more than 90 years, the Business Marketing Association (BMA) has dedicated itself exclusively to the discipline of business-to-business
marketing. A division of the Association of National Advertisers, the BMA enriches the lives of B-to-B marketers by providing them with
a forum to learn about new trends and network with peers to exchange ideas. As the largest organization in the world dedicated to B-to-B
marketing, the BMA’s 17 chapters and 2,500 members represent corporate professionals, agencies, small businesses, and suppliers committed
to advancing the practice of B-to-B marketing. To learn more, visit www.marketing.org.
About Brightcove
Brightcove Inc. (NASDAQ:BCOV) is the leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for delivering and monetizing video across
connected devices. The company offers a full suite of products and services that reduce the cost and complexity associated with
publishing, distributing, measuring, and monetizing video across devices. Brightcove has more than 5,000 customers in over 70 countries
that rely on the company’s cloud solutions to successfully publish high-quality video experiences to audiences everywhere. To learn more,
visit www.brightcove.com.
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