Alan DraperNow that the year is wrapping up, it’s time to assess your business goals for 2014 – including your B2B marketing campaigns.
Please remember not to ignore content marketing as you reevaluate your marketing plans. I came across an intriguing infographic by the Content Marketing Institute that explains why. In the Institute’s study of 1,217 respondents, content marketing continues to be top of mind. Ninety-three percent of B2B marketers are still relying on content marketing; 30% of B2B marketing costs are relayed to content marketing and 58% of companies plan to up this budget in 2014.
What’s more, 73% of B2B companies in the Content Marketing Institute study admit to increasing their content marketing from last year; 42% believe content marketing has been an effective route. These numbers prove that content marketing is king; here are some more stats, which were reported by the Content Marketing Institute:
The Key To Creating Successful Content Marketing
- 35% of B2B leaders say their key is to create engaging content
- 86% of companies hire someone to manage their content marketing
- 66% swear by a specific strategy
Top 7 Ways Companies Are Engaging Their Audiences
- Social media – 87%
- Articles specifically posted on their company website – 81%
- E-newsletters – 80%
- Blogs – 76%
- Live events – 76%
- Case studies – 73%
- Videos – 73%
Note: The Content Marketing Institute has reported that there’s been a surge in using infographics. According to the Institute, 38% of B2B companies in 2012 created infographics; this percentage rose to 51% in 2013. Also, B2B marketers tend to use 6 social media platforms. The top four include: LinkedIn (91%), Twitter (85%), Facebook (81%) and YouTube (73%).
Customizing Content Through Segmentation
Content marketing is segmented by these methods, according to 95% of marketers in the Institute study:
- Trends relating to their trade – 65%
- Profiles of influential personalities – 59%
- Company features – 55%
- The buying cycle – 43%
Factors That Drive Successful Content Marketing
Brand recognition, gaining new customers and lead generation are top goals that encourage B2B marketers to succeed. (Note: The Content Marketing Institute has reported that lead generation is the top reason why 93% of B2B content marketers build effective content marketing.) Content marketing success is frequently measured via web traffic, the value of sales leads and social media distribution.
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Alan Draper.
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