Now 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.
