STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 - regalix.com · CONTENT MARKETING IS SEEN PRIMARILY AS A PRE-SALES MARKETING TOOL BY B2B MARKETERS Creating awareness, nurturing prospects and

STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015Research Report - Jan 2015

WHO WE SPOKE TO

The respondents we surveyed were predominantly B2B marketers. Over half of them offered a mix of product and services; one-third were pure services companies.

70% of the respondents were from the United States; the rest were from around the world.

70% of the companies we spoke to were technology companies; the rest were chosen from a wide spectrum of other industries.

Around half the companies were under a billion dollars in revenue.

© REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 01

KEY FINDINGS:

98%

95%

90%

80%

78%

61%

marketers say content marketing is core to their marketing strategy

marketers identify website as the most leveraged content channel

respondents choose nurturing prospects as the key objective of their content marketing program

respondents have no exclusive content marketing strategy for mobile

respondents identify videos as the most leveraged content type

marketers expect to invest more in content marketing in 2015

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CONTENT MARKETING IS CORE TO THEIR MARKETING STRATEGY, AGREE MARKETERS

Is content marketing a core part of your marketing strategy?

An overwhelming number of respondents we spoke to said content marketing was core to their marketing strategy.

2%

98% YES

NO


Asked to rate the effectiveness of their organizations’ content marketing efforts, 80% of respondents rated it as somewhat effective, while 18% felt it was very effective.

CONTENT MARKETING IS SEEN PRIMARILY AS A PRE-SALES MARKETING TOOL BY B2B MARKETERS

Creating awareness, nurturing prospects and generating sales were some of the key objectives that our marketers identified as driving their content marketing programs.

What are the key objectives of your content marketing programs?

Creating Awareness 76%

Generate Sales 44%

Generating Leads 83%

Thought Leadership 71%

Website Traffic 51%

Engaging Customers to Build Loyalty and Advocacy 56%

Nurturing Prospects & Influencing Purchase 90%


In your opinion, what are the key benefits of content marketing?

Increase Brand Awareness 89%

Lower Advertising Costs 16%

Improve Rankings 32%

Increase Website Traffic 60%

Thought Leadership 81%

Generate Leads 76%


MARKETERS CHOOSE VIDEO AS THE MOST INDISPENSABLE CONTENT TYPE FOR 2015

This isn’t surprising considering that over 90% of the respondents we spoke to also identified ‘making our new content more visual and engaging’ as the trend that is most influencing their content strategy.

We saw a similar response being given by marketers to videos in our earlier research on the ‘State of B2B Marketing 2015’.

As for most of the other popular content types that are currently being used, they do find their rightful place in the marketers’ arsenal for 2015.


Which of the following content types are you currently leveraging?

Social Media 81%

Case Studies 73%

Podcasts 15%

Blogs 71%

eBooks 39%

Research Reports 49%

Articles on other websites 51%

Mobile Content 17%

White Papers 73%

Digital Magazines 24%

Articles on your website 66%

Videos 78%

Mobile Apps 12%

Infographics 59%

Games/Gamification 5%

Newsletters 51%

Webinars/Webcasts 71%


In your opinion, which of the following content types will become indispensable for B2B marketers in the year 2015?

Online Videos 81%

Webinars/Webcasts 57%

Social Media Posts (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) 54%

Website Content 54%

Infographics 51%

Case Studies 76%

White Papers 51%

Blogs 51%


THE WEBSITE CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST LEVERAGED CHANNEL, FOLLOWED BY SOCIAL & EMAIL

Mobile, on the other hand, featured in only one-third of the marketers’ content plan.

Which of the following media channels are you currently leveraging for distributing content?

Website 95%

Mobile 33%

Social Media 92%

Email 90%

Search Marketing 74%

Blogs 72%

Events (Web-based / In-person) 82%


MOBILE YET TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE B2B CONTENT PLAN

In fact, its role in content marketing appears to be a little uncertain to current practitioners. No wonder, an overwhelming 80% of respondents admitted to not having an exclusive content strategy for mobile.

In your opinion, how important is a mobile app in content marketing?

Do you have an exclusive mobile content marketing strategy?

Critical

Somewhat Important

Very Important

Not at all Important

5%

51%

27%

16%

79%21% YES

NO


AWARENESS AND CONSIDERATION ARE THE KEY STAGES ADDRESSED IN THE CONSUMER BUYING CYCLE

Considering that B2B marketers saw content marketing more as a pre-sales tool, it comes as no surprise to us that both the content type and the channels chosen in their plans were skewed toward meeting pre-sales objectives.


In terms of effectiveness, match the following content types with the corresponding stages in the consumer buying cycle.

Social Media Posts

Research Reports

Case Studies

Podcasts

Articles

Infographics

Videos

Mobile Apps

Newsletters

Mobile Content

White Papers

Digital Magazines

Blog Posts

eBooks

Webinars/Webcasts

Games/Gamification

47%39%28%47%83%

Awareness Consideration Purchase Loyalty Advocacy

67% 47% 11% 19% 22%

11%6%6%22%81%

19%11%25%64% 50% 25%81% 14%61% 22%

8%53% 14%53% 19%

22%50% 25%61% 28%

11%33% 17%19% 3%

31%28%47%58%39%

0%19%6%33%53%

33%25%56%69% 39%

28%33%22%44% 14%

11%39%78%47% 22%

19%8%31%67% 25%

22%19%39%69%42% 17%11%31%58% 19%


In terms of effectiveness, match the following media channels with the corresponding stages in the consumer buying cycle.

Website

Mobile

Email

Search Marketing

Social Media Sites

Web-based Events

Blogs

36%17%42%83% 31% 33%81% 25%61% 19%

19%36%17%31%69% 0%3%47%72% 17% 31%53%72%56% 36%

28%33%67% 56%75% 22%72% 36%69% 36%


Awareness Consideration Purchase Loyalty Advocacy

OVER TWO-THIRDS OF THE COMPANIES WE SPOKE TO ARE CREATING BETWEEN 1 AND 3 PIECES OF CONTENT EVERY WEEK

Over 70% of respondents also said they re-purpose a single content anywhere between 1 and 3 times.

How many pieces of content does your organization create and promote in a week?

Are you currently re-purposing content? If so, typically how many times do you re-purpose a single content?

1 27%

3 17%

2 32%

4 7%

5 and Above 17%

1 - 3

5 and Above

3 - 5

We Don’t Repurpose Content

72%

3%

19%

6%


SEO TAKES A BACK-SEAT TO AUDIENCE RELEVANCE & COMPELLING STORYTELLING WHEN IT COMES TO JUDGING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTENT

Understandably then, social interactions and time spent on website are the top metrics used to evaluate content engagement.

In your opinion, what are the important elements of effective content?

Audience Relevance 90%

Originality 46%

Triggers a Response/Action 66%

Written for SEO 44%

Low Cost 17%

Engaging and Compelling Storytelling 81%

Effectively Delivers Message 71%

Custom Content 32%

Re-usability 56%

Well-edited Copy 42%

Easy to Produce 15%


Which of the following metrics does your organization use to evaluate content engagement?

Social Interactions 81%

Time Spent on Website 78%

Returning Visitors 73%

Subscriptions 32%

Comments/ Feedbacks 51%


LEAD GENERATION APPEARS TO HAVE THE FINAL WORD IN DEFINING THE SUCCESS OF A CONTENT MARKETING PROGRAM

Building website traffic, page views and generating leads are the top factors considered for the success of a content plan. One can safely presume here that the need to build more traffic to the site is to build a larger funnel for sales conversion.

At least a quarter of the respondents we spoke to said they were not at all successful in tracking the ROI of their content program.

Which of the following metrics does your organization use to evaluate the success of its content marketing programs?

Website Traffic 79%

Sales Opportunities 58%

No. of Leads Generated 71%

Inbound Links 16%

Downloads 58%

Increased Customer Loyalty 18%

ROI 37%

Page Views 74%

Conversion Rates 66%

Sales Leads Quality 58%

Content Production Cost 16%

Form Completions 37%

Cross-Selling 8%

SEO Ranking 45%


How successful is your organization at tracking the ROI of its content marketing program?

11%

64%

Very Successful

Not at all Successful25%

Somewhat Successful


CORPORATE MARKETING DRIVES CONTENT STRATEGY

Predominantly seen as a corporate marketing initiative, product marketing turns up a poor second when it comes to defining the company’s content strategy.

Which of the following teams defines content marketing strategy for your organization?

Corporate Marketing 62%

Sales 14%

Product Management 22%

CEO / President / Owner 8%

Product Marketing 43%

Demand Generation 32%

External Agency / Consultant 3%

PR / Communications 19%

Field Marketing 8%


LACK OF RESOURCES TO CREATE A WIDE VARIETY OF CONTENT SEEN AS BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN CONTENT MARKETING

Creating relevant content on an ongoing basis to address the varying needs of consumers is at the heart of any content marketing program and requires sustained effort and committed resources from the company. It is a challenge that marketers continue to face.

To overcome this, 84% of the companies we spoke to said they currently outsource content writing & design.


What, according to you, are the top content marketing challenges?

Producing the kind of content that engages 49%

Lack of buy-in / vision 16%

Lack of budget 27%

Delivering right time/real time content based on behavioural patterns

35%

Producing a variety of content 49%

Inability to measure content marketing effectiveness

38%

Mapping content to stages in the customer buying cycle

41%

Lack of integration across marketing 19%

Producing enough content 43%

Lack of expertise 14%

Lack of time to create content 49%

Repurposing existing content 24%

Lack of resources / bandwidth to create content 60%

Understanding buyer personas and creating relevant content for each segment

54%

Localizing content for international markets 19%

Finding trained content marketing professionals 27%


Do you outsource content? If yes, which of the following functions does your organization outsource?

Content Creation (Design & Writing) 84%

Measurement/Analytics 16%

Content Distribution/Syndication 12%

Content Strategy 4%

Buyer Profile Creation 12%


A THIRD OF THE COMPANIES WE SURVEYED HAD LESS THAN 10% OF THEIR MARKETING BUDGET ALLOCATED FOR CONTENT MARKETING

Given that our respondents see content marketing as a core part of their marketing strategy, it appears budget allocations are yet to recognize this fact. In fact, over 72% of companies currently allocate less than a quarter of their budget to content programs. On the positive side, over 61% of the marketers we spoke to said they expect an increase in their content marketing budget in the coming year. That should hopefully help them tide over some of the resource constraints they are facing right now.

What percentage of your marketing budget is currently allocated to content marketing?

< 10%

25-50%

10-25%

> 50%

33%

22%

39%

6%


How do you see your organization’s content marketing budget changing in the next 12 months?

0%

61%Increase

Decrease

Remains the Same39%


HOW PREPARED ARE COMPANIES TO REALIZE THEIR CONTENT MARKETING AMBITIONS?

Aligning content and measurement is a challenge that companies are learning to cope with, the results of which we would hopefully see implemented in the coming year.

Which of the following statements holds true for your organization?

We are learning how to align content and plan to execute on our strategy within the

next six months

We are sophisticated in our content alignment and measurement

Difficulty in understanding how to align content and measurement but realize the

value in doing so

We understand how to align content but lack measurement strategy

We have no plan to align content to the buyer’s journey or measure success

54%

14%

19%

8%

5%


CLOSING - THOUGHTS

Content marketing, we believe, is the emerging face of digital marketing and content will be at the core of all meaningful consumer engagements. Companies need to address the challenges and opportunities that this will throw up.

The key to success is making content meaningful and relevant to the consumer. Understanding the consumer journey and mapping content to the different stages of that journey is a task that companies need to undertake.

Currently, content marketing is being primarily used as a pre-sales tool with an emphasis on lead generation. We believe companies need to learn to engage customers post-sales as well, using content to build long terms relationships.

Given the emergence of smart phones and other mobile devices in our everyday lives, B2B marketers along with their digital partners need to unscramble the code on how to effectively use mobile as a powerful tool in their content strategy.

We also feel that newer channels and content types need to be explored and marketers who discover and adopt them will stand to gain.

To leverage the emerging trend of videos, and innovate on content delivery, marketers need to convince their boards to loosen the purse strings and invest in content marketing. The companies that succeed in this endeavour will emerge as winners in what we think will be the next revolution in marketing.


Nimish VohraSVP, Principal Analyst

Sridharan NarayanHead Creative Services

Nimish, Senior Vice President works, with CMOs and senior

marketing professionals. His research focuses on customer experience

management, predictive analytics, mobile enablement and other

emerging trends that help customers leverage technology as an

enabler of marketing and business outcomes.

Having spent over two decades in advertising and brand management,

Sridharan’s passion continues to be content in all its forms. He is deeply

concerned about the consumption of content assets across various

consumer touch-points, with media being, in more cases than not, the

message. Through research, he intends to positively influence a client’s

business outcome, by being relevant to the consumer across the entire

sales life-cycle.

ABOUT THE ANALYSTS


ABOUT REGALIX RESEARCH

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we help the CMO organization leverage emerging digital practices for creating marketing leverage as they bring new products and innovation to market. Regalix Research helps marketers through research-based insights, consulting and peer-to-peer programs that guide marketing strategy development and execution. Our focus is helping Technology companies leverage innovation and best practices to create real differentiation. Our analysts are practitioners with a successful track record of delivering real marketing results for both leading Fortune 500 companies as well as venture backed firms.

Regalix is an award-winning Global Innovation company that leverages technology and marketing to help companies grow. We create successful ventures with our clients through co-innovation and idea-driven frameworks that inspire companies to think different. We bring ideas to life by envisioning new companies, developing brands, engineering products, and designing technology platforms. Founded in 1998, Regalix is based in Palo Alto. Our Silicon Valley setting has enabled us to stay ahead of emerging trends in digital technology and marketing.

For over a decade, we have provided complete marketing services – Social, Mobile, Content, Multi-channel Campaigns, Technology Development, and Analytics – to companies such as CA Technologies, Citi, Apple, eBay, Cisco, VMWare, NetApp, Cypress, LSI, Keynote, and MetricStream.

For more information

To find out how Regalix can help you, please contact our office, or visit us at www.regalix.com

Regalix Research

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STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 - regalix.com · CONTENT MARKETING IS SEEN PRIMARILY AS A PRE-SALES MARKETING TOOL BY B2B MARKETERS Creating awareness, nurturing prospects and