STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING Research Report - Jan 2015

Transcription

1 STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 Research Report - Jan 2015

2 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

3 KEY FINDINGS: 98% marketers say content marketing is core to their marketing strategy» tweet this «95% marketers identify website as the most leveraged content channel» tweet this «90% respondents choose nurturing prospects as the key objective of their content marketing program» tweet this «80% respondents have no exclusive content marketing strategy for mobile» tweet this «78% respondents identify videos as the most leveraged content type» tweet this «61% marketers expect to invest more in content marketing in 2015» tweet this «REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 02

4 CONTENT MARKETING IS CORE TO THEIR MARKETING STRATEGY, AGREE MARKETERS An overwhelming number of respondents we spoke to said content marketing was core to their marketing strategy. Is content marketing a core part of your marketing strategy? 98% YES 2% 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. REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 03

5 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? Nurturing Prospects & Influencing Purchase 90% Generating Leads 83% Creating Awareness 76% Thought Leadership 71% Engaging Customers to Build Loyalty and Advocacy 56% Website Traffic 51% Generate Sales 44% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 04

6 In your opinion, what are the key benefits of content marketing? Increase Brand Awareness 89% Thought Leadership 81% Generate Leads 76% Increase Website Traffic 60% Improve Rankings 32% Lower Advertising Costs 16% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 05

7 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 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 REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 06

8 Which of the following content types are you currently leveraging? Social Media 81% Videos 78% Case Studies 73% White Papers 73% Blogs 71% Webinars/Webcasts 71% Articles on your website 66% Infographics 59% Articles on other websites 51% Newsletters 51% Research Reports 49% ebooks 39% Digital Magazines 24% Mobile Content 17% Podcasts 15% Mobile Apps 12% Games/Gamification 5% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 07

9 In your opinion, which of the following content types will become indispensable for B2B marketers in the year 2015? Online Videos 81% Case Studies 76% Webinars/Webcasts 57% Website Content 54% Social Media Posts (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) 54% Blogs 51% White Papers 51% Infographics 51% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 08

10 THE WEBSITE CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST LEVERAGED CHANNEL, FOLLOWED BY SOCIAL & 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% Social Media 92% 90% Events (Web-based / In-person) 82% Search Marketing 74% Blogs 72% Mobile 33% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 09

11 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. Do you have an exclusive mobile content marketing strategy? 79% NO 21% YES In your opinion, how important is a mobile app in content marketing? Critical Very Important Somewhat Important Not at all Important 5% 27% 51% 16% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 10

12 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. REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 11

13 In terms of effectiveness, match the following content types with the corresponding stages in the consumer buying cycle. Awareness Consideration Purchase Loyalty Advocacy 83% 47% 28% 39% 47% 67% 47% 11% 19% 22% 64% 25% 11% 50% 19% 81% 61% 22% 14% 25% Social Media Posts Articles Newsletters Blog Posts 39% 58% 47% 28% 31% 69% 56% 39% 25% 33% 47% 78% 39% 22% 11% 50% 61% 28% 25% 22% Case Studies Videos White Papers Webinars/Webcasts 42% 69% 39% 19% 22% 81% 22% 6% 6% 11% 58% 31% 11% 19% 17% 53% 53% 19% 14% 8% Research Reports Infographics Mobile Content ebooks 53% 33% 6% 19% 0% 44% 22% 14% 33% 28% 67% 31% 8% 25% 19% 33% 19% 3% 17% 11% Podcasts Mobile Apps Digital Magazines Games/Gamification REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 12

14 In terms of effectiveness, match the following media channels with the corresponding stages in the consumer buying cycle. Awareness Consideration Purchase Loyalty Advocacy 67% 75% 56% 33% 28% 72% 69% 36% 36% 22% 83% 42% 17% 31% 36% 81% 61% 19% 25% 33% Website Social Media Sites Blogs 69% 31% 17% 36% 19% 72% 47% 17% 3% 0% 56% 72% 53% 36% 31% Mobile Search Marketing Web-based Events REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 13

15 OVER TWO-THIRDS OF THE COMPANIES WE SPOKE TO ARE CREATING BETWEEN 1 AND 3 PIECES OF CONTENT EVERY WEEK How many pieces of content does your organization create and promote in a week? 1 27% 2 32% 3 17% 4 7% 5 and Above 17% Over 70% of respondents also said they re-purpose a single content anywhere between 1 and 3 times. Are you currently re-purposing content? If so, typically how many times do you re-purpose a single content? and Above We Don t Repurpose Content 72% 19% 3% 6% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 14

16 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% Engaging and Compelling Storytelling 81% Effectively Delivers Message 71% Triggers a Response/Action 66% Re-usability 56% Originality 46% Written for SEO 44% Well-edited Copy 42% Custom Content 32% Low Cost 17% Easy to Produce 15% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 15

17 Which of the following metrics does your organization use to evaluate content engagement? Social Interactions 81% Time Spent on Website 78% Returning Visitors 73% Comments/ Feedbacks 51% Subscriptions 32% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 16

18 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% Page Views 74% No. of Leads Generated 71% Conversion Rates 66% Downloads 58% Sales Leads Quality 58% Sales Opportunities 58% SEO Ranking 45% Form Completions 37% ROI 37% Increased Customer Loyalty 18% Inbound Links 16% Content Production Cost 16% Cross-Selling 8% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 17

19 How successful is your organization at tracking the ROI of its content marketing program? 64% Somewhat Successful 25% Not at all Successful 11% Very Successful REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 18

20 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% Product Marketing 43% Demand Generation 32% Product Management 22% PR / Communications 19% Sales 14% CEO / President / Owner 8% Field Marketing 8% External Agency / Consultant 3% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 19

21 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. REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 20

22 What, according to you, are the top content marketing challenges? Lack of resources / bandwidth to create content 60% Understanding buyer personas and creating relevant content for each segment 54% Producing the kind of content that engages 49% Producing a variety of content 49% Lack of time to create content 49% Producing enough content 43% Mapping content to stages in the customer buying cycle Inability to measure content marketing effectiveness Delivering right time/real time content based on behavioural patterns 41% 38% 35% Lack of budget 27% Finding trained content marketing professionals 27% Repurposing existing content 24% Lack of integration across marketing 19% Localizing content for international markets 19% Lack of buy-in / vision 16% Lack of expertise 14% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 21

23 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% Buyer Profile Creation 12% Content Strategy 4% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 22

24 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% 10-25% 25-50% > 50% 33% 39% 22% 6% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 23

25 How do you see your organization s content marketing budget changing in the next 12 months? 61% Increase 39% Remains the Same 0% Decrease REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 24

26 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 54% Difficulty in understanding how to align content and measurement but realize the value in doing so 19% We are sophisticated in our content alignment and measurement 14% We understand how to align content but lack measurement strategy 8% We have no plan to align content to the buyer s journey or measure success 5% REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 25

27 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. REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 26

28 ABOUT THE ANALYSTS Nimish Vohra SVP, Principal Analyst 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. Sridharan Narayan Head Creative Services 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. REGALIX RESEARCH STATE OF B2B CONTENT MARKETING 2015 / 27

29 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 Regalix Research 1121 San Antonio Road, Suite #B200 Palo Alto, CA (US): (India): [email protected]