B2B Content Marketing Strategy for 2014

How to plan for B2B Content Marketing in 2014?

Content marketing continues to dominate as a core component of a successful B2B marketing strategy – and we've got the facts to prove it. Get your flabbergasted face on, it’s time for some seriously surprising stats and facts about B2B content marketing!

Note: Most of this data is taken from the Content Marketing Institute’s B2B 2014 Report. Exceptions to this are marked.  

Fact #1: 93% of B2B marketers use content marketing. Yep – almost all of them.

Fact #2: 42% of B2B marketers say they are effective at content marketing. (Only 36% felt this way last year. Way to go, that’s a big improvement!)

Fact #3: 44% of B2B marketers have a documented content strategy (the question is – do you?).

Fact #4: B2B marketers who have a documented content strategy are much more likely to consider themselves effective (66% vs. 11%).

Fact #5: 48% of small B2B organizations (10-99 employees) have a documented content strategy, compared with only 41% of larger organizations (1,000+ employees). That’s a huge score for the little guy!

Fact #6: 73% of B2B organizations have a person in place to oversee their content marketing strategy. (And again, it’s 78% of smaller organizations that have a person overseeing content marketing strategy, as opposed to only 58% of larger companies).

Fact #7: 73% of B2B content marketers are producing more content than they did one year ago.

Fact #8: B2B companies that blog produce 67% more leads than those that don't (Ragan).

Fact #9: Nearly 80% of chief marketing officers think custom content is the future of marketing (Ragan).

Fact #10: B2B marketers use an average of 13 content marketing tactics, and have largely become more confident using these tactics. What do top tier B2B marketers consider the most valuable weapon in their arsenal? 79% said that blogs were their most effective tactic, with in-person events coming in next at 76%.

Top 20 B2B marketing tactics include (in order of popularity):

1. Social Media (other than blogs)
2. Articles on Your Website
3. Newsletters
4. Blogs
5. In-person Events
6. Case Studies
7. Videos
8. Articles on Other Websites
9. White Papers
10. Webinars/Webcasts
11. Research Reports
12. Infographics
13. Microsites
14. Branded Content Tools
15. Mobile Content
16. Print Magazines
17. eBooks
18. Books
19. Podcasts
20. Mobile Apps

Fact #11: Infographics have seen a huge increase in usage, growing from 38% of B2B marketers using them last year to 51% this year!

Fact #12: While it’s no shock that B2B marketers are using more social media than ever before, you may be surprised to find that of B2B marketers:

• 55% are using Google+
• 40% are using Slide Share
• 91% are using LinkedIn
• 73% use YouTube
• 22% use Instagram

Fact #13: Nearly half of smaller companies consider Slide Share to be an effective tool, whereas larger companies are less excited (50% vs. 38%)

Fact #14: 82% of B2B marketers consider brand awareness to be their top goal (next up is lead generation at 74%).

Fact #15: 58% of B2B marketers plan on increasing their content marketing budget over the next 12 months.

Fact #16: What are the major challenges for B2B content marketers? 69% cite lack of time, which has been a common hurdle in years past.

Fact #17: 30% of B2B marketing budgets are allocated to content marketing.