Our Look Into B2B Content Consumption Trends

With three decades of experience in marketing home and building products, the Draper DNA team has learned a thing or two along the way. A lot has evolved throughout the years, but what remains the same is the importance of keeping up with industry trends. One of the ways we do that is by dissecting industry research and applying our learnings to current and prospective clients.

Recently, we came across a report from Centerline Digital about making sense of B2B content consumption trends. More specifically, the B2B buying process, each touchpoint throughout and the increasing number of stakeholders involved in decision making.

This research has been broken down into four specifics:

• The Who
  • Who is consuming content in the B2B buying cycle?
• The What
  • What kind of content are they consuming?
• The How
  • How are they finding content?
• The What Now
  • What does this all mean?

Let’s break this down.

 

The Who

 

According to this research, while many B2B marketers hope to get the attention of the C-Suite first, more success is found by targeting those who directly impact how quickly the C-level makes decisions. The tier right below – VPs, SVPs – have proven to be the fastest to consume content while the next tier – those at management levels – is primed to consume higher volumes of content. That being said, the research states that the appetite at the C-level is becoming more voracious, but since they likely have the least time to digest and focus on the content, B2B marketers will find more luck talking to those who have the ear of the C-level directly.

It also validates that over half (52%) of B2B buyers prefer content optimized for multiple devices – mobile, desktop, tablet, etc. so it is important that content meets the targeted audience where they spend the most time.

That being said, engage with mid-to-senior level employees to elevate your strategy and have it heard to ultimately deploy.

 

The What

 

The question here is, “what kind of content is being consumed”? With the insights Centerline garnered, it is confirmed that this varies among audiences. The one thing we know is that it is important to begin any content marketing strategy by aligning on business goals and objectives. These goals and objectives will vary among client, so the right content mix and messaging will look different each time. This study also shares that video is the golden ticket. 59% of senior executives prefer to watch video rather than reading text; 80% of users questioned recall a video they’ve seen in the last 30 days; the highest rated early-funnel content type by B2B markets are infographics and 76% of B2B buyers listed white papers and long-form content as the material they’d most likely share with colleagues.

What does this mean, exactly? As we said before – video is the golden ticket. B2B buyers are looking for memorable video content that leaves a lasting impression and is easily shareable. Video combined with long-form data is cashing in that golden ticket. Finally, pulling prominent points from that long-form content to create an infographic wraps it all up in the perfect package.

Looking for a partner to create videos, long-form content and infographics? Give us a call.

 

The How

 

We know that our current and prospective clients already have ideas about what they’re looking for. Where are they coming up with these ideas? It should be no surprise that they are finding content through email, social media and search. Understanding that, it is important that as marketers, we remember not to discount “old” channels like email as email is the top lead and revenue producing vehicle. Social media is not far behind and will continue to be a platform for sought out information. The most valuable social media outlets for businesses are Facebook (89%), LinkedIn (83%), YouTube (81%) and Twitter (80%). Centerline has also found that through search, 72% of B2B buyers turn to Google for answers. To play in that field, it is imperative that you focus on long-tail SEO strategies to compete with other key players in your target industry.

Draper DNA has all of the tools needed to create content specific to each target channel with success stories to prove it.

 

What Now

 

Centerline lists three key takeaways from its research:

1. Creating content on its own is not enough; B2B marketers need a mix of content. With that, a thoroughly defined strategy on how to target that mix is key.
2. Sharing a combination of content types – both original and curated – will position your brand as an industry authority.
3. Watch out for knee-jerk assumptions about who you’re targeting, why you’re targeting them and how they currently find content online.

These learnings are top of mind at Draper DNA and how we work with our clients to successfully market in the B2B space. A space we are quite familiar with. Implementing these takeaways in our strategies aligns with how we, as an agency, disrupt, surprise and delight in the marketplace.

Curious to know how we can leverage this information and our tenure in the B2B space? Give us a shout. We’re here for you.

Draper DNA is a full-service marketing agency and consultancy specializing in helping home and building products companies challenge the industry.