B2B content marketing usage is approaching saturation at around 87% of companies using it in 2018. White papers, blogs, research reports and videos are top performing content types. As B2B buyers do more independent research online, high-quality content helps demonstrate value and ROI. Most B2B marketers see room for improvement in their content strategies, production and measuring effectiveness. Developing strategic, audience-focused, full-funnel content across channels using new formats like video and interactions will be important, as will tracking content's impact on revenue.

1. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
For more information on this subject, see the related report at
B2B Content Marketing 2018: As
Usage Nears Saturation, Still Lots of
Room for Improvement
Jillian Ryan
Senior Analyst
February 5, 2018
http://totalaccess.emarketer.com/Reports/Viewer.aspx?R=2002201

2. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
B2B Content Marketing in
2018

3. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
B2B content marketing is approaching the
saturation point
 eMarketer estimates 87.0%
of US B2B companies will
use digital content
marketing in 2018
 That number will grow
slightly in 2019 to 87.5%
 Each year brings the B2B
market closer to saturation
 B2Bs are ahead of total
companies in usage

4. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
White papers, blogs and research still work
 Half of B2B marketers
worldwide said research
reports were a content type
that generated leads with
the highest customer
conversion rate
 Other top performers:
– Video/motion graphics (41%),
– Webinars/webcasts (41%)
– Case studies/white papers
(39%)

5. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
The promise of high-quality leads is a driving
principle behind using content marketing
 Two in three B2B
marketers worldwide
said content
downloads were a
type of digital form
that generated leads
with the highest
customer conversion
rate

6. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Shifting B2B buyer behavior opens the door for
content in marketing
 Buyers are becoming more independent, relying less on
direct contact with sellers during the decision-making
process and doing their own research online.
 Research shows that buyers are looking for a credible
source of information when they make purchasing
decisions.
 Content that demonstrates value, and helps a buyer
show return on investment (ROI) or build a business case
for purchase, can make the difference in selecting one
vendor over another.

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Investment is on the rise, with more leadership
buy-in
Nearly two-fifths (38%) of US B2B marketers planned to
increase their spending on content marketing in 2018.
Source: Informa Engage, September 2017
Over half (54.1%) of B2B marketers in Western Europe
and the US allocate between 11% and 25% of their
annual marketing budget to content marketing.
Source: emedia, June 2017

8. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
The effectiveness of content marketing needs to
be improved
While more than half of B2B marketers worldwide called
their content production and development activities for
digital lead generation advanced, the other portion are
just doing the basics.
Source: Digital Doughnut, August 2017
Only 11% of B2B marketers who have a content
marketing strategy said the program was very effective.
Source: emedia, June 2017

9. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Documented strategies and mature programs
are crucial
“Random acts of content don’t work. There needs to be a
strategy.”
—Jay Baer, Founder, Convince & Convert
“It’s not just about creating content and distributing it. It's about
managing all the complex moving parts of a content
engine and then working together to elevate all of that
work.”
— Erin Stender, Vice President, Marketing, Classy

10. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
B2Bs need a strategy, supportive leadership,
consistent schedules and great writers
“[The best B2Bs] have done persona work and
know what the audience looks like. They may
have an editorial or topic calendar and a
publishing plan to distribute their content. They
typically—this may not sound surprising, but it's
critical—have not only a high level of commitment
to it, but [also] a leadership team that understands
this is not an overnight strategy.”
—Stephanie Stahl, General Manager, Content Marketing
Institute (CMI)

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Content Creation Must Be
Strategic, Efficient and
Innovative

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Content must address the needs of the audience
“We ask questions about
the problems our
customers are trying to
solve. That’s a guide to
create content that helps
[address] those issues.
If our content
doesn't help the
audience, it just
doesn't perform
well.”
—Joe Saylor, Digital and
Social Strategist, Intel Corp.
“Through
engagement,
marketers can
understand the
buyer’s needs. We
look at what content
buyers are consuming.
We use insights and
incorporate them into
new, refined content.”
—John Steinert, CMO,
TechTarget

13. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
B2B marketers must also think full-funnel when
creating content for their audience
 Audience research extends beyond knowing who the
buyer is—another aspect is understanding where that
buyer is in the purchase funnel.
 A major challenge is ensuring that all portions of the
funnel are equally represented during the creation
process.
 Many get stuck creating content for just one phase.
 Looking for holes in the journey can help B2Bs see which
stage needs more content to support it.

14. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Quality over quantity wins
 B2B marketers need to focus on creating great content,
and strive to get as much use out of it as possible.
 Quality content should be strategic, efficiently created
and innovative.
 Tips for quality content:
– Craft content with purpose
– It’s not always about your
brand
– Be original
– Rely on a strong, talented team
– Have a plan …
– … but be flexible
– Starting from scratch isn’t
always necessary

15. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Video and interactive content emerge as formats
to watch in 2018
 Although more “traditional” types of content marketing
continue to be effective, two emerging formats were top
of mind: video and interactive content.
 November 2017 research from Sagefrog Marketing Group
found that of all trending marketing topics for 2018
named by US B2B marketing professionals, video and
interactive content were the only types of content on
the list.
 Brands like SAP, Sovrn and LinkedIn are creating content
experiences with video and interactive formats as a
cornerstone.

16. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Content’s Role in the
Marketing Mix

17. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
B2Bs should be omnichannel with content, as it
has a big role in all facets of marketing strategy
 Content is promoted
pretty evenly across
owned, earned and paid
media
 Note that respondents
chose only one media
type; B2B marketers
should use a combination
of the three to promote
content

18. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Advanced B2Bs are working to deliver a content
experience that is personalized
 Given the advent of account-based marketing, better
content syndication tools and more data, content
personalization is a focus for B2Bs.
 While creating bespoke content requires additional
resources, content personalization through
technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI)
and machine learning is increasingly alleviating that
issue.
 Brands like Salesforce and SAP are already
experimenting with these experiences.

19. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Content can’t live and die in marketing; it must
fuel the whole organization
 Content’s success doesn’t end in marketing—having
effective content across an entire organization is a
challenge for B2B brands, large and small.
 B2Bs must create plans and infrastructure to share
content to be used for all customer-facing teams:
– Sales enablement
– Customer support
– Account management

20. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Revenue-Driven
Measurement Is Key

21. © 2017 eMarketer Inc.
Tracking content’s impact on sales
 Attribution hasn’t always been a consideration for
measuring the ROI of B2B content marketing, but many
experts say it will be a leading trend in 2018.
 Industry insiders are pushing for more revenue-focused
key performance indicators (KPIs).
 Measuring success starts with tracking from the first
content touchpoint, but more qualitative forms of
feedback are also necessary for understanding how
content assets influence a buying decision.

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The risk of flawed metrics
 Industry experts agree that content marketing programs
not focused on revenue will have a harder time finding
success.
 Further, many B2Bs don’t have the right technology in
place for accurate measurement.
 As B2Bs refine their content creation and marketing
strategies in 2018, measurement needs to improve as
well. If metrics aren’t a priority, success cannot be
demonstrated, which in turn could make B2Bs abandon
their content marketing efforts, and usage rates may see
a drop in coming years.