A close look at research from top thought-leaders published in the last 12 months to identify the state of content marketing and where it is going. In the presentation I answer: * What are the the big brands doing? * What's hot, and what's not? * Which practices are smart and proven? Which ones should you stop advising your clients to do because the just don't work? * What do communicators need to know to stay ahead of the curve?

1. Content Marketing
Research and Trends
Overview 2015
PR Summit
San Francisco
September 12th, 2015

2. Content Marketing Research
● How Content Now Drives Leads
● Content’s Role In Findability
● Why Content Marketing is Critical For
Sales Growth
● Current Trends

3. People Who Have Internet Access

4. Mobile Rules
There’s now more search traffic coming
from mobile devices than desktops. (Google)

5. Content Is the currency
of the social web

6. Banner Blindness
The average click-through rate (CTR)
of display ads is 0.1%. (DoubleClick)

7. Ads Blocking Is Huge
Ad blocking grew by 41% globally in
the last 12 months and is now 198
million users. (Adobe/PageFair 2015)

8. Abysmal Email Engagement Rates
Industry CTRs range from 1.5%–
4.79%. (MailChimp)

9. Vanishing Sales-Cycle
When buyers engage sales, they have
completed 57% (*or more) of their
purchasing process (CEB/Google 2011)
* More recent research put this as high as 80%+

10. Brand Preference
● When consumers move into an active shopping
state, they’ve already picked their preferred
brand.
● More than 75% will buy from that brand
regardless of any new information they
acquire. (Foundation Capital)

11. Self-Serve Education
56%
Of the buying
process is spent
searching for
educational
content
(International Data Corporation)

12. Smart Is Sexy
76%
Of buyers choose
vendors that can
have intelligent
conversations and
deliver effective
value messages
(Forrester)

13. Marketing Crap Speak
86%
Of buyers say that
the content by
marketing is not
useful, relevant or
aligned with their
needs (IDG)

14. Smart Is Sexy

15. Smart Is Sexy

16. Smart Is Sexy

17. Search
59%
Believe content
has led to
increased search
engine rankings
for their business.
(wyzowl)

18. Traffic
64%
Say they’ve
increased traffic
due to content
marketing (wyzowl)

19. Leads
67%
Say they’ve
received
increased leads
from content
marketing (wyzowl)

20. Awareness
73%
Say content
marketing creates
improved brand
awareness (wyzowl)

21. What’s In It For Me?
76%
of content
marketers agree
that content
should provide
actionable
information. (wyzowl)

22. Smart Is Sexy

23. Smart Is Sexy

24. Smart Is Sexy

25. Commitment To Content Marketing
18%
In 2013
Either "strong" or
"extremely strong."
(Ad Age)

26. Commitment To Content Marketing
40%
In 2015
Either "strong" or
"extremely strong."
(Ad Age)

27. Budget
86%
Of content
marketers say
they plan to
spend more or
maintain their
spending in 2015.
(wyzowl)

28. 2015 Content Marketing Budget
23%
Percentage of
marketing budget
(Ad Age)

29. 2017 Content Marketing Budget
33%
Percentage of
marketing budget
in 2017
(Ad Age)

30. PPC Cost Per Lead
(CMI)
Mid-Sized Company
$109(24 Mo Avg.)
Large-Sized Company
$108(24 Mo Avg.)

31. Content Marketing Cost Per Lead
(CMI)
Mid-Sized Company
$75(24 Mo Avg.)
Large-Sized Company
$64(24 Mo Avg.)

32. Cost Per Lead (24 Mo Avg.)
(CMI)
Content Marketing
31%
Less Than Paid Search
Content Marketing
41%
Less Than Paid Search

33. Smart Is Sexy

34. Get This Presentation
● Twitter
○ @Steveology
● Facebook Page
○ Steveology
● SlideShare
○ PR Summit 2015 Content Marketing

35. Contact Me
● Steve Farnsworth
● theb2bmarketer@gmail.com
● (650) 331-0594
● https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefarn
sworth
● Twitter @Steveology

36. Sources
http://www.slideshare.net/kleinerperkins/internet-trends-2014-05-28-14-pdf
http://adwords.blogspot.com/2015/05/building-for-next-moment.html
https://www.doubleclickbygoogle.com/insights/
http://blog.pagefair.com/2015/ad-blocking-report/
http://mailchimp.com/resources/research/email-marketing-benchmarks/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gyro/2013/01/07/the-disappearing-sales-process/
https://foundationcapital.com/decadeofthecmo
http://thecontentcouncil.org/

37. Sources
http://go.experian.com/dm15report?WT.srch=EMSPR_REP_MR_DM15_042015
http://www.regalix.com/by_regalix/research/reports/state-of-b2b-marketing-2015/
http://ascend2.com/home/latest-report/
https://www.wyzowl.com/state-of-content-marketing-2015.html
http://missingthemark.ads.economist.com/
http://www.komarketingassociates.com/files/b2b-web-usability-report-2015.pdf
http://info.onespot.com/content-clarity-website
http://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/4307/2015-03-26/content-marketing-budgets-set-rise.html
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/06/justify-content-marketing-cost/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/b2b-content-marketing-whats-changed-and-what-hasnt-46580/