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T E C H N O L O G Y
B2B TECHNOLOGY CONTENT MARKETING:
2015 BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS – NORTH AMERICA
SPONSORED BY:
2
	Welcome................................................................................................................................................. 3
	Usage & Overall Effectiveness.............................................................................................................. 4
	Strategy & Organization........................................................................................................................ 6
	Goals & Metrics..................................................................................................................................... 10
	Content Creation & Distribution........................................................................................................ 13
	Budgets & Spending............................................................................................................................ 22
	Challenges & Initiatives....................................................................................................................... 24
	Comparison Chart: Differences Between Technology Marketers and B2B Marketers Overall...........29
	Comparison Chart: Most Effective vs. Least Effective Technology Marketers.......................................30
	Comparison Chart: Technology Marketers: Documented vs. Verbal
	 or No Content Marketing Strategy.................................................................................................................31
	Demographics...................................................................................................................................... 32
	About..................................................................................................................................................... 33
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPONSORED BY:
Greetings Technology Content Marketers,
Welcome to B2B Technology Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North
America. Throughout this report, you’ll see how technology marketers have changed their content
marketing practices over the last year and how they compare with the overall sample of B2B
marketers who completed our annual content marketing survey.
Among all groups we studied this year, technology marketers are the most likely to use content
marketing. They’re also the group that is most focused on lead generation as the primary goal
for their content marketing efforts. Producing engaging content continues to be a challenge for
technology marketers; however, 73% are presently working on initiatives to improve in this area.
Overall, technology marketers are some of the savviest we’ve studied in terms of how they are
working to align their goals, metrics, and initiatives. Those who have a documented content
marketing strategy are getting the best results.
Thanks for looking to Content Marketing Institute as a resource. We look forward to serving you
for many years to come.
Yours in content,
Joe
Joe Pulizzi
Founder
Content Marketing Institute
3
WELCOME
SPONSORED BY:
4
SPONSORED BY:
USAGE & OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS
Does your organization
use content marketing?
93% say yes
Last year, 98% of technology marketers said they
use content marketing.
Back then, we defined content marketing as the
“creation and distribution of educational and/or
compelling content in multiple media formats to
attract and/or retain customers.”
This year, we defined content marketing as
“a strategic marketing approach focused on
creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and
consistent content to attract and retain a clearly
defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive
profitable customer action.”
The new definition—crafted by Content
Marketing Institute in early 2014—better reflects
how content marketing has grown from the mere
“creation and distribution” of content to a formal
business discipline.
Percentageof
TechnologyMarketers
UsingContentMarketing
93%
Yes
7%
No
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
5
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USAGE & OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS
Overall, how effective is
your organization at
content marketing?
34% say they are effective
Note: For purposes of our annual survey,
we define effectiveness as “accomplishing
your overall objectives.” Those who rate their
organizations a 4 or 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with
5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at all
Effective”) are the “most effective” or “best-in-
class.” The 1s and 2s are considered the “least
effective,” while the 3s are neutral.
Last year, 39% of technology marketers said
they were effective at content marketing. Even
though there is a decrease this year, having a
documented content marketing strategy helps
in this regard (59% of technology marketers
who have one say they are effective).
HowTechnologyMarketersRate
theEffectivenessoftheirOrganization’s
UseofContentMarketing
0 10 20 30 40 50
Very Effective 5%
29%
47%
16%
Not At All Effective 1%
5
4
3
2
1
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization
have a content marketing
strategy?
33% say they have a
documented strategy
Technology marketers who have a documented
content marketing strategy are less challenged
with content marketing when compared with
their peers who have a verbal-only strategy or
no strategy at all.
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
PercentageofTechnologyMarketers
WhoHaveaContentMarketingStrategy
0 10 20 30 40 50
Yes, and it is documented 33%
Yes, but it is not documented 50%
No 14%
Unsure 4%
7
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
How closely does your
content marketing strategy
guide your organization’s
content marketing efforts?
35% say very closely
Having a strategy is one thing—following it is
another. The more effective the technology
marketer, the more likely it is that his or her
organization follows the strategy very closely
(56% of the most effective follow their strategy
very closely).
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Percentage of Technology Marketers
Who Say Strategy Guides Efforts
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Very closely 35%
Somewhat 56%
We rarely use it 6%
Unsure 3%
8
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization
have a dedicated content
marketing group?
48% say yes
The numbers on this chart represent all
technology marketers, but the most effective
(76%) and those who have a documented
content marketing strategy (71%) are more
likely to have a group in place.
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Percentage of Technology Marketers Who
Have a Dedicated Content Marketing Group
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Yes, and it functions independently as its own unit 13%
Yes, and it works horizontally across the organization silos 35%
No, but planning to have one 15%
No, and no plans to have one that I know of 36%
9
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Which area in your
organization is accountable
for content marketing?
32% say demand gen
marketing
When compared with their B2B peers overall,
technology marketers are more likely to report
to demand gen marketing (32% vs. 18%) and
product marketing (23% vs. 19%).
Enterprise technology firms (1,000+
employees) are slightly more apt to report to
product marketing (27%) versus demand gen
marketing (25%).
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
AreasAccountableforContentMarketing
inTechnologyCompanies
Demand Gen Marketing
Product Marketing
PR/Corporate Communications
Owner/C-level
Social Team/Social CRM
Other
No One, Unsure, or No Answer
32%
23%13%
9%
4%
4%
14%
10
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GOALS & METRICS
How important are each
of the following content
marketing goals to your
organization?
91% say lead generation
is an important goal
Note: Percentages shown represent marketers who
rated each goal a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where
5 = “Very Important” and 1 = “Not at all Important.”
Among all segments of marketers we’ve studied,
technology marketers are most focused on
lead generation as a goal for content marketing.
It was their top goal last year as well (86%). In
comparison, 83% of B2B marketers overall say
lead generation is a goal.
The goal that had the biggest increase this year
was sales. Last year, only 49% of technology
marketers cited sales as a goal, versus 80%
this year.
Technology Marketers’ Organizational Goals
for Content Marketing
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Lead Generation
Engagement
Lead Nurturing
Sales
Brand Awareness
Customer Retention/Loyalty
Customer Evangelism
Upsell/Cross-sell
91%
81%
80%
80%
79%
65%
56%
53%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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Which metrics does your
organization use to assess
content marketing success?
66% say website traffic
Note: Fewer than 30% cited the following
metrics: Qualitative Feedback from Customers
(27%), Benchmark Lift of Company Awareness
(22%), Customer Renewal Rates (19%),
Benchmark Lift of Product/Service Awareness
(17%), and Cost Savings (5%).
These percentages are fairly similar to last
year’s. The biggest decrease was for SEO
ranking (54% said it was a metric last year
vs. 39% this year).
Higher conversion rates was a new choice
on the survey.
GOALS & METRICS
Technology Marketers’ Metrics
for Content Marketing Success
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Website Traffic
Sales Lead Quality
Higher Conversion Rates
Sales Lead Quantity
Sales
Time Spent on Website
SEO Ranking
Inbound Links
Subscriber Growth
66%
62%
61%
54%
43%
42%
39%
39%
30%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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How successful is your
organization at tracking
the ROI of its content
marketing program?
24% say they are
successful
Technology marketers are slightly more
confident in their ability to track ROI when
compared with their B2B peers overall (24%
vs. 21%). Having a documented content
marketing strategy helps in this regard; 40% of
technology marketers who have one say they
are successful in this area.
GOALS & METRICS
HowTechnologyMarketersRate
theirOrganization’sSuccess
atTrackingROI
0 10 20 30 40 50
Very Successful 5%
19%
36%
20%
Not At All Successful 8%
We Do Not Track 13%
5
4
3
2
1
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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Compared with one year
ago, how much content is
your organization creating?
74% are creating more
Last year, 78% of technology marketers
said they were producing more content, so
this percentage has decreased a bit. Even
so, technology marketers are still creating
more content than their B2B peers overall
(74% vs. 70%).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
ChangeinAmountofContentCreation
AmongTechnologyMarketers
(OverLast12Months)
Significantly More
More
Same Amount
Less
Unsure
32%
42%
5%
5%
16%
14
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How many different
audiences does your
organization target
with separate content
marketing strategies?
The average number is 4
There is a correlation between company size
and the number of audiences a marketer
targets. For example, small technology
companies (10-99 employees) target 3
audiences, on average, while enterprise firms
(1,000+ employees) target an average of 6.
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
NumberofAudiencesthat
TechnologyMarketersTarget
0 10 20 30 40 50
6%
5%
30%
46%
5%
8%
10+
7-10
4-6
2-3
1
Unsure
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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Which content marketing
tactics does your
organization use?
96%usesocialmediacontent
Note: Fewer than 50% said they use the following
tactics: Branded Content Tools (40%), Books (32%),
Mobile Apps (32%), Virtual Conferences (28%),
Digital Magazines (26%), Print Magazines (25%),
Podcasts (24%), Print Newsletters (17%), and Games/
Gamification (14%).
Technology marketers used an average of 15 tactics last
year, compared with 14 this year. That is still more than
B2B marketers overall (13). Social media content (other
than blogs) was the most frequently used tactic last year
as well, at 91%.
The percentages shown here are all higher than they
were last year, with the exceptions of video (which stayed
the same) and illustrations/photos (which was a new
choice on the survey). The biggest increases were with:
•	 Infographics (58% last year vs. 73% this year)
•	 Microsites (43% last year vs. 54% this year)
•	 Research Reports (51% last year vs. 60% this year).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Technology Marketers’
Content Marketing Tactic Usage
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Social Media Content – other than blogs
Blogs
Case Studies
eNewsletters
In-person Events
Videos
Webinars/Webcasts
White Papers
Articles on Your Website
Online Presentations
Infographics
Illustrations/Photos
Research Reports
Microsites
eBooks
96%
90%
90%
87%
86%
86%
84%
83%
75%
73%
68%
60%
54%
51%
81%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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How effective are the
following tactics that
you use?
69% say in-person events
and webinars are effective
Technology marketers say in-person events,
webinars, and research reports are the most
effective tactics they use. Last year, they said
webinars, videos, and case studies were the
most effective.
Research reports had the biggest increase
(60% last year vs. 67% this year).
These percentages are similar to what we see
with B2B marketers overall, who also say in-
person events are the most effective tactic
(69%). The biggest difference is with research
reports (67% of technology marketers say they
are effective vs. 58% of B2B marketers overall).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
In-person Events
Webinars/Webcasts
Research Reports
Case Studies
Videos
White Papers
Blogs
eBooks
eNewsletters
Articles on Your Website
Microsites
Infographics
Technology Marketers’ Effectiveness
Ratings for Content Marketing Tactics
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
69%
69%
67%
61%
61%
61%
58%
58%
52%
51%
51%
50%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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Which social media
platforms does your
organization use to
distribute content?
98% use LinkedIn
Note: Fewer than 50% said they use the following
platforms: Pinterest (27%), Vimeo (24%), Instagram
(23%), Flickr (15%), StumbleUpon (11%), Vine (9%),
Foursquare (8%), Tumblr (8%), and SnapChat (4%).
Technology marketers use an average of 6 social
media platforms, the same as last year. This is the
same average number of platforms that their B2B
peers use.
There were slight increases this year in the
percentage of technology marketers who use
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and SlideShare. The
percentage who use Google+ increased the most
(60% last year vs. 70% this year).
The use of YouTube decreased slightly
(85% last year vs. 83% this year).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Google+
SlideShare
Technology Marketers’ Social Media Platform Usage
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
98%
95%
86%
83%
70%
50%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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How effective are the
social media platforms
that you use?
64% say LinkedIn is effective
As they did last year, technology marketers
say LinkedIn and Twitter are the most effective
social media platforms. These are also the two
platforms that technology marketers use most
often.
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
SlideShare
Facebook
Google+
Technology Marketers’ Effectiveness
Ratings for Social Media Platforms
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
64%
58%
48%
43%
23%
15%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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How often does your
organization publish new
content that supports
its content marketing
program?
43% say daily or multiple
times per week
The most effective technology marketers (59%),
as well as those who have a documented
content marketing strategy (60%), are the most
likely to publish new content daily or multiple
times per week.
Company size also has an impact: 54% of
enterprise technology firms (1,000+ employees)
vs. 36% of small technology businesses
(10-99 employees) publish new content daily or
multiple times per week.
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
HowOftenTechnologyMarketers
PublishNewContent
Daily
Multiple Times per Week
Weekly
Multiple Times per Month
Monthly
Less than Once per Month
15%
9%
8%
28%
15%
21%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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Which paid advertising
methods do you use to
promote/distribute
content?
75% use search engine
marketing (SEM)
This was a new question on the survey.
Search engine marketing (SEM) is the paid
advertising method that both technology
marketers and their B2B peers overall use most
often.
Technology marketers use all of these methods
more frequently than their B2B peers do, except
for print or other offline promotion (48% vs. 52%
for B2B marketers overall).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Technology Marketers’ Paid Advertising Usage
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Traditional Online Banner Ads
Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads)
Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets)
Print or Other Offline Promotion
Native Advertising
Content Discovery Tools
75%
64%
59%
50%
48%
44%
15%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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How effective are the
paid advertising methods
that you use to distribute
content?
Search engine marketing
(SEM) is considered to be the
most effective
Technology marketers view the effectiveness of
these methods nearly the same way their B2B
peers do, with the exception of print or other offline
promotion (30% of B2B marketers overall say print
is effective vs. 18% of technology marketers).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Technology Marketers’ Effectiveness Ratings
for Paid Advertising Methods
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets)
Native Advertising
Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads)
Content Discovery Tools
Traditional Online Banner Ads
Print or Other Offline Promotion
48%
40%
38%
38%
33%
23%
18%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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Approximately what
percentage of your
organization’s total
marketing budget (not
including staff) is spent on
content marketing?
The average is 25%
Last year, technology marketers spent an
average of 28% of their budget on content
marketing. B2B marketers overall spend an
average of 28%.
BUDGETS & SPENDING
PercentageofMarketingBudget
TechnologyMarketersSpend
onContentMarketing
0 10 20 30 40 50
100%
75-99%
50-74%
25-49%
10-24%
1-9%
0%
Unsure
0%
2%
8%
15%
22%
21%
1%
29%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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How do you expect your
organization’s content
marketing budget to
change in the next 12
months?
56% say they will increase
spending
Last year, 58% of technology marketers said
they would increase spending. 55% of B2B
marketers overall plan to increase spending.
BUDGETS & SPENDING
ContentMarketingSpending
AmongTechnologyMarketers
(OverNext12Months)
0 10 20 30 40 50
Significantly Increase 8%
Decrease 2%
Increase
Remain the Same
48%
27%
Unsure 13%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
 Producing Engaging Content....................................................................................................................................63%................................ 54%
 Producing Content Consistently..............................................................................................................................55%................................ 50%
 Measuring Content Effectiveness.............................................................................................................................53%................................ 49%
 Producing a Variety of Content.................................................................................................................................46%................................ 42%
 Lack of Budget...........................................................................................................................................................40%................................ 41%
 Finding Trained Content Marketing Professionals..................................................................................................37%................................ 32%
 Gaps in Knowledge and Skills of Internal Team......................................................................................................35%................................ 34%
 Lack of Integration Across Marketing.......................................................................................................................33%................................ 30%
 Lack of Buy-in/Vision from Higher-Ups....................................................................................................................30%................................ 29%
 Technology-related Challenges................................................................................................................................14%................................ 20%
Producing engaging content is the biggest challenge for technology marketers, including the most effective and those who have a documented
content marketing strategy.
With regard to content marketing, how challenged are you with each of the following?
Producing engaging content is the most often cited challenge
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Technology
Marketers
Overall Sample
of B2B Marketers
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25
CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Which content marketing initiatives are you working on?
73% are focused on creating more engaging content
New this year, we presented marketers with a list of 28 initiatives. We asked them to select one of three options for each: working
on now, plan to begin working on within 12 months, and not a priority.
Technology marketers are working on an average of 14 initiatives, and plan to begin working on 7 more, on average, over the
next 12 months.
The highest percentages of technology marketers are presently working on:
 Creating more engaging/higher-quality content: 73%
 Doing better at converting website visitors: 71%
 Better understanding of audience: 69%
 Finding more/better ways to repurpose content: 66%
As for which they plan to begin working on within 12 months, the highest percentages selected:
 Content personalization: 43%
 Progressive profiling: 35%
 Better mobile strategy: 34%
 Developing a documented content marketing strategy: 34%
The initiatives appearing on the following pages are the 10 that received the highest combined percentages of “working on now”
and “plan to begin working on within 12 months.”
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CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Better at Converting
Website Visitors
Better Understanding
of Audience
Creating More
Engaging/Higher-Quality Content
Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer
71% 73%
16%
69%18%
6% 8%
19%
5%
5% 4% 4%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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27
CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Measuring Content Marketing ROI
Better Understanding of
What Content is
Effective—and What Isn’t
Finding More/Better Ways
to Repurpose Content
Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer
59% 66%21% 52%32%
8% 11%
28%
8%
5% 5% 4%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Optimizing Content Creating Visual ContentOrganizing Content on Website
Now Within 12 Months
Not a Priority No Answer
59% 62%
23%
62%
23%
11% 11%
25%
10%
5%
Creating a Greater Variety of Content
56%
26%
13%
5%
5% 5%
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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COMPARISON CHART
 Uses content marketing.............................................................................................................................................93%....................86%
 Considers organization to be effective at content marketing.................................................................................34%....................38%
 Has a documented content marketing strategy.......................................................................................................33%....................35%
 Has a content marketing strategy, but it’s not documented...................................................................................50%....................48%
 Does not have a content marketing strategy............................................................................................................14%....................14%
 Has a dedicated content marketing group...............................................................................................................48%....................47%
 Is successful at tracking ROI......................................................................................................................................24%....................21%
 Average number of tactics used..................................................................................................................................14...................... 13
 Average number of social platforms used...................................................................................................................6........................ 6
 Average number of paid advertising methods used to promote/distribute content................................................4........................ 3
 Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week........................................................................................43%....................42%
 Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing....................................................................................25%....................28%
 Plan to increase content marketing spend over next 12 months............................................................................56%....................55%
 Average number of initiatives working on now..........................................................................................................14...................... 13
 Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months.......................................................7........................ 8
Technology
Marketers
Overall
Sample of
B2B
Marketers
Differences Between Technology Marketers
and B2B Marketers Overall
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY:
 Has a documented content marketing strategy.........................................................................................57%................... 33%................... 13%
 Has a content marketing strategy, but it’s not documented.....................................................................39%................... 50%................... 37%
 Does not have a content marketing strategy...............................................................................................2%.................... 14%................... 47%
 Has a dedicated content marketing group.................................................................................................76%................... 48%................... 24%
 Is successful at tracking ROI........................................................................................................................45%................... 24%.................... 7%
 Average number of tactics used................................................................................................................... 15...................... 14.......................13
 Average number of social platforms used.....................................................................................................7........................ 6.........................6
 Average number of paid advertising methods used to promote/distribute content..................................4........................ 4.........................3
 Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week..........................................................................59%................... 43%................... 12%
 Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing......................................................................36%................... 25%................... 15%
 Plan to increase content marketing spend over next 12 months..............................................................53%................... 56%................... 62%
 Average number of initiatives working on now........................................................................................... 15...................... 14.......................10
 Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months.........................................6........................ 7.........................9
Most
Effective, TECH
Most Effective vs. Least Effective
Technology Marketers Total
Sample, TECH
Least
Effective, TECH
30
COMPARISON CHART
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Chart term definitions: A “best-in-class” content marketer (aka “most effective”) is one who rates his or her organization a 4 or 5 in terms of effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being “Very Effective”
and 1 being “Not at all Effective.” Those who rate themselves 1 or 2 are the “least effective.” The numbers under “total sample” represent total manufacturing respondents.
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 Considers organization to be effective at content marketing....................................................................59%................... 27%.................... 6%
 Content marketing strategy very closely guides efforts............................................................................ 57%.................. 21%....................N/A
 Content marketing strategy somewhat guides efforts...............................................................................40%................... 66%....................N/A
 Has a dedicated content marketing group.................................................................................................71%................... 43%................... 17%
 Is successful at tracking ROI........................................................................................................................40%................... 19%.................... 6%
 Average number of tactics used................................................................................................................... 15...................... 14.......................13
 Average number of social platforms used.....................................................................................................7........................ 6.........................6
 Average number of paid advertising methods used to promote/distribute content..................................4........................ 3.........................3
 Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week......................................................................... 60%.................. 38%................... 19%
 Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing......................................................................32%................... 24%................... 15%
 Plan to increase content marketing spend over next 12 months..............................................................59%................... 57%................... 54%
 Average number of initiatives working on now........................................................................................... 16...................... 14........................9
 Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months..........................................6........................ 8.........................9
Documented
Strategy
Technology Marketers: Documented vs.
Verbal or No Content Marketing Strategy Verbal
Strategy
No
Strategy
31
COMPARISON CHART
2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY:
DEMOGRAPHICS
B2B Technology Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America was produced by Content Marketing Institute and sponsored
by International Data Group (IDG).
The fifth annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers
using lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, Brightcove, Blackbaud, the Business Marketing Association (BMA), EnVeritas Group (EVG),
The Association for Data-driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA), the Direct Marketing Association UK (DMA), Industry Week, New Equipment Digest, WTWH
Media, and Corporate Financial Group. A total of 5,167 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and
company sizes—responded throughout July and August 2014.
This report presents the findings from the 420
respondents who said they were B2B technology
marketers in North America.
Sections of this report compare the technology
respondents with the overall sample of 1,820 B2B
marketers from North America, whose responses
were previously reported on in the Content Marketing
Institute/MarketingProfs study, B2B Content Marketing:
2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America.
Additional reports based on the annual survey are
available at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/
research. Special thanks to MarketingProfs for their
assistance with the annual survey and the B2B North
America and B2C North America reports.
B2B Technology
Job Title/Function
Size of B2B Technology Company
(by Employees)
25%
52%
14%
12%
29%
39%
6%
8%
6%
8%
■ Marketing/Advertising/
Communications/PR Management
■ Content Creation/Management
■ Marketing Administration/Support
■ Corporate Management/Owner
■ General Management (GM/VP)
■ Other
■ Large (1,000+ Employees)
■ Midsize (100-999 Employees)
■ Small (10-99 Employees)
■ Micro (Fewer than 10 Employees)
32
SPONSORED BY:
33
ABOUT
About Content Marketing Institute
Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is the leading global content marketing education and
training organization. CMI teaches enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers
through compelling, multi-channel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the
largest content marketing-focused event, is held every September, and Content Marketing
World Sydney, every March. CMI also produces the quarterly magazine Chief Content Officer,
and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known
brands in the world. CMI is a 2012, 2013, and 2014 Inc. 500 company. View all CMI research
at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research. Learn how to create a documented content marketing strategy,
a key component for improving overall content marketing effectiveness.
About International Data Group (IDG)
International Data Group (IDG) is the world’s leading technology media, events, and research company reaching an
audience of more than 280 million technology buyers in 97 countries.
IDG Communications, a subsidiary of IDG, is the largest global technology media, data, and services company delivering
personalized and contextual-based experiences for the most powerful technology buyers. IDG’s media network features 460
websites, 200 mobile sites and apps, 179 print titles, and more than 700 conferences and events.
International Data Corporation (IDC), a subsidiary of IDG, has more than 1,000 analysts who provide global, regional, and
local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in more than 110 countries.
To learn more about
content marketing for
technology marketers, attend
a full-day Industry Lab
at Content Marketing World on
September 11, 2015.
SPONSORED BY:

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B2B Technology Content Marketing Benchmarks Budgets and Trends North America

  • 1. T E C H N O L O G Y B2B TECHNOLOGY CONTENT MARKETING: 2015 BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS – NORTH AMERICA SPONSORED BY:
  • 2. 2  Welcome................................................................................................................................................. 3  Usage & Overall Effectiveness.............................................................................................................. 4  Strategy & Organization........................................................................................................................ 6  Goals & Metrics..................................................................................................................................... 10  Content Creation & Distribution........................................................................................................ 13  Budgets & Spending............................................................................................................................ 22  Challenges & Initiatives....................................................................................................................... 24  Comparison Chart: Differences Between Technology Marketers and B2B Marketers Overall...........29  Comparison Chart: Most Effective vs. Least Effective Technology Marketers.......................................30  Comparison Chart: Technology Marketers: Documented vs. Verbal or No Content Marketing Strategy.................................................................................................................31  Demographics...................................................................................................................................... 32  About..................................................................................................................................................... 33 TABLE OF CONTENTS SPONSORED BY:
  • 3. Greetings Technology Content Marketers, Welcome to B2B Technology Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America. Throughout this report, you’ll see how technology marketers have changed their content marketing practices over the last year and how they compare with the overall sample of B2B marketers who completed our annual content marketing survey. Among all groups we studied this year, technology marketers are the most likely to use content marketing. They’re also the group that is most focused on lead generation as the primary goal for their content marketing efforts. Producing engaging content continues to be a challenge for technology marketers; however, 73% are presently working on initiatives to improve in this area. Overall, technology marketers are some of the savviest we’ve studied in terms of how they are working to align their goals, metrics, and initiatives. Those who have a documented content marketing strategy are getting the best results. Thanks for looking to Content Marketing Institute as a resource. We look forward to serving you for many years to come. Yours in content, Joe Joe Pulizzi Founder Content Marketing Institute 3 WELCOME SPONSORED BY:
  • 4. 4 SPONSORED BY: USAGE & OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Does your organization use content marketing? 93% say yes Last year, 98% of technology marketers said they use content marketing. Back then, we defined content marketing as the “creation and distribution of educational and/or compelling content in multiple media formats to attract and/or retain customers.” This year, we defined content marketing as “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” The new definition—crafted by Content Marketing Institute in early 2014—better reflects how content marketing has grown from the mere “creation and distribution” of content to a formal business discipline. Percentageof TechnologyMarketers UsingContentMarketing 93% Yes 7% No 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 5. 5 SPONSORED BY: USAGE & OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Overall, how effective is your organization at content marketing? 34% say they are effective Note: For purposes of our annual survey, we define effectiveness as “accomplishing your overall objectives.” Those who rate their organizations a 4 or 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at all Effective”) are the “most effective” or “best-in- class.” The 1s and 2s are considered the “least effective,” while the 3s are neutral. Last year, 39% of technology marketers said they were effective at content marketing. Even though there is a decrease this year, having a documented content marketing strategy helps in this regard (59% of technology marketers who have one say they are effective). HowTechnologyMarketersRate theEffectivenessoftheirOrganization’s UseofContentMarketing 0 10 20 30 40 50 Very Effective 5% 29% 47% 16% Not At All Effective 1% 5 4 3 2 1 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 6. 6 SPONSORED BY: STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION Does your organization have a content marketing strategy? 33% say they have a documented strategy Technology marketers who have a documented content marketing strategy are less challenged with content marketing when compared with their peers who have a verbal-only strategy or no strategy at all. 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs PercentageofTechnologyMarketers WhoHaveaContentMarketingStrategy 0 10 20 30 40 50 Yes, and it is documented 33% Yes, but it is not documented 50% No 14% Unsure 4%
  • 7. 7 SPONSORED BY: STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION How closely does your content marketing strategy guide your organization’s content marketing efforts? 35% say very closely Having a strategy is one thing—following it is another. The more effective the technology marketer, the more likely it is that his or her organization follows the strategy very closely (56% of the most effective follow their strategy very closely). 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Percentage of Technology Marketers Who Say Strategy Guides Efforts 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Very closely 35% Somewhat 56% We rarely use it 6% Unsure 3%
  • 8. 8 SPONSORED BY: STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION Does your organization have a dedicated content marketing group? 48% say yes The numbers on this chart represent all technology marketers, but the most effective (76%) and those who have a documented content marketing strategy (71%) are more likely to have a group in place. 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Percentage of Technology Marketers Who Have a Dedicated Content Marketing Group 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Yes, and it functions independently as its own unit 13% Yes, and it works horizontally across the organization silos 35% No, but planning to have one 15% No, and no plans to have one that I know of 36%
  • 9. 9 SPONSORED BY: STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION Which area in your organization is accountable for content marketing? 32% say demand gen marketing When compared with their B2B peers overall, technology marketers are more likely to report to demand gen marketing (32% vs. 18%) and product marketing (23% vs. 19%). Enterprise technology firms (1,000+ employees) are slightly more apt to report to product marketing (27%) versus demand gen marketing (25%). 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs AreasAccountableforContentMarketing inTechnologyCompanies Demand Gen Marketing Product Marketing PR/Corporate Communications Owner/C-level Social Team/Social CRM Other No One, Unsure, or No Answer 32% 23%13% 9% 4% 4% 14%
  • 10. 10 SPONSORED BY: GOALS & METRICS How important are each of the following content marketing goals to your organization? 91% say lead generation is an important goal Note: Percentages shown represent marketers who rated each goal a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Important” and 1 = “Not at all Important.” Among all segments of marketers we’ve studied, technology marketers are most focused on lead generation as a goal for content marketing. It was their top goal last year as well (86%). In comparison, 83% of B2B marketers overall say lead generation is a goal. The goal that had the biggest increase this year was sales. Last year, only 49% of technology marketers cited sales as a goal, versus 80% this year. Technology Marketers’ Organizational Goals for Content Marketing 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Lead Generation Engagement Lead Nurturing Sales Brand Awareness Customer Retention/Loyalty Customer Evangelism Upsell/Cross-sell 91% 81% 80% 80% 79% 65% 56% 53% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 11. 11 SPONSORED BY: Which metrics does your organization use to assess content marketing success? 66% say website traffic Note: Fewer than 30% cited the following metrics: Qualitative Feedback from Customers (27%), Benchmark Lift of Company Awareness (22%), Customer Renewal Rates (19%), Benchmark Lift of Product/Service Awareness (17%), and Cost Savings (5%). These percentages are fairly similar to last year’s. The biggest decrease was for SEO ranking (54% said it was a metric last year vs. 39% this year). Higher conversion rates was a new choice on the survey. GOALS & METRICS Technology Marketers’ Metrics for Content Marketing Success 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Website Traffic Sales Lead Quality Higher Conversion Rates Sales Lead Quantity Sales Time Spent on Website SEO Ranking Inbound Links Subscriber Growth 66% 62% 61% 54% 43% 42% 39% 39% 30% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 12. 12 SPONSORED BY: How successful is your organization at tracking the ROI of its content marketing program? 24% say they are successful Technology marketers are slightly more confident in their ability to track ROI when compared with their B2B peers overall (24% vs. 21%). Having a documented content marketing strategy helps in this regard; 40% of technology marketers who have one say they are successful in this area. GOALS & METRICS HowTechnologyMarketersRate theirOrganization’sSuccess atTrackingROI 0 10 20 30 40 50 Very Successful 5% 19% 36% 20% Not At All Successful 8% We Do Not Track 13% 5 4 3 2 1 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 13. 13 SPONSORED BY: Compared with one year ago, how much content is your organization creating? 74% are creating more Last year, 78% of technology marketers said they were producing more content, so this percentage has decreased a bit. Even so, technology marketers are still creating more content than their B2B peers overall (74% vs. 70%). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs ChangeinAmountofContentCreation AmongTechnologyMarketers (OverLast12Months) Significantly More More Same Amount Less Unsure 32% 42% 5% 5% 16%
  • 14. 14 SPONSORED BY: How many different audiences does your organization target with separate content marketing strategies? The average number is 4 There is a correlation between company size and the number of audiences a marketer targets. For example, small technology companies (10-99 employees) target 3 audiences, on average, while enterprise firms (1,000+ employees) target an average of 6. CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION NumberofAudiencesthat TechnologyMarketersTarget 0 10 20 30 40 50 6% 5% 30% 46% 5% 8% 10+ 7-10 4-6 2-3 1 Unsure 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 15. 15 SPONSORED BY: Which content marketing tactics does your organization use? 96%usesocialmediacontent Note: Fewer than 50% said they use the following tactics: Branded Content Tools (40%), Books (32%), Mobile Apps (32%), Virtual Conferences (28%), Digital Magazines (26%), Print Magazines (25%), Podcasts (24%), Print Newsletters (17%), and Games/ Gamification (14%). Technology marketers used an average of 15 tactics last year, compared with 14 this year. That is still more than B2B marketers overall (13). Social media content (other than blogs) was the most frequently used tactic last year as well, at 91%. The percentages shown here are all higher than they were last year, with the exceptions of video (which stayed the same) and illustrations/photos (which was a new choice on the survey). The biggest increases were with: • Infographics (58% last year vs. 73% this year) • Microsites (43% last year vs. 54% this year) • Research Reports (51% last year vs. 60% this year). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Technology Marketers’ Content Marketing Tactic Usage 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Social Media Content – other than blogs Blogs Case Studies eNewsletters In-person Events Videos Webinars/Webcasts White Papers Articles on Your Website Online Presentations Infographics Illustrations/Photos Research Reports Microsites eBooks 96% 90% 90% 87% 86% 86% 84% 83% 75% 73% 68% 60% 54% 51% 81% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 16. 16 SPONSORED BY: How effective are the following tactics that you use? 69% say in-person events and webinars are effective Technology marketers say in-person events, webinars, and research reports are the most effective tactics they use. Last year, they said webinars, videos, and case studies were the most effective. Research reports had the biggest increase (60% last year vs. 67% this year). These percentages are similar to what we see with B2B marketers overall, who also say in- person events are the most effective tactic (69%). The biggest difference is with research reports (67% of technology marketers say they are effective vs. 58% of B2B marketers overall). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION In-person Events Webinars/Webcasts Research Reports Case Studies Videos White Papers Blogs eBooks eNewsletters Articles on Your Website Microsites Infographics Technology Marketers’ Effectiveness Ratings for Content Marketing Tactics 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 69% 69% 67% 61% 61% 61% 58% 58% 52% 51% 51% 50% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 17. 17 SPONSORED BY: Which social media platforms does your organization use to distribute content? 98% use LinkedIn Note: Fewer than 50% said they use the following platforms: Pinterest (27%), Vimeo (24%), Instagram (23%), Flickr (15%), StumbleUpon (11%), Vine (9%), Foursquare (8%), Tumblr (8%), and SnapChat (4%). Technology marketers use an average of 6 social media platforms, the same as last year. This is the same average number of platforms that their B2B peers use. There were slight increases this year in the percentage of technology marketers who use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and SlideShare. The percentage who use Google+ increased the most (60% last year vs. 70% this year). The use of YouTube decreased slightly (85% last year vs. 83% this year). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION LinkedIn Twitter Facebook YouTube Google+ SlideShare Technology Marketers’ Social Media Platform Usage 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 98% 95% 86% 83% 70% 50% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 18. 18 SPONSORED BY: How effective are the social media platforms that you use? 64% say LinkedIn is effective As they did last year, technology marketers say LinkedIn and Twitter are the most effective social media platforms. These are also the two platforms that technology marketers use most often. CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION LinkedIn Twitter YouTube SlideShare Facebook Google+ Technology Marketers’ Effectiveness Ratings for Social Media Platforms 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 64% 58% 48% 43% 23% 15% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 19. 19 SPONSORED BY: How often does your organization publish new content that supports its content marketing program? 43% say daily or multiple times per week The most effective technology marketers (59%), as well as those who have a documented content marketing strategy (60%), are the most likely to publish new content daily or multiple times per week. Company size also has an impact: 54% of enterprise technology firms (1,000+ employees) vs. 36% of small technology businesses (10-99 employees) publish new content daily or multiple times per week. CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION HowOftenTechnologyMarketers PublishNewContent Daily Multiple Times per Week Weekly Multiple Times per Month Monthly Less than Once per Month 15% 9% 8% 28% 15% 21% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 20. 20 SPONSORED BY: Which paid advertising methods do you use to promote/distribute content? 75% use search engine marketing (SEM) This was a new question on the survey. Search engine marketing (SEM) is the paid advertising method that both technology marketers and their B2B peers overall use most often. Technology marketers use all of these methods more frequently than their B2B peers do, except for print or other offline promotion (48% vs. 52% for B2B marketers overall). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Technology Marketers’ Paid Advertising Usage 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Traditional Online Banner Ads Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads) Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets) Print or Other Offline Promotion Native Advertising Content Discovery Tools 75% 64% 59% 50% 48% 44% 15% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 21. 21 SPONSORED BY: How effective are the paid advertising methods that you use to distribute content? Search engine marketing (SEM) is considered to be the most effective Technology marketers view the effectiveness of these methods nearly the same way their B2B peers do, with the exception of print or other offline promotion (30% of B2B marketers overall say print is effective vs. 18% of technology marketers). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Technology Marketers’ Effectiveness Ratings for Paid Advertising Methods 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets) Native Advertising Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads) Content Discovery Tools Traditional Online Banner Ads Print or Other Offline Promotion 48% 40% 38% 38% 33% 23% 18% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 22. 22 SPONSORED BY: Approximately what percentage of your organization’s total marketing budget (not including staff) is spent on content marketing? The average is 25% Last year, technology marketers spent an average of 28% of their budget on content marketing. B2B marketers overall spend an average of 28%. BUDGETS & SPENDING PercentageofMarketingBudget TechnologyMarketersSpend onContentMarketing 0 10 20 30 40 50 100% 75-99% 50-74% 25-49% 10-24% 1-9% 0% Unsure 0% 2% 8% 15% 22% 21% 1% 29% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 23. 23 SPONSORED BY: How do you expect your organization’s content marketing budget to change in the next 12 months? 56% say they will increase spending Last year, 58% of technology marketers said they would increase spending. 55% of B2B marketers overall plan to increase spending. BUDGETS & SPENDING ContentMarketingSpending AmongTechnologyMarketers (OverNext12Months) 0 10 20 30 40 50 Significantly Increase 8% Decrease 2% Increase Remain the Same 48% 27% Unsure 13% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 24. 24 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES  Producing Engaging Content....................................................................................................................................63%................................ 54%  Producing Content Consistently..............................................................................................................................55%................................ 50%  Measuring Content Effectiveness.............................................................................................................................53%................................ 49%  Producing a Variety of Content.................................................................................................................................46%................................ 42%  Lack of Budget...........................................................................................................................................................40%................................ 41%  Finding Trained Content Marketing Professionals..................................................................................................37%................................ 32%  Gaps in Knowledge and Skills of Internal Team......................................................................................................35%................................ 34%  Lack of Integration Across Marketing.......................................................................................................................33%................................ 30%  Lack of Buy-in/Vision from Higher-Ups....................................................................................................................30%................................ 29%  Technology-related Challenges................................................................................................................................14%................................ 20% Producing engaging content is the biggest challenge for technology marketers, including the most effective and those who have a documented content marketing strategy. With regard to content marketing, how challenged are you with each of the following? Producing engaging content is the most often cited challenge 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Technology Marketers Overall Sample of B2B Marketers SPONSORED BY:
  • 25. 25 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Which content marketing initiatives are you working on? 73% are focused on creating more engaging content New this year, we presented marketers with a list of 28 initiatives. We asked them to select one of three options for each: working on now, plan to begin working on within 12 months, and not a priority. Technology marketers are working on an average of 14 initiatives, and plan to begin working on 7 more, on average, over the next 12 months. The highest percentages of technology marketers are presently working on:  Creating more engaging/higher-quality content: 73%  Doing better at converting website visitors: 71%  Better understanding of audience: 69%  Finding more/better ways to repurpose content: 66% As for which they plan to begin working on within 12 months, the highest percentages selected:  Content personalization: 43%  Progressive profiling: 35%  Better mobile strategy: 34%  Developing a documented content marketing strategy: 34% The initiatives appearing on the following pages are the 10 that received the highest combined percentages of “working on now” and “plan to begin working on within 12 months.” SPONSORED BY:
  • 26. 26 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Better at Converting Website Visitors Better Understanding of Audience Creating More Engaging/Higher-Quality Content Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer 71% 73% 16% 69%18% 6% 8% 19% 5% 5% 4% 4% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY:
  • 27. 27 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Measuring Content Marketing ROI Better Understanding of What Content is Effective—and What Isn’t Finding More/Better Ways to Repurpose Content Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer 59% 66%21% 52%32% 8% 11% 28% 8% 5% 5% 4% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY:
  • 28. 28 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Optimizing Content Creating Visual ContentOrganizing Content on Website Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer 59% 62% 23% 62% 23% 11% 11% 25% 10% 5% Creating a Greater Variety of Content 56% 26% 13% 5% 5% 5% 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY:
  • 29. 29 COMPARISON CHART  Uses content marketing.............................................................................................................................................93%....................86%  Considers organization to be effective at content marketing.................................................................................34%....................38%  Has a documented content marketing strategy.......................................................................................................33%....................35%  Has a content marketing strategy, but it’s not documented...................................................................................50%....................48%  Does not have a content marketing strategy............................................................................................................14%....................14%  Has a dedicated content marketing group...............................................................................................................48%....................47%  Is successful at tracking ROI......................................................................................................................................24%....................21%  Average number of tactics used..................................................................................................................................14...................... 13  Average number of social platforms used...................................................................................................................6........................ 6  Average number of paid advertising methods used to promote/distribute content................................................4........................ 3  Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week........................................................................................43%....................42%  Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing....................................................................................25%....................28%  Plan to increase content marketing spend over next 12 months............................................................................56%....................55%  Average number of initiatives working on now..........................................................................................................14...................... 13  Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months.......................................................7........................ 8 Technology Marketers Overall Sample of B2B Marketers Differences Between Technology Marketers and B2B Marketers Overall 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY:
  • 30.  Has a documented content marketing strategy.........................................................................................57%................... 33%................... 13%  Has a content marketing strategy, but it’s not documented.....................................................................39%................... 50%................... 37%  Does not have a content marketing strategy...............................................................................................2%.................... 14%................... 47%  Has a dedicated content marketing group.................................................................................................76%................... 48%................... 24%  Is successful at tracking ROI........................................................................................................................45%................... 24%.................... 7%  Average number of tactics used................................................................................................................... 15...................... 14.......................13  Average number of social platforms used.....................................................................................................7........................ 6.........................6  Average number of paid advertising methods used to promote/distribute content..................................4........................ 4.........................3  Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week..........................................................................59%................... 43%................... 12%  Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing......................................................................36%................... 25%................... 15%  Plan to increase content marketing spend over next 12 months..............................................................53%................... 56%................... 62%  Average number of initiatives working on now........................................................................................... 15...................... 14.......................10  Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months.........................................6........................ 7.........................9 Most Effective, TECH Most Effective vs. Least Effective Technology Marketers Total Sample, TECH Least Effective, TECH 30 COMPARISON CHART 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Chart term definitions: A “best-in-class” content marketer (aka “most effective”) is one who rates his or her organization a 4 or 5 in terms of effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at all Effective.” Those who rate themselves 1 or 2 are the “least effective.” The numbers under “total sample” represent total manufacturing respondents. SPONSORED BY:
  • 31.  Considers organization to be effective at content marketing....................................................................59%................... 27%.................... 6%  Content marketing strategy very closely guides efforts............................................................................ 57%.................. 21%....................N/A  Content marketing strategy somewhat guides efforts...............................................................................40%................... 66%....................N/A  Has a dedicated content marketing group.................................................................................................71%................... 43%................... 17%  Is successful at tracking ROI........................................................................................................................40%................... 19%.................... 6%  Average number of tactics used................................................................................................................... 15...................... 14.......................13  Average number of social platforms used.....................................................................................................7........................ 6.........................6  Average number of paid advertising methods used to promote/distribute content..................................4........................ 3.........................3  Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week......................................................................... 60%.................. 38%................... 19%  Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing......................................................................32%................... 24%................... 15%  Plan to increase content marketing spend over next 12 months..............................................................59%................... 57%................... 54%  Average number of initiatives working on now........................................................................................... 16...................... 14........................9  Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months..........................................6........................ 8.........................9 Documented Strategy Technology Marketers: Documented vs. Verbal or No Content Marketing Strategy Verbal Strategy No Strategy 31 COMPARISON CHART 2015 B2B Technology Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY:
  • 32. DEMOGRAPHICS B2B Technology Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America was produced by Content Marketing Institute and sponsored by International Data Group (IDG). The fifth annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers using lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, Brightcove, Blackbaud, the Business Marketing Association (BMA), EnVeritas Group (EVG), The Association for Data-driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA), the Direct Marketing Association UK (DMA), Industry Week, New Equipment Digest, WTWH Media, and Corporate Financial Group. A total of 5,167 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—responded throughout July and August 2014. This report presents the findings from the 420 respondents who said they were B2B technology marketers in North America. Sections of this report compare the technology respondents with the overall sample of 1,820 B2B marketers from North America, whose responses were previously reported on in the Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs study, B2B Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America. Additional reports based on the annual survey are available at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/ research. Special thanks to MarketingProfs for their assistance with the annual survey and the B2B North America and B2C North America reports. B2B Technology Job Title/Function Size of B2B Technology Company (by Employees) 25% 52% 14% 12% 29% 39% 6% 8% 6% 8% ■ Marketing/Advertising/ Communications/PR Management ■ Content Creation/Management ■ Marketing Administration/Support ■ Corporate Management/Owner ■ General Management (GM/VP) ■ Other ■ Large (1,000+ Employees) ■ Midsize (100-999 Employees) ■ Small (10-99 Employees) ■ Micro (Fewer than 10 Employees) 32 SPONSORED BY:
  • 33. 33 ABOUT About Content Marketing Institute Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is the leading global content marketing education and training organization. CMI teaches enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multi-channel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every September, and Content Marketing World Sydney, every March. CMI also produces the quarterly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. CMI is a 2012, 2013, and 2014 Inc. 500 company. View all CMI research at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research. Learn how to create a documented content marketing strategy, a key component for improving overall content marketing effectiveness. About International Data Group (IDG) International Data Group (IDG) is the world’s leading technology media, events, and research company reaching an audience of more than 280 million technology buyers in 97 countries. IDG Communications, a subsidiary of IDG, is the largest global technology media, data, and services company delivering personalized and contextual-based experiences for the most powerful technology buyers. IDG’s media network features 460 websites, 200 mobile sites and apps, 179 print titles, and more than 700 conferences and events. International Data Corporation (IDC), a subsidiary of IDG, has more than 1,000 analysts who provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in more than 110 countries. To learn more about content marketing for technology marketers, attend a full-day Industry Lab at Content Marketing World on September 11, 2015. SPONSORED BY: