1. Content Marketing
Research and Trends
Overview
Silicon Valley Brand Forum
April 23rd, 2015

2. Content Marketing Research
● How brands are using content
marketing strategically
● What is working
● Why content marketing is important
● Current trends

3. 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%+

4. 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)

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

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

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

8. Smart Is Sexy

9. Smart Is Sexy

10. Smart Is Sexy

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

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

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

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

15. CTA
76%
of content
marketers agree
that content
should provide
actionable
information. (wyzowl)

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

17. Smart Is Sexy

18. Smart Is Sexy

19. Smart Is Sexy

20. Strong Commitment
40%
Commitment to
content marketing
as either "strong"
or "extremely
strong." (Ad Age)

21. Two Years Ago
18% Compared to 2013
(Ad Age)

22. Budget
23%
Percentage of
marketing budget
(Ad Age)

23. Budget Growth
33%
Percentage of
marketing budget
in 2017
(Ad Age)

24. Cost Per Lead PPC (24 Mo Avg.)
(CMI)

25. Cost Per Lead Content (24 Mo Avg.)
(CMI)

26. Cost Per Lead (24 Mo Avg.)
(CMI)

27. Smart Is Sexy

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

29. Sources
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gyro/2013/01/07/the-disappearing-sales-process/
https://foundationcapital.com/decadeofthecmo
http://thecontentcouncil.org/
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

30. Sources
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/