B2B11THANNUAL

B2B

CONTENTCONTENT

MARKETINGMARKETING

BENCHMARKS,BUDGETS,

ANDTRENDS

INSIGHTSFOR20211

TABLEOFCONTENTS

mINTRODUCTION 3

mB2BCONTENTMARKETINGTOPPERFORMERSATAGLANCE 4

mPANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS 5

mTEAMSTRUCTURE&OUTSOURCING 13

mCONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION 20

mMETRICS&GOALS 32

mBUDGETS&SPENDING 36

mINSIGHTSFOR2021 42

mMETHODOLOGY 48

mABOUT 49

SURVEYTERMDEFINITIONS

ContentMarketing:Astrategicmarketingapproachfocusedoncreatinganddistributingvaluable,relevant,andconsistentcontenttoattractandretainaclearlydefinedaudience—and,ultimately,todriveprofitablecustomeraction.

Success:Achievingyourorganization’sdesired/targetedresults.

CHARTTERMDEFINITIONS

AllRespondents:B2Bcontentmarketers,allofwhomindicatedtheirorganizationhasusedcontentmarketingforatleastoneyear.

MostSuccessful(akaTopPerformers)andLeastSuccessful:The“mostsuccessful”arethosewhocharacterizetheirorganization’soverallcontentmarketingapproachasextremelyorverysuccessful(Top2).The“l(fā)eastsuccessful”characterizetheirorganization’sapproachasminimallyornotatallsuccessful(Bottom2).SeePage10.

ANN

LISA

STEPHANIESTAHL

CATHYMcPHILLIPS

HANDLEY

MURTON

GeneralManager,CMI

VPMarketing,CMI

BEETS

ChiefContentOfficer,

ROBERTROSE

JOSEPH“JK”

MarketingProfs

ResearchDirector/

ChiefStrategyAdvisor,CMI

KALINOWSKI

ReportAuthor,CMI

KIMMOUTSOS

CreativeDirector,CMI

VPContent,CMI

2

INTRODUCTION

CONTENTMARKETING

INAYEARLIKENOOTHER

Welcometothe11thAnnualB2BContentMarketingBenchmarks,Budgets,and

Trendsreport.Youmaynoticethisyear’sreportfeelsdifferentthanpastyearsandthat’sbydesign.Ayearlikenootherrequiredanapproachlikenoother.

Asinpastyears,wefieldedthesurveyduringthesummer.Weaskedmanyofthesamequestionsaslastyearbutaddednewonestoseehowcontentmarketerswerefaringseveralmonthsintothepandemic.

Althoughthedatadidnotrevealdrasticreductionsincontentmarketingresources,manyrespondentssharedinthefill-incommentstheirchallengesofhavingtodomorewithless.Otherssharedtheirconcernsabouttryingtoreachaudiencesinanovercrowdedvirtualworld.

Nevertheless,onethingstoodout:Contentmarketersareresilient.Mosthavemetthechallengesofthepandemichead-on:They’readaptingquickly—andtheybelieveinthevaluetheircontentprovides.

33

TOPPERFORMERS

B2BContentMarketingTopPerformersAtAGlance

Formanyofthequestionsthisyear,wedidnotobservelargegapsbetweenallrespondentsandthemostsuccessful.Areaswhereweobservedagapofatleast10percentagepointsareshownhere.

MostSuccessful

AllRespondents

LeastSuccessful

Hasadocumentedcontentmarketingstrategy

60%

43%

21%

Organization’scontentmarketingissophisticated/mature

77%

49%

10%

Usesaneditorialcalendar

80%

70%

50%

Hasestablishedanonlinecommunity

42%

32%

21%

Usesmetricstomeasurecontentperformance

94%

81%

60%

Strongly/somewhatagrees:

Organizationmadequickchangesduetothepandemic

93%

83%

62%

Organizationmadeeffectivechangesduetothepandemic

94%

80%

51%

Usescontentmarketingsuccessfullyto:

Nurturesubscribers/audiences/leads

73%

60%

38%

Generatesales/revenue

64%

51%

41%

Buildasubscribedaudience

60%

47%

25%

*Charttermdefinitions:Atopperformer(aka“mostsuccessful”)isarespondentwhocharacterizestheirorganization’soverallcontentmarketingapproachasextremelyorverysuccessful.The“l(fā)eastsuccessful”characterizetheirorganization’sapproachasminimallyornotatallsuccessful.

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

4

PANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS

5

PANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS

WhenCOVID-19begantospread,marketersmadequickadjustmentstotheircontentmarketingstrategy.Atthetimeofthesurvey,manyhadrespondedswiftlybychangingtheirmessagingstrategyandadjusting

theireditorialcalendars;however,farfewerhadbeguntostudyhowthepandemicinfluencedthecustomerjourney—orhowitaffectedpersonas.Evenfewerhadadjustedtheircontentmarketingkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)ormetrics—importantstepsforanalyzingwhetherchangesbeingmadeareeffective.

Evenso,whenweaskedrespondentstolookbackoverthelast12monthsasawhole,31%saidtheirorganizationhadbeenextremely/verysuccessfulwithcontentmarketing.Itwillbeinterestingtoseehowmarketersreportnextyearonthepandemic’sbroaderimpactsontheirsuccess,consideringwewereonlyfourmonthsintoa“stay-at-home”worldatthetimeofthesurvey.

“WEARECHALLENGEDWITHKEEPINGTRACKOFHOWCOVID-19

IMPACTEDTHEBUYERJOURNEYANDHOWWENEEDTOCREATECONTENTTOADDRESSTHOSEPOINTSOFFRICTIONANDGETPEOPLEACROSSTHEFINISHLINE.”

SurveyRespondent

11thAnnualContent

MarketingSurvey

66

PANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS

79%ofB2Bmarketersreportedtheirorganizationhasacontentmarketingstrategy.Ofthose,70%mademajorormoderateadjustmentstotheirstrategyduetothepandemic.22%viewthoseadjustmentsasshort-termand66%viewthemasbothshort-andlong-term.

PercentageofB2BMarketers

WithaContentMarketingStrategy

ImpactofPandemicon

B2BContentMarketingStrategy

4%

6%

■Major

17%

■Yes,anditisdocumented

43%

■Yes,butitisnotdocumented

No,butplantowithin12months

24%

25%

■Moderate

■Slight

■None

36%

■No,withnoplans

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:

ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

45%

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoseorganization

hasacontentmarketingstrategy.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:

ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

NatureofAdjustmentsMadeto

ContentMarketingStrategyasaResultofPandemic

6%

■Short-termadjustments

22%

■Long-termadjustments

■Bothshort-andlong-termadjustments

6%

■Unsure

66%

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoseorganizationadjusted

theirstrategyinresponsetothepandemic.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:

ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

7

PANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS

Regardingthespeedwithwhichorganizationsrespondedtothepandemic,83%saidtheymadequickchangestotheircontentmarketing.80%feltthechangeswereeffectiveand86%expectedsomeofthechangestostayineffectfortheforeseeablefuture.

B2BMarketers’OpinionsAboutChangesTheirOrganization

MadetoContentMarketinginResponsetoPandemic

Ourorganizationmadequickchangesduetothepandemic

Ourorganizationmadee?ectivechangesduetothepandemic

Weexpectsomeofthechangeswemadetostayine?ectfortheforeseeablefuture

50% 33%

39% 41%

41% 45%

10%5%2%

14% 5%1%

11%2%1%

0

20

40

60

80

100

■StronglyAgree

■SomewhatAgree

■NeitherAgreeNorDisagree

■SomewhatDisagree■StronglyDisagree

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoansweredeachstatement.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

8

PANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS

Inresponsetothepandemic,manyB2Bmarketerschangedtheirtargeting/messagingstrategy,editorialcalendar,anddistributionstrategy.Fewerrevisitedthecustomerjourneyandpersonas,oradjustedtheircontentmarketingkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)andmetrics.

ContentMarketingChangesB2BOrganizations

MadeinResponsetothePandemic

Changedtargeting/messagingstrategy

70%

Adjustededitorialcalendar

64%

Changedcontentdistribution/promotionstrategy

53%

Changedwebsite

40%

Putmoreresourcestowardsocialmedia/onlinecommunities

40%

Reexaminedcustomerjourney

31%

Increasedtimespenttalkingwithcustomers

30%

Changedourproducts/services

26%

Revisitedcustomer/buyerpersonas

25%

Adjustedkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)

20%

Changedcontentmarketingmetrics

14%

(e.g.,setupnewanalytics/dashboards)

0

20

40

60

80

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoseorganizationmadeatleastoneofthechangesshownontheaidedlist.Multipleresponsespermitted.Sixpercentindicatednoneoftheabove.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

9

PANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS

Fourmonthsintothepandemic,31%ofB2Bmarketersreportedtheirorganizationwasextremelyorverysuccessfulwithcontentmarketinginthelast12months.

HowB2BMarketersRateTheirOrganization’s

OverallLevelofContentMarketingSuccessinLast12Months

1%

14%

5%

26%

■ExtremelySuccessful

■VerySuccessful

■ModeratelySuccessful

54%

■MinimallySuccessful

■NotAtAllSuccessful

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers;aidedlist.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

10

PANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS

B2Bmarketerswhoreportedhighlevelsofcontentmarketingsuccess(extremely/verysuccessful)saidthetoptwofactorscontributingtothatsuccesswerethevaluetheircontentprovides(83%)andwebsitechanges(60%).

FactorsB2BMarketersAttributetoTheirOrganization’s

ContentMarketingSuccessinLast12Months

Thevalueourcontentprovides

Websitechanges(e.g.,newcontent)

Strategychanges

Searchrankings

Changingbuyer/consumerbehaviors

(e.g.,moretimeoninternet)

Earnedmedia(e.g.,PRmentions,mediacoverage)

Changingourproducts/services

15%

Other

2%

83%

60%

45%

37%

25%

21%

0 20 40 60 80 90

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoseorganizationswereextremely/verysuccessfulwithcontentmarketinginthelast12months.Aidedlist;multipleresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

11

PANDEMICRESPONSE&CONTENTMARKETINGSUCCESS

B2Bmarketerswhoreportedlowlevelsofcontentmarketingsuccess(minimally/notatallsuccessful)saiditwasmostlyduetocontentcreationchallenges(63%)andstrategyissues(51%).

FactorsB2BMarketersAttributetoTheirOrganization’sMinimal/Lack

ofContentMarketingSuccessinLast12Months

Contentcreationchallenges

Strategyissues

Contentdistributionchallenges

ContentmeasurementchallengesInternalcost-cuttingmeasuresPandemic-relatedissuesOther

63%

51%

33%

33%

26%

26%

14%

0 20 40 60 80

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoseorganizationswereminimally/notatallsuccessfulwithcontentmarketinginthelast12months.Aidedlist;multipleresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

12

TEAM

STRUCTURE&

OUTSOURCING

1313

TEAMSTRUCTURE&OUTSOURCING

Themajorityofrespondentsreportedthesizeoftheircontentmarketingteamhadstayedthesamecomparedwith12monthsago,whileanotherone-thirdsaidithadincreased.Largecompanieswereslightlymorelikelyto

reportadecrease.

Inthesurveyfill-incomments,manyreportedhavingmoreworkforthesamesizedteamortryingtodomorewithlessduetolayoffsandspendingfreezes.Asonerespondentsaid,“Bandwidthisachallenge,asistryingtocontinuetogrowthecontentmarketingfunctionwhenhiringhasslowed.”

Thirty-twopercentofrespondentsindicatedtheircontentmarketingteamrangesinsizefromtwotofiveemployees;however,35%saidtheydon’thaveapersondedicatedfulltimetocontentmarketing(notsurprisingly,thiswasmoreprevalentamongsmallcompanies).

Thepercentagereportingtheirorganizationoutsourcesatleastonecontentmarketingactivitydidn’tchangemuchthisyear.Theexceptionwasforlargecompanieswith1,000+employees(71%lastyearvs.61%thisyear).

Thosewhooutsourcesaidtheirtopchallengesarefindingpartnerswithadequatetopicexpertise(69%),budgetissues(51%),andfindingpartnerswhounderstand/areabletoempathizewiththeiraudience(43%).

“OURCOMPANYNEEDSMORECONTENT.WESERVEADEEPNICHEANDFEWPEOPLEUNDERSTANDOURINDUSTRYWELLENOUGHTOPOP

INANDDOSMALLPROJECTSFORUS.”

SurveyRespondent

11thAnnualContent

MarketingSurvey

1414

TEAMSTRUCTURE&OUTSOURCING

Themajorityofrespondents(57%)reportedthesizeoftheircontentmarketingteamwasthesameas12monthsagoand31%saidithadincreased.Largecompaniessawmorechangeoverallinthesizeoftheirteams,with38%(vs.31%)reportinganincreaseand17%(vs.12%)reportingadecreaseinteamsize.

SizeofB2BContentMarketingTeamComparedWith12MonthsAgo

AllRespondents

Small

Medium

Large

(1-99Employees)

(100-999Employees)

(1,000+Employees)

Increased

31%

27%

33%

38%

Stayedthesame

57%

66%

52%

45%

Decreased,duetoeconomicimpactsofpandemic

6%

3%

6%

11%

Decreased,duetoeconomicimpactsofpandemicplusotherreasons

2%

2%

3%

3%

Decreased,duetoreasonsunrelatedtopandemic

4%

2%

6%

3%

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

15

TEAMSTRUCTURE&OUTSOURCING

35%ofallrespondentssaidtheirorganizationdoesn’thaveapersondedicatedtocontentmarketingfulltime.

Mediumandlargecompaniestendtohavebiggerteams,ofteninthetwo-to-fiveemployeerange.

B2BOrganizations’ContentMarketingTeamSize

(FullTime/DedicatedtoContentMarketing)

AllRespondents

Small

Medium

Large

(1-99Employees)

(100-999Employees)

(1,000+Employees)

11+

4%

0%

3%

11%

6-10

6%

1%

5%

19%

2-5

32%

22%

43%

40%

1

23%

27%

25%

11%

0(nooneisfulltime,dedicated)

35%

50%

24%

19%

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

16

TEAMSTRUCTURE&OUTSOURCING

49%saidtheirorganizationoutsourcesatleastonecontentmarketingactivity,withlargecompaniesbeingthemostlikelytooutsource.

Thesepercentagesaresimilartolastyear,withonenotableexception:

Lastyear,71%ofrespondentsfromlargecompaniessaidtheyoutsourced,comparedwith61%thisyear.

DoesYourB2BOrganizationOutsourceAny

ContentMarketingActivities?

AllRespondents

Small

Medium

Large

(1-99Employees)

(100-999Employees)

(1,000+Employees)

Yes

49%

37%

60%

61%

No

51%

63%

40%

39%

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

17

TEAMSTRUCTURE&OUTSOURCING

Amongthosewhooutsource,contentcreationistheactivitymostoutsourcedbyfar.

ContentMarketingActivitiesB2BOrganizationsOutsource

ContentCreationContentDistributionEditorialPlanningContentStrategyContentTechnologyMeasurementOther

86%

30%

11%

10%

10%

9%

10%

0 20 40 60 80 90

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoseorganizationoutsourcesatleastonecontentmarketingactivity.Aidedlist;multipleresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

18

TEAMSTRUCTURE&OUTSOURCING

ThetopreportedchallengeforB2Bmarketerswhooutsourceisfindingpartnerswithadequatetopicexpertise(69%).

Top5ChallengesWhenSeeking

OutsourcedB2BContentMarketingHelp

FindingpartnerswithadequatetopicexpertiseBudgetissues

Findingpartnerswhounderstand/areabletoempathizewithouraudience

Lackofclearreturnoninvestment(ROI)metrics

Lackofintegrationwithourorganization’sprocess/tools

Findingpartnerswhocanprovideadequatestrategicadvice

FindingpartnerswhoconsistentlydeliverontimeLackofcomprehensivesolutionsfromonepartnerOther

69%

51%

43%

36%

24%

21%

16%

15%

9%

0 20 40 60 80

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoseorganizationoutsourcesatleastonecontentmarketingactivity.Aidedlist;uptofiveresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

19

CONTENTCREATION&

DISTRIBUTION

20

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

Wesawanincreaseinthosewhoseorganizationsusecontentcreation/collaboration/workflowtechnologies(58%thisyearvs.48%last

year)—notsurprisinginawork-from-homeworld.

Beyondthebroadertechnologies,weaskedmarketerswhattoolsthey/theirteamsusewhilecreatingcontent:keywordresearchtools(78%)andeditorialcalendars(70%)toppedthelist.Surprisingly,only22%indicatedtheyusefact-checkingprocedures/tools,revealinganimportantstepmissingforthosestrivingtobuildtrust/credibilitywiththeiraudiences.

Regardingthecontenttypestheyuse,blogposts/shortarticlestoppedthelist.Obviously,marketersreportedadecreaseintheuseofin-personeventsoverthelast12months(42%from73%),whiletheuseofvirtualevents/webinars/onlinecoursesincreasedto67%from57%.

Becauseonlinecommunitiespresentagoodwaytoattractaudiencesandbuildrelationships,anewquestiononthesurveyaskedmarketersiftheirorganizationhadestablishedone:32%saidyes.Amongthosewhohavenot,27%saidtheyarelikelytowithinthenext12months,whileanother48%saidtheyareunlikelyto.

(continuedonnextpage)

“WE’VEHADTOEXPANDOUR

NETWORKVIADIGITALMARKETINGSTRATEGIESSUCHASWEBINARSANDPODCASTS,ASWERELIEDMOSTLYONIN-PERSONEVENTSANDCONFERENCESFORBRANDAWARENESSANDNETWORKING.”

SurveyRespondent

11thAnnualContent

MarketingSurvey

2121

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

Thetopwaysmarketersdistributecontentorganicallyaresocialmediaplatforms(89%),email(87%),andtheirorganization’swebsite/blog(86%).Andwhile54%arespeaking/presentingatvirtualevents,only38%arewritingguestpostsforotherpublications(andevenfeweraredoingguestspots,workingonmedia/influencerrelations,orparticipatingincollaborativesocialspaces)—perhapsindicatingmissedopportunitiestoreachbroaderaudiences.

Asforpaidcontentdistribution,theuseofsocialmediaadvertising/promotedpostsincreasedto83%from60%lastyear,withlow-costopportunitieslikelybeingafactor.LinkedInisthemostoftenusedB2Bsocialmediaplatform,bothfororganicandpaiddistribution.

Respondentsratedpaidsocialmediaadvertisingasthesecondhighest-performingpaidmethodtheyusetodistributecontent(secondtoSEM/pay-per-click).However,morepaidcontentcanalsopresentmorecompetition.Accordingtoonerespondent,“Shareofattentionishardereachdaywithsomanycompaniespushinglow-valuecontentthroughpaidchannels.”

“CLIENTSAREGETTINGBOMBARDEDWITHELECTRONICINFORMATION—ESPECIALLYNOWSINCEIN-PERSONMEETINGSANDEVENTSAREONHOLD.HOWDOWECREATECOMPELLINGCONTENTTHATGETSDISTRIBUTEDINAWAYTHATSTANDSOUTFROMTHECLUTTER?”

SurveyRespondent

11thAnnualContent

MarketingSurvey

2222

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

ThetoptechnologiesB2Borganizationsusetoassistwithcontentmarketingareanalyticstools(88%),socialmediapublishing/analytics(81%),andemailmarketingsoftware(78%).

Thesepercentagesaresimilartolastyear,withonenotableexception:

Useofcontentcreation/collaboration/workflowtechnologiesincreasedto58%from48%.

TechnologiesB2BOrganizationsUseto

AssistWithContentMarketing

AnalyticsTools(e.g.,webanalytics,dashboards)

88%

SocialMediaPublishing/Analytics

81%

EmailMarketingSoftware

78%

ContentCreation/Collaboration/Workflow

58%

CustomerRelationshipManagement(CRM)System

56%

ContentManagementSystem(CMS)

53%

MarketingAutomationSystem(MAS)

39%

ContentDistributionPlatform

24%

ContentPerformance/RecommendationAnalytics

20%

Other

2%

0

20

40

60

80

90

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.Aidedlist;multipleresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

23

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

78%usekeywordresearchtoolsforsearchengineoptimization(SEO)duringthecontentcreationprocess,whileonly22%usefact-checkingprocedures/tools.

EditorialToolsB2BMarketersUseWhileCreatingContent

Keywordresearchforsearchengineoptimization(SEO)

Editorialcalendar

Shareddocstocollect/trackideas(e.g.,GoogleDocs,Excel)

Personas(e.g.,buyer,customer,audience)

Writingreadabilitytools(e.g.,Grammarly,HemingwayEditor)

Ideation/collaboration/projectmanagementplatforms

Fact-checkingprocedures/tools22%Other3%

78%

70%

69%

56%

48%

47%

0 20 40 60 80

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.Aidedlist;multipleresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

24

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

Likelastyear,blogposts/shortarticlesandemailnewslettersarethetopcontenttypes.

Thebiggestchangesthisyear:

Useofin-personeventsdecreasedto42%from73%.

Useofvirtualevents/webinars/onlinecoursesincreasedto67%from57%.

Useoflivestreamingcontentincreasedto29%from10%.

ContentTypesB2BMarketersUsedinLast12Months

BlogPosts/ShortArticles

93%

EmailNewsletters

77%

CaseStudies

68%

Videos(pre-produced)

68%

VirtualEvents/Webinars/OnlineCourses

67%

Infographics/Charts/Photos

65%

Ebooks/Guides

54%

WhitePapers

47%

In-PersonEvents

42%

Long-formText(e.g.,articles3,000+words)

32%

Videos(livestreamingcontent)

29%

ResearchReports

28%

Podcasts

26%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.Aidedlist;multipleresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

Ofallthecontenttypestheyuse,B2Bmarketerssaidblogposts/shortarticlesandvirtualevents/webinars/onlinecourses(bothtiedat22%)producedthebestoverallcontentmarketingresultsfortheirorganizationinthelast12months.

Othercontenttypesusedinlast12months:DigitalMagazines(16%);PrintMagazines(11%);PrintBooks(5%);andOther(5%).

25

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

32%ofB2Bmarketerssaidtheirorganizationhasestablishedanonlinecommunity.Amongthosewhohavenot,27%saytheyarelikelytowithinthenext12months,whileanother48%saytheyareunlikely.

HasYourB2BOrganization

HowLikelyisYourB2BOrganization

EstablishedanOnlineCommunity?

toEstablishanOnlineCommunity

intheNext12Months?

12%

8%

32%■Yes

19%

68%

■No

30%

13%

18%

ExtremelyLikely

SomewhatLikely

NeitherLikelyNorUnlikely

SomewhatUnlikely

ExtremelyUnlikely

Unsure

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers. Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020 11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

26

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

ThetopthreeorganiccontentdistributionchannelsB2Bmarketersusearesocialmediaplatforms(89%),email(87%),andtheirorganization’swebsite/blog(86%).

Thesepercentagesaresimilartolastyear,withtwonotableexceptions:

Useofguestposts/articlesinthird-partypublicationsdecreasedto38%from48%.

Useofmedia/influencerrelationsdecreasedto24%from34%.

OrganicContentDistributionChannels

B2BMarketersUsedinLast12Months

SocialMediaPlatforms

Email

TheirOrganization’sWebsite/Blog

Speaking/PresentingatVirtualEvents

Speaking/PresentingatIn-PersonEvents

GuestPosts/ArticlesinThird-PartyPublications

GuestSpots(e.g.,podcasts,livevideos)

Media/InfluencerRelations

CollaborativeSocialSpaces(e.g.,Slack,Teams)

ListeningPlatforms(e.g.,Audible,Spotify,ApplePodcasts)Other

89%

87%

86%

54%

41%

38%

26%

24%

19%

8%

2%

0 20 40 60 80 90

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.Aidedlist;multipleresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

27

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

NearlyallB2BmarketerswhodistributecontentviaorganicsocialmediauseLinkedIn.Theyalsosayitistheorganicplatformthatgeneratedthebestoverallcontentmarketingresultsfortheirorganizationinthelast12months(66%).

Thesepercentagesaresimilartolastyear,withonenotableexception:

UseoforganicYouTubeincreasedto62%from53%.

OrganicSocialMediaPlatforms

B2BContentMarketersUsedinLast12Months

LinkedIn 96%

Twitter 82%

Facebook 82%

YouTube 62%

Instagram 49%

0 20 40 60 80 90 100

Base:B2Bcontentmarketerswhoseorganizationusedorganicsocialmediaplatformstodistributecontentinthelast12months.Aidedlist;multipleresponsespermitted.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSurvey:ContentMarketingInstitute/MarketingProfs,July2020

Otherorganicsocialmediaplatformsusedinlast12months:Pinterest(9%);Medium(8%);Quora(4%);Reddit(4%);Snapchat(1%);TikTok(1%);andOther(4%).

28

CONTENTCREATION&DISTRIBUTION

72%ofB2Bmarketerssaidtheirorganizationusedpaidcontentdistributionchannels(vs.84%lastyear)inthelast

12months.However,thepercentageofthoseusingeachpaidchannelincreasedoverlastyear(seenextpage).

DidYourOrganizationUseAnyPaidContentDistributionChannels

forContentMarketingPurposesintheLast12Months?

28%

■Yes

72%

■No

Base:B2Bcontentmarketers.

11thAnnualContentMarketingSu