2018北美B2B内容营销报告（英文版）_37页_5mb

B2B Content Marketing 2018: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America Summary

Core Content Marketing Overview

Content marketing is becoming a mature and integral part of B2B marketing strategies, with marketers focusing on building audiences and delivering valuable, consistent information. It is no longer seen as a novel tactic but as a strategic approach that requires dedicated resources and a well-defined process.

Key Findings

Content Marketing Maturity Levels

• Sophisticated (9%): These organizations are highly committed and have scaled their content marketing efforts.
• Mature (25%): They are experiencing success but face challenges in integration across departments.
• Adolescent (31%): These organizations have developed a business case and are seeing early success.
• Young (25%): They are in the growth phase, facing challenges in creating a cohesive strategy and measurement plan.
• First Steps (9%): They are just beginning to explore content marketing as a process.

Content Marketing Success

• 89% of respondents reported their organization is extremely or very committed to content marketing.
• 62% have a documented content marketing strategy, which correlates with higher success.
• 55% of organizations measure content marketing ROI, with the most successful rating their alignment with goals as excellent/very good.
• 65% of respondents said their content marketing success has increased compared to the previous year.

Budget Allocation

• The average percentage of total marketing budget spent on content marketing is 26%.
• The most successful organizations allocate 40%, while the least successful allocate 14%.
• As maturity increases, so does the percentage of budget allocated to content marketing:
  • Young/First Steps: 19%
  • Adolescent: 25%
  • Sophisticated/Mature: 33%

Content Creation and Distribution

• Project Management Flow: 36% rated the flow as excellent or very good, 27% as fair or poor.
• Most Effective Content Types: eBooks/white papers, email, and LinkedIn are the top three.
• Most Effective Distribution Formats: Content hubs, digital magazines, and online presentations are the top three.
• Most Effective Social Media Platforms: LinkedIn, email, and Twitter are the top three.

Content Marketing Strategy Development

• 75% of respondents without a strategy plan to develop one within 12 months.
• Qualitative responses from those not planning to develop a strategy included “no buy-in from executives” and “lack of cohesion and coordination among departments.”

Content Marketing Trends

• Outsourcing: 56% of organizations outsource at least one content marketing activity.
• Technology Use: The top 5 technologies used are:
  • Content Marketing Platforms
  • Video Tools/Platforms
  • Content Collaboration/Workflow Software
  • Content Promotion/Distribution Software
  • Content Planning/Creation Software
• Measurement and ROI: 47% of respondents do not measure ROI, citing reasons like “no formal justification required” and “we need an easier way to do this.”

Metrics and Objectives

• 19% of respondents rated their alignment of metrics with content marketing goals as excellent/very good.
• 70% of respondents agreed they can demonstrate how content marketing has increased audience engagement and leads.
• Only 51% can show how it has increased sales, and 25% can show how it has decreased the cost of customer acquisition.

Demographics and Methodology

• The survey included 2,190 global respondents, with 870 from North America.
• Respondents were from a variety of industries and company sizes, including:
  • Technology
  • Manufacturing
  • Professional Services
  • Consulting
  • Financial Services
  • Publishing/Media
  • Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals
  • Insurance
  • Other
• Company sizes ranged from micro (fewer than 10 employees) to large (1,000+ employees).
• Job titles included marketing/communications, content creation, corporate management, and sales.

Summary

This report highlights the growing maturity and strategic importance of content marketing in the B2B sector. It underscores the increasing budget allocation, the importance of documented strategies, and the effectiveness of specific content types and distribution formats. Marketers are becoming more focused on building audiences and demonstrating ROI, though challenges in measurement and integration persist. The survey also provides insights into the current state of content marketing practices and future expectations.