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Effective Content Marketing
by Jack Loechner, Wednesday, December 5, 2012 6:15 AM
According to new research from Marketing Profs and the Content Marketing Institute, 86% of B2C marketers in North America are using content marketing, employing 12 individual tactics on average.
But B2C content marketers are struggling with the effectiveness of their content marketing, says the report. Highlights of the "B2C Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and
Trends—North America" study include:
- B2B marketers use social media more often than their B2C counterparts. However, B2C marketers consider it more effective
- On average,
B2C marketers use four social media platforms, compared with the five used by B2B marketers.
- On average, 28% of B2C marketing budgets are allocated to content marketing, and 55% of consumer
marketers plan to increase their content marketing spend
In general, the larger the B2C company, the more tactics used. Companies with 10,000 or more employees use an average of 16
tactics, whereas the smallest companies use an average of 10. Compared with their B2B counterparts, B2C marketers use more mobile content, mobile apps, print magazines, and print newsletters; however,
B2C marketers use far fewer case studies, whitepapers, webinars/webcasts, and research reports.
B2C Content Marketing UsageTactic% of
RespondentsSocial media (xcpt blogs)84%Attitudes on website84eNewsletters78Videos70Blogs69In-person events63Articles
on other sites61Mobile content43Mobile apps42Print magazines42Microsites41Branded content tools40Case studies38Print newsletters37Infographics33Research reports33Licensed/syndicated content33Books32Webinars/webcasts32Digital
magazines29eBooks28Annual reports28White papers28Podcasts26Virtual conferences21Games/gamification17Source: NCM/Marketing Profs, November 2013
Lack of budget is the challenge most cited by B2C content marketers: 52% (vs. 39% of B2B content marketers). Nearly an equal proportion cite producing enough content (51%) and producing the kind of
content that engages (49%) as challenges they face. The Top 3 biggestchallenges cited by B2C Marketers are:
- B2C marketers said lack of budget is their biggest challenge (vs. 14%
of B2B marketers).
- 15% said producing enough content is their biggest challenge (vs. 15% of B2B marketers).
- 15% said producing the kind of content that engages is their biggest
challenge (vs. 18% of B2B marketers).
Biggest B2C Content Marketing
ChallengeChallenge% of RespondentsLack of budget23%Producing enough
content15Producing engaging content15Lack of knowledge, training, resources10Inability to measure effectiveness8Lack of buy-in/vision8Lack of integration across marketing6Producing content variety5Finding content marketing
professionals2Source: NCM/Marketing Profs, November
2013 B2C marketers and B2B marketer agree on the primacy of in-person events as a content marketing tactic: 62% of B2c marketers say it's an
effective tactic, as do 67% of B2B marketers. More B2C marketers than B2B marketers rank social media as "effective" or "very effective": 57% of B2C marketers vs. 49% of B2B marketers. More
B2C marketers than B2B marketers rank print materials (magazines as well as newsletters) as "effective" or "very effective": 51% of B2C marketers vs. 34% of B2B marketers for print magazines, and 42%
of B2C marketers vs. 28% of B2B marketers for print newsletters.
Effectiveness of
Tactics (B2C Users)
TacticBelieve EffectiveBelieve Less Effective In-person event 62% 38% eNewsletters 62 38 Videos 61 39 Blogs 57 43 Social media xcpt blogs
57 43 Webinars/webcasts 56 44 Branded content tools 55
45 eBooks 54 46
Articles on website 53 47 Virtual conference 52 48 Print
magazines 51 49
Source:
NCM/Marketing Profs, November 2013 The average share of marketing budget spent on B2C content marketing is 28% (on average, B2B marketers
allocate a bit more: 33%). 55% of B2C marketers say they will increase their content marketing spend over the next 12 months.
B2C Content Spending (Next 12 Months; % of Respondents)
Expectation% of Respondents Increase 45%
Significantly increase 10 Remain same 31 Decrease 2 Significantly decrease
1 Unsure 11
Source: NCM/Marketing Profs, November 2013 B2C marketers use an average of four social media sites to distribute
content, whereas B2B marketers use an average of five. B2C marketers most often use Facebook, whereas B2B marketers most often use LinkedIn.
Social Media Sites Used (% of B2C Marketers)
Site% of Respondents Facebook 90%
Twitter 69 YouTube 65
LinkedIn 51 Google 41 Pinterest 35 All others < 14% each
Source: NCM/Marketing Profs, November 2013
Concluding, the report says the most effective B2C content marketers:
- Spend a higher percentage of their marketing budget on content marketing
- Use more
tactics and distribute content on more social networks
- Tailor content to specific profiles/personas more frequently
- Are far less challenged in terms of producing engaging
content
- Are less challenged with lack of buy-in/vision from higher-ups
For
more information about the study
from CMI, please visit here.