• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, July 5, 2024

B2B tech marketers are pouring resources into content this year, according to The Engagement Equation: How B2B Tech Marketers Are Creating And Delivering Content That Captivates in 2024, a study from 10Fold, conducted by Sapio Research.  

Of the tech marketers polled in North America and Europe, 91% are spending more on content. And these are not small sums -- 46% of the firms have content budgets of $500,000 to $5 million this year, while 20% have allocated between $500,000 and $999,999. 

This is a boon for writers, artists and agencies, as 93% of firms use third parties to create and distribute content. Moreover, 40% of marketers expect to produce between three and five times more content YoY, with 48% publishing daily. 

The study also finds that 81% are using AI to streamline content creation.  

Email newsletters are hardly first when it comes to planned distribution growth, but they come in fourth: 

• Social media content — 46%
• Videos — 41% 
• Blogs — 20% 
• Newsletters — 19% 
• Webinars — 17% 
• Podcasts — 17% 
• Infographics — 16% 
• Research reports — 15% 
• Animations — 15$
• Brochures — 14% 
• Slide shows — 12% 
• eBooks — 12% 
• Case studies — 10% 
• Contributed articles/bylines — 9%
• White papers — 8%
• Other — 1%

Whatever the channel, these marketers are using new technologies. For instance, more are using tools such as web analytics and CRM software to drive content decisions. 

And 81% are now using AI to streamline content creation, the study reports. Here’s how they measure results: 

• Use Google Analytics to track length of stay on web pages — 42% 
• Track through website and CRM tools — 35%
• Measure through customer acquisition — 31% 
• Measure through Sales Accepted Lead (SAL0/Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) — 30%
• Gather feedback from the sales team — 29%
• Measure through Marketing Accepted Lead (MAL)/Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) — 29%
• Measure Cost-Per-Lead (CPL) — 17% 
• Set up landing pages and A/B test — 15%

And the triggers for content? They are: 

• Build content based on research and website analytics — 50% 
• Develop content at the request of public relations and field marketing — 41%
• Develop content that maps to the requests defined by our regional sales teams — 30% 
• Closely follow a content calendar based on campaigns developed to map to the product delivery schedule — 30% 
• Use an internet mention monitoring software to track prospect conversions — 36% 
• None of the above — 1%
• Other — 1% 

 “Our year-over-year data shows a strong trend: marketers are not only open to adopting new technologies and innovative approaches but are also willing to overhaul their entire strategies, processes, and content formats,” says Susan Thomas, CEO of 10Fold Communications. 

Sapio Research surveyed 450 decision-makers in B2B and B2C technology companies in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the U.K.