As someone who’s been working in the field for more than a decade, I can tell you first-hand: content marketing is in a constant state of change. That’s exactly what makes it so exciting as a profession. No two days are ever the same, and best practices are evolving faster than a T-Rex in a time machine.
Content has been accumulating online for 30 years now. It’s hard to be unique. The clichéd “marketing is always changing” intro theme I just hit you with is decidedly not unique, but in fairness I did spice it up by inventing an entirely new proverb to cap it off.
The bottom line: You’ve got to stay creative to stay ahead and differentiate. It also pays to have a strong understanding of the industry landscape. With that in mind, we gathered some of the most compelling insights from recent research to highlight the current state of B2B content marketing.
Mixed in, you’ll find insights and opinions from our team of experts about what these B2B content marketing stats mean, plus resources to act on opportunities.
28 B2B content marketing stats to guide your strategy
All of the below stats have been vetted for legitimacy and timeliness. Multiple findings are cited from the following sources:
Challenges and barriers
Only 41% of B2B marketers have a documented B2B content marketing strategy. (Gartner)
“Document your strategy! Your strategy is your single source of truth. It can be updated and adjusted as needed to meet changing demands, but that strategy will communicate to all stakeholders what’s come before, what’s coming next, and what’s possible.” – Theresa Meis, Content Marketing Manager, TopRank Marketing
B2B marketers cite “creating the right content for our audience” as the No. 1 content creation challenge. (CMI)
The average B2C blog post gets 9.7X more shares than a post published on a B2B site. (Backlinko)
84% of B2B marketers say integrating or correlating content performance data across multiple platforms is moderately or very challenging. (CMI)
93% of B2B content gets zero links from other websites. (Backlinko)
Read on our blog: The 6 Fundamentals of an SEO Link Building Strategy
48% of B2B marketers say “not enough content repurposing” is their biggest barrier to scaling content production, ahead of all others. (CMI)
Successes and opportunities
45% of B2B marketers said they expected their content marketing budget to increase in 2024. Video, thought leadership content and in-person events are the top areas of investment. (CMI)
Nearly 9 in 10 CMOs say they are advocating for bolder, more creative campaigns, with 67% increasing budgets for brand-building efforts. (LinkedIn)
61% of B2B marketers say better creative leads to more brand engagement, with 55% saying it helps them achieve greater share of voice. (LinkedIn)
“The two above are my current favorite content marketing stats. B2B execs are finally seeing the value in creative content and in top-of-funnel brand building. This is part of a broad shift towards looking at the buying cycle holistically instead of focusing on conversions. Earning people’s attention and getting that mental real estate is a huge part of marketing success now. It’s great seeing that what’s fun to make – cool, creative, empathetic, human – is also the best from a strategic standpoint.” – Joshua Nite, Senior Content Marketing Manager, TopRank Marketing
84% of B2B marketers say content marketing helps them create brand awareness. 76% say it helps them generate leads. (CMI)
Top-performing B2B marketers cite “knowing our audience” as the No. 1 factor in their content marketing success. (CMI)
Read on our blog: How B2B Brands Can Elevate Their Marketing by Aligning with Audience Passions
Techniques, tactics and strategies
The most commonly used content types for B2B marketers are short articles/posts (94%), video (84%) and case studies (78%). (CMI)
Short-form content, such as infographics and blog posts, is also named by B2B buyers as the content type they find most appealing. (Demand Gen Report)
“There’s a big push in content marketing to create long-form content, even if you don’t necessarily have a great deal of new data and research to share. While there is always a place for longer blogs, B2B marketers should consider when they can make their content shorter and more visual. This will make it easier for their audience to quickly parse and share, and could even increase your odds of acquiring links.” – Harry Mackin, Content Strategist, TopRank Marketing
The content types B2B buyers say they rely on most at each stage of their journey are webinars (early), case studies (middle), and demos (late). (Demand Gen Report)
Read on our blog: Keys to Creating Case Studies That Get Results
89% of B2B marketers said they expected webinars to be effective for brand awareness and lead generation in 2024. (Sagefrog)
90% of B2B marketers say they use organic social media to distribute content. (CMI)
84% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn is the social media platform that delivers the best value. (CMI)
Only 10% of B2B marketers say their usage of X/Twitter or TikTok increased in the past year. (CMI)
55% of B2B marketers currently using Connected TV as a marketing channel said they plan to increase their future use. Connected TV is the second-fastest growing channel after social media. (LinkedIn)
51% of B2B marketers say they create social media content as part of their influencer programs, making it the most popular type of influencer content. (TopRank)
30% of B2B marketers say they have the right content marketing management technology, but aren’t using it properly. (CMI)
72% of B2B buyers say they are most likely to engage with content that drills down into relevant or specific topical areas. (Demand Gen Report)
B2B content marketing and AI
Nearly three-quarters of B2B marketers (72%) say they use generative AI, but 61% say their organization lacks guidelines for its use. (CMI)
Only 1 in 4 B2B marketers say they have an extremely good understanding of how to use AI in marketing activities. (LinkedIn)
43% of B2B marketers cite insufficient AI skills as a barrier to implementing GAI in their organization. (LinkedIn)
The most popular use for generative AI in content is to brainstorm new topics (51%), followed by researching headlines/keywords (45%) and writing drafts (45%). (CMI)
Content creation is the most common way B2B marketers are using AI for influencer marketing. (TopRank)
58% of B2B marketers say they are optimistic about the outlook for AI in B2B marketing. (Sagefrog)
Ready to take the next step with your B2B content marketing? Learn how smart strategies drive brand growth, or reach out to learn how we can help you.
About the author
Nick Nelson is our friendly neighborhood writer-man. As the Associate Content Director at TopRank Marketing, he is on a mission to energize brand narratives with smart, fun, sharp wordplay. In his free time, Nick enjoys basking in the misery of Minnesota sports fandom, making cringeworthy puns, and smothering all types of food in buffalo sauce.