B2B marketing changes just as much as anything else. Despite what you might think, that change did not slow throughout the pandemic. At the beginning of 2020, we thought the world would come to a grinding halt. While true for some aspects of life and business, this halt didn’t apply across the board. B2B marketing experienced unexpected growth and prosperity, especially when it came to content marketing. Now, B2B content is consumed like never before.
Why is this happening? Well, as much as people had to adapt during the pandemic, they also had to adopt. They had to adopt new roles and responsibilities in the workplace – even if they were outside of their profession. Because of this need to adapt and adopt, B2B professionals have been actively searching for guides, walkthroughs and introductory content, thus driving the need for content creation.
In its comprehensive “2022 State of B2B Content Consumption & Demand Report”, Netline compiled 23 petabytes worth of first-party data into tangible audience information. B2B professionals and companies can use this information to understand buyer intent and desire when it comes to curating future content.
5 Things We Found Interesting and Useful
1.) Overall, B2B content consumption increased more than 9% over the past year.
With this increase, content needs to be continuously pumped out. Research from FocusVision states that as many as 13 pieces of content are required before a purchase decision is made. You might want to revisit whatever you have budgeted for content for the next year to accommodate your audience.
2.) Simplicity isn’t so simple.
How much should go into all of this content we’re talking about? There’s a fine line between too little and too much. Consumers want information to be delivered to them in the most forward way possible without the content feeling too rudimentary while marketers are trying to balance straightforwardness, simplicity and detail. The best way to avoid all of this convolutedness is to:
- Utilize the Who, What, When, Where, Why, How and How Much in titles.
- Simplify the complex without talking down to your audience. Also, be thorough without cramming content down their throats. Many readers will stay away from content that is too long.
Taking this into consideration, it’s no wonder the data shows that guides, cheat sheets and tips-and-tricks are becoming increasingly popular content formats.
3.) Patience is a virtue – and so is persistence.
Okay, you’ve created your content. People are going to read it right away, right? Right? Research says otherwise. While the volume of content has increased, so has the time to consume it. From 2021 to 2022, the time it has taken to consume content has increased by 12%. This highlights the importance of nurture programs and sales follow-ups to keep your content fresh and relevant.
4.) Desktop is king.
Yes, you read that right. Desktop content consumption reigns over mobile and it’s surprisingly not close. Even more surprising is that this number actually continues to increase. Just from 2020 to 2021, there was a 23% increase in desktop content consumption.
Given the increasingly popular work-from-home workstyle, it makes sense that desktops are seeing more B2B action than mobile devices these days. This being said, it’s a great decision to go all-in on creating content that will look its best on desktop formats.
5.) Know your A, B, C (level)’s.
As you know, knowing your audience is everything. Interestingly enough, this report showed that C-Level professionals generated more content consumption activity than initially thought. While marketing to them exclusively might sound like a good idea, remember that they are only one part of the “buyer committee.” They might hold more weight, but more than 85% of content consumption occurs outside of that demographic so don’t alienate other audiences.
With an evolving content and marketing landscape, it can be hard to keep up with the times, especially after such a crazy past few years. When you’re looking to develop B2B marketing content, try to remember some of these pointers to get the most out of what you’re putting in.
If you’re looking to develop a new-age content strategy for your business, contact us anytime!