Report uncovers less than half of B2B marketers strongly agree content achieves top business goals, highlights growing use of generative AI and offers insights into value of different content formats
CHICAGO, Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- It's clear that B2B marketers understand the importance and value of content in their marketing programs. However, according to the "Future of B2B Content 2024" report released today by Walker Sands – an outcome-based B2B marketing company – the role of content in achieving critical business goals is less certain. Less than half (46%) of those surveyed "strongly agree" their organization's content is successful in helping them achieve their top business goals, indicating room for improvement when mapping out content strategies for 2025 and beyond.
Since the first "Future of B2B Content" report's release in 2019, the entire marketing industry has undergone seismic shifts, from the pandemic to economic volatility to the advent of generative AI. As a result, B2B marketing's role in strategic growth has evolved, along with the ways in which marketers leverage and maximize the value of B2B content. To better understand the role content plays in B2B marketing today and in the future, Walker Sands surveyed 300 B2B marketing leaders – including 115 CMOs – to gain insights into how the landscape has changed over the past five years. Several trends emerged that will inform content's role going forward:
- The most valuable types of content have changed – In 2024, SEO content and data reports (37% each) are tied as the most valuable types of content, followed by social media content (34%), website content and case studies (32%). This marks a shift from 2019, when social media (46%), website content (45%), and data reports (40%) were seen as the most valuable. The biggest increases since 2019 were in SEO content (+21%) and bylines (+17%), while the largest declines in the past five years were found in website content (-13%) and social media content (-12%).
- Content program priorities have shifted dramatically – Digital content has become the top priority over the past five years, with 58% of marketing leaders emphasizing its increased importance since 2019. Following this are the adoption of AI and emerging technologies (55%) and a continued focus on social media content (50%).
- AI tools are ubiquitous in content creation – Following the advent of generative AI in 2022, virtually all B2B marketers say their organization uses generative AI for content creation, with 62% ranking their adoption as mature or leading-edge. The use of AI will only grow, with 84% of respondents planning to use generative AI more in content creation in the next 12 months. However, B2B marketers have mixed feelings about generative AI's role in content creation: While respondents rank higher content quality, improved efficiency and speed, and enhanced creativity as generative AI's top advantages, marketing leaders also expressed concerns about low-quality content and data privacy and security.
"Marketing channels are flooded with content right now, but despite the volume, B2B marketing leaders are still not seeing the meaningful impact on their key goals they expect," said Tim Morral, SVP of Content at Walker Sands. "I've been in content marketing for more than two decades and demonstrating the value of content has always been a focus. But when I talk to clients now, I'm noticing a shift — today's B2B brands are looking for stronger alignment between their B2B content and their most important business objectives."
Additional key findings from the report include:
- 60% of B2B marketers rank social media platforms as the most effective channel for delivering results, followed by contributed content (35%) and sponsored content (35%).
- B2B marketers rank content quality, speed and diversity as the Top 3 most important factors to the success of their organization's content program over the next 12 months – a shift from 2019, when the top 3 important factors were relevancy to target audiences, quality, and standing out from competitors' content.
- 57% of B2B marketers say their organizations rely on external partners for content support. That's slightly higher than in 2019, when 55% said they outsource at least some of their content.
Earlier in 2024, Walker Sands launched Outcome-based Marketing (OBM), a new, results-focused framework for B2B marketing programs. Unlike the traditional approach of leading with marketing channels, OBM offers a simple and efficient framework to craft B2B marketing strategy. It starts with naming the outcome (Why), then crafts a strategy (How) to get there as thoughtfully and efficiently as possible, considering the message (What) and the media (Where) with key audiences in mind.
"When you design a marketing program in service to a specific business outcome or objective, it's audience-centric by definition," said Andrew Cross, co-CEO of Walker Sands. "As a B2B marketer, it's easy to fall into the trap of creating content around things you want to say. But as we know, great content -- the kind that really makes an impact -- is designed to meet audiences' specific needs. It's easier said than done, but it must be done!"
To read the full Future of B2B Content 2024 report, click here. Interested in learning more about Walker Sands and its approach? Visit https://www.walkersands.com/approach/.
Media Contact
Michael Terry Caraher, Walker Sands, (415) 819-1945, [email protected], www.walkersands.com
SOURCE Walker Sands
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