Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy
83% of top-performing B2B marketers differentiate their content from the competition
50% of B2B organizations outsource at least one content marketing activity
94% of B2B marketers use short articles/posts (less than 1500 words) for content marketing
53% of B2B marketers consider case studies to be the most effective content format
91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
96% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn for organic social media distribution
Email marketing is used by 87% of B2B marketers to distribute content
80% of B2B social media leads come from LinkedIn
87% of B2B marketers say data accuracy is their top priority for performance measurement
75% of B2B marketers use website engagement metrics (time on page, bounce rate) to measure success
Only 54% of B2B marketers measure the ROI of their content marketing
55% of B2B buyers say they rely more on content now to research and make purchasing decisions than they did a year ago
62% of B2B buyers engage with 3-7 pieces of content before connecting with a salesperson
71% of B2B buyers review a blog during their buying journey
Audience & Buying Journey
- 155% of B2B buyers say they rely more on content now to research and make purchasing decisions than they did a year ago
- 262% of B2B buyers engage with 3-7 pieces of content before connecting with a salesperson
- 371% of B2B buyers review a blog during their buying journey
- 467% of B2B buyers prefer to see pricing information in the content they consume
- 584% of B2B buyers are more likely to buy from a vendor who understands their business model
- 646% of B2B buyers say that thought leadership content influenced them to award business to a company
- 765% of B2B buyers say they would likely disengage from a brand if the content is not mobile-friendly
- 840% of B2B buyers say content that is "too salesy" is a major turn-off
- 9B2B buyers spend only 17% of the buying journey meeting with potential suppliers
- 1077% of B2B buyers conduct their own research before talking to a salesperson
- 1196% of B2B buyers look for content with more input from industry thought leaders
- 1252% of B2B buyers say they are "definitely" more likely to buy from a brand after reading their content
- 1389% of B2B buyers use the internet during the B2B research process
- 1458% of B2B buyers look for shorter content formats
- 1573% of B2B buyers say they have less time to devote to reading and viewing content
- 1664% of B2B buyers say they appreciate when a company organizes content by issue or pain point
- 1744% of B2B buyers consume content on a mobile device
- 1888% of B2B buyers say that to improve the content experience, marketers should curb sales messages
- 19B2B buyers say the top reason for choosing a winning vendor is the quality of content provided (cited by 56%)
- 2047% of B2B buyers will view 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep
Interpretation
Think of content as the new salesperson: B2B buyers increasingly self-educate online, devouring several short, mobile-friendly, issue-focused, non-salesy pieces that include pricing and thought-leader insight before they ever talk to sales, and they reward vendors whose content proves they understand their business.
Creation & Formats
- 194% of B2B marketers use short articles/posts (less than 1500 words) for content marketing
- 253% of B2B marketers consider case studies to be the most effective content format
- 391% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
- 475% of B2B marketers create e-books or white papers
- 566% of B2B marketers use long-form articles (over 1500 words)
- 660% of B2B marketers found interactive content effectively differentiates their brand
- 748% of B2B marketers say research reports generate the best results for lead generation
- 887% of B2B marketers say video has helped them increase traffic
- 9The average blog post takes just over 4 hours to write
- 1071% of B2B marketers cite the need to create more content as a major challenge
- 1138% of B2B marketers leverage webinars/online events as a primary content format
- 1250% of B2B consumers prefer video over other types of content from brands
- 1343% of B2B marketers use AI to write headlines and keywords
- 14Podcasts are used by 25% of B2B marketers
- 1551% of B2B buyers share blog posts with colleagues
- 1673% of B2B marketers recycle content into different formats
- 17Visual content is used by 91% of B2B organizations
- 1864% of B2B marketers have integrated webinars into their content strategy
- 19Content with images gets 94% more views than content without
- 2039% of B2B marketers are creating content specifically for account-based marketing (ABM) programs
Interpretation
Despite spending just over four hours per blog post, B2B marketers are hedging their bets across formats: 94% use short posts, 91% use video and visuals that boost views and traffic, 53% favor case studies and 48% favor research reports for lead generation, 75% create e-books while 66% publish long-form articles, 73% repurpose content into webinars, podcasts and other formats, 60% say interactive content differentiates their brand, 43% use AI for headlines, and 39% target ABM, showing an industry frantically balancing snackable content with heavyweight proof to scale results.
Distribution & Channels
- 196% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn for organic social media distribution
- 2Email marketing is used by 87% of B2B marketers to distribute content
- 380% of B2B social media leads come from LinkedIn
- 476% of B2B marketers distribute content through their organization's blog
- 565% of B2B marketers use in-person events to distribute/promote content
- 656% of B2B companies use paid social media to promote content
- 728% of B2B marketers use influencer marketing for distribution
- 854% of B2B marketers use YouTube for content distribution
- 9Organic search is the top traffic source for B2B content for 50% of marketers
- 1033% of B2B marketers use sponsorships to promote content
- 11Facebook is used by 64% of B2B marketers, though effectiveness ratings are lower than LinkedIn
- 1240% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the most effective vehicle for nurturing leads
- 1370% of B2B content is never used or seen by potential buyers
- 1438% of B2B marketers use native advertising/sponsored content
- 15LinkedIn generates 3x more conversions than Twitter and Facebook
- 1627% of B2B marketers use guest posting as a distribution channel
- 17On average, B2B marketers use 5 social media platforms to distribute content
- 1830% of B2B marketers utilize community building (e.g., Slack, Discord) for distribution
- 19Search Engine Marketing (SEM/PPC) is used by 51% of B2B marketers to promote content
- 20Webinars drive the highest quality leads according to 45% of B2B marketers
Interpretation
Nearly every B2B marketer posts on LinkedIn and emails prospects—LinkedIn delivers 80% of social leads and three times the conversions of Twitter and Facebook, email newsletters are the top nurture tool, and blogs, organic search, webinars and events still matter—yet with teams averaging five platforms, trying paid social, SEM, sponsorships, influencers and communities, 70% of content is never seen, proving that smarter, focused distribution beats spraying content everywhere.
Performance & Measurement
- 187% of B2B marketers say data accuracy is their top priority for performance measurement
- 275% of B2B marketers use website engagement metrics (time on page, bounce rate) to measure success
- 3Only 54% of B2B marketers measure the ROI of their content marketing
- 461% of B2B marketers measure content success by conversion numbers
- 5B2B companies with blogs generate 67% more leads than those without
- 678% of B2B marketers say proving the ROI of content is a significant challenge
- 757% of B2B marketers cite "Quality of Leads" as the most important metric
- 8B2B companies that blog get 97% more links to their website
- 943% of B2B marketers say they use attribution modeling to measure content performance
- 1077% of B2B marketers use email open/click rates to measure content resonance
- 11Brands that prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see positive ROI
- 1252% of B2B marketers rely on vanity metrics (likes/shares) to report success to leadership
- 1346% of B2B marketers say measuring content performance effectively is a top educational need
- 14Content marketing generates 3x as many leads as outbound marketing
- 15Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing
- 1660% of B2B marketers say that access to data/analytics is their biggest technological barrier
- 1772% of B2B marketers report that tracking content performance across the buyer's journey is difficult
- 1835% of B2B marketers use customer lifetime value (CLV) to measure content effectiveness
- 1949% of B2B marketers measure the impact of content on sales pipeline growth
- 2086% of highly effective B2B organizations have someone who oversees content strategy
Interpretation
B2B marketers are sitting on a cost-effective engine that generates leads, with blogs tripling lead counts and attracting links, yet many are still handcuffed by shaky data, vanity metrics, and weak attribution, so only teams that appoint a content owner and invest in analytics consistently prove ROI and grow pipeline.
Strategy & Budgeting
- 140% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy
- 283% of top-performing B2B marketers differentiate their content from the competition
- 350% of B2B organizations outsource at least one content marketing activity
- 452% of B2B marketers say their organization provides them with the technology they need to manage content marketing
- 570% of B2B marketers say their content marketing has become more strategic in the last year
- 684% of B2B marketers say brand awareness is their top goal for content marketing
- 769% of creative B2B marketers document their content strategy compared to 16% of laggards
- 845% of B2B marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget in the coming year
- 9Only 29% of B2B marketers consider their organization extremely or very successful with content marketing
- 1062% of B2B marketers say changes to SEO/search algorithms is a top concern
- 1172% of B2B marketers say AI is part of their content marketing strategy
- 1258% of B2B marketers use generative AI to brainstorm new topics
- 1348% of B2B marketing teams have one or fewer full-time content marketing employees
- 1481% of B2B marketers view content as a core business strategy
- 1531% of B2B marketers say lack of resources is their biggest challenge
- 1661% of B2B marketers meet with their content team daily or weekly
- 1746% of B2B marketers say their organization manages content as a product
- 1854% of B2B marketers say aligning content efforts with sales is a top priority
- 1942% of B2B marketers say they are learning to use AI tools for content but haven't implemented them fully
- 2080% of very successful B2B marketers prioritize the audience's informational needs over the organization's sales message
Interpretation
Despite treating content as a core business strategy and pouring in AI, tech, and budget while fretting over SEO, many B2B teams still run on tiny crews, outsourced help, and undocumented plans, so only a minority feel truly successful while top performers who document differentiated, audience-first content consistently win.
