The past few years have been turbulent yet exciting for B2B content marketing. Face-to-face business meetings continued to feel like a thing of the past, and content marketing became more important than ever. With the business world in flux, marketing creativity needed to be pushed to new heights to drive success.
Why are B2B content marketing statistics essential to know?
Read these wider B2B content marketing statistics reported by the industry as a whole to see where content marketing has been successful and where it is headed in 2022. Knowing this can help you inform your choices on where to invest your content marketing spend and adapt your tactics to maintain success. This means you can ensure your content marketing continues to evolve as the industry grows.
New Research For 2022
This spring Isoline surveyed 161 B2B decision-makers from the UK, EU, and USA in the technology, telecommunications, internet, and electronics industries, and spanning a range of company sizes. We asked them in-depth questions about how they were responding to B2B tech content.
- 55% of B2B buyers around the world find video the most useful type of content
- Responders consume an average of 4.5 pieces of content before contacting a supplier
- Both video and webinar are the most likely type of content to be shared (53% and 52%, respectively)
You can find the full report and some more interesting B2B content marketing statistics here.
Dive into the B2B content marketing statistics from the past two years to catch a glimpse at how the future of B2B content marketing strategies might look.
34 B2B content strategy statistics for 2022 and beyond
How are marketers approaching B2B content marketing strategy?
- The most popular Google search keyphrase associated with content marketing in 2020 was “content marketing strategy“. (The State of Content Marketing 2020 by SEMrush).
- Half of all marketers say they outsource content marketing (49%). This number increases to 75% in those working at large companies. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
- 65% of B2B marketers said their top challenge in outsourcing content marketing was finding partners with adequate topical expertise. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
- The top five goals B2B marketers marketing goals have achieved by using content marketing successfully are as follows:
- Create brand awareness (80%)
- Build credibility/ trust (75%)
- Educate audience(s) (70%)
- Build loyalty with existing customers/clients (60%)
- Generate demand/ leads (60%) (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
What do buyers want from B2B content marketing?
- 62% of respondents to the 2021 Content Preferences Survey say they depend more on content for researching and making B2B purchase decisions than in 2020. (2021 Content Preferences Survey by Demand Gen).
- 53% of buyers we surveyed said they typically consume between 3-5 pieces of content before contacting a salesperson. (Tech B2B Buyer Survey, Isoline).
Which mediums are best for B2B content success?
Video B2B content marketing statistics
- 53% of our respondents said that video was the most useful form of content. (Tech B2B Buyer Survey, Isoline).
- 61% of our respondents were more likely to share video content. (Tech B2B Buyer Survey, Isoline).
- Video marketers feel that video is a good investment for content marketing strategies. 69% state video to be the top content marketing-related area of investment for 2022. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
- 66% of B2B marketers created or used video content in the past 12 months. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
- Visual content is great for communication. Video marketing content helps customers understand products, according to 94%. (The State of Video Marketing 2021 by Wyzowl).
- Video marketing has grown by over 25% from 2020 to 2021 as a key content marketing tactic – 81% of businesses have used video content in 2021. (The State of Video Marketing 2021 by Wyzowl).
SEO content marketing statistics
- Successful content marketers are hot on keeping pace with Google’s search algorithm to win organic search and generate leads. 75% of marketers reported SEO as the most efficient content marketing tactic put in place by their team during 2020. (The State of Content Marketing 2020 by SEMrush).
- The next most successful content creation strategy was updating and repurposing existing content, implemented by 61%. (The State of Content Marketing 2020 by SEMrush).
- An effective content marketing tactic, 45% said research/ survey reports are the most valuable content formats and sources when researching B2B purchases. (2021 Content Preferences Survey by Demand Gen).
- 90% of B2B marketers included short articles/ posts in their content marketing efforts. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
- 61% included case studies for content marketing purposes. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
Virtual events, webinars, online courses
- 64% of B2B marketers included events, webinars, and online courses in their content marketing efforts. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
- Virtual events were the top performer: 58% said this produced the best results for their content marketing within the previous 12 months. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
Top performers in the content distribution funnel
- At the early stages of the buying process, 57% of buyers report finding whitepapers most valuable, 54% E-books, 50% industry newsletters, and 49% webinars. (2021 Content Preferences Survey by Demand Gen).
- In the mid-stages, 50% find assessments most valuable, 49% research/ survey reports, and 46% case studies. (2021 Content Preferences Survey by Demand Gen).
- At the late stages, case studies (35%), third-party/ analyst reports (31%), and assessments (18%) are most valuable. (2021 Content Preferences Survey by Demand Gen).
Which platforms distribute B2B content marketing best?
B2B Social media statistics
- 44% of people are using social media platforms more than before due to the pandemic. (Statista, 2020).
- LinkedIn is the organic social media platform used most by B2B marketers for content distribution (93%). (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
- Second place goes to Facebook (80%), followed by Twitter (71%). (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
- LinkedIn is also the platform where B2B buyers are most likely to share business-related content (71%). (2021 Content Preferences Survey by Demand Gen).
- Whilst LinkedIn does not share the specifics of its social media algorithm, research revealed that the best time to post content is between Tuesday and Thursday, 9 am-12:00 pm. The best days are Tuesday and Wednesday. The worst day, unsurprisingly, is Sunday. (Sprout Social 2021 Research).
- Instagram saw a year-on-year increase of nearly 30% in B2B marketing usage. (2021 B2B Marketing Mix Report by Sagefrog Marketing Group).
- Social media platforms such as Instagram have become surprisingly effective video marketing channels. Social media stories are growing in popularity as a marketing tool, with B2B marketers using them to spread branded visual content to their target audience. 500 million internet users view Facebook and Instagram Stories per day. (Instagram Revenue and Usage by Business of Apps).
B2B Email marketing statistics
- Email marketing comes out on top: In 2020, 87% of B2B content marketers reported using email to distribute content organically. (11th Annual Content Marketing Survey, Content Marketing Institute/ Marketing Profs, 2020).
- B2B marketers send approximately one email every 25 days. (The State of B2B Email Marketing, SuperOffice, 2020).
- However, nearly 1 in 5 email campaigns are not optimised for mobile devices. (The State of B2B Email Marketing, SuperOffice, 2020).
- And for some, email lists dry up. Nearly 15% of all emails never make it to the inbox. (Email Tool Tester, 2021).
Where is B2B content marketing headed?
- For the vast majority, content marketing is on the rise next year. 66% of B2B marketers with knowledge of their budgeting process – and 75% of the most successful marketing organisations – expect their content marketing spend to increase in 2022. (B2B Content Marketing 2021 by the Content Marketing Institute).
How is your B2B team tackling content marketing in 2022?
As we settle into the ‘new normal’ ways of working, our team approaches 2022 with a mixture of emotions. Nervousness, yes – but also excitement: brought about by rising trends and how B2B content marketing continues to evolve.
The above B2B content marketing statistics demonstrate tremendous growth within the industry, continuing from 2021 into 2022 and beyond. Are you ready to join 49% of marketers in outsourcing your content marketing efforts? Get in touch with us to see how we can help you drive traffic and generate leads at scale.
Looking for more statistics? Checkout our favourite B2B lead generation statistics
