Latest Trends in U.S. Content Marketing 90% of B2B Companies Utilize It

The U.S.-based Content Marketing Institute (CMI), known as a pioneer in content marketing research, recently released a survey on the actual usage of content marketing by B2B and B2C companies.

■ 90% of B2B Companies Utilize It

The B2B survey covered approximately 1,800 North American B2B companies. It revealed that content marketing is widely adopted, with nearly 90% of companies utilizing it. Here are eight key findings from the survey:

1) 86% utilize content marketing, with 38% evaluating it as "effective."

86% of companies responded that they "utilize content marketing." Among these, 8% rated it as "highly effective" and 30% rated it as "effective."

2) 47% have established dedicated in-house content marketing teams.

The most common team structure is a "cross-departmental collaborative organization" at 35%.

3) 70% increased content production volume compared to last year.

27% reported a "significant increase" in content volume compared to last year, while 43% reported an "increase."

4) Social media content posting was the most common method at 92%.

Following social media (excluding blogs), methods included e-newsletters, articles on company websites, blogs, and events. The method that saw the most significant increase compared to last year was " infographics " (51% → 62%).

5) The most effective method was real-world events.

Among various methods, events targeting specific audiences were rated as "most effective" (69%). This was followed by webinars, videos, blogs, case studies, and white papers (research).

6) LinkedIn was the most frequently used content platform.

LinkedIn was the most popular platform for content distribution (94%). It was followed by Twitter (88%), Facebook (84%), YouTube (72%), Google+ (64%), and SlideShare (41%).

7) 55% plan to increase their content marketing budget over the next year.

9% plan to "significantly increase" their budget, 46% plan to "increase" it, 32% plan to keep it "the same," and only 2% plan to "decrease" it.

8) Only 35% have a documented content marketing strategy.

35% responded that they "have a documented strategy," while 48% said they "have a strategy but it is not documented." The survey also revealed that companies with documented strategies achieve higher effectiveness.

 

■ B2C Focuses on Mobile

A concurrent survey by the same institute of 307 North American BtoC companies also showed high interest among American firms, with 77% adopting content marketing and 59% planning to increase budgets. While the findings showed similar trends for BtoB and BtoC, differences emerged in specific methods and platforms. Three notable trends were:

1) The most effective method was the digital newsletter.

66% reported that "digital newsletters" were effective. This was followed by "in-person events," "illustrations/photos," "social media other than blogs," and "blogs."

2) Facebook was the most popular content platform at 94%.

Following Facebook were Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram.

3) Future focus will be on mobile-related content marketing.

While 58% of B2B professionals indicated they want to strengthen their mobile efforts, B2C professionals showed a higher figure at 74%.

Joe Pulizzi, founder of the institute, explains, "For many marketers, content marketing is the highest priority and has become the de facto standard. To ensure its effectiveness, it's crucial to clearly define the core strategy and execute consistently in line with that strategy." He also advised that when implementing this marketing approach, "it's vital not to try to target all audiences, but to narrow down your target and provide content tailored to them."

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Infographics
Visual representations of information using charts, graphs, illustrations, etc., instead of text. It's gaining attention as a trend in the U.S. communications industry and is increasingly used in media articles, advertisements, and social media.
　

LinkedIn
The world's largest business-focused social networking service. Users publish profiles detailing their work experience, while companies utilize it as a recruitment tool.
　

SlideShare
A service for sharing presentation materials like PowerPoint, PDF, and Keynote files. Companies and individuals upload their materials to share them.