For the past decade, the Content Marketing Institute has partnered with MarketingProfs to conduct their annual “B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends” study for North America. This is a study I’ve been tracking for some time because we develop content marketing strategies for so many of our clients. They just released the 2020 version, and there’s plenty to chew on as we look forward to our marketing efforts for the coming year.

As I read through the 43-page report, I recognized so many of the struggles that we see in and with our own clients, and I suspect you’ll recognize yourself among the research participants as well. 

 I want to point out some of the most significant takeaways from this most recent edition of the research so that you can triage your efforts and begin to set an effective course for 2020.

Research finding #1: Most B2B marketers use content marketing successfully to achieve top-of-funnel goals. Fewer respondents reported they use it successfully on activities that deepen relationships. 

This is a common mistake that marketers are making. They stay at the top of the funnel and provide more generic content. That content is often the same sort of thing their competitor could publish, so no real differentiation or connection is being created. If you want to engage your prospects deeper in the sales cycle, you are going to have to get beyond what we call “chat, chat, love your hat” posts. 

Many marketers and business leaders are afraid to share their secret sauce and really produce content that they might typically only offer to paying clients. The analogy I often use is that Wolfgang Puck’s cookbooks (where he literally gives away his secret sauce) do not prevent people from preferring to dine in his restaurant rather than cooking at home.

If you are going to be successful at content marketing, you have to get over the idea that you need to hide and hoard your expertise. If you are not willing to be truly helpful, then all you’re doing is contributing to the noise. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the more you give away, the more you gain in terms of interest, loyalty and dollars.

Research finding #2: Only 41% of all respondents document their content marketing strategy.

 This is true of all marketing, not just content marketing, but if you do not have a written plan with team assignments, deadlines and an editorial calendar, it’s simply not going to be as effective. It doesn’t matter how good you or your team are at winging it; if you don’t have a clear view of the bigger picture, you’re going to miss opportunities to connect the dots for your audience. 

I’m not suggesting you can’t be spontaneous or take advantage of a current event or situation. By all means, be on your toes and be quick to act when the opportunity presents itself. But that should be an added value, not your standard operating procedure.

 Your content plan should also not be a separate tool from your overall marketing plan. Unless you have unlimited resources, you need every marketing effort to connect with and support the rest of the tactics. One way to significantly dilute your marketing budget is to execute a bunch of random ideas and hope that your audience sees the correlation.

There’s plenty more to absorb in this study, so download it and review it with your team. Are you where you want to be in terms of your content marketing activities? Where can you strengthen your efforts, and how do you compare with other marketers?
 
’Tis the season for planning, so grab this data and get to work on your 2020 content plan.