B2C Content Marketing Tactics and Effectiveness
Content Marketing
November 14, 2012 -- A new study, B2C Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends–North America, produced by Content Marketing Institute and Marketingprofs, examines B2C content marketing trends. It finds:
USE OF B2C CONTENT MARKETING AND TACTICS
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86% of B2C marketers use content marketing, employing 12 different strategies on average.
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The top tactics B2C marketers turn to: social media content (84%), company website articles (84%) and e-newsletters (78%).
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B2C marketers rely more on mobile content and apps, as well as print magazines and newspapers, compared to their B2B counterparts.
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B2B marketers use social media more often than their B2C counterparts; however, B2C marketers consider it more effective (57% of B2C marketers think social media is effective vs. 49% of B2B marketers).
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B2C Content Marketing Usage by Tactic |
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|
Tactic |
% of Respondents |
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Social media (xcpt blogs) |
84% |
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Attitudes on website |
84% |
|
eNewsletters |
78% |
|
Videos |
70% |
|
Blogs |
69% |
|
In-person events |
63% |
|
Articles on other sites |
61% |
|
Mobile content |
43% |
|
Mobile apps |
42% |
|
Print magazines |
42% |
|
Microsites |
41% |
|
Branded content tools |
40% |
|
Case studies |
38% |
|
Print newsletters |
37% |
|
Infographics |
33% |
|
Research reports |
33% |
|
Licensed/syndicated content |
33% |
|
Books |
32% |
|
Webinars/webcasts |
32% |
|
Digital magazines |
29% |
|
eBooks |
28% |
|
Annual reports |
28% |
|
White papers |
28% |
|
Podcasts |
26% |
|
Virtual conferences |
21% |
|
Games/gamification |
17% |
|
Source: B2C Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends–North America: |
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MOST EFFECTIVE B2C MARKETING TACTICS
- In ranking the effectiveness of B2C marketing tactics, in-person events, e-newsletters and videos were top ranked.
B2C Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends–North America: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs
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The report notes that more B2C marketers rank print materials (both magazines and newsletters) as “effective” or “very effective” than B2B marketers (51% of B2C marketers vs. 34% of B2B marketers for print magazines, and 42% of B2C marketers vs. 28% of B2B marketers for print newsletters).
THE MOST EFFECTIVE B2C CONTENT MARKETERS
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The most effective B2C content marketers:
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Spend a higher percentage of their marketing budget on content marketing
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Use more tactics and distribute content on more social networks
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Tailor content to specific profiles/personas more frequently
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Are far less challenged in terms of producing engaging content
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Are less challenged with lack of buy-in/vision from higher-ups
About: The survey was emailed to a sample of B2C marketers from among members and subscribers of Marketingprofs and Content Marketing Institute. A total of 354 responded from North American companies in August 2012, representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes.
Source: Content Marketing Institute, 2013 B2C Content Marketing Research: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends, accessed November 30, 2012.
