According to Demand Gen’s B2B Content Preferences Survey Report, B2B buyers say they’ve been placing a higher emphasis on the trustworthiness of the source of the content they’ve consumed over the past year. Below are the buyers’ content consumption preferences per the report.
Webinars Are Still Popular
Although there are signs of online event fatigue, webinars are still effective. Of the 174 B2B executives surveyed for the report, two-thirds (67%) said they had consumed webinars during the previous year. This was the top format, ahead of e-books (56%), research/survey reports (55%), blog posts (54%), white papers (52%), and case studies (49%).
It’s no wonder then that recent research finds B2B marketers saying that webinars are their most effective top-of-the-funnel demand generation tactic. They may also be key for the later stages of the funnel, too, as they’re more likely than some other formats to be associated with an immediate buying decision.
Webinars Are Well Suited for Mid-Stage of the Funnel
The report indicates that buyers are more reliant on content in the early- to mid-stages of their journey, as each of the 16 content formats examined for the study were said by buyers to grab their highest engagement at those stages.
A majority said that infographics (62%), blog posts (58%), and podcasts (56%) are most valuable at the early stage of the funnel. Despite the above-cited results, 48% of buyers said that webinars are most valuable at the mid-stage of the funnel, compared to 41% who find them most valuable at the early stage and 11% at the late stage.
This is supported by research from MarketingCharts in partnership with Active Marketing Services, in which B2B demand gen marketers said that blogs and infographics are most effective at the top of the funnel, while webinars are most effective mid-funnel. The only content format that a plurality of respondents believed was most effective at the bottom of the funnel was the in-depth white paper or e-book.
Research Reports Help in Purchase Research
While buyers are most apt to have attended webinars over the past year, webinars are not the format they’ve found most valuable for researching their purchases. Research/survey reports were cited by more than 4 in 10 respondents, narrowly ahead of case studies and webinars. Separately, respondents noted that research-based content that includes shareable stats gets their attention and proves memorable.
About the Data: The results are based on a survey of 174 B2B executives from a range of titles, industries, and company sizes.
Need assistance developing and implementing your content marketing strategy? Schedule a call or email Lori Berson at lberson@BersonDeanStevens.com.
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