Report: Insights Into The B2B Content Marketing Space

As a healthcare organization, you should be using content very differently than consumer-focused businesses. The Chief Marketing Officer Council has done the work of surveying the wants, needs, and perceptions of the organizations’ you service in this report.

We’ve highlighted the most important points below, but the full report is worth a look if you’re looking to truly understand the type of content your clients will respond to best.

 

Businesses Need Your Services

Content development is now receiving 25 percent of marketing budgets in business organizations. This content is used to bring in new leads, nurture lead flow, and even upsell, and maintain existing customers.

As in most of the world of online content, B2B buyers and influencers have a distaste for content that’s too sales-y. That includes content that’s

• Self-serving (doesn’t benefit the customer)
• Irrelevant (doesn’t consider specific client or industry needs)
• Over-hyped (too pushy or aggressive)
• Overly-technical (highly specific without considering the true needs of the reader)

Unsurprisingly, the top places organizations go to get quality content are dominated by sources that are founded on trust.

According to the report, when asked what B2B sources were most valuable in shaping purchasing decisions, professional associations and online communities (something you can build for your clients) came in on top at 47%, industry organizations and groups came in at 46%, online trade publications and seminars/workshops (something else you can create) both were named by 41% of respondents, and trade shows earned 35%.

 

The Online Space

Longer-form content is crucial in the B2B healthcare space. The CMO Council surveyed more than 400 people seeking B2B content globally to find out what types they value and trust the most.

These stats are important, because 87 percent of responding parties indicated that online content has either a “major or moderate impact on vendor preference and selection”. Additionally, more than 33% indicated that online content plays an important roll in distinguishing which vendors and solutions providers best understand their needs.

What Types Of Content Are Most Valued?

• Professional association research reports/whitepapers: 67%
• Industry research reports/whitepapers: 50%
• Customer case studies: 48%
• Analyst reports and whitepapers: 44%
• Product reviews: 40%

Content Specifics

Online content comes in many forms, but what makes up content that’s pertinent in the B2B world?

• Web sites
• Customer communities
• Social media
• Online business networks
• Internet forums
• Blogs
• Podcasts
• Video portals
• Mobile devices
• Email
• Web conferences

 

Remember, all of these represent services you can use to build a reputation for your business and create a more efficient sales funnel.

The rest of the 12-page report on B2B content marketing discusses higher level content strategy integration and planning. Depending on the size and growth-stage of your company, you may or not be at a point to prioritize these types of considerations.

Click here to download the full report.