CMI-2020年B2B内容营销报告（英文）-2019.12-43页_3mb

B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America (2020 Summary)

Core Content Marketing Overview

Content marketing is a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience, ultimately driving profitable customer action. The 2020 report highlights the evolution of content marketing strategies, emphasizing audience-centric content creation, advanced distribution methods, and the importance of measurement and ROI.

Key Findings

• Top Performers (Most Successful):

  • 87% describe their organization's content marketing as sophisticated/mature.
  • 69% have a documented content marketing strategy.
  • 95% use metrics to measure content performance.
  • 83% have KPIs to measure content initiatives.
  • 84% rate their ability to demonstrate ROI as excellent or very good.
  • They are more likely to use content marketing for nurturing, building loyalty, and generating sales/revenue.

• All Respondents:

  • 42% describe their content marketing as sophisticated/mature.
  • 41% have a documented content marketing strategy.
  • 80% use metrics to measure content performance.
  • 65% have KPIs to measure content initiatives.
  • 43% measure content marketing ROI.
  • 59% rate their ability to demonstrate ROI as excellent or very good.

• Least Successful:

  • 8% describe their approach as minimally or not at all successful.
  • 16% lack a documented strategy.
  • 62% use metrics to measure content performance.
  • 30% have KPIs for content initiatives.
  • 23% measure content marketing ROI.
  • 25% rate their ability to demonstrate ROI as excellent or very good.

Content Marketing Strategy and Maturity

• Content Maturity Levels:

  • Sophisticated/Mature: 42%
  • Finding Success: 35%
  • Adolescent: 15%
  • Young: 6%
  • First Steps: 2%

• Strategy Documentation:

  • The percentage of content marketers with a documented strategy has increased slightly over the years.
  • Top performers are more likely to have a centralized content marketing group working across the organization.

Content Creation and Distribution

• Content Creation:

  • Most B2B marketers outsource content creation (84% of those who outsource).
  • Content creation is the most commonly outsourced activity, followed by content distribution (31%).

• Content Types:

  • Top 3 content types used: Social media content (95%), Blog posts/short articles (89%), Email newsletters (81%).
  • Other content types include long-form text (38%), research reports (34%), print magazines (24%), podcasts (21%), and livestreaming content (10%).

• Content Distribution:

  • Organic channels: Social media (91%), website/blog (89%), and email (87%) are the most used.
  • Paid channels: 84% use paid distribution, with LinkedIn being the top paid and organic platform.
  • Top performers are more likely to use additional opportunities like speaking, guest articles, and media/influencer relations.

Audience and Journey Stages

• Audience Focus:

  • Most B2B marketers prioritize their audience’s informational needs over sales/promotional messages.
  • The average number of audiences targeted is 4, with large companies targeting 5 and small companies 3.

• Customer Journey:

  • Half of the content produced is for early-stage audiences.
  • Top performers are more likely to provide optimal customer experiences across all journey phases.

Metrics and Goals

• Metrics Used:

  • Top 5 metrics: Email engagement (90%), Website traffic (88%), Website engagement (86%), Social media analytics (83%), and Conversions (78%).
  • Other metrics: Cost of a lead, subscribers, CAC, PR mentions, mobile analytics, sales effectiveness, customer retention, satisfaction, and lifetime value.

• Goals:

  • Most focus on top-of-funnel goals such as brand awareness and lead generation.
  • There has been an increase in those using content marketing to nurture, build loyalty, and generate sales/revenue.

Team Structure and Outsourcing

• Team Size:

  • 52% of organizations have a small (or one-person) content marketing team.
  • 35% have 2–5 full-time team members.
  • Large companies are more likely to have larger teams (49% of 2–5).

• Team Structure:

  • Centralized group is the most common structure among top performers.
  • Small companies are more likely to have a single team, while large companies are more likely to have decentralized structures.

• Outsourcing:

  • 50% of B2B marketers outsource at least one activity.
  • Large companies are more likely to outsource.
  • Content creation is the most outsourced activity.

Budgets and Spending

• 2019 Annual Budget:

  • 36% had a budget of less than $100,000.
  • The average annual budget was $185,000.

• Budget by Success Level:

  • Top performers have higher budgets than the least successful.
  • Budgets vary by company size, with large companies more likely to have higher budgets.

• Expected Budget Changes in 2020:

  • Nearly half (48%) expect an increase in their content marketing budget.
  • This trend is consistent across all company sizes.

• Traditional Paid Advertising:

  • 49% of organizations with over $100,000 budget use traditional paid advertising.
  • 28% of those with under $100,000 budget use it.
  • 38% of those who use paid advertising have shifted funds to content marketing.

Summary of Trends

• Content marketing is becoming more sophisticated and data-driven.
• LinkedIn is the dominant platform for both organic and paid content distribution.
• The use of metrics and KPIs is increasing, especially among top performers.
• Outsourcing is common, with content creation being the most frequently outsourced activity.
• There is a growing emphasis on audience-centric content and customer journey optimization.
• Budgets are expected to increase in 2020, with no significant differences by company size or success level.