45 B2B Content Marketing Statistics for 2021 & Beyond
Type “B2B content marketing statistics” into your browser. I bet you’ll find a bunch of old content originally published in 2015. It has the same rehashed, obvious statistics everyone uses… But not this one.
Every six months, I remove all old, outdated statistics and replace them with new ones. These are all relevant and fresh for 2021.
(Check the “date published” timestamp to see when I published this new version.)
And, even better: I don’t want you to scroll around, hoping to find a statistic you’re looking for. So, I organized them into a few different categories.
Click to jump to a specific section:
Content Strategy Statistics
21% of B2B marketers don’t have a content strategy
According to Content Marketing Institute‘s 2021 report, 43% of successful B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. Another 36% have a strategy in mind but not written down, nor shared with their team.
Surprisingly, 21% of B2B marketers are working without a strategy altogether. They’re publishing content on the go:
Only 7% of marketers think their content is exceptional
It seems companies without a documented strategy publish poor-quality content. They don’t have a plan of action, so it makes sense why they’d down-vote the quality of their content.
Research shows 7% of marketing experts think their company’s content is exceptional. The vast majority (43%) said it’s somewhere in the middle—neither good nor bad. It’s just “meh.”
A lack of budget is the biggest challenge for most CMOs
So, why are we producing poor content (even on our own terms)?
Maybe marketers have ideas for a great content strategy, but no budget to support it.
A lack of budget is holding most CMOs back from creating effective content. It’s the second top challenge—solving it would have a major impact on content performance:
49% of companies outsource their content marketing
Some 49% of companies outsource content marketing. Why? Because they lack time, expertise, or resources to manage their strategy in-house.
Outsourcing content marketing offers a wide range of on-demand talent to produce content.
It’s a great solution for getting expert-quality work without the costs of hiring an employee or team. No pensions, benefits, or health insurance, which eases the pressure on smaller budgets.
Finding talent with subject-matter expertise is the biggest challenge when outsourcing
The process of outsourcing content isn’t always plain sailing.
CMI’s 2021 report shows finding talent with subject-matter expertise is difficult. It’s not easy finding writers or strategists who know your specific industry inside and out.
Following close behind are:
Budget issues
Finding partners who understand the audience,
Lack of clear ROI
Only 66% of CMOs understand (and support) content marketing programs
Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but it's a problem if your CMO is one of the 34% who doesn't "get it."
If your head of content isn't on board with your content strategy, then it'll make your job harder.
One reason they're likely not playing ball: They don't get the benefits.
Only 68% of marketers have documented content marketing goals and KPIs. So without proof of success, you'll continue to struggle to get CMO buy-in.
Content Creation Statistics
Content creation is the most popular activity to outsource
A Content Marketing Institute report found that the most outsourced (84%) of all content-related tasks is linked to creation.
Trailing behind are:
Distribution (31%)
Technology (22%)
Content strategy (13%)
But none come near the number of companies outsourcing content creation.
It takes almost 4 hours to write a blog post
Some create content on an ad-hoc basis because it takes so long to develop a single piece.
Research by Orbit Media shows the average blog post takes three hours and 55 minutes to write. There are workflows to run through each time, starting with research and ending with promotion.
Similarly, the report found bloggers investing more time in content get better results:
Almost 90% of marketers think repurposing their content is a better use of their time than starting from scratch
Creating a new piece of content from scratch can be time-consuming.
However, almost 90% of B2B marketers say repurposing existing content is more effective than producing new content (regarding time, costs, and results).
So, how do you repurpose content? Turning one piece into a video is the most popular technique, shortly followed by creating a downloadable PDF or infographic:
Most bloggers write 2-3 headlines for each piece
Got into the habit of writing a draft and running with the first headline that comes to mind? Perhaps you even write the headline before the content, and stick with the original structure–even if the piece has taken a different direction than you anticipated.
Orbit Media found the average blogger writes just two or three headlines for each piece. Yet those who write more variations tend to get better blogging results:
Blogs, infographics, and videos dominate top the of the funnel
Top-of-the-funnel B2B buyers want information (and lots of it). And where better to get it than a long-form blog post, data-packed infographic, or informative video?
A survey shows these three formats perform the best with early-stage customers.
It also shows these formats perform the best for middle of the funnel:
Virtual events
Webcasts
Concise white papers
Then, in-depth white papers/ebooks, customer case studies, and live events convert the best at the bottom:
Long-form content is still winning (traffic and shares)
People aren't the gold-fish-brained individuals some like to make us out to be. Not only are we reading—we're doing lots of it.
According to one report, text content between 3,000 and 7,000 words gets double the page views and 24% more shares than those with 900-1200 words (average length).
And content over 7,000 words drive nearly 4x the traffic as average length posts:
The structure of your content can improve traffic and engagement
Thinking about adding long-form content to your strategy? Then make sure you're structuring it right.
One report shows structure definitely matters if you want to improve readership. For example, having a complex structure with H2, H3, and H4 subheadings performs well in traffic and engagement.
Some 44% of posts with simple H2 and H3 structures also perform great. And adding at least one list every 500 words gets 70% more traffic than posts without them.
Headlines with 10-13 words drive 2x the traffic
Shorter isn't better when it comes to headlines.
A report by Semrush shows headlines between 10 and 13 words get twice the traffic and 1.5x more shares than those with seven or fewer words:
Visuals help drive traffic to text content
Reading long blocks of text (even if broken up) is, well...boring. So to add spice to your content, you need to have visuals placed throughout.
An Semrush report shows posts with seven or more images get 4x the traffic than text-only posts. And just one image can deliver 2x the traffic than visual-less content.
They also get 30% more shares and 25% more backlinks.
But don't stop with static images. Posts without video generate 92% less traffic and 24% fewer shares. It helps to add at least one video to posts (as long as it makes sense to the topic).
B2B Buyer Content Preferences
52% of bloggers think it’s getting harder to get readers to engage with their content
Long gone are the days of writing a blog post and watching the comments pour in. It’s getting harder to get reader engagement; over half of all bloggers agree.
So, let’s look at what B2B buyers want (and how they behave) when consuming content.
Tech B2B buyers are most likely to share video content
Isoline Comms found 53% of B2B tech buyers think video is the most useful content format. So, it probably isn’t surprising to see that in 2020, video is beating blogs, interviews, and webinars.
(YouTube is the second-most popular search engine for a reason.)
Thought leadership content is best consumed as a video
So, you want to create video? That’s great if you’re creating thought leadership content.
Research by MarketingCharts shows video is most popular for thought leadership-based content. That’s shortly followed by case studies, webinars, and blog posts:
Nearly 74% of B2B consumers will watch videos that are 10 min or less
Doubling down on your video content creation? Then make sure your videos aren't longer than 10 minutes. A recent Demand Gen report shows 44% of B2B buyers won't spend more than five minutes on a video. So opt for shorter to cast a wider net.
But it's different if you're hosting a webinar...
35% of B2B buyers will watch a 30-60 minutes webinar
Webinars are informative and engaging (or at least they should be). So it makes sense B2B consumers are all in for watching them from start to finish.
It's also the content medium 51% of B2B buyers don't mind exchanging their information for.
In other words: it’s a potential gold mine for collecting B2B leads.
Most B2B buyers consume branded content through a business’ website
The average B2B buyer consumes 13 pieces of branded content per month. Visiting a website was the most common way to consume it (about eight pieces of content per month).
Out of the 13 pieces buyers consume, an average of eight came directly from the vendor. The remaining five are from third-party sources.
That’s likely why 65% of B2B buyers think vendor websites are one of the most highly influential content formats.
The majority of C-suite isn't consuming B2B content
Roughly 90% of B2B content consumption comes from outside the C-suite. The top consumer is "individual contributors" at 21%. Next in line are managers at 13.8%.
Apparently, more than half of C-level content consumption stems from smaller companies (1,000 employees or fewer). This is a big boost from 38% just two years ago.
62% of B2B buyers rely more on content to make purchasing decisions
Since the pandemic, B2B content became more important for research during the decision-making process.
A recent report shows 44% of B2B buyers consume three to five pieces of content before engaging with a salesperson.
What are they consuming? Short-form video content between five and 30 minutes. This year also showed a rise in interest in formats like:
Webinars (57%)
eBooks (57%)
Whitepapers (55%)
Research/survey reports (52%)
Blog posts (46%)
Case studies (46%).
To summarize: Now's a great time to use content marketing to attract, guide, and convert your B2B customers.
38% of B2B buyers want short, visual, educational content
Your B2B customers don't want to be pitched to. Instead, they want content that's zero in sales and high in value. And if you can add visuals, even better.
A Demand Gen report shows 39% want shorter content, 38% want insights from industry thought leaders, and 37% want value over product specifics. So focus less on copy and more on content. (Yes, there's a difference between copy and content).
Consider getting thought leaders involved in your content using podcasts, webinars, and blog posts.
Almost half of B2B readers want trustworthy content
This is even more reason to include thought leaders, experts, and reputable data in your content. A report shows B2B consumers want the source of content to be trustworthy.
So consider adding quotes, interviews, and real-world stories from relevant sources.
45% of buyers prefer research/survey reports when researching for B2B purchases
The B2B buying process is typically long. So to help speed up the sales cycle, you want to include resources that guide them to the end.
According to a report, research reports and surveys are preferred for conducting research to make buying decisions.
56% of B2B buyers want to see content from vendors organized by topic
How you organize content empowers visitors to find what they need fast. But what's the best way to organize your posts? According to one report, most B2B consumers want posts organized by topic.
This is followed closely by industry/vertical (54%), issue and pain point (49%), and business role (35%):
81% of B2B customers want listicles at the top of the funnel
Wondering what content to put at the top of the funnel? Well, one report shows the majority of B2B consumers prefer listicles.
But this isn't the only format—72% want to see infographics, 66% desire blogs, and 62% prefer videos.
Half of B2B buyers want to see assessments in the middle of the funnel
In the middle of the funnel, B2B buyers know their issue and are looking for a solution. With an assessment tool, you can narrow down their list of options. In turn, this helps them make a decision easier.
A Demand Gen report shows MOF B2B consumers also want to see research and reports (49%), and case studies (46%).
35% of B2B consumers want to see case studies at the bottom of the funnel
You want your B2B customers to convert—what better way to convince them than with a powerful case study? This gives buyers a mental picture of how your solution can help them.
In this same report, third-party reports (31%) and assessments (18%) are also top preferences.
Consider prioritizing this type of content to improve your conversion rate.
More than half of B2B buyers share content with strong stories
If you want to get more shares and backlinks, then focus on storytelling. A report shows 52% of B2B buyers share content with compelling stories that resonate with their buying committee.
Next in line are content with relevant links (45%) and shareable stats (44%).
So fill your content with stories, facts, and stats (with easy-to-share links):
Content Promotion and Distribution Statistics
Google remains the top source of traffic for blogs
Wondering how to drive more traffic to your blog?
According to data collected by Growth Badger, you’ll need to focus on unpaid and organic traffic from Google.
This is the most important digital marketing channel for successful bloggers–beating email, influencer outreach, and traditional PR.
The top 10% of SaaS blogs receive 104,000 visits each month from organic search
Are you in the SaaS industry? A solid SEO strategy may be the best way to drive eyeballs to your content.
Emily Byford analyzed SaaS blogs, and found each domain in the top 10% receives more than 104,000 organic visits each month. That’s a ton of traffic you could drive with an effective content and SEO strategy.
35% of content marketers say online communities is the best promotion method
Databox polled hundreds of B2B marketers and found online communities are the best for content promotion.
Some 35% of respondents say it’s their preferred method, followed by 28% voting for organic social and 11% for paid social.
It’s no surprise, really. They also found that some sites get 31-50% of their entire traffic from online communities like Quora, Reddit, and Growth Hackers.
More than 35% of marketers use keyword analysis as their main source of content ideas
If you’re unsure of what content to fill your calendar with, you’re not alone.
Databox polled several SEO and content marketing experts to find the best source for content ideation. The most popular? Keyword analysis.
Social media ads are the top paid distribution method for B2B marketers
You can't have a content strategy without a distribution plan. And for 83% of B2B marketers, it's all about social media advertising (and promoted posts).
This is followed by search engine marketing (PPC) at 65% and sponsorships at 60%:
LinkedIn is the most popular (and effective) distribution channel for B2B marketers
LinkedIn is the Facebook for businesses and professionals. So it's not shocking to believe this is the preferred channel for B2B marketers.
A B2B content marketing report shows LinkedIn is most frequently used for B2B content distribution. Followed by social media platforms: Twitter and Facebook (tied at 82%).
LinkedIn and Facebook are also tied (36%) as the most effective social channel for distributing content.
Content Marketing Metrics
88% of B2B organizations use analytics tools
Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and dashboard visualization tools are most popular with B2B organizations in 2020.
It’s closely followed by social media publishing tools and email marketing software.
Most B2B marketers use keyword research tools while creating content
Keyword research trumps editorial calendars and shared documents as the number one tool used while creating content:
A third of marketers use data to make content-related decisions
Data is gold dust for any content marketer. It shows where things went wrong, what your target audience engages with, and helps you make tweaks to improve content ROI.
But surprisingly, just 33% of content marketers always use data to make decisions.
90% of B2B marketers measure content success by email engagement
The most popular metric B2B marketers use to track content performance is email engagement (opens, clicks, and downloads.)
Surprisingly, marketing qualified lead-related metrics are least popular. Fewer than half of B2B marketers use those metrics to measure content performance.
Almost 40% of marketers measure their content performance every week
The majority (40%) of B2B marketers monitor the success of their content weekly, with over 25% reporting they check their metrics daily.
Some marketers are on the other ends of the spectrum: 11% check their content marketing metrics several times daily, and 11% check monthly.
If you want to improve your results, then keep track of your content marketing efforts.
B2B Content Marketing in 2021 and Beyond
The content marketing industry will grow to $417.85 billion between 2021-2025
One report shows the content marketing industry will grow by 16% annually between 2021 and 2025. And in 2021, it's expected to grow by 15.43%.
Still second-guessing whether to adopt a content strategy? The longer you wait, the harder it'll be to compete—it's now or never.
94% of B2B marketers adjusted their content strategy during the pandemic
COVID caused most businesses to shift their strategies, so this is no surprise. Roughly 74% of B2B marketers made moderate or major changes. But what exactly did they alter?
According to a content marketing report, 70% changed their targeting/messaging, 64% changed their editorial calendar, and 53% changed how they distribute and promote content:
91% of marketers say video is critical to brands despite the pandemic
This is great news if you already started using video marketing. A report shows 60% of marketers thought the pandemic would affect their 2021 video marketing budget.
But it wasn't in the way you'd think. Around 70% of those marketers planned to increase their video budget. Smart move because 87% saw increased sales and positive ROI from video marketing in 2021 (up from 33% in 2015).
Another 84% of marketers said video helped inbound lead generation:
Which B2B content marketing stat was most surprising?
There are some hidden gems in this statistic compilation.
Some are good, and some are downright terrifying (like most content marketers not having a strategy.)
The most important thing? They’re here as a basis to help improve yours. Now you know what types of content B2B buyers want to read, where they get their news from, and how your competitors measure their content ROI.
