Introduction

Content has always been king, but it took a pandemic to remind us just how essential good digital content is for B2B brands to connect with audiences. According to research from Demand Gen Report, 61% of marketers rank content marketing as one of their most important tactics for engaging prospects, driving leads and revenue, personalizing account-based strategies and maintaining buyer-seller relationships.

However, with the industry putting out more content than ever before, it can be challenging to stand out from the competition. Buyers’ inboxes are flooded with virtual event invites, sales pitches and gated content offerings promising to help them alleviate business challenges — the “spray-and-pray” approach to content and messaging simply won’t cut it anymore.

The biggest thing that we've seen in content marketing is the increase in digital interaction,” said Michael Brenner, Author and CEO of Marketing Insider Group. “Marketing has moved online, buying has moved online — especially in the B2B space. So, the role of content marketing has finally become clear to a lot of executives and marketers.”

What is your biggest content challenge right now?

Standing out in a crowded digital environment
Proving the value of the content we produce
So much to do, so little time!

62%

of marketers rely more on content to research and make B2B purchase decisions than they did last year.

Source: Demand Gen Report's (DGR) 2021 Content Preferences Survey Report

With some companies experiencing budget and personnel cuts throughout the past 18 months, marketing teams were challenged to do more with less… or simply with what they have. This has resulted in a heavy focus on “lo-fi” content, content that is more human and not as extravagantly produced, as well as content repurposing, which takes existing “big rock” assets and slices it into smaller, more interactive and personalized formats that cater to specific industries and needs.

This report will explore the strategies and tactics that are helping B2B organizations grab audiences’ attention, engage buyers online and set them apart from the competition in a digital-first world, including:

The increased reliance on “lo-fi” content that is highly engaging and more human;
Key tactics for personalizing and customizing the content experience;
Why interactive content is the new, more engaging PDF;
How marketers have overhauled their content creation processes to focus on SEO and buyer needs; and
The power and value of repurposing content from existing formats, digital experiences and virtual events to reach wider audiences.

Organizations

have moved away from relying on event marketing, with only 19% indicating increased budget prioritization. Instead, marketers are shifting their budgets toward ABM (61%), content marketing (60%), sales enablement (48%) and personalization (43%).

Source: DGR's 2021 Demand Generation Benchmark Survey Report