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Discover 4 Key Differences Between B2C and B2B Marketers [New Research]

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Editor’s note: We’ve updated our research study for 2023.

B2C marketers meet more frequently to discuss their content marketing and find more value in those meetings than their B2B peers.

These findings and more come from the Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs sixth-annual content marketing survey, B2C Content Marketing 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America, sponsored by TrackMaven. The 2016 B2B survey results were released two weeks ago.

We offer a few highlights of the 2016 B2C content marketing survey and encourage you to read the full-length report for the comprehensive results.

B2C marketers meet with their content marketing teams frequently

This year, we asked marketers how often they meet with their teams – in person or virtually – to discuss the progress/results of their content marketing programs: 48% said they meet daily or weekly (vs. 44% of B2B marketers).

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They extract value from those meetings

B2C marketers are more likely than their B2B counterparts to say that their content marketing meetings are valuable (59% vs. 54%). The biggest difference is that 28% of B2C marketers say the meetings are “extremely valuable” compared with only 19% of their B2B peers.

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RECOMMENDED FOR YOU:
Get tips on making your marketing team meetings more productive in our B2C Research Roundtable on the topic.

B2C marketers have made more progress documenting their content marketing strategy

This year, we saw an increase in the percentage of B2C marketers who have a documented content marketing strategy (a proven key to improving content marketing effectiveness). While a lot of work remains to be done in this area, 37% of B2C marketers have a documented strategy – an almost 40% increase over last year, when 27% reported having one. In comparison, the percentage of B2B marketers who have a documented content marketing strategy decreased this year (32% vs. the 35% that reported having one in the 2015 version of our B2B research).

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RECOMMENDED FOR YOU:
Download our 16-page guide to learn how to document your content marketing strategy.

They feel more effective than B2B marketers

Thirty-eight percent of B2C marketers say their organizations are effective at content marketing, vs. 30% of B2B marketers. As you’ll see in our full-length report, several factors help increase effectiveness, including having clarity on what a successful content marketing program looks like and having a documented editorial mission statement.

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RECOMMENDED FOR YOU:
Want more insights on what it takes to create effective B2C content? Find out what role engagement plays in the equation, and learn about a simple, four-step approach that will help you hit the mark.

You also will learn:

  • What metrics B2C marketers use to measure content marketing success
  • Which tactics, social media platforms, and paid methods of content promotion work best
  • How many B2C organizations have clarity around content marketing success
  • What the top five priorities are for B2C content creators over the next 12 months

What do you think of the findings? How are they similar or different compared to what you’re seeing in your own company? Let us know in the comments.

Over the coming weeks, CMI will be discussing these findings in more depth. To keep up to date, subscribe to our blog posts.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute