If you’re reading this, you probably already know that content marketing does wonders for your ROI. But what makes for truly engaging content? How do you use it to connect with an audience? And where and when should you be posting links?
Worry not, intrepid content marketer. Here are eight content marketing facts that will help to make everything clear.
If You Want Shares, Post On a Tuesday
We don’t know why, either. But research from Buffer has found that business publications get the most social media traction on content they share on Tuesdays, so if you’re putting out B2B content, you might want to follow suit. You can’t fight the stats. That said, we’re fully aware of the irony of this blog being posted on a Friday - but we post every other day ourselves rather than block publish everything on Tuesdays!
You HAVE to Have a Strategy
Only 12% of B2B companies that don’t have a documented content marketing strategy think they’re actually doing a good job. By contrast, three times the number of companies with a clear, documented strategy see themselves as very effective.
It’s Taking Over
You might be aware that 93% of marketers now incorporate content marketing into their mix, but do you know how big a role content marketing plays?
Contently and Adweek recently surveyed 745 marketers to find out more about their content marketing strategy. Here’s what they found: a quarter of marketers now dedicate over 50% of their entire marketing spend to content. That’s a pretty significant refocusing of resources.
For Best Results, Have a Dedicated Manager
By 2016, three-fifths of US marketing firms expect to have a dedicated executive leading their content marketing efforts. Not without cause: 86% of the most effective content marketing strategies have a content marketing manager to oversee its success. Making it work takes manpower and commitment.
Original Content Comes Out Top
Another interesting insight gleaned from the Contently/Adweek study is this: making your own stuff is more effective than recycling someone else’s. So much so, in fact, that 7 in 10 marketers back original over licensed content.
While you might find that working with an experienced content creation partner helps you to maximise quality and effectiveness, don’t just buy in content without putting your stamp on it. Taking the time to leverage your expertise and project your own voice is well worth the time and effort.
Don’t Forget Facebook
LinkedIn is the platform of choice for B2B marketers, and with good reason. It’s where professionals go to network, and research by Buffer has found that 21% of social shares in the business vertical come through LinkedIn. But – and this is a big but – there are those other 80% of shares to think about. And that’s where Facebook comes in.
Overall, across all verticals (other than food, which does best on Pinterest), Facebook gets a hefty 340% more shares than other platform. What’s more, far from being a frivolous teenage fad, it’s consolidating as the social media of a more mature audience. Generation Z’s might be fleeing – 25% of them left Facebook last year – but it’s still resoundingly popular with X-ers and Ys. Who, let’s face it, are infinitely more likely to fall within your B2B target audience.
B2B Audiences Rate Educational Content
Educational content is engaging content, it seems. Of the content rated the highest-performing, case studies (65%), blogs (62%), webinars (63%) and “white paper” research reports (59%) come out among the top. It comes down to this: make the content you’re offering useful, actionable and targeted at specific problems or needs, and your audience will lap it up.
(Good) Video Comes Out Top
People love video. It’s one of the most engaging ways to put out content online and by 2017, it’s expected to account for 70% of internet traffic.
But watchable video relies on a lot of variables, including the effectiveness of the script, the confidence of the presenter, interviewer or voice over artist, and technical issues like audio quality and lighting. If you go down the video route, you have to be prepared to invest the time, resources and potentially the cash required to make it good. Bad video is really bad.
Have these content marketing facts got you thinking about your own strategy? For more in-depth advice and guidance, Download The B2B Content Creation Masterclass.