We know that 90 percent of B2B marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing program and 70 percent of marketers are creating more content than they were a year ago, so the question is …
Is the content being produced fully aligned with the “content consumption” preferences of the personas being targeted?
According to the B2B Content Preferences Survey published by Demand Gen Research, B2B buyers are increasingly relying on content to assist in their research and purchasing decisions. In fact, 75 percent rely more on content than they did a year ago with a mere 1 percent of B2B buyers claiming to not rely on content for purchasing decisions. In other words, almost everyone relies on content when making purchasing decisions. To maximize engagement with your content you must be sure it is packaged and delivered in a format that meets the needs of specific personas.
When it comes to B2B buyers, we can glean some findings from the B2B Content Preferences Survey regarding consumption preferences. For instance, 52 percent of B2B buyers view infographics during the buying process, 40 percent of buyers share blog posts (the third most preferred content type) and white papers and case studies continue to be the most preferred types of content.
So, while the message contained within your content must be highly relevant, the method and channel by which that content is delivered is just as important. When your content is packaged in a format that meets the needs of your persona, your content is far more likely to be consumed, shared and valued by the recipient. This is why persona research must include assessing and validating content consumption preferences.
Learn more about creating cohesive and compelling customer experiences here.
