Your customers use vendor content in their purchasing decisions, and you need a strategy to reach them — or your competitors will.

Content marketing can be a game-changer, in terms of new business and sales revenue, for organizations of all sizes and industries and levels of marketing savvy. But you can’t just set up a blog and a few social media accounts and expect sales numbers to start shooting through the roof.

The truth is, your potential customers consider vendor content in the purchasing process. If you don’t have a data-driven content marketing strategy to attract their business, you’ll lose them to your competitors.

Sometimes, the numbers say it best. Here are 12 content marketing strategy statistics that underscore the importance of developing a clear content marketing strategy to advance your business goals.

12 content marketing strategy statistics

Your customers want content.

95% of B2B buyers are willing to consider vendor-related content as trustworthy. (DemandGen Report – 2016 Content Preferences Survey)

47% of B2B buyers consume 3-5 pieces of content prior to engaging with a salesperson. (DemandGen Report – 2016 Content Preferences Survey)

51% of B2B buyers rely more on content to research and make B2B purchasing decisions than they did a year ago. (DemandGen Report – 2016 Content Preferences Survey)

Type of content buyers have used in the past 12 months to make B2B purchasing decisions:

• White Papers (82%)
• Webinars (78%)
• Case studies (73%)
• eBooks (67%)
• Blog posts (66%)
• Infographics (66%)
• Third-party/Analyst reports (62%)
• Video/Motion graphics (47%)
• Interactive presentations (36%)

(DemandGen Report – 2016 Content Preferences Survey)

It’s important to clearly define your strategy and goals.

Content marketing effectiveness increases with:

• Experience (64% of experienced marketers say they are effective)
• A documented content marketing strategy (48%)
• A documented editorial mission statement (49%)
• Organizational clarity on what content marketing success looks like (55%)
• Daily or weekly content marketing meetings (41%)

(Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs)

Only 13% of those who do not document their strategy feel their content marketing is effective.  (Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs)

Your strategy should clearly define your target audience and their needs.

96% of B2B buyers say content that speaks directly to their company is the single-most influential aspect of a vendor’s website.  (Demand Gen 2016 B2B Buyer’s Survey Report)

What makes content most effective?

• Audience relevance (58%)
• Engaging and compelling storytelling (57%)
• Triggers a response/Action (54%)

(LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community)

Your competitors are using content to win over potential customers.

88% of B2B organizations in North America use content marketing. (Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs)

75% of marketers are increasing investment in content marketing. (Curata)

79% of logistics and supply chain companies consider content as an effective tool for their business. (Fronetics)

The marketing software market is expected to grow to more than $32.3 billion in 2018. (IDC)

Related posts:

• How a Logistics Technology Company Grew New Business by 30% with Content Marketing
• For Manufacturers, a Documented Content Marketing Strategy is Key to Success
• Let Data Drive Your Content Marketing Strategy