Shaping Content Strategies for the Next-Gen B2B Buyer.

How Buyers Are Changing Their Content Consumption Preferences. A Guide to Winning Over B2B Buyers

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the way B2B buyers approach their purchasing decisions is undergoing a significant transformation. A recent study conducted by Demand Gen Report and ON24 highlights a pivotal shift: an impressive 55% of buyers now lean more heavily on digital content than they did just a year ago to research and finalise their purchasing decisions.

This trend highlights the growing importance of developing content that is not only informative and reliable but also concise and easily accessible, catering to the needs of buyers on the move.

What are the most popular content formats for B2B buyers?

One of the key insights from this shift is the type of content that resonates most with B2B buyers. Research and survey reports are particularly valuable, with more than half of the buyers considering them an essential resource. This preference is further supported by data from the Content Marketing Institute's 2024 B2B Content Marketing report shows 70% of B2B buyers utilise research reports during their decision-making process.

Other content formats, such as e-books, blogs, white papers, and case studies, continue to be popular among buyers, offering a depth of insight and expertise that buyers find invaluable.

Webinars have emerged as a standout format for engaging B2B buyers, with 67% of them engaging with webinars over the past year. This format not only captures the attention of buyers but also maintains it, evidenced by a 41% average attendance rate and a remarkable 76% of attendees staying for the entirety of the webinar. The engagement levels suggest that webinars offer a compelling mix of information and interaction that buyers find particularly appealing.

When it comes to the amount of time buyers are willing to invest in content, there's a noticeable trend towards dedicating a significant portion of their schedule to content consumption. While most content formats are reviewed for about five to 30 minutes, webinars stand out, with a majority of buyers willing to spend 30 to 60 minutes, and a notable 19% dedicating more than an hour to engage with this format.

What makes certain content stand out and ultimately triggers buyers to initiate a sales conversation?

The answer lies in the reliability and relevance of the content. Over half of the buyers emphasised the importance of data and research in supporting the content's claims, signaling a demand for evidence-based material.

Moreover, the content's ability to address specific pain points and challenges, offering relevant and actionable solutions, is crucial for engaging buyers. The potential to share content with the buying team, including strong storytelling and shareable statistics, also plays a significant role in the content's impact.

Does the content address specific pain points and challenges faced by your target audience? Does it offer relevant and actionable solutions?

How can you improve your content quality?

According to the "2022 Content Preferences Survey" there are a few things you can do to improve your content quality.

1. Limit the sales messages. 39% of buyers said they'd recommend B2B vendors limit the sales messaging in order to improve content quality.
2. Create shorter content. 37% of buyers said they'd recommend B2B vendors create shorter content.
3. Use more data and research to support content. 36% of buyers said they'd recommend B2B vendors use more data and research to support content.
4. Don't overload content with copy. Images and infographics could help you here. 36% of buyers said they don't overload content with copy.
5. Make content easier to access. 31% of buyers said they make content easier to access.
6. Add more insights from industry thought leaders/analysts. 30% of buyers said they add more insights from industry thought leaders/analysts.

Additional Ideas:

• Compelling Narrative: Craft a strong narrative that resonates with the buyer's journey and sparks emotional connection. Use case studies, examples, and real-world data to bring the story to life.
• Visually Appealing: Employ high-quality visuals, infographics, and videos to make the content engaging and digestible.
• Interactive Elements: Consider quizzes, polls, or interactive tools to increase engagement and make the content more memorable.
• Easy to Understand: Avoid jargon and overly technical language. Focus on clear and concise communication.
• Benefits-Oriented: Emphasise the key benefits and value proposition of your solution.
• Clear Call to Action: Direct the reader towards the next step, whether it's downloading a white paper, scheduling a demo, or requesting a consultation.

How should you organise your content on your website?

The research is clear, organise your content

• by issue/pain point / problem the content solve (52%),
• by topic (51%), by industry/vertical (46%)
• by business role (42%).

1. Align content with buyer personas. Understand your ideal customer profiles and tailor content to their specific needs and pain points.
2. Map your content to the different stages of the buyer's journey (awareness, consideration, decision). Offer awareness content like blog posts and infographics at the top of the funnel, and move towards more in-depth white papers and case studies as buyers progress.
3. Make it easy for users to find relevant content quickly. Group content based on themes, product lines, or buyer personas. Use landing pages to provide focused information on specific topics or solutions.
4. Promote content within the website. Link relevant content together, feature compelling pieces on the homepage, and utilise internal banners or pop-ups for promotional purposes.
5. Leverage social media and email marketing. Share valuable content on social media platforms and promote it through email newsletters.

Additional Tips:

• Focus on solving a problem for your target audience.
• Utilise visuals strategically. Images, infographics, and videos can make content more engaging and digestible.
• Ensure mobile-friendliness. With increasing mobile usage, optimize your website and content for optimal viewing on all devices.
• Measure and analyse. Track content performance with analytics tools to understand what resonates with your audience and make data-driven improvements.
• Keep content fresh and updated. Regularly update your website with new content to maintain user engagement and demonstrate thought leadership.

In conclusion, as B2B buyers become increasingly sophisticated in their content consumption habits, businesses must adapt their content strategies to meet these changing needs.

By focusing on creating high-quality, relevant, and accessible content, companies can engage their target audience more effectively, leading to stronger relationships and ultimately, successful sales outcomes.

Sources:

https://www.swordandthescript.com/2022/04/top-b2b-content-formats/

DemanGen Report

Content Marketing Institute: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/

HubSpot Academy: https://academy.hubspot.com/

Wistia: https://wistia.com/