By Harry Mackin

If you’re reading this blog I’m probably telling you something you already know, but: everyone in B2B marketing is using content marketing. Well, specifically, 91% of all B2B marketers are. Then there are the other staggering statistics:

• Marketers spend over 25% of their budgets on content marketing
• 80% of marketers believe custom content should be central to marketing work
• 78% of CMOs see custom content as “the future of marketing”

So, what’s the deal with content? Why are all us nerds so chuffed to hammer out our little blogs and play podcaster? Well, I could cite a bunch more statistics…

• Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing
• Per dollar spent, content marketing generates approximately three times as many leads as traditional marketing
• 70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles than an advertisement

…but all that counts for B2C content just as much as B2B. So what is it about B2B marketing, specifically, that makes content such a good fit?

To unpack this question, I want to focus on just a few more stats (these are the last ones in the intro, I promise):

• 82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content
• 70% of consumer feel closer to a company as a result of content marketing
• 78% of consumers perceive a relationship between themselves and a company using custom content

I think these relationships are really at the heart of what makes content so impactful for B2B. Great B2B content forms and strengthens lasting bonds between B2B providers and their clients far more effectively than any other form of marketing, leading to, well, the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and a lasting business relationship.

But don’t just take my word for it — I’m one of the nerds who does it for a living. Instead, here’s a data-backed breakdown of a few major ways content marketing creates lasting customer loyalty in B2B customers, and how understanding them can make your content better.

[bctt tweet=”“Great B2B content forms and strengthens lasting bonds between B2B providers and their clients far more effectively than any other form of marketing.” — Harry Mackin @ShiitakeHarry” username=”toprank”]

1. Your content makes you the first brand your clients think of

According to a survey of 1,208 B2B buyers, Bain & Co. found that 80 to 90% of B2B buyers have a full set of vendors in mind for any given purchase before they do any research. Even more startling, 90% of these buyers will ultimately choose a vendor from this initial list.

The reason why this happens has to do with a concept called mental availability. The Ehrenberg-Bass B2B institute characterized mental availability as one of the major ways B2B brands grow in their large-scale study on “The Five Principles of Growth in B2B Marketing.” A brand’s mental availability is, in basic terms, …read more

Source:: Top Rank Blog

Author: Aaron