Content marketing budgets are significant and growing, yet most B2B solution providers indicate that current content marketing investments are ineffective.

1. PROVOCATIVE, VALUE
Focuse Conten Marketin Strategie Requiremen
Content marketing budgets Buyers have fundamentally Achieving a return on content
are significant and growing, changed, now more marketing investment
yet most B2B solution empowered, skeptical and requires more relevant,
providers indicate that frugal than ever before, a provocative, and value
current content marketing condition called focused strategies and tools
investments are ineffective. Frugalnomics. in order to successfully Fight
Frugalnomics™ - connecting,
engaging and selling to this
new breed of buyer.
CONTENT MARKETING INVESTMENTS ARE SIGNIFICANT
Companies are spending more on content marketing to address this new challenge:
MARKETING BUDGET ALLOCATED TO
CONTENT MARKETING
Marketing
51% SAID
YES
Content
26% AVERAGE COMPANY
21% 1000+ EMPLOYEES
WE WILL
22% 100 - 999 EMPLOYEES INCREASE CONTENT
25% 10 - 99 EMPLOYEES MARKETING
INVESTMENTS OVER THE
34% < 10 EMPLOYEES NEXT 12 MONTHS
CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE
However, current content marketing is perceived ineffective by over 41% of marketers
31% BELIEVE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IS EFFECTIVE
40% BELIEVE BLOGS ARE EFFECTIVE
45% BELIEVE VIDEOS ARE EFFECTIVE
46% BELIEVE ARTICLE POSTING IS EFFECTIVE
50% BELIEVE WHITE PAPERS ARE EFFECTIVE
51% BELIEVE PRINT MAGAZINES ARE EFFECTIVE
53% BELIEVE CASE STUDIES ARE EFFECTIVE
55% BELIEVE E-NEWSLETTERS ARE EFFECTIVE
56% BELIEVE WEBCASTS ARE EFFECTIVE
72% BELIEVE IN-PERSON EVENTS ARE EFFECTIVE
TODAY’S BUYERS ARE
MORE EMPOWERED MORE SKEPTICAL MORE FRUGAL
Internet and social media Third party sources remain Over 90% require proof of
fuels buying cycles most trusted content: bottom-line impacts
Inviting sales later and later Demand lowest price / best
31% Industry Analysts
Content
Marketing
into decisions value from every purchase
81% expect vendors to
29% Peers
Content
provide value proof-points
Marketing
8% Vendors
Content
Marketing
FRUGALNOMICS IS IN FULL EFFECT!
TODAY’S BUYERS REQUIRE NEW STRATEGIES & TACTICS
New marketing and sales
enablement strategies are
needed to Fight
Frugalnomics – and
effectively connect, engage
and sell to this new breed of
buyer.
Content marketing, to be more effective,
needs to facilitate the buyer’s journey,
helping them navigate and progress
through each step.
B����-F�ug��n��i�u
FACILITATING THE �
BUYER’S JOURNEY
Exploring
Loosening of Commiting Commiting Justifying Making the
possible
the status quo to change to a solution the decision selection
solutions
DISCOVERY CONSIDERATION DECISION
CONTENT MARKETING & SALES ENABLEMENT STRATEGY
Validate /
Create Align problem Help buyer Align solution Make the reinforce
awareness with business identify needs with specific business case choice
around a issues; drive in solving the set of business for change Prove best
new problem urgency problem needs
value
PROVOCATIVE APPROACH VALUE APPROACH
Engage Diagnose Justify Differentiate
Interactive White Diagnostic Assessment Solution White Papers Feature Comparisons
Papers & Webcast Tools & & ROI Analysis Tools & TCO Comparison
/ Events Case Studies Tools
NEW CONTENT TACTICS REQUIRED
Content needs to be more relevant, provocative and value-focused to Fight Frugalnomics™
Provocative approach needed Personalization can dramatically
early in sales cycle to better improve effectiveness:
engage and diagnose.
By Industry: 82%
By Role: 67%
Value approach needed later in
sales cycle to justify and
By Company Size: 49%
differentiate solutions. By Geography: 29%
New breed of more relevant, provocative and value-focused
sales and marketing tools:
Diagnostic
Interactive
Assessment
White Papers
Tools
TCO
ROI Analysis Comparison
Tools Tools
powering B2B sales to economic buyers
sources: Junta42 and MarketingProfs, SiriusDecisions 2011, MarketingSherpa and KnowledgeStorm
http://www.knowledgestorm.com/search/viewabstract/90153
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