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SMALL BUSINESS
CONTENT MARKETING:
2015 BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS,
AND TRENDS–NORTH AMERICA
SPONSORED BY
B2BSMALL
BUSINESS
2
	Welcome................................................................................................................................................. 3
	Usage & Overall Effectiveness.............................................................................................................. 4
	Strategy & Organization........................................................................................................................ 6
	Goals & Metrics..................................................................................................................................... 10
	Content Creation & Distribution........................................................................................................ 13
	Budgets & Spending............................................................................................................................ 22
	Challenges & Initiatives....................................................................................................................... 24
	Comparison Chart: Most Effective vs. Least Effective B2B Small Business Content Marketers........ 30
	Comparison Chart: Documented vs. Verbal-Only Content Marketing Strategy.......................... 31
	Demographics...................................................................................................................................... 32
	About..................................................................................................................................................... 33
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPONSORED BY
Hello Content Marketers,
Welcome to 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends, North America. In this
report, we look at how the practices of small business marketers (10-99 employees)
in the business-to-business space have changed over the last year. You’ll also find
new insights on how content marketing is structured within organizations, how often
marketers are publishing new content, initiatives they’re working on, and more.
It’s been a year of many changes for content marketing. B2B small business marketers
are juggling many competing initiatives and are feeling more challenged in every area of
content marketing. They’re also feeling a bit less effective with content marketing overall.
The exceptions are marketers who have a documented content marketing strategy: 60%
say they are effective at content marketing and they are less challenged in every area.
It’s sure to be an interesting year ahead as content marketing continues to become
increasingly sophisticated. We look forward to helping you navigate the changes.
Yours in content,
Joe
Joe Pulizzi
Founder
Content Marketing Institute
3
WELCOME
SPONSORED BY
4
SPONSORED BY
USAGE & OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS
Does your organization
use content marketing?
86% say yes
Last year, 94% of B2B small business
respondents said they use content marketing.
Back then, we defined content marketing as the
“creation and distribution of educational and/or
compelling content in multiple media formats to
attract and/or retain customers.”
This year, we defined content marketing as
“a strategic marketing approach focused on
creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and
consistent content to attract and retain a clearly
defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive
profitable customer action.”
The new definition—crafted by Content
Marketing Institute in early 2014—better reflects
how content marketing has grown from the mere
“creation and distribution” of content to a formal
business discipline.
PercentageofB2BSmallBusiness
RespondentsUsingContentMarketing
86%
Yes
14%
No
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
5
SPONSORED BY
USAGE & OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS
Overall, how effective is
your organization at
content marketing?
40% say they are effective
Note: For purposes of our annual survey, we
define effectiveness as “accomplishing your overall
objectives.” Those who rate their organizations
a 4 or 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being “Very
Effective” and 1 being “Not at all Effective”) are the
“most effective” or “best-in-class.” The 1s and 2s
are considered the “least effective,” while the 3s
are neutral.
Last year, 45% of B2B small business
marketers said they were effective at content
marketing. Even though there is a decrease
this year, having a documented content
marketing strategy helps in this regard (60%
of small business marketers who have one
say they are effective).
HowB2BSmallBusinessMarketers
RatetheEffectivenessofTheir
Organization’sUseofContentMarketing
0 10 20 30 40 50
Very Effective 9%
31%
40%
17%
Not At All Effective 1%
5
4
3
2
1
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
6
SPONSORED BY
STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization
have a content marketing
strategy?
39% say they have a
documented strategy
The 39% of B2B small business marketers who
have a documented content marketing strategy
are more effective in nearly all aspects of
content marketing than their peers who either
have a verbal-only strategy or no strategy at all.
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
PercentageofB2BSmallBusinessMarketers
WhoHaveaContentMarketingStrategy
0 10 20 30 40 50
Yes, and it is documented 39%
Yes, but it is not documented 47%
No 12%
Unsure 1%
7
SPONSORED BY
STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
How closely does your
content marketing strategy
guide your organization’s
content marketing efforts?
44% say very closely
Having a strategy is one thing—following it
is another. The more effective the B2B small
business marketer, the more likely it is that his
or her organization follows the strategy very
closely (64% of the most effective follow their
strategy very closely).
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Percentage of B2B Small Business Marketers
Who Say Strategy Guides Efforts
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Very closely 44%
Somewhat 50%
We rarely use it 4%
Unsure 2%
8
SPONSORED BY
STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization
have a dedicated content
marketing group?
49% say yes
Nearly half of B2B small business marketers
said their companies have a dedicated content
marketing group. The percentage is even higher
for the most effective small business marketers
(69%), as well as for those who have a
documented content marketing strategy (69%).
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Percentage of B2B Small Business Marketers
Who Have a Dedicated Content Marketing Group
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Yes, and it functions independently as its own unit 10%
Yes, and it works horizontally across the organization silos 39%
No, but planning to have one 14%
No, and no plans to have one that I know of 37%
9
SPONSORED BY
STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Which area in your
organization is accountable
for content marketing?
23% say demand-gen
marketing
In small B2B companies, content marketing
often falls under demand-gen marketing or
the marketers report directly to the owner or
executive team.
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
AreasAccountablefor
B2BSmallBusinessContentMarketing
Owner/C-level
Product Marketing
Demand Gen Marketing
PR/Corporate Communications
Social Team/Social CRM
Other
No One, Unsure, or No Answer
23%
18%
16%
14%
10%
4%
14%
10
SPONSORED BY
GOALS & METRICS
How important are each
of the following content
marketing goals to your
organization?
87% say lead generation is
an important goal
Note: Percentages shown represent marketers
who rated each goal a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale
where 5 = “Very Important” and 1 = “Not at all
Important.”
Lead generation has replaced brand awareness
as the top goal. Last year, 85% of B2B small
business marketers cited brand awareness and
78% cited lead generation.
Customer evangelism is new to the list this year.
Organizational Goals for
B2B Small Business Content Marketing
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Lead Generation
Brand Awareness
Engagement
Lead Nurturing
Sales
Customer Retention/Loyalty
Customer Evangelism
Upsell/Cross-sell
87%
83%
80%
78%
75%
67%
56%
49%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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SPONSORED BY
Which metrics does your
organization use to assess
content marketing success?
67% say website traffic
Note: Fewer than 30% cited the following
metrics: Benchmark Lift of Company Awareness
(22%), Benchmark Lift of Product/Service
Awareness (19%), Customer Renewal Rates (19%),
and Cost Savings (5%).
Website traffic and sales lead quality were the
two most often cited metrics among B2B small
business marketers last year as well. In 2014,
64% cited website traffic and 57% cited sales
lead quality.
GOALS & METRICS
Metrics for B2B Small Business
Content Marketing Success
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Website Traffic
Sales Lead Quality
Higher Conversion Rates
Sales
SEO Ranking
Sales Lead Quantity
Inbound Links
Time Spent on Website
Qualitative Feedback from Customers
Subscriber Growth
67%
55%
52%
49%
46%
46%
41%
41%
37%
34%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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SPONSORED BY
How successful is your
organization at tracking
the ROI of its content
marketing program?
25% say they are successful
This was a new question on the survey this
year. As the percentages show, tracking ROI can
be a challenge. Having a documented content
marketing strategy helps, though, as 38% of the
B2B small business marketers who possess one
say they are successful in this area.
GOALS & METRICS
HowB2BSmallBusinessMarketers
RateTheirOrganization’sSuccess
atTrackingROI
0 10 20 30 40 50
Very Successful 6%
19%
35%
22%
Not At All Successful 7%
We Do Not Track 12%
5
4
3
2
1
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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SPONSORED BY
Compared with one year
ago, how much content is
your organization creating?
74% are creating more
Last year, 75% said they were creating more
content.
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
ChangeinB2BSmallBusiness
ContentCreation(OverLast12Months)
Significantly More
More
Same Amount
Less
Unsure
32%
42%
4%
19%
2%
14
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How many different
audiences does your
organization target
with separate content
marketing strategies?
The average number is 4
There is a correlation between company
size and the number of audiences targeted.
Generally speaking, the larger the company, the
more audiences it targets.
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
NumberofAudiencesthat
B2BSmallBusinessMarketersTarget
0 10 20 30 40 50
3%
3%
27%
54%
7%
6%
10+
7-10
4-6
2-3
1
Unsure
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
15
SPONSORED BY
Which content marketing
tactics does your
organization use?
The average number of
tactics used is 12
Note: Fewer than 45% said they use the following
tactics: eBooks (40%), Microsites (40%), Research
Reports (40%), Branded Content Tools (34%), Books
(29%), Print Magazines (25%), Digital Magazines
(23%), Mobile Apps (22%), Virtual Conferences (21%),
Podcasts (18%), Print Newsletters (16%), and Games/
Gamification (9%).
The percentages shown here are fairly similar to last
year’s. The biggest changes have been with the use of:
•	 Social media content (other than blogs)—up 5 	
	 percentage points (88% last year vs. 93% this year)
•	 Blogs—up 10 percentage points (77% last year vs. 	
	 87% this year)
•	 Infographics—up 12 percentage points
	 (48% last year vs. 60% this year).
	
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
B2B Small Business
Content Marketing Tactic Usage
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Social Media Content – other than blogs
Blogs
eNewsletters
Articles on Your Website
Case Studies
Videos
In-person Events
Illustrations/Photos
Online Presentations
White Papers
Infographics
Webinars/Webcasts
93%
87%
83%
79%
76%
74%
73%
68%
65%
64%
60%
59%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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SPONSORED BY
How effective are the
following tactics that
you use?
65% say ebooks and
webinars are effective
These are the 12 tactics that B2B small
business marketers find most effective.
Case studies saw a big decrease this year.
Last year, marketers said they were the most
effective tactic (69% last year vs. 57% this year).
Other tactics that small business marketers
have less confidence in this year are:
•	 In-person events (67% last year vs. 62%
	 this year)
•	 Blogs (65% last year vs. 60% this year)
•	 eNewsletters (65% last year vs. 60% this year)
Confidence in all of the other tactics decreased
within a few percentage points.
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
eBooks
Webinars/Webcasts
In-person Events
Videos
Blogs
eNewsletters
Research Reports
Case Studies
White Papers
Microsites
Online Presentations
Infographics
Effectiveness Ratings for
B2B Small Business Tactics
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
65%
65%
62%
61%
60%
60%
58%
57%
57%
55%
55%
53%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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SPONSORED BY
Which social media
platforms does your
organization use to
distribute content?
97% use LinkedIn
Average Number Used: 6
Note: Fewer than 20% said they use the following
platforms: Flickr (14%), StumbleUpon (14%),
Foursquare (13%), Tumblr (11%), Vine (10%), and
SnapChat (6%).
As with last year, B2B small business marketers
use an average of 6 social media platforms.
Once again, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are
the platforms they use most often.
The percentage of marketers using all of the
platforms shown here increased this year,
except for YouTube (75% last year vs. 74% this
year) and Pinterest (which stayed the same).
The biggest increase was with Google+
(61% last year vs. 71% this year).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Google+
SlideShare
Pinterest
Instagram
Vimeo
B2B Small Business Content Marketing
Social Media Platform Usage
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
97%
91%
89%
74%
71%
45%
36%
24%
24%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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SPONSORED BY
How effective are the
social media platforms
that you use?
60% say LinkedIn is effective
Both last year and this year, 60% of B2B small
business marketers said LinkedIn is effective.
Confidence in Twitter rose by 7 percentage
points (49% last year vs. 56% this year).
The biggest decreases were with SlideShare
(49% last year vs. 41% this year) and Pinterest
(30% last year vs. 24% this year).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
SlideShare
Vimeo
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
Effectiveness Ratings for
B2B Small Business
Social Media Platforms
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
60%
56%
44%
41%
41%
28%
24%
23%
20%
19
SPONSORED BY
How often does your
organization publish new
content that supports
its content marketing
program?
43% say daily or multiple
times per week
The most effective B2B small business
marketers publish new content even more
frequently than the percentages shown here
(55% of the most effective marketers publish
new content daily or multiple times per week).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
HowOftenB2BSmallBusinessMarketers
PublishNewContent
Daily
Multiple Times per Week
Weekly
Multiple Times per Month
Monthly
Less than Once per Month
14%
29%
18%
17%
11%
9%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
20
SPONSORED BY
Which paid advertising
methods do you use to
promote/distribute
content?
61% use search engine
marketing (SEM)
Average Number Used: 3
This was a new question on the survey this
year. The most effective B2B small business
marketers are more likely to use each of
these paid methods, especially social ads
(57% vs. 49%).
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
B2B Small Business
Paid Advertising Usage
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads)
Print or Other Offline Promotion
Traditional Online Banner Ads
Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets)
Native Advertising
Content Discovery Tools
61%
49%
44%
42%
41%
30%
14%
21
SPONSORED BY
How effective are the
paid advertising methods
that you use to distribute
content?
Search engine marketing
(SEM) is considered to be
the most effective
Note: Percentages shown represent marketers who
rated each method a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where
5 = “Very Effective” and 1 = “Not at all Effective.”
Search engine marketing (SEM) is the paid method
that B2B small business marketers use most often
to promote content, and it’s also the method they
say is most effective.
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Effectiveness Ratings for
B2B Small Business
Paid Advertising Methods
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets)
Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads)
Native Advertising
Content Discovery Tools
Print or Other Offline Promotion
Traditional Online Banner Ads
50%
42%
42%
39%
35%
32%
27%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
22
SPONSORED BY
Approximately what
percentage of your
organization’s total
marketing budget (not
including staff) is spent on
content marketing?
The average is 29%
While the average percentage of budget spent
on content marketing is 29% (vs. 27% last
year), those who have a documented content
marketing strategy spend more (39%).
BUDGETS & SPENDING
PercentageofTotalMarketingBudget
SpentonB2BSmallBusiness
ContentMarketing
0 10 20 30 40 50
100%
75-99%
50-74%
25-49%
10-24%
1-9%
0%
Unsure
1%
6%
10%
14%
19%
24%
3%
22%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
23
SPONSORED BY
How do you expect your
organization’s content
marketing budget to
change in the next 12
months?
55% say they will increase
spending
More than half of all B2B small business
marketers say they will increase their content
marketing budget (including 53% of those who
say they are least effective).
BUDGETS & SPENDING
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
B2BSmallBusiness
ContentMarketingSpending
(OverNext12Months)
0 10 20 30 40 50
Significantly Increase 8%
Decrease 1%
Increase
Remain the Same
47%
31%
Unsure 12%
24
SPONSORED BY
With regard to content
marketing, how challenged
are you with each of the
following?
58% say producing engaging
content is a challenge
B2B small business marketers are more challenged
this year than last in every area shown here.
Technology-related challenges is new on the list
this year, and producing content consistently has
replaced producing enough content.
The greatest increases in terms of challenge
were with:
•	 Finding trained content marketing professionals 	
	 —up 20 percentage points (11% last year vs. 31% 	
	 this year)
•	 Producing engaging content—up 13 percentage 	
	 points (45% last year vs. 58% this year)
•	 Measuring content effectiveness—up 12 			
	 percentage points (28% last year vs. 40% this year).
CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Challenges that
B2B Small Business Marketers Face
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Producing Engaging Content
Producing Content Consistently
Producing a Variety of Content
Lack of Budget
Measuring Content Effectiveness
FindingTrainedContentMarketingProfessionals
Gaps in Knowledge and Skills of Internal Team
LackofBuy-in/VisionfromHigher-Ups
Lack of Integration Across Marketing
Technology-related Challenges
58%
53%
45%
40%
40%
31%
30%
27%
22%
16%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
25
CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Which content marketing initiatives are you working on?
A high percentage are focused on creating more engaging content and converting website visitors.
New this year, we presented marketers with a list of 28 initiatives. We asked them to select one of three options for each:
working on now, plan to begin working on within 12 months, and not a priority.
B2B small business marketers are working on an average of 14 initiatives, and plan to begin working on 7 more, on average,
over the next 12 months.
The highest percentages of B2B small business marketers are presently working on:
	 Creating more engaging/higher-quality content: 72%
	 Doing better at converting website visitors: 66%
	 Organizing content on website: 65%
	 Finding more/better ways to repurpose content: 64%
	 Optimizing content: 63%
As for which they plan to begin working on within 12 months, the highest percentages selected:
	 Better mobile strategy: 33%
	 Content personalization: 33%
	 Measuring content marketing ROI: 32%
	 Content curation strategies: 31%
	 Developing a documented content marketing strategy: 30%
	 Progressive profiling: 30%
The initiatives appearing on the following pages are the 12 that received the highest combined percentages of “working on
now” and “plan to begin working on within 12 months.”
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CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Better at Converting
Website Visitors Creating Visual Content
Creating More
Engaging/Higher-Quality Content
Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer
66% 72%18% 61%26%
7%
9%
24%
6%
4% 4% 4%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
27
CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Finding More/Better Ways
to Repurpose Content
Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer
64%23%
9%
4%
Better Understanding of What Content
is Effective—and What Isn’t
57%28%
10%
5%
Optimizing Content
63%
4%
23%
9%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
28
CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Better Understanding
of Audience
Organizing Content
on Website
Creating a Greater Variety
of Content
Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer
62% 65%19% 54%
29%
12% 13%
21%
12%
4% 5% 4%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
29
CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES
Measuring Content
Marketing ROI
Developing an
Email Strategy
Tying Content to
Business Goals
Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer
50% 62%
19%
54%
25%
15% 16%
32%
13%
5% 4% 5%
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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COMPARISON CHART
 Has a documented content marketing strategy.........................................................................................58%................... 39%................... 12%
 Has a content marketing strategy, but it’s not documented.....................................................................38%................... 47%................... 43%
 Content marketing strategy very closely guides efforts.............................................................................64%................... 44%................... 18%
 Content marketing strategy somewhat guides efforts...............................................................................34%................... 50%................... 64%
 Has a dedicated content marketing group.................................................................................................69%................... 49%................... 24%
 Is successful at tracking ROI........................................................................................................................45%................... 25%.................... 7%
 Average number of tactics used................................................................................................................... 13...................... 12.......................10
 Average number of social platforms used.....................................................................................................7........................ 6.........................5
 Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week..........................................................................55%................... 43%................... 20%
 Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing......................................................................39%................... 29%................... 15%
 Average number of initiatives working on now........................................................................................... 16...................... 14.......................11
 Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months.........................................6........................ 7.........................9
Most
Effective
Comparison of Most Effective vs. Least Effective
B2B Small Business Content Marketers Total
Sample
Least
Effective
Chart term definitions: A “best-in-class” content marketer (aka “most effective”) is one who rates his or her organization a 4 or 5 in terms of effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5,
with 5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at all Effective.” The 1s ands 2s are the “least effective.” The numbers under “average/overall” represent total respondents.
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
31
COMPARISON CHART
 Considers organization to be effective at content marketing.............................................................................................60%....................33%
 Content marketing strategy very closely guides efforts......................................................................................................62%....................29%
 Has a dedicated content marketing group..........................................................................................................................69%....................41%
 Is successful at tracking ROI.................................................................................................................................................38%....................18%
 Average number of tactics used.............................................................................................................................................13........................12
 Average number of social platforms used..............................................................................................................................7..........................6
 Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week ..................................................................................................58%....................38%
 Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing ..............................................................................................39%....................24%
 Average number of initiatives working on now.....................................................................................................................16........................13
 Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months..................................................................6..........................8
Documented
Strategy
B2B Small Business Marketers
Documented vs. Verbal-Only Content Marketing Strategy Verbal
Strategy
2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SPONSORED BY
32
DEMOGRAPHICS
B2B Small Business Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America is produced by Content Marketing
Institute and sponsored by Rainmaker Platform by Copyblogger Media.
The fifth annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample
of marketers using lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, Brightcove, Blackbaud, the Business Marketing Association
(BMA), EnVeritas Group (EVG), The Association for Data-driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA), the Direct Marketing Association UK
(DMA), Industry Week, New Equipment Digest,
WTWH Media, and Corporate Financial Group. A
total of 5,167 recipients from around the globe—
representing a full range of industries, functional
areas, and company sizes—responded throughout
July and August 2014.
This report presents the findings from the 580
respondents who said they were B2B small business
marketers (10-99 employees) in North America.
Additional reports based on the
annual survey are available at
www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research.
Special thanks to MarketingProfs for their
assistance with the annual survey and the B2B
North America and B2C North America reports.
Industry Classification,
B2B Small Business
(10-99 employees)
Job Title/Function,
B2B Small Business
(10-99 employees)
34%
40%
18%
11%
13%
9%
9%
24%
28%
8%
6%
■ Advertising/Communications/
Marketing/PR
■ Technology
■ Manufacturing
■ Consulting
■ Other
■ Marketing/Advertising/
Communications/PR Management
■ Corporate Management/Owner
■ General Management (GM/VP)
■ Content Creation/Management
■ Marketing Administration/Support
■ Other
SPONSORED BY
33
ABOUT
About Content Marketing Institute
Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is the leading global content marketing education and training organization.
CMI teaches enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multi-channel storytelling.
CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every September, and
Content Marketing World Sydney, every March. CMI also produces the quarterly magazine Chief Content Officer, and
provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. CMI is
a 2012, 2013, and 2014 Inc. 500 company. View all CMI research at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research.
Learn how to create a documented content marketing strategy, a key component for improving overall content
marketing effectiveness.
About Rainmaker Platform by Copyblogger Media
The Rainmaker Platform by Copyblogger Media is the complete website solution for building your online
marketing and sales platform. Create powerful content-driven websites, start a sophisticated membership
program, sell digital goods the smarter way, and much more. Even better, never waste valuable time with
plugins, complicated code, hosting, maintenance, or upgrades. To take a risk-free 14-day trial, go to 
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B2B Small Business Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends - North America

  • 1. SMALL BUSINESS CONTENT MARKETING: 2015 BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS–NORTH AMERICA SPONSORED BY B2BSMALL BUSINESS
  • 2. 2  Welcome................................................................................................................................................. 3  Usage & Overall Effectiveness.............................................................................................................. 4  Strategy & Organization........................................................................................................................ 6  Goals & Metrics..................................................................................................................................... 10  Content Creation & Distribution........................................................................................................ 13  Budgets & Spending............................................................................................................................ 22  Challenges & Initiatives....................................................................................................................... 24  Comparison Chart: Most Effective vs. Least Effective B2B Small Business Content Marketers........ 30  Comparison Chart: Documented vs. Verbal-Only Content Marketing Strategy.......................... 31  Demographics...................................................................................................................................... 32  About..................................................................................................................................................... 33 TABLE OF CONTENTS SPONSORED BY
  • 3. Hello Content Marketers, Welcome to 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends, North America. In this report, we look at how the practices of small business marketers (10-99 employees) in the business-to-business space have changed over the last year. You’ll also find new insights on how content marketing is structured within organizations, how often marketers are publishing new content, initiatives they’re working on, and more. It’s been a year of many changes for content marketing. B2B small business marketers are juggling many competing initiatives and are feeling more challenged in every area of content marketing. They’re also feeling a bit less effective with content marketing overall. The exceptions are marketers who have a documented content marketing strategy: 60% say they are effective at content marketing and they are less challenged in every area. It’s sure to be an interesting year ahead as content marketing continues to become increasingly sophisticated. We look forward to helping you navigate the changes. Yours in content, Joe Joe Pulizzi Founder Content Marketing Institute 3 WELCOME SPONSORED BY
  • 4. 4 SPONSORED BY USAGE & OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Does your organization use content marketing? 86% say yes Last year, 94% of B2B small business respondents said they use content marketing. Back then, we defined content marketing as the “creation and distribution of educational and/or compelling content in multiple media formats to attract and/or retain customers.” This year, we defined content marketing as “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” The new definition—crafted by Content Marketing Institute in early 2014—better reflects how content marketing has grown from the mere “creation and distribution” of content to a formal business discipline. PercentageofB2BSmallBusiness RespondentsUsingContentMarketing 86% Yes 14% No 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 5. 5 SPONSORED BY USAGE & OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS Overall, how effective is your organization at content marketing? 40% say they are effective Note: For purposes of our annual survey, we define effectiveness as “accomplishing your overall objectives.” Those who rate their organizations a 4 or 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at all Effective”) are the “most effective” or “best-in-class.” The 1s and 2s are considered the “least effective,” while the 3s are neutral. Last year, 45% of B2B small business marketers said they were effective at content marketing. Even though there is a decrease this year, having a documented content marketing strategy helps in this regard (60% of small business marketers who have one say they are effective). HowB2BSmallBusinessMarketers RatetheEffectivenessofTheir Organization’sUseofContentMarketing 0 10 20 30 40 50 Very Effective 9% 31% 40% 17% Not At All Effective 1% 5 4 3 2 1 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 6. 6 SPONSORED BY STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION Does your organization have a content marketing strategy? 39% say they have a documented strategy The 39% of B2B small business marketers who have a documented content marketing strategy are more effective in nearly all aspects of content marketing than their peers who either have a verbal-only strategy or no strategy at all. 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs PercentageofB2BSmallBusinessMarketers WhoHaveaContentMarketingStrategy 0 10 20 30 40 50 Yes, and it is documented 39% Yes, but it is not documented 47% No 12% Unsure 1%
  • 7. 7 SPONSORED BY STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION How closely does your content marketing strategy guide your organization’s content marketing efforts? 44% say very closely Having a strategy is one thing—following it is another. The more effective the B2B small business marketer, the more likely it is that his or her organization follows the strategy very closely (64% of the most effective follow their strategy very closely). 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Percentage of B2B Small Business Marketers Who Say Strategy Guides Efforts 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Very closely 44% Somewhat 50% We rarely use it 4% Unsure 2%
  • 8. 8 SPONSORED BY STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION Does your organization have a dedicated content marketing group? 49% say yes Nearly half of B2B small business marketers said their companies have a dedicated content marketing group. The percentage is even higher for the most effective small business marketers (69%), as well as for those who have a documented content marketing strategy (69%). 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Percentage of B2B Small Business Marketers Who Have a Dedicated Content Marketing Group 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Yes, and it functions independently as its own unit 10% Yes, and it works horizontally across the organization silos 39% No, but planning to have one 14% No, and no plans to have one that I know of 37%
  • 9. 9 SPONSORED BY STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION Which area in your organization is accountable for content marketing? 23% say demand-gen marketing In small B2B companies, content marketing often falls under demand-gen marketing or the marketers report directly to the owner or executive team. 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs AreasAccountablefor B2BSmallBusinessContentMarketing Owner/C-level Product Marketing Demand Gen Marketing PR/Corporate Communications Social Team/Social CRM Other No One, Unsure, or No Answer 23% 18% 16% 14% 10% 4% 14%
  • 10. 10 SPONSORED BY GOALS & METRICS How important are each of the following content marketing goals to your organization? 87% say lead generation is an important goal Note: Percentages shown represent marketers who rated each goal a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Important” and 1 = “Not at all Important.” Lead generation has replaced brand awareness as the top goal. Last year, 85% of B2B small business marketers cited brand awareness and 78% cited lead generation. Customer evangelism is new to the list this year. Organizational Goals for B2B Small Business Content Marketing 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Lead Generation Brand Awareness Engagement Lead Nurturing Sales Customer Retention/Loyalty Customer Evangelism Upsell/Cross-sell 87% 83% 80% 78% 75% 67% 56% 49% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 11. 11 SPONSORED BY Which metrics does your organization use to assess content marketing success? 67% say website traffic Note: Fewer than 30% cited the following metrics: Benchmark Lift of Company Awareness (22%), Benchmark Lift of Product/Service Awareness (19%), Customer Renewal Rates (19%), and Cost Savings (5%). Website traffic and sales lead quality were the two most often cited metrics among B2B small business marketers last year as well. In 2014, 64% cited website traffic and 57% cited sales lead quality. GOALS & METRICS Metrics for B2B Small Business Content Marketing Success 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Website Traffic Sales Lead Quality Higher Conversion Rates Sales SEO Ranking Sales Lead Quantity Inbound Links Time Spent on Website Qualitative Feedback from Customers Subscriber Growth 67% 55% 52% 49% 46% 46% 41% 41% 37% 34% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 12. 12 SPONSORED BY How successful is your organization at tracking the ROI of its content marketing program? 25% say they are successful This was a new question on the survey this year. As the percentages show, tracking ROI can be a challenge. Having a documented content marketing strategy helps, though, as 38% of the B2B small business marketers who possess one say they are successful in this area. GOALS & METRICS HowB2BSmallBusinessMarketers RateTheirOrganization’sSuccess atTrackingROI 0 10 20 30 40 50 Very Successful 6% 19% 35% 22% Not At All Successful 7% We Do Not Track 12% 5 4 3 2 1 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 13. 13 SPONSORED BY Compared with one year ago, how much content is your organization creating? 74% are creating more Last year, 75% said they were creating more content. CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs ChangeinB2BSmallBusiness ContentCreation(OverLast12Months) Significantly More More Same Amount Less Unsure 32% 42% 4% 19% 2%
  • 14. 14 SPONSORED BY How many different audiences does your organization target with separate content marketing strategies? The average number is 4 There is a correlation between company size and the number of audiences targeted. Generally speaking, the larger the company, the more audiences it targets. CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION NumberofAudiencesthat B2BSmallBusinessMarketersTarget 0 10 20 30 40 50 3% 3% 27% 54% 7% 6% 10+ 7-10 4-6 2-3 1 Unsure 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 15. 15 SPONSORED BY Which content marketing tactics does your organization use? The average number of tactics used is 12 Note: Fewer than 45% said they use the following tactics: eBooks (40%), Microsites (40%), Research Reports (40%), Branded Content Tools (34%), Books (29%), Print Magazines (25%), Digital Magazines (23%), Mobile Apps (22%), Virtual Conferences (21%), Podcasts (18%), Print Newsletters (16%), and Games/ Gamification (9%). The percentages shown here are fairly similar to last year’s. The biggest changes have been with the use of: • Social media content (other than blogs)—up 5 percentage points (88% last year vs. 93% this year) • Blogs—up 10 percentage points (77% last year vs. 87% this year) • Infographics—up 12 percentage points (48% last year vs. 60% this year). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION B2B Small Business Content Marketing Tactic Usage 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Social Media Content – other than blogs Blogs eNewsletters Articles on Your Website Case Studies Videos In-person Events Illustrations/Photos Online Presentations White Papers Infographics Webinars/Webcasts 93% 87% 83% 79% 76% 74% 73% 68% 65% 64% 60% 59% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 16. 16 SPONSORED BY How effective are the following tactics that you use? 65% say ebooks and webinars are effective These are the 12 tactics that B2B small business marketers find most effective. Case studies saw a big decrease this year. Last year, marketers said they were the most effective tactic (69% last year vs. 57% this year). Other tactics that small business marketers have less confidence in this year are: • In-person events (67% last year vs. 62% this year) • Blogs (65% last year vs. 60% this year) • eNewsletters (65% last year vs. 60% this year) Confidence in all of the other tactics decreased within a few percentage points. CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION eBooks Webinars/Webcasts In-person Events Videos Blogs eNewsletters Research Reports Case Studies White Papers Microsites Online Presentations Infographics Effectiveness Ratings for B2B Small Business Tactics 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 65% 65% 62% 61% 60% 60% 58% 57% 57% 55% 55% 53% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 17. 17 SPONSORED BY Which social media platforms does your organization use to distribute content? 97% use LinkedIn Average Number Used: 6 Note: Fewer than 20% said they use the following platforms: Flickr (14%), StumbleUpon (14%), Foursquare (13%), Tumblr (11%), Vine (10%), and SnapChat (6%). As with last year, B2B small business marketers use an average of 6 social media platforms. Once again, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are the platforms they use most often. The percentage of marketers using all of the platforms shown here increased this year, except for YouTube (75% last year vs. 74% this year) and Pinterest (which stayed the same). The biggest increase was with Google+ (61% last year vs. 71% this year). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION LinkedIn Twitter Facebook YouTube Google+ SlideShare Pinterest Instagram Vimeo B2B Small Business Content Marketing Social Media Platform Usage 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 97% 91% 89% 74% 71% 45% 36% 24% 24% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 18. 18 SPONSORED BY How effective are the social media platforms that you use? 60% say LinkedIn is effective Both last year and this year, 60% of B2B small business marketers said LinkedIn is effective. Confidence in Twitter rose by 7 percentage points (49% last year vs. 56% this year). The biggest decreases were with SlideShare (49% last year vs. 41% this year) and Pinterest (30% last year vs. 24% this year). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs LinkedIn Twitter YouTube SlideShare Vimeo Facebook Pinterest Instagram Google+ Effectiveness Ratings for B2B Small Business Social Media Platforms 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 60% 56% 44% 41% 41% 28% 24% 23% 20%
  • 19. 19 SPONSORED BY How often does your organization publish new content that supports its content marketing program? 43% say daily or multiple times per week The most effective B2B small business marketers publish new content even more frequently than the percentages shown here (55% of the most effective marketers publish new content daily or multiple times per week). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION HowOftenB2BSmallBusinessMarketers PublishNewContent Daily Multiple Times per Week Weekly Multiple Times per Month Monthly Less than Once per Month 14% 29% 18% 17% 11% 9% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 20. 20 SPONSORED BY Which paid advertising methods do you use to promote/distribute content? 61% use search engine marketing (SEM) Average Number Used: 3 This was a new question on the survey this year. The most effective B2B small business marketers are more likely to use each of these paid methods, especially social ads (57% vs. 49%). CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs B2B Small Business Paid Advertising Usage 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads) Print or Other Offline Promotion Traditional Online Banner Ads Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets) Native Advertising Content Discovery Tools 61% 49% 44% 42% 41% 30% 14%
  • 21. 21 SPONSORED BY How effective are the paid advertising methods that you use to distribute content? Search engine marketing (SEM) is considered to be the most effective Note: Percentages shown represent marketers who rated each method a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Effective” and 1 = “Not at all Effective.” Search engine marketing (SEM) is the paid method that B2B small business marketers use most often to promote content, and it’s also the method they say is most effective. CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Effectiveness Ratings for B2B Small Business Paid Advertising Methods 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets) Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads) Native Advertising Content Discovery Tools Print or Other Offline Promotion Traditional Online Banner Ads 50% 42% 42% 39% 35% 32% 27% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 22. 22 SPONSORED BY Approximately what percentage of your organization’s total marketing budget (not including staff) is spent on content marketing? The average is 29% While the average percentage of budget spent on content marketing is 29% (vs. 27% last year), those who have a documented content marketing strategy spend more (39%). BUDGETS & SPENDING PercentageofTotalMarketingBudget SpentonB2BSmallBusiness ContentMarketing 0 10 20 30 40 50 100% 75-99% 50-74% 25-49% 10-24% 1-9% 0% Unsure 1% 6% 10% 14% 19% 24% 3% 22% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 23. 23 SPONSORED BY How do you expect your organization’s content marketing budget to change in the next 12 months? 55% say they will increase spending More than half of all B2B small business marketers say they will increase their content marketing budget (including 53% of those who say they are least effective). BUDGETS & SPENDING 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs B2BSmallBusiness ContentMarketingSpending (OverNext12Months) 0 10 20 30 40 50 Significantly Increase 8% Decrease 1% Increase Remain the Same 47% 31% Unsure 12%
  • 24. 24 SPONSORED BY With regard to content marketing, how challenged are you with each of the following? 58% say producing engaging content is a challenge B2B small business marketers are more challenged this year than last in every area shown here. Technology-related challenges is new on the list this year, and producing content consistently has replaced producing enough content. The greatest increases in terms of challenge were with: • Finding trained content marketing professionals —up 20 percentage points (11% last year vs. 31% this year) • Producing engaging content—up 13 percentage points (45% last year vs. 58% this year) • Measuring content effectiveness—up 12 percentage points (28% last year vs. 40% this year). CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Challenges that B2B Small Business Marketers Face 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Producing Engaging Content Producing Content Consistently Producing a Variety of Content Lack of Budget Measuring Content Effectiveness FindingTrainedContentMarketingProfessionals Gaps in Knowledge and Skills of Internal Team LackofBuy-in/VisionfromHigher-Ups Lack of Integration Across Marketing Technology-related Challenges 58% 53% 45% 40% 40% 31% 30% 27% 22% 16% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 25. 25 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Which content marketing initiatives are you working on? A high percentage are focused on creating more engaging content and converting website visitors. New this year, we presented marketers with a list of 28 initiatives. We asked them to select one of three options for each: working on now, plan to begin working on within 12 months, and not a priority. B2B small business marketers are working on an average of 14 initiatives, and plan to begin working on 7 more, on average, over the next 12 months. The highest percentages of B2B small business marketers are presently working on:  Creating more engaging/higher-quality content: 72%  Doing better at converting website visitors: 66%  Organizing content on website: 65%  Finding more/better ways to repurpose content: 64%  Optimizing content: 63% As for which they plan to begin working on within 12 months, the highest percentages selected:  Better mobile strategy: 33%  Content personalization: 33%  Measuring content marketing ROI: 32%  Content curation strategies: 31%  Developing a documented content marketing strategy: 30%  Progressive profiling: 30% The initiatives appearing on the following pages are the 12 that received the highest combined percentages of “working on now” and “plan to begin working on within 12 months.” SPONSORED BY
  • 26. 26 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Better at Converting Website Visitors Creating Visual Content Creating More Engaging/Higher-Quality Content Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer 66% 72%18% 61%26% 7% 9% 24% 6% 4% 4% 4% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY
  • 27. 27 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Finding More/Better Ways to Repurpose Content Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer 64%23% 9% 4% Better Understanding of What Content is Effective—and What Isn’t 57%28% 10% 5% Optimizing Content 63% 4% 23% 9% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY
  • 28. 28 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Better Understanding of Audience Organizing Content on Website Creating a Greater Variety of Content Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer 62% 65%19% 54% 29% 12% 13% 21% 12% 4% 5% 4% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY
  • 29. 29 CHALLENGES & INITIATIVES Measuring Content Marketing ROI Developing an Email Strategy Tying Content to Business Goals Now Within 12 Months Not a Priority No Answer 50% 62% 19% 54% 25% 15% 16% 32% 13% 5% 4% 5% 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY
  • 30. 30 COMPARISON CHART  Has a documented content marketing strategy.........................................................................................58%................... 39%................... 12%  Has a content marketing strategy, but it’s not documented.....................................................................38%................... 47%................... 43%  Content marketing strategy very closely guides efforts.............................................................................64%................... 44%................... 18%  Content marketing strategy somewhat guides efforts...............................................................................34%................... 50%................... 64%  Has a dedicated content marketing group.................................................................................................69%................... 49%................... 24%  Is successful at tracking ROI........................................................................................................................45%................... 25%.................... 7%  Average number of tactics used................................................................................................................... 13...................... 12.......................10  Average number of social platforms used.....................................................................................................7........................ 6.........................5  Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week..........................................................................55%................... 43%................... 20%  Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing......................................................................39%................... 29%................... 15%  Average number of initiatives working on now........................................................................................... 16...................... 14.......................11  Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months.........................................6........................ 7.........................9 Most Effective Comparison of Most Effective vs. Least Effective B2B Small Business Content Marketers Total Sample Least Effective Chart term definitions: A “best-in-class” content marketer (aka “most effective”) is one who rates his or her organization a 4 or 5 in terms of effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at all Effective.” The 1s ands 2s are the “least effective.” The numbers under “average/overall” represent total respondents. 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY
  • 31. 31 COMPARISON CHART  Considers organization to be effective at content marketing.............................................................................................60%....................33%  Content marketing strategy very closely guides efforts......................................................................................................62%....................29%  Has a dedicated content marketing group..........................................................................................................................69%....................41%  Is successful at tracking ROI.................................................................................................................................................38%....................18%  Average number of tactics used.............................................................................................................................................13........................12  Average number of social platforms used..............................................................................................................................7..........................6  Publishes new content daily or multiple times per week ..................................................................................................58%....................38%  Percentage of total budget allocated to content marketing ..............................................................................................39%....................24%  Average number of initiatives working on now.....................................................................................................................16........................13  Average number of initiatives planning to begin working on within 12 months..................................................................6..........................8 Documented Strategy B2B Small Business Marketers Documented vs. Verbal-Only Content Marketing Strategy Verbal Strategy 2015 B2B Small Business Content Marketing Trends--North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SPONSORED BY
  • 32. 32 DEMOGRAPHICS B2B Small Business Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America is produced by Content Marketing Institute and sponsored by Rainmaker Platform by Copyblogger Media. The fifth annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers using lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, Brightcove, Blackbaud, the Business Marketing Association (BMA), EnVeritas Group (EVG), The Association for Data-driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA), the Direct Marketing Association UK (DMA), Industry Week, New Equipment Digest, WTWH Media, and Corporate Financial Group. A total of 5,167 recipients from around the globe— representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—responded throughout July and August 2014. This report presents the findings from the 580 respondents who said they were B2B small business marketers (10-99 employees) in North America. Additional reports based on the annual survey are available at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research. Special thanks to MarketingProfs for their assistance with the annual survey and the B2B North America and B2C North America reports. Industry Classification, B2B Small Business (10-99 employees) Job Title/Function, B2B Small Business (10-99 employees) 34% 40% 18% 11% 13% 9% 9% 24% 28% 8% 6% ■ Advertising/Communications/ Marketing/PR ■ Technology ■ Manufacturing ■ Consulting ■ Other ■ Marketing/Advertising/ Communications/PR Management ■ Corporate Management/Owner ■ General Management (GM/VP) ■ Content Creation/Management ■ Marketing Administration/Support ■ Other SPONSORED BY
  • 33. 33 ABOUT About Content Marketing Institute Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is the leading global content marketing education and training organization. CMI teaches enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multi-channel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every September, and Content Marketing World Sydney, every March. CMI also produces the quarterly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. CMI is a 2012, 2013, and 2014 Inc. 500 company. View all CMI research at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research. Learn how to create a documented content marketing strategy, a key component for improving overall content marketing effectiveness. About Rainmaker Platform by Copyblogger Media The Rainmaker Platform by Copyblogger Media is the complete website solution for building your online marketing and sales platform. Create powerful content-driven websites, start a sophisticated membership program, sell digital goods the smarter way, and much more. Even better, never waste valuable time with plugins, complicated code, hosting, maintenance, or upgrades. To take a risk-free 14-day trial, go to  http://rainmakerplatform.com. SPONSORED BY