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B2B Technology Content Marketing Trends Report
John Himes
August 9, 2023
Which changes faster: technology or how we market it?
As tech marketers, we need to keep our finger on the pulse. Reading the latest tech news is great, but without a solid foundation in what our audience needs and how to tell stories that captivate their attention, we’re not going to get very far.
That’s why I collected data on best practices for B2B tech content marketing. I surveyed busy people like you to find out what’s working, what isn’t, and what metrics you’re tracking to know the difference.
Demographics
Respondents ranged from C-suite executives to marketing managers to media strategists at companies that develop and/or market software, AI, cybersecurity, and other high-tech solutions.
73% are at B2B companies, while the remaining 27% serve both B2B and B2C audiences.
A majority (54%) have 11–20 years of industry experience, and 27% have been in the game for over 21 years. The remaining 18% have the fresh perspective that comes with less than three years in the industry.
Note that my survey did not receive enough responses to provide the statistical significance that a data scientist would love. Did I mention you guys are busy? For this reason, the data provided here should be viewed as qualitative: useful, not bulletproof.
Thank you to everyone who participated!
Content marketing strategy
It all starts with a solid content marketing strategy, and that means figuring out what kinds of content to prioritize, what key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure, and what content topics to cover.
The most common type of content is blog posts and articles, with 100% of respondents saying they prioritize this ubiquitous content type. No surprise there. Equally unsurprising is that 91% also go for social media posts.
73% of respondents also publish newsletters, which makes sense because they have an insane return on investment and are the perfect way to nurture leads and stay in touch. The 64% of marketers who deploy white papers and videos are likely also taking advantage of this fact by offering gated high-value content to get email addresses for their newsletters.
One interesting outlier here comes from the chief marketing officer at an enterprise B2B marketing company. In addition to using every other content type listed, including podcasts and infographics, they wrote in “tools like ROI calculators; AR.” This shows that forward-thinking companies are leveraging technology to market technology—they see how it can deliver value to their audience.
Next, what’s measured gets managed, so let’s look at our respondents’ KPIs. The two biggest ones were revenue generated and click-through rate (CTR), both at 64%. Revenue needs no introduction, but the interesting thing about CTR is that (a) it demonstrates engagement/intent, and (b) it’s a key metric that search engines also look toward when determining a site’s ranking in the search engine results page (SERP).
The next most common KPIs, tied for second place, were page and post views, lead generation number, and conversion rate, each with a 55% representation. Again, this comes down to the results that we’re after in content marketing: increasing traffic on our site, converting those visitors to leads, and then turning them into paying customers.
Ultimately, what these KPIs show is that there’s no substitute for the bottom line. Also note that no single KPI was picked by every respondent.
The final question I asked about content marketing strategy is: “What content topics are most effective for getting those results?”
The #1 response, at 73%, was case studies. This is very telling; B2B buyers are after results, and case studies demonstrate how a specific company or a specific product can deliver. Case studies also give a brand room to tell their story and give potential clients a glimpse of what working together may look like.
Coming in second at 55%, we have trend analysis and thought leadership. Remember how I talked about how fast tech is moving? Your customers feel the same way, and they look to industry leaders for answers to their questions and to get an idea of which way the wind is blowing. This type of content helps brands lead the narrative and establish themselves as trusted partners.
In third place, 46% also find bread-and-butter content types effective: how-to guides, addressing pain points, and complete guides. It’s interesting to note that, while these types of content are some of the most common that you’re going to find on the internet, they’re not actually the most effective ones out there.
It’s certainly worth publishing some number of these straightforward topics, but they’re not the end-all be-all.
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Inside the content
Next, let’s zoom in to look at what’s going on in there.
The tone we set in our content has a huge impact on how our audience perceives our brand. That’s why it’s not surprising to see that the most common words (82%) used to describe the content’s tone of voice were “trusted” and “insightful.” In second place (63%) was “professional.”
From there, we see a pretty big drop-off: the next most common word was “conversational,” but only 36% of respondents picked it. Notably, “serious” was an option that zero (0%) respondents chose.
Next, I found that the majority of surveyed tech marketers (64%) publish with great frequency, at least once a week if not more. An equal amount—18% in both cases—only publish once per month or once every few months. This shows that most marketers care deeply about frequent content releases because it helps them to keep their audience engaged and to compete for ranking in the SERPs.
Finally, we had to ask the question that’s on everybody’s mind: “Do you use generative AI in the content creation process?” This had the most split responses out of any question, showing that people are still trying to figure out how best to use this emerging tech. The biggest standout, however, is that nobody (0%) picked option A: “Yes, we publish AI-generated content.”
Instead, we have 27% using it as part of a writer’s developmental process, an equal number editing it, and the same number saying flat-out, “No, we don’t use it.” 9% are still testing, and another 9% tried it but don’t think it’s great.
Want our take on it? Read our blog post on the difference between AI-generated and human-created content.
The takeaway
B2B technology marketers prioritize regularly publishing a variety of content types to build brand awareness, foster a sense of community, and engage with their target customers.
Case studies are the most effective way to do this, but trend analysis and thought leadership are close behind. Note that these types of content require careful study, a big picture perspective, and the ability to connect the dots between technological, economic, and social currents. Brands want their audience to perceive them as trusted and insightful.
This all adds up to show us why B2B tech marketers aren’t publishing AI-generated content.
They’re after results: clicks, traffic, engagement, conversion, and—in the end—revenue.
That’s what you’re after too. Get those results by working with a marketing agency who specializes in B2B technology content.
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