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CONTENT
MARKETING
2017 Benchmarks, Budgets,
and Trends—North America
Welcome
This Year’s B2B Content Marketing
Top Performers At-A-Glance
SECTION 1: Usage & Team Organization
SECTION 2: Clarity, Commitment &
Overall Success
SECTION 3: Content Marketing Strategy
SECTION 4: Content Creation & Distribution
SECTION 5: Goals & Metrics
SECTION 6: Budgeting & Spending
Methodology/Demographics
About
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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4
5
10
19
24
41
44
45
35
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WELCOME
Greetings Marketers,
Welcome to the 7th Annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North
America report. We’ve made quite a few changes to our annual survey this year to reflect the
maturing content marketing industry.
This year’s research paints a brighter picture than the last few years, indicating that content
marketing is alive and well! Content marketers are on track—with 62% reporting that their
organizations are much more or somewhat more successful with their overall content marketing
approach compared with one year ago.
Like last year, those who are further along with their approach are the most successful, while
the vast majority of the least successful are in the young/early phases of content marketing.
With time, a documented strategy, creativity, meaningful goals and metrics, a willingness to
experiment, and perhaps most importantly, a commitment to content marketing, those
marketers will succeed.
Please watch for continuing editorial coverage of our research findings throughout 2017.
We hope you will find the insights useful as you prepare for the year ahead.
Yours in content,
Joe & Ann
Joe Pulizzi
Founder
Content Marketing Institute
Ann Handley
Chief Content Officer
MarketingProfs
3
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COMPARISION CHART
Most Successful
All Respondents
Least Successful
Organization is clear on what an effective or
successful content marketing program looks like
81%
41%
14%
Organization is extremely/very committed to content marketing
91%
63%
35%
Describes organization’s content marketing maturity as sophisticated/mature
72%
28%
2%
Has a documented content marketing strategy
61%
37%
13%
Content marketing strategy is extremely/very effective
83%
34%
2%
Measures content marketing ROI
88%
72%
56%
Percentage of total marketing budget allocated to content marketing (average)
39%
29%
22%
Agrees that organization is realistic about what content marketing can achieve
91%
68%
41%
Agrees that organization is able to quickly adjust content marketing strategy
87%
66%
41%
Always/frequently delivers content consistently
85%
58%
32%
Agrees that leadership gives ample time to produce results
77%
52%
26%
This Year’s B2B Content Marketing Top Performers
At-A-Glance
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Chart term definitions: A top performer (aka, “most successful”) is one who characterizes his or her organization’s overall content marketing approach as extremely or very successful.
The “least successful” characterize their organization’s approach as minimally or not at all successful.
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USAGE & TEAM
ORGANIZATION
28% 55% 42%
Are in the
sophisticated/
mature phase of
content marketing
maturity
Have small content
marketing teams
serving the entire
organization
Have experienced
management changes
that have had a
positive impact on
the organization’s
content marketing
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CONTENT MARKETING
6
USAGE & TEAM ORGANIZATION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Does your organization use content marketing?
Content marketing is defined 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.”
Note: Of the 11% nonusers, 52% say they
plan to launch a content marketing effort
within 12 months; 43% had no immediate
plans to begin using content marketing; and
5% had used content marketing in the past
but stopped.
Base = B2B marketers.
89%
Yes
11%
No
Percentage of B2B Marketers
Using Content Marketing

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USAGE & TEAM ORGANIZATION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How would you describe your organization’s
content marketing maturity level?
How B2B Marketers Assess Their Organization’s Content Marketing Maturity Level
SOPHISTICATED
MATURE
ADOLESCENT
YOUNG
FIRST STEPS
6%
22% 35% 26%
10%
Providing accurate
measurement
to the business,
scaling across the
organization
Finding success,
yet challenged with
integration across the
organization
Have developed
a business case,
seeing early success,
becoming more
sophisticated with
measurement
and scaling
Growing pains,
challenged with
creating a cohesive
strategy and a
measurement plan
Doing some aspects
of content, but
have not yet begun
to make content
marketing a process
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
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USAGE & TEAM ORGANIZATION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How is content marketing structured
within your organization?
B2B Content Marketing Organizational Structure
24%
5%
13%
55%
2%
Centralized content marketing group
that works with multiple brands/product
lines throughout the organization
Each brand (product line/property)
has its own content marketing team
Both: A centralized group as well
as individual teams throughout
the organization
Small (or one-person) marketing/
content marketing team
serves the entire organization
Other
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
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USAGE & TEAM ORGANIZATION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Has your organization undergone any management
and/or structural changes over the last 12 months that
have impacted your content marketing approach?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
48%
9%
42%
B2B Management Changes Impacting Content Marketing

Yes, had
a positive
impact
Yes, had
a negative
impact
No changes
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CLARITY, COMMITMENT
& OVERALL SUCCESS
63% 22% 62%
Are extremely or
very committed to
content marketing
Are extremely or
very successful
with their overall
approach to
content marketing
Are much more or
somewhat more
successful with
content marketing
than they were one
year ago
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CONTENT MARKETING
11
CLARITY, COMMITMENT & OVERALL SUCCESS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
In your organization, is it clear what an effective or
successful content marketing program looks like?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
29%
30%
41%
Percentage of B2B Marketers Whose Organizations
Have Clarity on Content Marketing Success

Yes
No
Unsure
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CLARITY, COMMITMENT & OVERALL SUCCESS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How would you describe your organization’s
commitment level to content marketing?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
30%
6%
1%
41%
22%
B2B Organizations’ Commitment to Content Marketing

Extremely
Committed
Very Committed
Somewhat
Committed
Not Very
Committed
Not At All
Committed
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2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
CLARITY, COMMITMENT & OVERALL SUCCESS
How would you characterize the success
of your organization’s current overall
content marketing approach?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
Note: The survey defined success as
achieving your organization’s desired/
targeted results. This report defines the
Top 2 respondents (extremely/very) as
“most successful” or “top performers,”
and the Bottom 2 (minimally/not at all)
as “least successful.”
53%
22%
3%
19%
3%
How B2B Marketers Rate the Success of Their
Organizations’ Overall Content Marketing Approach

Extremely
Successful
Very
Successful
Moderately
Successful
Minimally
Successful
Not At All
Successful
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2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
CLARITY, COMMITMENT & OVERALL SUCCESS
How does the success of your organization’s
current overall content marketing approach
compare with one year ago?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
How B2B Marketers Rate Their Organization’s
Content Marketing Success Compared
With One Year Ago
17%
45%
28%
2%
1%
7%
Much More
Successful
Somewhat
More
Successful
About the
Same as
One Year
Ago
Somewhat
Less
Successful
Much Less
Successful
Does Not
Apply
(program less than
one year old)
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2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
CLARITY, COMMITMENT & OVERALL SUCCESS
To what factors do you attribute your
organization’s increase in overall success?
Base = Content marketers who said their organizations’ content marketing success is much/
somewhat more successful than one year ago. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Other reasons cited: Content
Marketing Technologies/Tools
(28%), More Budget for Content
Marketing (25%), Content
Marketing Training/Education
(23%), We Have Given Our
Efforts Time to Bear Fruit and
Are Now Getting Results (21%),
Assistance of Outside Expertise
(10%), Changes in Target
Audience (7%), and Other (3%).
Factors Contributing to B2B Marketers’
Increased Success Over the Last Year
85%
72%
53%
50%
Content Creation (higher
quality, more ecient)
Strategy (development
or adjustment)
Content Marketing Has
Become a Greater Priority
Spending More Time on
Content Marketing
Content Distribution (better
targeting, identication
of what works)
Management/HR (organizational
changes, stang, new content
marketing roles)
Content Measurement
(growing in ability to
show results)
53%
43%
42%
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2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
CLARITY, COMMITMENT & OVERALL SUCCESS
To what factors do you attribute your organization’s
stagnancy in success with content marketing?
Base = Content marketers who said their organizations’ content marketing success is
about the same as one year ago. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Other reasons cited: Content
Marketing Technologies/Tools
[lack of, or new systems that
require a learning curve] (24%),
Lack of Content Marketing
Training/Education (22%), Lack
of Adequate or Effective Content
Distribution (20%), Program
Hasn’t Had Enough Time to Bear
Fruit/Produce Results (14%),
Changes in Target Audience
(5%), and Other (7%).
Factors Contributing to B2B Marketers’
Stagnant Success Over the Last Year
52%
Not Enough Time Devoted
to Content Marketing
Content-Creation
Challenges
Strategy Issues (lack of strategy,
developing/adjusting strategy)
Management/HR
(organizational changes,
stang issues)
Content Marketing Budget
Issues (inadequate budget,
budget cuts)
Content Marketing Not
Prioritized Highly Enough
Content Measurement
Challenges
49%
49%
38%
37%
34%
32%
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2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
CLARITY, COMMITMENT & OVERALL SUCCESS
To what factors do you attribute your organization’s
decrease in success with content marketing?
Base = Content marketers who said their organizations’ content marketing success is
somewhat/much less successful than one year ago. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Other reasons cited: Changes
in Target Audience (20%), Lack
of Adequate or Effective Content
Distribution (20%), Lack of
Content Marketing Training/
Education (20%), Content
Measurement Challenges
(13%), Content Marketing
Technologies/Tools [lack of,
or new systems that require a
learning curve] (10%), Program
Hasn’t Had Enough Time to Bear
Fruit/Produce Results (10%),
and Other (23%).
Factors Contributing to B2B Marketers’
Decreased Success Over the Last Year
57%
Not Enough Time Devoted
to Content Marketing
Content-Creation
Challenges
Strategy Issues (lack of strategy,
developing/adjusting strategy)
Management/HR
(organizational changes,
stang issues)
Content Marketing Budget
Issues (inadequate budget,
budget cuts)
Content Marketing Not
Prioritized Highly Enough
47%
43%
40%
33%
27%
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CLARITY, COMMITMENT & OVERALL SUCCESS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements
concerning content marketing in your organization.
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
B2B Marketers’ Opinions About Content Marketing
88%
8% 4%
78%
13%
9%
74%
14%
12%
72%
13%
15%
68%
17%
15%
68%
18%
14%
66%
18%
16%
52%
24%
24%
Content marketing is an important component
of our organization’s marketing program
Our organization is focused on providing an
overall exceptional experience for our audience
Our organization is focused more on building
long-term relationships than on getting quick
(campaign-like) results from our content marketing
Our organization values creativity and
craft in content creation and production
Our organization is focused on building
audiences (building one or more subscriber bases)
Our organization has realistic expectations
about what content marketing can achieve
We are able to respond quickly when necessary
to adjust our content marketing strategy
Our leadership team gives us ample time to
produce content marketing results
■ Agree ■ Neither Agree Nor Disagree ■ Disagree
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CONTENT MARKETING
STRATEGY
37%
Have a
documented
content marketing
strategy
73% 34%
Say their strategy
includes a plan to
operate content
marketing as an
ongoing business
process, not
simply a campaign
Say their strategy
is extremely or very
effective at helping
their organization
achieve its current
content marketing
goals
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CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Does your organization have a
content marketing strategy?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
41%
4%
37%
17%
Percentage of B2B Marketers Who Have
a Content Marketing Strategy

Yes, and it is
documented
No, with no plans
to have one within
12 months
Yes, but it is not
documented
No, but plan to have
one within 12 months
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21
CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Which of the following elements are included in
your content marketing strategy?
Base = Content marketers who have a content marketing strategy.
Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Elements B2B Marketers Include
in Their Content Marketing Strategy
73%
A plan to operate content marketing
as an ongoing business process,
not simply a campaign
Content mission and a dierentiated
story/value to deliver
Deep understanding of
audience personas
A process to align with other sales/
marketing/loyalty initiatives
Well-dened business goals for content
A measurement plan to provide both
insight and progress toward
the business goals
The ability to scale over time (i.e., to grow
along with your organization)
Other elements
Unsure
59%
57%
55%
54%
51%
35%
18%
3%
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CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How effective is your content marketing strategy
at helping your organization achieve its current
content marketing goals?
Base = Content marketers who have a content marketing strategy; aided list.
54%
10%
1%
29%
5%
How B2B Marketers Rate the Effectiveness
of Their Content Marketing Strategy

Extremely
Effective
Very
Effective
Moderately
Effective
Minimally
Effective
Not At All
Effective
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CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How effective is your content marketing strategy
compared with one year ago?
Base = Content marketers who have a content marketing strategy; aided list.
How B2B Marketers Rate the Effectiveness of Their
Content Marketing Strategy Compared With One Year Ago
24%
46%
23%
2%
0%
5%
Much More
Effective
Somewhat
More
Effective
About the
Same as
One Year
Ago
Somewhat
Less
Effective
Much Less
Effective
Does Not
Apply
(program less than
one year old)
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CONTENT CREATION
& DISTRIBUTION
76% 71% 69%
Prioritize
delivering content
quality over
quantity
Consider how
their content
impacts the
overall experience
a person has with
their organization
Focus on creating
content for their
audience versus
their brand
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CONTENT MARKETING
25
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Which content marketing tools does your
organization currently use?
Base = Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Fewer than 40% of B2B
marketers said they
use the following tools:
Measurement KPIs/Dashboard
(36%), Media Plan/Paid
Advertising Calendar (32%),
Editorial Mission Statement
(18%), Content Collaboration/
Workflow Software (13%),
Digital Asset Management
(DAM) System/File Storage
(11%), Content Distribution
Software (9%), Content
Planning/Creation Software
(8%), and Other (5%).
B2B Marketers’ Content Marketing Tool Usage
79%
Social Media Guidelines
Buyer Personas
Marketing Automation Software
Brand Style/Tone of Voice Guidelines
Social Media Calendar
Content Management System
Editorial Calendar
Dedicated Email Platform
Analytics Tools
64%
62%
56%
56%
51%
51%
47%
43%

:
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2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which techniques does your organization use to
gain knowledge about its target audience(s)?
Base = Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Fewer than 35% of B2B
marketers said they use
the following techniques:
Database Analysis (31%),
Qualitative Primary Research
(28%), Quantitative Primary
Research (27%), Auditing
Existing Buyer Data (24%),
Expert Advisory Boards (11%),
Usability Testing (11%), and
Other (1%). 3% said they do
not use techniques.
Techniques B2B Marketers Use to Learn About
Audience(s) for Content Marketing Purposes
58%
Secondary Data Analysis
A/B Testing
Customer Feedback/Panels
Social Listening
Competitive Analysis
Employee Feedback
Keyword Search
Website Analysis
57%
50%
47%
44%
42%
40%
37%
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Compared with 2016, do you expect your
organization to produce more, the same amount,
or less original content in 2017?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
25%
2%
3%
70%
Expected Change in B2B Content Creation
(2016 vs. 2017)

More
Same
Amount
Less
Unsure
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Which content marketing tactics does
your organization use?
Base = Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Fewer than 50% of B2B
marketers said they use
the following tactics:
Online Presentations (42%),
Illustrations/Photos (39%),
Research Reports (28%),
Interactive Tools (28%), Print
Magazines (23%), Digital
Magazines (17%), Books
(15%), Mobile Apps (14%),
Podcasts (12%), Separate
Content Hubs (10%), Video
[live-streaming media] (10%),
Print Newsletters (9%),
Virtual Conferences (8%),
and Other (12%).
B2B Marketers’ Content Marketing Tactic Usage
83%
Webinars/Webcasts
Infographics
Video (pre-produced)
Ebooks/White Papers
In-Person Events
Email Newsletters
Blogs
Social Media Content
80%
77%
65%
60%
58%
58%
68%
Average
Number
Used:
8
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Which content marketing tactics that your
organization uses will be most critical to its overall
content marketing success in 2017?
Base = Content marketers who use the tactics shown; multiple responses permitted.
Fewer than 30% of B2B
marketers whose organizations
use the following tactics said the
tactic will be critical to overall
content marketing success
in 2017: Infographics (15%),
Research Reports (12%), Online
Presentations (11%), Interactive
Tools (9%), Illustrations/Photos
(7%), Print Magazines (6%), Digital
Magazines (5%), Books (4%),
Mobile Apps (4%), Video [live-
streaming media] (4%), Separate
Content Hubs (4%), Podcasts (3%),
Print Newsletters (2%), Virtual
Conferences (2%), and Other (4%).
Tactics Used That B2B Marketers Say Will be
Most Critical to Content Marketing Success in 2017
52%
Webinars/Webcasts
Video (pre-produced)
Ebooks/White Papers
In-Person Events
Email Newsletters
Blogs
Social Media Content
40%
40%
36%
32%
30%
38%
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How often do you take the following concepts into
account while creating content for your organization?
Base: Content marketers; aided list.
How Often B2B Marketers Consider
Various Concepts While Creating Content
76%
20%
4%
71%
22%
7%
69%
23%
8%
64%
26%
10%
58%
28%
14%
53%
32%
15%
50%
34%
16%
Prioritize delivering content
quality over content quantity
Consider how our content impacts the overall
experience a person has with our organization
Dierentiate our content from our competition’s
Focus on creating content for our
audience versus our brand
Deliver content consistently
Craft content based on specic
points of the buyer’s journey
Prioritize providing the right content
to the right person at the right time
■ Always/Frequently ■ Sometimes ■ Rarely/Never
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GOALS & METRICS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
At which phases of the buyer’s journey does your
organization measure content marketing ROI?
Base = Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Phases of Buyer’s Journey Where B2B Marketers
Measure Content Marketing ROI
Top-of-funnel
• Lead generation
• Building an audience
Mid-funnel
• Developing relationships with
qualified leads and existing customers
Bottom-of-funnel
• Conversions
• Sales
Post-sales
• Retention
• Upsell/Cross-Sell
• Loyalty
• Evangelism
Do not measure
content marketing ROI
49%
35%
44%
22%
28%
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40
GOALS & METRICS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Indicate your level of agreement with each statement
concerning the content marketing metrics
used in your organization.
Base = Content marketers who use metrics to determine content marketing results; aided list.
B2B Marketers’ Metrics Agreement Statements
75%
15%
10%
72%
18%
10%
57%
27%
16%
27%
43%
30%
I/my team can demonstrate how content marketing has…
Increased audience
engagement
Increased our sales
Increased our
number of leads
Decreased our cost of
customer acquisition
■ Agree ■ Neither Agree Nor Disagree ■ Disagree
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33
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Which paid methods of content promotion does your
organization use in its content marketing efforts?
Base = Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Paid Methods B2B Marketers Use to Promote Content
84%
Traditional Online Banner Ads
Native Advertising
Do Not Use
Print or Other Oine Promotion
Search Engine Marketing
Social Promotion
67%
58%
41%
18%
8%
55%
Average
Number
Used:
3
Content Discovery Tools
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34
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How effective are the paid methods of content
promotion that your organization uses?
Base = Content marketers who use the paid methods shown; multiple responses permitted.
Note: Percentages comprise
marketers who rated each paid
method a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale
where 5 = Extremely Effective
and 1 = Not At All Effective. The
survey defined effectiveness
as accomplishing your content
marketing objectives.
Paid Methods B2B Marketers Use to
Promote Content Rated by Effectiveness
Print or Other Oine Promotion
Native Advertising
Traditional Online Banner Ads
Content Discovery Tools
Social Promotion
Search Engine Marketing
54%
50%
27%
24%
24%
35%
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35
GOALS & METRICS
80% 78% 75%
Will focus on lead
gen as a content
marketing goal
over the next 12
months
Use website traffic
to measure how
well their content
marketing is
producing results
Can demonstrate how
content marketing
has increased
audience engagement
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CONTENT MARKETING
36
GOALS & METRICS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Which content marketing goals will your
organization focus on over the next 12 months?
Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Fewer than 45% of B2B
marketers cited the following
goals: Customer Evangelism/
Creating Brand Advocates (42%),
Upsell/Cross-Sell (38%), Cost
Savings (16%), and Other (2%).
Organizational Goals for B2B Content Marketing
Over Next 12 Months
Customer Rention/Loyalty
Building an Audience via
Subscription Growth
Engagement
Lead Nurturing
Sales
Brand Awareness
Lead Generation
80%
79%
66%
62%
56%
52%
71%
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GOALS & METRICS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Which metrics does your organization use
to determine how well its content marketing
is producing results?
Base = Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Fewer than 35% of B2B marketers
said they use the following
metrics: Qualitative Feedback
from Customers (33%), Inbound
Links (32%), Data Capture (28%),
Customer Renewal Rates (19%),
Purchase Intent (17%), Brand Lift
(15%), and Other (4%). 2% said they
do not use metrics.
B2B Marketers’ Content Marketing Metrics Usage
SEO Ranking
Sales
Sales Lead Quantity
Subscriber/Community Growth
Social Media Sharing
Time Spent on Website
Higher Conversion Rates
Sales Lead Quality
Website Trac
78%
57%
57%
54%
51%
51%
40%
50%
47%
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38
GOALS & METRICS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Which metrics that your organization uses provide truly
measurable results of your content marketing efforts?
Base = Content marketers who use the metrics shown; multiple responses permitted.
Fewer than 15% of B2B marketers whose
organizations use the following metrics
said the metric provides truly measurable
results of their content marketing efforts:
Inbound Links (11%), Qualitative Feedback
from Customers (10%), Data Capture (9%),
Customer Renewal Rates (8%), Purchase
Intent (5%), Brand Lift (4%), and Other (2%).
9% said none of the metrics they use provide
truly measurable results.
Metrics Used That B2B Marketers Say Provide
Truly Measurable Results of Content Marketing Efforts
SEO Ranking
Sales Lead Quantity
Social Media Sharing
Sales
Time Spent on Website
Higher Conversion Rates
Sales Lead Quality
Website Trac
42%
34%
30%
27%
25%
23%
21%
23%
22%
Subscriber/Community Growth
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39
GOALS & METRICS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
At which phases of the buyer’s journey does your
organization measure content marketing ROI?
Base = Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Phases of Buyer’s Journey Where B2B Marketers
Measure Content Marketing ROI
Top-of-funnel
• Lead generation
• Building an audience
Mid-funnel
• Developing relationships with
qualified leads and existing customers
Bottom-of-funnel
• Conversions
• Sales
Post-sales
• Retention
• Upsell/Cross-Sell
• Loyalty
• Evangelism
Do not measure
content marketing ROI
49%
35%
44%
22%
28%
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40
GOALS & METRICS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Indicate your level of agreement with each statement
concerning the content marketing metrics
used in your organization.
Base = Content marketers who use metrics to determine content marketing results; aided list.
B2B Marketers’ Metrics Agreement Statements
75%
15%
10%
72%
18%
10%
57%
27%
16%
27%
43%
30%
I/my team can demonstrate how content marketing has…
Increased audience
engagement
Increased our sales
Increased our
number of leads
Decreased our cost of
customer acquisition
■ Agree ■ Neither Agree Nor Disagree ■ Disagree
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41
BUDGETS & SPENDING
29% 39% 45%
Is the average
proportion of total
marketing budget
that is spent on
content marketing
Plan to increase
their content
marketing
spending over the
next 12 months
Plan to keep their
content marketing
spending around the
same level over the
next 12 months
SPONSORED BY
CONTENT MARKETING
42
BUDGETS & SPENDING
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Approximately what percentage of your organization’s
total marketing budget (not including staff)
is spent on content marketing?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
Percentage of Total Marketing Budget Spent
on B2B Content Marketing

1%
5%
9%
13%
19%
22%
28%
3%
100%
75-99% 50-74%
25-49% 10-24%
1-9%
0%
Unsure
Average:
29%
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43
BUDGETS & SPENDING
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How do you expect your organization’s content
marketing budget to change in the next 12 months?
Base = Content marketers; aided list.
45%
2%
14%
39%
B2B Content Marketing Spending
(Over Next 12 Months)

Increase
Remain
the Same
Decrease
Unsure
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44
METHODOLOGY/DEMOGRAPHICS
2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
B2B Content Marketing: 2017 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America was produced by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs
and sponsored by Brightcove.
The 7th Annual Content Marketing Survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers
included in lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, The Association for Data-driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA), and WTWH Media.
A total of 2,562 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—completed the survey
during July and August 2016. This report presents the findings from the 1,102 respondents who said they were B2B marketers in North America.
B2B Industry
Classification


Size of B2B Company
(by Employees)
B2B Job Title/
Function

19%
31%
27%
23%
■ Small (10-99 Employees)
■ Micro (Fewer than 10 Employees)
■ Midsize (100-999 Employees)
■ Large (1,000+ Employees)
■ Technology
■ Agency (Advertising, Digital Marketing,
Content Marketing, PR, Marcom)
■ Manufacturing
■ Consulting
■ Publishing/Media
■ Banking/Accounting/Financial
■ Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals
■ Engineering/Construction/Architecture
■ Other
25%
18%
16%
9%
5%
3%
3%
3%
18%
43%
16%
11%
15%
9%
6%
■ Marketing/Advertising/
Communications/PR Management
■ Corporate Management
(Owner/President, CEO, CMO)
■ Content Creation/Management
■ Marketing – Staff/Support
■ General Management (GM, VP)
■ Other
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ABOUT
Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs thank all the survey respondents and the
distribution partners who made this survey possible.
About Content Marketing Institute (CMI)
Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how
to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content
marketing-focused event, is held every September in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and the Intelligent Content Conference event is held every spring.
CMI publishes the bi-monthly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of
the best-known brands in the world. Watch this video to learn more about CMI, a UBM company. To view all research and to subscribe to our
emails, visit www.contentmarketinginstitute.com.
About MarketingProfs
MarketingProfs offers real-world education for modern marketers. More than 600,000 marketing professionals worldwide rely on our free
daily publications, virtual conferences, MarketingProfs University, and more to stay up to date on the most important trends and tactics in
marketing—and how to apply them to their businesses. Visit MarketingProfs.com for more information.
About Brightcove
Brightcove Inc. (NASDAQ:BCOV) is the leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for delivering and monetizing video across
connected devices. The company offers a full suite of products and services that reduce the cost and complexity associated with publishing,
distributing, measuring, and monetizing video across devices. Brightcove has nearly 5,000 customers in over 70 countries that rely on the
company’s cloud solutions to successfully publish high-quality video experiences to audiences everywhere. To learn more, visit
www.brightcove.com.
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