The complexity of the B2B buying process, compared to that for B2C, often demands more of marketers. Because of the longer B2B sales cycle, marketers must diligently fill the sales pipeline and continuously support sales by
keeping prospects engaged
with the brand during the sales cycle through the use of multiple touchpoints, like
email or campaign nurturing programs
.
Marketers have an endless array of digital channels and choices for uncovering prospects, and
MarketingProfs
and
Junta42
found 63% of B2B marketers in North America turn to content marketing as a key
lead generation
source.
More specifically, North American B2B marketers used articles (78%) and e-newsletters (61%) for their
content marketing
efforts. More educational and instructional forms of content, like case studies (55%), white papers (43%) and webinars (42%), were also used. These types of educational and instructional content were rated the most valuable for directly supporting B2B marketers’ objectives, according to
Focus Research
.
What types of content do you find to be effective in attracting prospects in the more research-oriented beginning stages of the buying process?