Existing isn’t enough – your content needs to convert – and B2B buyers have very clear preferences for what content drives action. Grabbing and holding your audience’s attention can feel like pushing a boulder up a hill. Despite significant investments in content marketing, many marketers struggle to hit content marketing KPIs for engagement, lead generation, and SEO rankings. Achieving marketing metrics such as increasing brand awareness, trust, and authority can be even more difficult.
One reason for this challenge is today’s buyers are drowning in content – and AI-generated content is only adding to the overwhelm. At the same time, SEO algorithms are in flux, and many marketers are watching their hard-earned traffic to their websites and blogs take a nosedive. Gartner is predicting by 2028, brands will see their site traffic from organic search decrease by 50% or more due to generative AI-powered search.
The old content marketing playbooks no longer seem to be working. So what will?
In this blog post, we share insights from over 250 U.S.-based B2B buyers with influence, authority, or oversight of software and services purchases. Respondents revealed the types of content they:
- Share with others involved in purchasing decisions
- Provide personal data to access
- Use to influence their actual purchase decisions
Additionally, we’ll explore which content B2B buyers say is most likely to build trust, enhance brand awareness, and establish a brand’s authority. With the right approach to your content marketing strategy, you can create content that cuts through the noise and gets your buyers’ attention. This post gives you the insights to do so.
Spoiler Alert: Key Takeaway
B2B buyers buy from authorities.
Publishing thought leadership content that includes original research – whether surveys, interviews, or other original analysis of data – is essential to boosting buyer’s awareness and trust of your brand as well as to see you as an authority in the industry.
Original research is also the most likely to convert – whether that’s getting buyers to
share the content with others involved in the purchasing decision, share their own
personal data with your company, or make an actual purchase.
Meet Your B2B Buyers
To truly understand the preferences and behaviors of buyers, it’s essential to know who they are. Here is a snapshot of the diverse group of 255 U.S.-based professionals who participated in the survey and influence, authorize, or oversee the purchase of software and services at their organization.
Who they are:
- 22% C-suite
- 43% Directors
- 35% Managers
Departments they work in:
- 45% IT
- 20% Operations
- 15% HR
- 13% Finance
- 5% Founders/CEOs
- 2% Marketing
Industry they work in:
- 22% C-suite
- 43% Directors
- 35% Managers
Number of employees in their organizations
- 2% less than 100
- 15% 101-250
- 19% 250 – 499
- 35% 500 – 999
- 29% 1,000+
Types of services/solutions they influence, authorize, or oversee:
- 91% Software
- 69% Services
- 68% AI initiatives
- 46% RFP and procurement
Top Content For More Shares and Sales
Whether you want to close deals, influence brand perception, or increase shareability…
B2B buyers were loud and clear: Original research has the biggest influence.
What is original research? Original research is research done by the person or brand/vendor publishing it, including data collection from surveys, interviews, or collating and analyzing data from existing sources.
Content with unique peer or industry insights holds the greatest sway on buyer purchasing decisions.
According to the survey, 58% of B2B buyers indicated that content that includes original research, such as analysis of a data set, interviews from peers, or survey data, is most likely to influence their decision to move forward with a purchase.
Case Study
Predictive Index ROI on original research $680,000+ in won opportunities
During her time as Director of Marketing for Predictive Index, Erin Balsa, began creating survey-based research reports. She reported that its “2020 Remote Work Report” drove $680K in revenue. And that’s just one of several reports the company has produced.
Thought leadership content boosts authority
Brands that create content that includes data or interviews from the industry or their peers will see the biggest boost to buyers’ perception of their authority or expertise. In fact, 95% of B2B buyers say thought leadership content that presents original research or ideas is important to their perception of a brand’s authority and expertise.
C-suite considerations: For the C-suite, content with data from a survey of peers or those in the industry is even more important in influencing their perception of a brand as an industry authority (82% vs. 59% overall).
Case Study
Data-driven tech trends report positions Telarus as an industry thought leader
Telarus wanted to create a research-backed tech trends report that would provide unique and high-value insights to their partners. This initiative also sought to position their Vice Presidents of Advanced Solutions as industry thought leaders.
The published report resulted in:
- 1K+ downloads of the report
- 1/3 of Telarus selling partners engaging with the report
- Elevating Telarus’ thought leadership within the industry
We’ve gotten feedback saying that we’re head and shoulders above our competition because we provided our selling partners with something really useful that they can use with their customers to display their expertise.
The most shareable content includes original research
When it comes to sharing content with colleagues involved in purchasing decisions, content featuring data analysis relevant to a buyer’s industry tops the list, with 61% of buyers likely to share it.
Notably, no respondents indicated they were unlikely to share content, emphasizing the importance of quality and relevance in driving greater engagement and shares.
B2B buyers are 2.5X more likely to share content with new data-driven insights.
Data is the best content for lead generation
Understanding which types of content buyers are willing to exchange their personal data for can help marketers design more effective lead-generation strategies and campaigns. According to buyers, they are most willing to provide their email address or other personal data for content featuring data from industry or peer surveys or content that includes interviews of peers or industry experts.
C-suite considerations: C-suite buyers are especially likely to share their personal information
if the content includes data from a survey of peers or those in their industry (68% vs. 58% overall).
B2B Buyers are 2x more likely to share their personal data if the content has original research.
Case Study
Automox’s annual State of IT Operations Report drives more potential buyers to share their data
Conducting original research that produced high quality data and reports has established Automox as a thought leader in their industry.
This annual gated State of IT Operations Report helped Automox achieve:
- 3X the leads in one month compared to a similar report the previous year
- 5.7X YOY increase in leads
The State of ITOps report enables us to engage with our target audience and positions us as a thought leader. It provides IT teams with a snapshot of the state of the industry and helps them benchmark their organization against their peers.
Top Content For Boosting Brand Awareness and Trust
91% of B2B buyers say original research reports published by a brand increase their awareness of a brand. In addition, original research in content has also helped 65% of buyers become MORE aware of a brand.
For the C-suite buyer, content with original research is even more critical, as 57% of C-suite respondents said it increased their awareness of a brand compared to 38% overall.
What’s more, 77% of C-suite respondents said they became more aware of a brand as a result of their published original research reports compared to 65% overall.
Case Study
How Industrial Physics used original research to boost their brand awareness and authority
Industrial Physics wanted to create a piece of content that would boost their credibility and thought leadership, attract media attention, and provide the most valuable insights within their testing and inspection industry.
They decided to invest in doing a survey that would be relevant to their industry on manufacturing sustainable packaging.
They saw the following results:
- 2.5 million readers reached
- 80+ media mentions
- 2-3X more leads than previous campaigns
A massive thing this report has helped us do is get our foot in the door and be recognized as a brand. We’re still in the very early stages of our brand recognition process but it has allowed us to gain more respect within the industries we want to be known in as well as helped us against our commercial objectives.
In addition to awareness, our study found that content that includes original research, expert opinions, or case studies is best for establishing greater trust. In fact, 93% of buyers say that brands investing in original research earn more of their trust while 75% of C-suite say original research builds a lot of trust.
Keep in mind, that trust is based on the quality of the data and analysis. It’s important to focus on robust data and thorough analysis to establish credibility.
Many brands believe they need to partner with a big-name consultancy, academic institution, or well-known PR firm to ensure their research is seen as credible. When in fact, over half of B2B buyers say they trust research conducted by a brand or third parties equally and 29% trust research by a brand MORE compared to third-party studies.
C-suite considerations: 41% of C-suite buyers compared to 29% overall said they trust a brand more than a third party.
It’s a no-brainer to brand the piece exclusively under Automox. The data is trustworthy, well-phrased, accessible, and compelling. Why wouldn’t we want to put our name on something so impactful?
Why B2B buyers think brands are more trustworthy when doing the research
B2B buyers share their opinions:
“Brands care about their reputation in the market, which is why I trust research conducted by the brand more.“
“Paid third parties will include extraneous content, and I sense they’re saying what they need to get paid.”
“Because their reputation is attached to their brand.”
“Because the brand knows it’s their name on the product.”
“I think sometimes third parties are more likely to be biased based on if they are being paid by a brand.”
Content Most Likely to Stand Out
Glass half full or glass half empty… 50% of B2B buyers say they have encountered content that stood out.
According to the survey, 61% of buyers want to see more real-world examples, while 59% seek deeper analysis, such as a thorough examination of underlying data, trends, and implications. This could include incorporating expert commentary, detailed comparisons, and other insights that go beyond surface-level information.
When it comes to specific topics, 58% of buyers wish for more case studies of successful implementations, 51% desire comprehensive coverage of industry regulations and compliance, and 54% are interested in market trends and analysis. These preferences highlight the importance of providing detailed, practical, and peer-influenced content to meet the evolving needs of buyers.
For those who have encountered content that was particularly useful or compelling, here’s what made it exceptional, in their own words…
“The quality of the data provided”
“It showed how the product was used by several companies in the same area of expertise”
“It was about a solution method to a real problem we had similar to it”
“It was actual data from customers”
“Surprising findings that changed how we conduct business”
“It was in direct relevance to my needs”
“Demo videos in a real life scenario, showing relevant solutions to my specific problems”
“Industry peers”
“It provided new information that was relevant”
“The quality and breadth of the research”
“Provided detailed steps gleaned from successful implementations”
“The authenticity of the customer and industry leader’s interviews”
“Detailed graphics made it stand out”
Industry Insight
Real-world examples are particularly valued by those who work in Marketing (100%) and Finance (79%). Interactive elements were also important to Marketing (80%), but for IT (66%), deeper analysis topped the list.
Key Takeaway
Real-world examples, deeper analysis, and visually appealing design can help your content stand out.
Preferred Content Formats, Channels, Topics, and Timing
Our study found that search engines and websites are the most common channels where buyers find content. That means that SEO and direct website visits play the biggest roles in helping content get discovered. But the shareability of content matters as well, with referrals, social media, and industry forums all playing strong roles in how buyers discover a brand’s content.
Buyers’ preferred content formats: research reports, analyst reports, and articles.
When it comes to content formats, buyers prefer to consume research reports, analyst reports, and articles. In fact, 65% of buyers prefer to review analyst reports and original research when researching software or services purchases.
As for what buyers say they’d like included in these types of research reports, they report being most interested in original research that includes market analysis, interviews with industry experts, or industry trends reports.
B2B buyers want brands to publish original research frequently.
86% of buyers would like to see brands publish research once a quarter or more frequently.
For the C-suite, content during the early research stage is especially important, as 70% say this
is when content is most impactful. They would also prefer to see brands publish research more often than most buyers. Specifically, 50% of C-suite indicated they would like to see brands publish monthly reports versus 35% overall.
Perceptions of AI-Generated Content
While AI-generated content sparks mixed feelings from buyers and marketers alike, most buyers are embracing it with 58% of B2B buyers reporting they like AI-generated content.
Only 13% say they dislike it and 29% say they are neutral. However, 64% of buyers admit that it’s challenging to distinguish between AI and human-created content.
Using AI-generated content likely won’t impact your brands’ reputation, as long as it has a human touch.
Trust is a critical factor in the perception of AIgenerated content. While 38% of respondents lose trust in a brand when they can tell the content is AI generated, a significant number of B2B buyers (62%) state that the use of AI-generated content has no impact on their trust in the brand.
Integrating AI-generated content into your workflow can enhance efficiency without compromising your brand’s reputation, but it’s crucial to maintain high quality standards. To achieve thought leadership and include original research, blend AI with human expertise.
Use AI where it adds value, such as drafting or generating ideas, but ensure human inputs like survey data, interviews, and expert analysis are incorporated.
Additionally, have a real human edit and finalize the content to add a nuanced touch and avoid a robotic tone. This holistic approach ensures your content remains authoritative and engaging.
Conclusion
If you want to improve the quality of your content and make it more appealing to B2B buyers, focus on incorporating original research.
The best way to make your content stand out is to add case studies and other real-world examples, and provide an in-depth analysis of the data or topic.
Because buyers trust brand research equally or more than third-party research, marketers
can confidently opt to do research in-house or use lesser known, but reputable (and often less
expensive) third-party services.
