B2B Content Marketing 2022 Research

TABLE OF CONTENTS Content Marketing: A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, m INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 3 relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain m a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive B2B CONTENT MARKETING TOP PERFORMERS AT A GLANCE........4 profitable customer action. m STRATEGY, OPINIONS & OVERALL SUCCESS ................................... 5 Success: Achieving your organization’s desired/ m TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING ............................................ 11 targeted results. m CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION ......................................... 20 m METRICS & GOALS .......................................................................... 33 All Respondents: B2B content marketers, all of whom m indicated they are a content marketer, involved with the BUDGETS & SPENDING .................................................................. 39 content marketing function, and/or someone to whom m LOOKING FORWARD ...................................................................... 44 content marketing reports, either directly or indirectly. m CLOSING THOUGHTS – BY ROBERT ROSE ...................................... 49 Most Successful (aka Top Performers) and Least m Successful: The “most successful” are those who KEY TAKEAWAYS ............................................................................. 51 characterize their organization’s overall content m marketing approach as extremely or very successful METHODOLOGY .............................................................................. 53 (Top 2). The “least successful” characterize their m ABOUT ............................................................................................ 54 organization’s approach as minimally or not at all successful (Bottom 2). See page 10. LISA MURTON BEETS STEPHANIE STAHL KIM MOUTSOS AMIE CANGELOSI Research Director & Report Author, CMI General Manager, CMI VP Content, CMI Marketing Director, CMI ANN HANDLEY ROBERT ROSE JOSEPH “JK” KALINOWSKI KAREN SCHOPP Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs Chief Strategy Advisor, CMI Creative Director, CMI Account Manager, CMI 2

INTRODUCTION elcome to the 12th Annual Content Marketing Without in-person events and face-to-face selling, WBenchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for many who had previously paid little attention to 2022 report. What a year it has been. content marketing suddenly became aware of its power. More content marketers got a seat at the table This edition of our report looks back on the last and helped keep many businesses on their audiences’ 12 months and includes expectations for 2022. radar. Some discovered new audiences altogether. Throughout, you will see quotes from the many rich, qualitative responses we received to the question The research also confirmed what many of us already “What did the pandemic change most about your knew: Content marketers are some of the fiercest organization’s content marketing strategy/approach?” business pros around. In the most difficult of times, In all, 75% of respondents took the time to answer this they get the job done – and many come through more question and we are ever so grateful. What amazing creative and stronger than before. insights it yielded! Congratulations, content marketers, for a job well The key theme that emerged was this: The pandemic done in the most difficult of times. Our entire team awoke a sleeping giant – content marketing, that is. salutes you! 33

TOP PERFORMERS How B2B Content Marketing Top Performers* Describe Their Organization – At a Glance Most Successful All Respondents Least Successful Has a documented content marketing strategy 62% 40% 11% Characterizes their content marketing as sophisticated/mature 71% 40% 5% Has two or more full-time employees dedicated to content marketing 54% 43% 17% Outsources content marketing activities 57% 50% 36% Uses content creation/calendaring/collaboration/workflow tools 83% 73% 50% Uses a content management system (CMS) 60% 49% 40% Measures content performance 90% 75% 39% Characterizes team’s ability to demonstrate ROI for content marketing initiatives 64% 36% 8% as excellent/very good Spends 50% or more of total marketing budget on content marketing 32% 22% 8% Expects 2022 content marketing budget to increase over 2021 75% 66% 61% Strongly/somewhat agrees: Organization values creativity and craft in content creation and production 92% 80% 63% Organization provides customers with a consistent experience across their journey 81% 60% 30% Uses content marketing successfully to: Build loyalty with existing customers/clients 78% 60% 34% Nurture subscribers/audiences/leads 64% 49% 23% Generate sales/revenue 57% 42% 22% Chart term definitions: A top performer (aka “most successful”) is a respondent who characterizes their 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. Base: Content marketers. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 4

STRATEGY, OPINIONS & OVERALL SUCCESS

STRATEGY, OPINIONS & OVERALL SUCCESS or some, 2020 was the year of quickly adapting their content “Content marketing became more essential during the pandemic. Fmarketing strategy. For others, it was the year to finally Due to a decrease in revenue, we weren’t pursuing paid advertising. develop one. With restrictions and wanting to ensure the health and safety of our team and clients, we had few in-person meetings. Content “The pandemic made us create a strategy. Getting attention got marketing helped us stay in front of people digitally.” way harder, and we had to adapt. We built an SEO strategy and a content marketing strategy on that, as well as a new website, and Companies became more empathetic are seeing improvement in our results,” one respondent said. About half of respondents (51%) agreed that over the last year it had become increasingly difficult to capture audiences’ attention. Others found their companies finally paying attention to content To combat that, many adjusted the tone of their marketing. marketing: “We increased our empathy toward our audience and found them “The pandemic forced us to start content marketing and add to be more receptive.” marketing as a focus. We were previously very sales oriented.” “We stayed in touch with customers with tips for helping their staff “The pandemic reinforced the importance of our content marketing and patients. We offered more uplifting and educational marketing, strategy. The commitment to content marketing is now company- positioned ourselves as a partner, and focused on helping rather wide and there is increased collaboration between the sales and than selling.” marketing team.” “We had to be more thoughtful about the topics we were covering, 73% OF RESPONDENTS HAVE A CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY. as well as the target audiences we were approaching. Our core “Before the pandemic, my company did not have a marketing audience is healthcare professionals, so we had to cover topics they presence at all. I was brought in to revamp the look and feel of a tired, cared about rather than talking about what WE thought they cared industrial B2B company and introduce new strategies to assist in sales about (and risk appearing tone-deaf).” development. We have now completed a rebrand and are looking at expanding our marketing presence even further.” continued on next page 66

STRATEGY, OPINIONS & OVERALL SUCCESS 58% SAID THEIR CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY IS “We changed the way we write,” one respondent said. “More MODERATELY OR SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT NOW VS. PRE-PANDEMIC. empathy and less hard sell. We don’t want to kick people when they’re down. If your only objective is to force someone down “We understood that digital does not exist without real life. your journey or path, you should find another job. Give more We are now working on more ‘daily and authentic content’ for and take less!” brand awareness and trust. Selling will be the last step, not the first one.” Success was mostly attributed to value content provides Nearly a third (29%) of respondents said their organizations were extremely or very successful with content marketing in the last 12 months – a figure that’s in line with what we find every year with this research. Most of those marketers (74%) said the value their content provides was the top factor. 29% SAID THEIR ORGANIZATIONS WERE EXTREMELY OR VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH CONTENT MARKETING IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS – A FIGURE THAT’S IN LINE WITH WHAT WE FIND EVERY YEAR WITH THIS RESEARCH. 7

STRATEGY, OPINIONS & OVERALL SUCCESS 77% reported that their organization has a content marketing strategy. Of those, 58% said their strategy is moderately or slightly different now versus pre-pandemic. Percentage of B2B Marketers Diﬀerence in B2B Content Marketing Strategy With a Content Marketing Strategy Now Vs. Pre-Pandemic 5% 6%4% ■ Extremely diﬀerent 3% ■ Very diﬀerent 22% ■ Yes, and it is documented 14% 15% ■ Moderately diﬀerent 40% ■ Yes, but it is not documented ■ Slightly diﬀerent ■ No, but plan to within 12 months ■ Not diﬀerent at all 33% ■ No, with no plans 22% 36% ■ Unsure Base: B2B content marketers. ■ We didn’t have a content marketing strategy one year ago 11th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Base: Content marketers whose organizations Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2020 have a content marketing strategy. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 8

STRATEGY, OPINIONS & OVERALL SUCCESS Most content marketers said their organizations value creativity and craft in content creation and production. Over the last year, many have been asked to do more with the same resources. Half of all respondents said it has become increasingly difficult to capture their audience’s attention. B2B Marketers’ Opinions About Content Marketing in Their Organizations (Strongly/Somewhat Agree) Our organization values creativity and 80% 92% craft in content creation and production. 63% Over the last year, our content team has been 66% asked to do more with the same resources. 60% 67% Our organization provides customers with a consistent 60% 81% experience across their engagement journey. 30% Over the last year, it has become increasingly 45% diﬀicult to capture our audience’s attention. 51% 60% 0 20 40 60 80 100 m Most successful m All respondents m Least successful Base: Content marketers who answered each statement. Base: Content marketers whose organizations have a content marketing strategy. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 9

STRATEGY, OPINIONS & OVERALL SUCCESS 29% of respondents said their organization was extremely or very successful with content marketing in the last 12 months. The top contributing factor was the value their content provides. The organization’s size had little impact on overall success. For example, 27% of those from small companies reported high levels of success, as did 30% of those from large companies. How B2B Marketers Rate Their Factors Contributing to B2B Content Marketing Organization’s Overall Level of Success in Last 12 Months Content Marketing Success in Last 12 Months The value our content provides 74% 3% 4% Website changes 59% ■ Extremely successful 14% Adapting to changes brought forth by pandemic 52% 25% ■ Very successful Strategy changes 44% ■ Moderately successful ■ Minimally successful Search rankings 43% ■ Not at all successful Changing buyer/consumer behaviors 36% 55% Changing our products/services 18% Base: Content marketers. 2% Other 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 0 20 40 60 80 Base: Content marketers who said their organizations were extremely/ very successful with content marketing. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/ MarketingProfs, July 2021 10

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING s we’ve found in past years, many organizations have small or one- Regarding large companies, 61% indicated last year that they outsourced. Aperson content marketing teams serving the entire organization. This year, the figure was up to 75%. This suggests that in the early phase Large companies (1,000+ employees) are the exception. of the pandemic large companies pulled the reins back on outsourcing but are now back to the practice. In fact, more large companies are 67% AGREED THAT, OVER THE LAST YEAR, THEIR CONTENT TEAM outsourcing now than in 2019 (75% vs. 71%). HAD BEEN ASKED TO DO MORE WITH THE SAME RESOURCES. THE DATA SUGGESTS THAT DURING THE THICK OF THE PANDEMIC, How does the work get done? The data suggests that many companies LARGE COMPANIES PULLED THE REINS BACK A BIT ON OUTSOURCING are both outsourcing content marketing work and asking internal BUT ARE NOW BACK TO THE PRACTICE … MORE LARGE COMPANIES staff with other responsibilities to take on more. However, those who ARE OUTSOURCING NOW THAN IN 2019 (75% VS. 71%). have dedicated internal content marketing resources tend to be more successful with content marketing. Reinforcing this, 40% of respondents said budget issues were a top challenge when seeking outsourced content marketing help – down “The pandemic slowed things down for us,” one respondent said. “We from 51% the previous year. The top challenge? Finding partners with were going to hire support for content, but we haven’t been able to. So, adequate topical expertise (65%), which was also the top challenge the we’re doing more with less/the same and it’s tricky.” previous year. Outsourcing trends Where the content came from In a consistent year-over-year trend, around half of all surveyed used Many organizations did whatever it took to keep the content coming: outsourcing. The percentage was higher for large companies and lower among the least successful. It makes sense that the least successful are “We created a dedicated cross-functional task force team to pump out doing more content marketing work in-house, as many from that group content regularly to keep up with changing COVID issues related to our are in the early phases of content marketing maturity and may be laying customers. This team spent 25-50% of their time doing this which made us the foundations internally before seeking outside help. the leader in our industry.” continued on next page 1212

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING “OUR CONTENT MARKETING TEAM WAS BUILT DURING THE “Less content marketing and social media management was being produced/ PANDEMIC AND GREW FROM ONE TO THREE PEOPLE — ALL FULL- maintained due to a reduction in staff and working hours per week.” TIME REMOTE, EVEN AFTER ‘RETURN TO OFFICE.’” “The pandemic hit our marketing team resources (furlough, leaves, etc.) and “We work in the clinical trial space, so we were extremely busy with a VERY put new hires on ice.” small team. We had new products that we developed and promoted in response to the pandemic that were not on our roadmap. We were also in “Our executive team did not approve most marketing efforts. It seemed like the middle of redoing our website and suddenly had to pivot and add a lot we were pushing for sales during a terrible time. All budget was pulled for more information that was not originally planned/budgeted for. The shift to activities. The ones that remained brought minimal effort and low results. virtual events/tradeshow was also a very big lift for us.” This was against my professional recommendation to continue marketing to keep leads coming in.” “Our company increased its respect for our messaging strategy and content marketing efforts, though it also demanded more from our small Others took on more work team. I had to take a seat at more tables and collaborate more across the In some verticals, companies saw business increase: company to put together the most valuable content possible.” “We support data centers and edge computing. The increase in work “Our content marketing team was built during the pandemic and grew from from home and data use led to a booming market with many different one to three people — all full-time remote, even after ‘return to office.’” technologies. Our company is investing in more R&D and creating new products in adjacent markets. This means our content team has had to Some faced staff reductions understand new technologies, find new SMEs, and understand new target But it wasn’t all rosy. Others lamented the reduction in staff: personas. There was no Netflix bingeing for us. We have been running since March 13, 2020 and will be running for a while.” “Our budget was significantly reduced overall and remains that way. We also had to lay off employees, so we don’t have the time to develop a full-blown strategy.” continued on next page 13

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING “OUR CONTENT TEAM HAS HAD TO UNDERSTAND NEW “Figuring out how content was measured by your predecessor vs. how you TECHNOLOGIES, FIND NEW SMES, AND UNDERSTAND NEW TARGET want to do it takes time, not to mention a content audit of what exists vs. PERSONAS. THERE WAS NO NETFLIX BINGEING FOR US. WE HAVE creating a calendar of what’s to come. BEEN RUNNING SINCE MARCH 13, 2020 AND WILL BE RUNNING FOR A WHILE.” “This is all normal, but I think it’s more widespread now than ever before. There are SO many new hires on big-tech marketing teams right now that “For whatever strange reason, we were the busiest we’ve ever been during institutional knowledge is gone for a lot of folks and/or we’re just trying the pandemic, so we’ve focused more on better content processes and things that haven’t been done before,” they continued. “Similarly, there finding the right staff to do the work.” are a lot of new hires in other departments that I lean on as SMEs, so they are figuring it out right alongside me.” One respondent mentioned the challenges presented by people leaving companies and new talent coming in: “A LOT of people changed jobs during the pandemic, so one of the biggest changes is that content teams are new right now — and being new to an organization comes with a learning curve to become an SME in that brand, even if you’re a content marketing veteran. 14

ThThThThe me me me maaaajjjjoooorrrriiiitttty oy oy oy of rf rf rf resesesesppppoooonnnndendendendents ts ts ts (57%) r(57%) r(57%) r(57%) repepepepoooorrrrtttteeeed td td td thhhhe size oe size oe size oe size of tf tf tf thhhheir eir eir eir cocococonnnnttttenenenent mt mt mt maaaarrrrkkkketetetetininining tg tg tg teeeeaaaam wam wam wam was s s s tttthhhhe se se se saaaammmme ae ae ae as 12 ms 12 ms 12 ms 12 moooonnnntttthhhhs as as as aggggo ao ao ao annnnd d d d 31% s31% s31% s31% saaaaid iid iid iid it ht ht ht had inad inad inad incrcrcrcreeeeaaaasssseeeedddd.... TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING Most organizations have small (or one-person) marketing/content marketing teams serving the entire organization (58%). Large organizations are most likely to have both centralized groups and individual teams working throughout the organization (37%). B2B Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Structure All Respondents Small Medium Large (1-99 Employees) (100-999 Employees) (1,000+ Employees) We have a centralized content marketing group that works with 21% 0% 29% 27% multiple brands/products/departments throughout the organization. Each brand/product/department has its own content marketing team. 6% 1% 6% 15% Both of the above — We have a centralized group and individual 16% 6% 14% 37% teams throughout the organization. We have a small (or one-person) marketing/content marketing team 58% 78% 52% 20% serving the entire organization. Base: Content marketers. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 15

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING Medium- and large-sized companies tend to have bigger teams, often in the two- to five-employee range. B2B Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Size (Full-Time/Dedicated to Content Marketing) All Respondents Small Medium Large (1-99 Employees) (100-999 Employees) (1,000+ Employees) 11+ 4% .5% 1% 15% 6-10 6% 2% 8% 11% 2-5 33% 22% 45% 41% 1 26% 33% 23% 15% 0 (no one is full time, dedicated) 32% 43% 23% 17% Base: Content marketers. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 16

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING The most successful content marketers are more likely than all respondents to have more internal content marketing resources and to outsource. B2B Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Size & Outsourcing (By Success) Most Succesful All Respondents Least Succesful Zero full-time employees dedicated to content marketing 19% 32% 58% One full-time employee dedicated to content marketing 27% 26% 26% Two or more full-time employees dedicated to content marketing 54% 43% 17% Outsources content marketing activities 57% 50% 36% Base: Content marketers. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 17

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING Half of all respondents said their organization outsources at least one content marketing activity, with large companies being the most likely to outsource. Two years ago, 71% of respondents from large companies said they outsourced, compared with 61% the previous year. The figure is back up again, and even higher than two years ago (75% vs. 71%). Does Your B2B Organization Outsource Any Content Marketing Activities? All Respondents Small Medium Large (1-99 Employees) (100-999 Employees) (1,000+ Employees) Yes 50% 37% 54% 75% No 50% 63% 46% 25% Base: Content marketers. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 18

TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING The top challenge for B2B marketers who outsource is finding partners with adequate topical expertise (65%). The percentage of those who indicated that budget issues are a challenge decreased to 40% compared with 51% the previous year. Top 5 Challenges When Seeking Outsourced B2B Content Marketing Help Finding partners with adequate topical expertise 65% Finding partners who understand/can empathize with our audience 41% Budget issues 40% Lack of clear return on investment (ROI) metrics 31% Finding partners who can provide adequate strategic advice 26% Lack of integration with our organization’s process/tools 25% Finding partners who consistently deliver on time 19% Lack of comprehensive solutions from one partner 14% Other 7% 0 20 40 60 80 Base: Content marketers who outsourced at least one content marketing activity. Aided list; up to five responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 19

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION ne thing that changed during work-from-home was collaboration. It Webinars also took the top spot when we asked which video formats Omakes sense that 73% of respondents indicated they used content produced the best results (51% said webinars/webcasts/web series, with creation/calendaring/collaboration/workflow tools, which represented a interviews with industry experts coming in at a distant second at 36%). big increase over the previous year (58%). VIRTUAL EVENTS/WEBINARS/ONLINE COURSES WERE RATED “Our use of internal technology changed,” one respondent said. “Working AS THE CONTENT TYPE THAT PRODUCED THE BEST CONTENT 100% virtually improved our skills and mindset about collaborating across MARKETING RESULTS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS. WEBINARS ALSO the world; however, it sometimes hindered informal collaboration that TOOK THE TOP SPOT WHEN WE ASKED WHICH VIDEO FORMATS can take place when on site. We saw the increased promotion of higher- PRODUCED THE BEST RESULTS. level content and helpful, useful content for customers and less focus on product feature promotions — something we’ll continue.” The pandemic prompted many marketers to try new things. “We developed less static content and more interactive and animated content Others noted: formats,” one said. “The planning process got harder. The content produced was relatively the “It gave us time to try things that we may not have before,” another noted. same but planning with team members changed.” “We created some content that had only been ideas previously.” “The time spent caring for family, team, daily logistics ate into work time.” Distribution also changes Some respondents noted they began producing more content during the Virtual events and webinars take center stage pandemic and distributing it across more and different channels: The types of content that marketers were creating changed, too — the most obvious example was the shift from in-person events to virtual “We began generating content on a more frequent basis and exploring new events, which took center stage (virtual events/webinars/online courses channels in which to distribute the content”. were rated the content type that produced the best content marketing results in the last 12 months). continued on next page 21

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION “We came to a fundamental understanding that our customers are “Our audiences did not have time to read evergreen content,” they consuming content in more channels than we imagined.” continued. “We tried to be highly relevant in the moment, providing insight from our perspective on ONLY the topics where we could provide “We did more outbound sales calls and increased webinar frequency to once meaningful, actionable insight.” per month. Previously we did only whitepapers and blog content.” “WE BEGAN GENERATING CONTENT ON A MORE FREQUENT BASIS AND EXPLORING NEW CHANNELS IN WHICH TO DISTRIBUTE THE CONTENT.” “We began paying more attention to social media platforms as well as blogging platforms from the traditional offline marketing techniques. This resulted in increased user retention, a hike in pageviews, and more.” As several respondents said, the pandemic made content marketers rethink how much content they deliver. We heard from many who cut back on quantity to focus on quality. “When everything went to digital there was an onslaught of emails, podcasts, and webcasts. We forced ourselves to be much more thoughtful in what we were putting out there, and if it wasn’t highly relevant to what was going on at that moment in time, we didn’t produce and distribute. 2222

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION The most successful marketers were more likely than all respondents to prioritize the audience’s informational needs, differentiate their content from the competition, and craft content based on specific stages of the buyer’s journey. Concepts B2B Marketers Always/Frequently Take Into Account While Creating Content for Their Organization Prioritize the audience’s informational needs over your 68% 87% organization’s sales/promotional message. 41% Diﬀerentiate your content from the competition. 78% 32% 59% Craft content based on specific stages 45% 62% of the buyer’s journey. 17% 0 20 40 60 80 100 m Most successful m All respondents m Least successful Base: Content marketers who answered each statement. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 23

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION The top technologies B2B organizations use to assist with content marketing are analytics tools (83%), social media publishing/analytics (80%), email marketing software (75%), and content creation/calendaring/collaboration/ workflow tools (73%). Technologies B2B Organizations Use to Assist With Content Marketing Analytics tools (e.g., web analytics, dashboards) 83% Social media publishing/analytics 80% Email marketing software 75% Content creation/calendaring/collaboration/workflow 73% Customer relationship management (CRM) system 53% Content management system (CMS) 49% Marketing automation system (MAS) 34% Content distribution platform 23% Content performance/recommendation analytics 22% Other 4% 0 20 40 60 80 90 Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 24

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION 90% of respondents used short articles/posts for content marketing purposes in the last 12 months. The most successful content marketers were more likely than all respondents to have used: Case studies ....................................................73% vs. 61% E-books/white papers ....................................67% vs. 56% Long articles/posts .........................................62% vs. 49% Research reports .............................................40% vs. 29% Content Assets B2B Marketers Created/Used in Last 12 Months Short articles/posts (less than 3,000 words) 90% Videos 66% Virtual events/webinars/online courses 64% Case studies 61% Infographics/charts/data viz/3D models 57% E-books/white papers 56% Long articles/posts (more than 3,000 words) 49% Podcasts 29% Research reports 29% In-person events 19% Livestreaming content 19% Print magazines or books 17% None of the above 2% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 25

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Respondents said virtual events/webinars/online courses produced the best results for their content marketing in the last 12 months (58%) — those who are most successful agreed (66%). Long articles/posts stood out as an area where those who are most successful reported better results than respondents overall (43% vs. 32%). B2B Content Assets That Produced the Best Results in Last 12 Months Virtual events/webinars/online courses 58% Research reports 48% Short articles/posts (less than 3,000 words) 48% E-books/white papers 47% Case studies 39% Videos 38% In-person events 37% Long articles/posts (more than 3,000 words) 32% Infographics/charts/data viz/3D models 27% Livestreaming content 25% Podcasts 23% Print magazines or books 22% 0 10 20 40 50 60 Note: Respondents were shown a display list of the content types they used in the last 12 months and asked, “Which content assets produced the best results for your content marketing in the last 12 months? (Select all that apply.)” Base: Content marketers who use each content asset listed. Multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 26

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Among the video formats they used, respondents said webinars/webcasts/web series produced the best content marketing results in the last 12 months (51%). B2B Video Formats That Produced the Best Results in Last 12 Months Webinars/webcasts/web series 51% Interviews with industry experts 36% How-to videos 33% About our company 20% About our customers 14% First-look product overviews 13% Industry research/analyst reports 11% Interactive video 9% In-depth product reviews 7% Other 10% 0 10 20 40 50 60 Base: Content marketers who used videos in the last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 27

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION In addition to using their organization’s website to distribute content in the last 12 months, more than 50% of respondents used blogs, email newsletters, and email. Owned-Media Platforms B2B Marketers Used to Distribute Content in Last 12 Months Their organization’s website 90% Blog 76% Email newsletter 69% Email (other than newsletter) 68% Microsite (e.g., resource center) 28% Their organization’s branded online community 22% Digital magazine 12% Online learning platform 12% Mobile app 8% Other 5% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 28

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION About half of respondents (52%) used media/public relations and speaking/presenting at events to distribute content in the last 12 months. The most successful content marketers were more likely than all respondents to have used: Media/public relations ................................................64% vs. 52% Guest posts/articles in third-party publications ........54% vs. 43% Guest spots ..................................................................46% vs. 32% Organic (Nonpaid) Platforms B2B Marketers Used to Distribute Content in Last 12 Months Media/public relations 52% Speaking/presenting at events 52% Guest posts/articles in third-party publications 43% Collaborative social spaces 33% Guest spots 32% Influencer partnerships 22% Listening platforms 15% SMS/text messages 7% None of the above 13% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 29

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION LinkedIn is the organic social media platform that B2B content marketers used the most and the one they said produced the best results. Organic (Nonpaid) Social Media Platforms B2B Marketers Used B2B Organic (Nonpaid) Social Media Platforms to Distribute Content in Last 12 Months That Produced Best Results in Last 12 Months (Top 5) LinkedIn 93% Facebook 80% LinkedIn 77% Facebook 37% Twitter 71% Instagram 27% YouTube 60% YouTube 21% Instagram 56% Twitter 17% Pinterest 11% Medium 8% 0 20 40 60 80 0 20 40 60 80 100 Base: Content marketers who used the nonpaid social media platforms listed to Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. distribute content in the last 12 months. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 Other paid social media platforms used in last 12 months: Clubhouse (5%), Quora (5%), TikTok (5%), Reddit (4%), Discord (2%), Snapchat (2%), Twitter Spaces (2%), Other (3%), and None (2%). 30

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Among the respondents whose organizations used paid content distribution channels, 77% used social media advertising/promoted posts. Do You Use Paid Methods Over the Last 12 Months, How Has to Promote Content? Your Spending on Paid Content Distribution Channels Evolved? 19% 9% 16% ■ Increased ■ Yes 45% ■Stayed the same 81% ■ No ■ Decreased 31% ■ Unsure Paid Content Distribution Channels B2B Marketers Used in Last 12 Months Social media advertising/promoted posts 77% Search engine marketing (SEM)/ pay-per-click 65% Sponsorships (e.g., events, booths, workshops) 49% Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 Native advertising/sponsored content 39% (not including social media platforms) Partner emails promoting our content 31% Other 5% 0 20 40 60 80 31

CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Among the 77% of respondents who used paid social media platforms, the majority chose LinkedIn (75%) and Facebook (69%), which they also said produced the best results. Paid Social Media Platforms B2B Content Marketers Used in Last 12 Months (Top 5) LinkedIn 75% Other paid social media platforms used in last 12 months: Facebook 69% Pinterest (3%), Reddit (2%), TikTok (2%), Quora (1%), Snapchat Instagram 30% (1%), and Other (3%). Twitter 22% Base: Content marketers who used social media platforms for paid content promotion in the YouTube 19% last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 0 20 40 60 80 B2B Paid Social Media Platforms That Produced Best Results in Last 12 Months (Top 5) LinkedIn 79% Base: Content marketers who used the social media platforms listed for paid content Facebook 54% promotion in the last 12 months. Multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 YouTube 36% Instagram 33% Twitter 28% 0 20 40 60 80 32

METRICS & GOALS

METRICS & GOALS hree out of four respondents (75%) said their organization measures “WORK-FROM-HOME FORCED US TO DO MORE WEBINARS INSTEAD Tcontent performance. Those who measure said website engagement OF LIVE EVENTS, WHICH ENDED UP INCREASING OUR ACTUAL (69%), conversions (67%), website traffic (65%), and email engagement AUDIENCE 10X. AND NOT A JUNK AUDIENCE EITHER, BUT A (64%) provided the most insight into B2B content performance in the last RELEVANT AUDIENCE THAT WE WEREN’T REACHING BEFORE.” 12 months. The most successful surpass their peers in several key areas According to one respondent, “The pandemic has made it possible to Regarding goals, all respondents were using content marketing show the longer-term ROI of each content investment as we focused on successfully to create brand awareness. The most successful stood apart optimizing, improving, and distributing content we already had to increase in three key areas: engagement AND conversions across the buyer journey.” • Building loyalty with existing clients and customers (78% vs. 60%) And while leads didn’t provide the highest levels of insight, numerous • Nurturing subscribers/audiences/leads (64% vs. 49%) respondents mentioned that the number of leads was down, but lead • Generating sales/revenue (57% vs. 42%) quality had improved: For more ways the top performers stood out, see page 38. “Work-from-home forced us to do more webinars instead of live events, which ended up increasing our actual audience 10x. And not a junk audience either, but a relevant audience that we weren’t reaching before.” “Before COVID, 50% of our leads came from in-person events. We’ve had to double down on focusing on email marketing, SEO, SEM, and emails. Things are slower, yes, but the quality of leads is quite high.” 34

METRICS & GOALS 75% of respondents said their organization measures content performance. Among those, 69% said website engagement provided the most insight into performance. Does Your B2B Organization Metrics That Have Provided Most Insight Into Use Metrics to Measure B2B Content Performance in Last 12 Months Content Performance? Website engagement 69% 9% Conversions 67% 16% Website traﬀic 65% ■ Yes 75% ■ No Email engagement 64% ■ Unsure Social media analytics 51% Quality of leads 44% Search rankings 39% Base: Content marketers. Email subscriber numbers 32% 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Quantity of leads 30% Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 Cost to acquire a lead, subscriber, and/or customer 26% Other 2% 0 20 40 60 80 Base: Content marketers who measure content performance. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 35

METRICS & GOALS Among the 75% of respondents who measured content performance, 36% indicated they’re doing an excellent or very good job. How B2B Marketers Characterize Their Teams’ Excellent — We have measurement data Ability to Demonstrate Content Marketing ROI showing ROI on overall content marketing 1% approach. 2% 8% 10% Very good — We have measurement ■ Excellent data showing ROI on at least one content ■ Very good marketing initiative with well-informed 28% ■Average insights in other areas. 51% ■ Below average ■ Poor Average — We have well-informed insights, ■ Unsure but lack measurement data showing ROI. Below average — We have only speculative Base: Content marketers who measure content performance. Aided list. insights at this point. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 Poor — We have little insight into what works and what doesn’t. 36

METRICS & GOALS As we’ve found in past years, B2B marketers say the top three goals content marketing helps them achieve are creating brand awareness, building credibility/trust, and educating the audience. This page shows topline results. The next page shows how the top performers set themselves apart. Goals B2B Marketers Have Achieved by Using Content Marketing Successfully in Last 12 Months (All Respondents) Create brand awareness 80% Build credibility/trust 75% Educate audience(s) 70% Build loyalty with existing clients/customers 60% Generate demand/leads 60% Nurture subscribers/ audiences/leads 49% Drive attendance to one or more in-person or virtual events 47% Generate sales/revenue 42% Support the launch of a new product 42% Build a subscribed audience 37% None of the above 2% 0 20 40 60 80 Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 37

METRICS & GOALS Most respondents were successful with using content marketing to create brand awareness. However, a much higher percentage of the most successful said they met the following goals in the last 12 months:  Build loyalty with existing clients and customers (78% vs. 60%)  Nurture subscribers/audiences/leads (64% vs. 49%)  Generate sales/revenue (57% vs. 42%)  Build credibility and trust (88% vs. 75%)  Build a subscribed audience (50% vs. 37%)  Drive attendance to one or more in-person or virtual events (60% vs. 47%)  Generate demand/leads (72% vs. 60%) Goals B2B Marketers Have Achieved by Using Content Marketing Successfully in Last 12 Months (Most Successful vs. All vs. Least Successful) Most Successful All Respondents Least Successful Create brand awareness 88% 80% 63% Build credibility/trust 88% 75% 47% Educate audience(s) 80% 70% 48% Build loyalty with existing clients/customers 78% 60% 34% Generate demand/leads 72% 60% 36% Nurture subscribers/audience/leads 64% 49% 23% Drive attendance to one or more in-person or virtual events 60% 47% 24% Generate sales/revenue 57% 42% 22% Support the launch of a new product 47% 42% 31% Build a subscribed audience 50% 37% 14% None of the above 0% 2% 12% Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 38

BUDGETS & SPENDING

BUDGETS & SPENDING ixty-four percent of respondents said they were familiar with their Hybrid events Scompany’s content marketing budget. Of those, 22% said they spend Investment in hybrid events is expected to increase (39%) more so than 50% or more of their total marketing budget on content marketing. stay the same (29%), even though 18% do not use hybrid events at all. Forty-three percent said their 2021 content marketing budget increased Digital events over 2020 spending levels. Regarding digital events, many marketers appear to want to stay the course (41% say spending will stay the same), although 33% plan to Investment expected to grow increase spending. Sixty-six percent of respondents with knowledge of their budgeting process — and 75% of those who were most successful — expect their Note: The percentage of those expecting to increase spending in each 2022 content marketing budget to increase over their 2021 budget. area above did not differ among the most successful, all respondents, and least successful respondents. 66% OF RESPONDENTS WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR BUDGETING PROCESS – AND 75% OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL – EXPECT THEIR According to one respondent, “We have more online engagement with 2022 CONTENT MARKETING BUDGET TO INCREASE OVER THEIR customers, and live webinars are more successful and well attended. We 2021 BUDGET. have more budget because tradeshows are canceled and they’re very expensive.” Investment in events is expected to increase as follows: In-person events In a post-COVID-vaccine business environment, investment is expected to increase in in-person events (52%). 40

BUDGETS & SPENDING 64% of respondents said they had knowledge of their company’s content marketing budget. Of those, 22% said they spent 50% or more of their total marketing budget on content marketing. Do You Have Knowledge of Percentage of Total Marketing Budget Spent Your Organization’s Budget/Budgeting on B2B Content Marketing Process for Content Marketing? 100% 3% 75%-99% 6% 50%-74% 13% 36% ■ Yes 64% ■ No 25%-49% 17% 10%-24% 26% 5%-9% 16% 1%-4% 14% Base: Content marketers. 0% 5% 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 0 20 40 60 Base: Content marketers who know their organizations’ budget/budgeting process for content marketing. Aided list. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 41

BUDGETS & SPENDING 43% said their 2021 content marketing budget increased over 2020 levels. 66% expect their 2022 content marketing budget to increase over their 2021 budget. How 2021 B2B Content Marketing Budget How B2B Content Marketing Budget Compares with 2020 Will Change in 2022 Compared with 2021 1% 4% 2% 7% 11% ■ Increase more than 9% ■ Increased 20% ■ Increase 1%-9% ■ Stayed the same 43% 24% ■ Stay the same ■ Decreased ■ Decrease 1%-9% ■ Unsure 42% 46% ■ Decrease more than 9% ■ Unsure Base: Content marketers who know their organizations’ budget/budgeting process Base: Content marketers who know their organizations’ budget/budgeting process for content marketing. Aided list. for content marketing. Aided list. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 Profs, July 2021 42

BUDGETS & SPENDING In a post-COVID-vaccine business environment, investment is expected to increase in in-person events (52%). Investment in hybrid events is expected to increase (39%) more so than stay the same (29%), even though 18% do not use hybrid events at all. Regarding digital events, many marketers appear to want to stay the course (41% say spending will stay the same), although 33% plan to increase spending. How B2B Organizations’ Investment Will Change in Following Areas Post-Vaccine Will be a Do not/will Increase Stay the same Decrease new area of not use investment Digital/virtual events 33% 41% 16% 3% 7% In-person events 52% 21% 15% 4% 8% Hybrid events 39% 29% 5% 9% 18% Base: Content marketers. Aided list. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs, July 2021 43

LOOKING FORWARD

LOOKING FORWARD t was interesting to see that internal communication is no longer the THE TOP TWO CONTENT MARKETING-RELATED AREAS OF Itop content marketing challenge. Rather, the top challenge this year INVESTMENT FOR 2022 ARE EXPECTED TO BE VIDEO (69%) is creating content that appeals to multi-level roles within the target AND EVENTS (DIGITAL, IN-PERSON, HYBRID) AT 61%. audience. This makes sense considering the crowded online environment that so many marketers are now working in, as well as the number of Areas of content marketing investment in 2022 people who changed jobs over the last 18 months. The top content marketing-related area of investment for 2022 is expected to be video (69%). This makes sense, as business has shifted online, and As our annual research has shown, the second top challenge — accessing marketers look for new/more ways to tell compelling stories to capture subject matter experts to create content — has been an ongoing issue for and keep audience attention. It’s also unsurprising that we see expected content marketers for several years. continued investment in events (61%), owned media assets (57%), and paid media (55%) — the top four areas by a long shot (see page 48). Content marketing areas of importance in 2021/2022 The top four content marketing-related areas that marketers said would be most important to their organizations in 2021 and 2022 were: Changes to SEO/search algorithms (62%) Data management/analytics (50%) Content marketing as a revenue center (44%) Changes to social media algorithms (42%) Algorithms have been named a top concern in our past research, but data management/analytics has overtaken that in importance. That’s not surprising, considering the proliferation of big data and the business shift to a virtual working and buying environment. 45

LOOKING FORWARD Respondents said their top two content marketing challenges were creating content that appeals to multi-level roles and accessing subject matter experts to create content. B2B Organizations’ Current Content Marketing Challenges Creating content that appeals to multi-level roles within the target audience 44% Accessing subject matter experts to create content 42% Internal communication between teams/silos 38% Creating valuable content instead of sales-oriented content 36% Diﬀerentiating our products/services from the competition 36% Overcoming traditional marketing and sales mindset 36% Diﬀiculty in reaching target audience(s) 35% Consistency with messaging 31% Ability to be agile when change is needed 30% Technology integration 28% Accommodating for a long decision-making process 27% The shift to virtual selling necessitated by working from home 9% Government/legal regulations 7% Other 9% No challenges 1% 0 10 20 30 40 50 Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 46

INSIGHTS FOR 2021 LOOKING FORWARD Changes to SEO/search algorithms (62%) and data management/analytics (50%) are top-of-mind for B2B content marketers in 2021/2022. Content Marketing-Related Areas That Will Be Most Important to B2B Organizations in 2021/2022 Changes to SEO/search algorithms 62% Data management/analytics 50% Content marketing as a revenue center 44% Changes to social media algorithms 42% Data privacy/regulations 21% Voice/audio (e.g., social audio, voice search) 21% Artificial intelligence 15% Content security (e.g., HTTPS encryption) 9% Other 6% None of the above 6% 0 20 40 60 80 Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 47

LOOKING FORWARD More than half of all respondents predicted 2022 investment in video, events, owned-media assets, and paid media. Areas of B2B Content Marketing Investment in 2022 Video 69% Events (digital, in-person, hybrid) 61% Owned-media assets 57% Paid media 55% Social media management/community building 39% Earned media 38% Content distribution 33% Getting to know audiences better 32% Content marketing technologies 31% User experience (UX) design 29% Staﬀing/human resources 22% Audio-related content 20% Experiential campaigns 9% Data privacy solutions 5% Other 2% None of the above 2% 0 20 30 40 50 60 80 Base: Content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 12th Annual Content Marketing Survey: Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs, July 2021 48

CLOSING THOUGHTS THE GIANT IS AWAKE! By Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Advisor, CMI As we mentioned in the beginning In today’s modern business, everyone creates content — of this report, the pandemic has from the web team to the marketing automation/demand- awakened a sleeping giant (content gen team to the content marketing team, sales, agencies, marketing, that is). Our research points executives, even frontline account representatives. It’s to transformational shifts to make probably easier to count who DOESN’T create content- content marketing an ever more important part of the driven experiences for customers these days. integrated marketing mix. But we must realize that this explosive trend is actually the But what can go unnoticed is the dangers that lurk when awakened giant. And our attempts to slay the giant require we’re so close. There’s a wonderful scene in the movie us to develop a content marketing strategy. Without a Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when the rich investor, strategy, an inconsistent voice and inability to measure Walter Donovan, is trying to convince Indy to go after the success make our failure imminent. Holy Grail. He says, “We’re on the verge of completing a quest that began almost two thousand years ago. We’re But don’t over-correct and let the ground fall out from just one step away.” underneath you. Indy responds, “That’s usually when the ground falls out from underneath your feet.” continued on next page 49

CLOSING THOUGHTS When businesses create a content strategy, there is a account reps, executives, and even accounting and legal) tendency to limit the production of content and remove to tell your stories – and the best “next stories – to your the voices of all frontline managers. We centralize the audience. “storytelling” function, and not only centralize the creation of the voice but the expression of it as well. A strategic content marketing operation isn’t the storyteller of the business. It enables everyone else to be What happens? Increasingly we see companies creating the storytellers. much more consistent and customer-centric sets of content. They get their voice and story back. But Remember: It’s your story — don’t forget that you need unfortunately they remove their best storytellers – the everyone to tell it well. rest of the business – from telling it. And as a friend of mine who was cut from a huge Hollywood movie once told me, “It’s hard to be excited about a story that you were removed from telling.” My advice? A scalable, successful, and differentiating content marketing strategy will help you more easily create, manage, activate, and measure digital content. You will define success by how well the content marketing strategy empowers everybody on the front line (sales, 50

KEY TAKEAWAYS The pandemic prompted new strategies to capture Virtual events and webinars produced the best results. audience attention. Respondents said that among the content types they use, virtual Half of all respondents said it had become increasingly difficult to capture events/webinars/online courses produced the best results in the last their audience’s attention in the last 12 months. Many marketers shifted to 12 months (58%) — the most successful agreed (66%). Webinars also digital marketing and online selling. In addition, many said they adopted a came out on top as the type of video format that produced the best more empathetic tone toward their audiences. See pages 6 and 9. results. See pages 26 and 27. Small teams are still the norm. Most marketers successfully used content marketing Our annual research consistently finds that most organizations have to create brand awareness, build credibility/trust, small (or one-person) marketing/content marketing teams serving and educate audiences. the entire organization (58%). Indeed, many content marketers are Creating brand awareness (80%), building credibility/trust (75%), and spread thin: 67% said their team was asked to do more with the same educating audiences (70%) were the top goals respondents achieved resources in the last 12 months. See pages 9 and 15. by using content marketing in the last 12 months. Top performers surpassed their peers in several areas at achieving content marketing Outsourcing budgets appear to have freed up a bit – goals. See pages 37 and 38. the biggest outsourcing challenge was finding partners with topical expertise. Marketers spent more on paid content promotion. Among those who outsource at least one content marketing Forty-five percent of respondents said their spending on paid activity, 40% said budget issues were a challenge compared with channels increased in the last 12 months. Of those who used paid 51% the previous year, indicating more budget for outsourcing. The content promotion, 77% used social media advertising/promoted top challenge for those who outsource was finding partners with posts. The top two platforms where they’re spending? LinkedIn (75%) adequate topical expertise (65%) — a compelling reason to hire and Facebook (69%). See pages 31 and 32. employees who can learn the company’s products and market and/or to hold on tightly to quality freelancers. See pages 18 and 19. 51

KEY TAKEAWAYS Content marketing budgets grew — and are expected Changes to SEO/search algorithms and data to continue to grow. management/analytics are top-of-mind issues Forty-three percent of respondents who are familiar with their in 2021/2022. company’s content marketing budget said their 2021 budget Concerns about algorithms (62%) are nothing new — they’ve been a increased over 2020. Furthermore, 66% expected their 2022 content top area of importance in our past annual studies as well. This year, marketing budget to increase over their 2021 budget. See page 42. data management/analytics (50%) came in as the second top area. This makes sense in a digital sales environment and as data becomes Investment in events is expected to increase in 2022. more important to organizations in general. See page 47. Fifty-two percent said they expected to increase investment in in- person events, 39% in hybrid events, and 33% in digital events. See In addition to spending more on events, marketers page 43. expect more investment in videos, owned-media assets, and paid media in 2022. Creating content that appeals to multi-level roles We asked respondents which areas of content marketing they expect replaced internal communication as the top content their organizations to invest in during 2022. The top four answers marketing challenge. were videos (69%), events (61%), owned-media assets (57%), and paid While communication is still a challenge (38%), creating content that media (55%). See page 48. appeals to multi-level roles within the target audience (44%) and accessing subject matter experts to create content (42%) are now the top two challenges. Why? It could be because more marketers are using content collaboration tools (73%). In addition, there have been numerous job changes over the last 18 months. See pages 14, 24, and 46. 52

METHODOLOGY & DEMOGRAPHICS The 12th Annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights 2022 report was produced by Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs and sponsored by ON24. The online survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was emailed to a sample of marketers using lists from CMI and MarketingProfs. A total of 1,275 recipients from around the globe — representing a range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes — replied to the survey during July 2021. This report presents the findings from the 810 respondents who indicated: Their organization is a for-profit company, primarily selling products/services to businesses (B2B) or businesses and consumers (B2B+B2C) They are a content marketer, involved with the content marketing function, and/or someone to whom content marketing reports. Note: Use caution when comparing this report’s findings to past years, as our methodology changed slightly. For the last several years, one of our qualifying criteria was that the respondent’s company had used content marketing for at least one year. This year, we enabled respondents whose companies have not been using content marketing for at least one year (9% of the B2B pool) to complete the survey. We also broadened the respondent pool to include worldwide respondents rather than those from North America only. B2B Respondent Profile by B2B Industry Classification Size of B2B Company (by Employees) Organization’s Content Marketing Maturity Level 12% ■ Technology/IT/software/hardware 5% 14% ■ Agency (content marketing, advertising, digital, PR)) 25% 20% 26% ■ Manufacturing ■Micro (1 to 9 employees) 7% 5% ■ Consulting ■Small (10-99 employees) 9% 5% ■ Professional services ■ Financial services/banking/insurance ■Medium (100-999 employees) 8% ■ Healthcare/med/pharma/life sciences ■Large (1,000+ employees) 23% 21% ■ Publishing/media 25% 30% 31% 9% ■ Other 9% 30% ent Marketing Job Function B2B Company (by Location) B2B Cont ■ Sophisticated 1% 1%1% ■ Mature 6% ■ Adolescent 4% 7% ■ Young 5% ■Marketing management ■ North America ■ First Steps 32% ■Content creation/content management 12% ■ Europe SOPHISTICATED ■Senior leadership (e.g., CEO, owner, CMO, VP, GM) ■ Asia Providing accurate measurement to the business, scaling across the organization ■Marketing operations 78% ■ Africa 26% ■Advertising/PR/communications management ■ Australia MATURE ■ South America Finding success, yet challenged with integration across the organization 27% ■Other ADOLESCENT Have developed a business case, seeing early success, becoming more sophisticated with measurement and scaling YOUNG Growing pains, challenged with creating a cohesive strategy and a measurement plan FIRST STEPS Doing some aspects of content, but have not yet begun to make content marketing a process 53

ABOUT Thanks to the survey participants, who made this research possible, and to everyone who helps disseminate these findings throughout the content marketing industry. About Content Marketing Institute 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 fall in Cleveland, Ohio, and ContentTECH Summit event is held every spring in San Diego, California. CMI publishes Chief Content Officer for executives 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. Content Marketing Institute is organized by Informa Connect. About Informa Connect Informa Connect is a specialist in content-driven events and digital communities that allow professionals to meet, connect, learn, and share knowledge. We operate major branded events in Marketing, Global Finance, Life Sciences and Pharma, Construction and Real Estate, and in a number of other specialist markets and connect communities online year-round. About MarketingProfs MarketingProfs has been fueling the success of marketers at some of the world’s most iconic brands since 2000—first through webinars, newsletters, and other content; then world-class training; and best-in-class consulting services. The products and delivery have evolved, yet throughout we have been laser-focused on helping marketers and their teams set priorities, solve problems, and fuel business growth. We focus also on something equally important: Helping marketers do work they’re proud of. Learn why 700,000+ marketers rely on MarketingProfs as their partner in Marketing. Our clients speak for themselves. Find out how we can help you at MarketingProfs.com. About ON24 ON24 provides a leading cloud-based digital experience platform that makes it easy to create, scale, and personalize engaging experiences to drive measurable business growth. Today, we are helping over 1,900 companies worldwide, including 3 of the 5 largest global technology companies, 4 of the 5 largest US Banks, 3 of the 5 largest global healthcare companies, and 3 of the 5 largest global industrial manufacturing companies, convert millions of prospects to buyers. Through interactive webinars, virtual events, and always-on multimedia experiences, ON24 provides a system of engagement, powered by AI, which enables businesses to scale engagement, conversions, and pipeline to drive revenue growth. The ON24 platform supports an average of 4 million professionals a month totaling over 2.5 billion engagement minutes per year. ON24 is headquartered in San Francisco with global offices in North America, EMEA, and APAC. For more information, visit ON24.com. 54