B2C Content Marketers Are More Successful But Need to Set Appropriate Expectations

CLEVELAND, Dec. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- B2C marketers are becoming more successful with content marketing, but many report their organizations don't have realistic expectations about what content marketing can achieve. That's one of the key findings in the just released research report from Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs, B2C Content Marketing 2018: Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—North America. The yearly report provides useful stats for marketers as they plan their 2018 content marketing strategies and budgets.

To see our analysis and download the full report visit:
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2017/12/marketing-teams-b2c-research

What did we find?

66% of B2C marketers say their organization is much/somewhat more successful at content marketing compared with one year ago

Other Key Highlights:

• 86% of B2C respondents use content marketing
• 78% of B2C marketers characterize their organization as moderately to extremely successful at content marketing (compared with 70% the previous year)
• 60% of B2C respondents describe their organization's commitment level to content marketing as extremely or very committed
• The percentage of B2C marketers that agreed their organization has realistic expectations about what content marketing can achieve decreased from 69% last year to 55% this year
• 79% of B2C respondents agree their organization values creativity and craft in content creation and production vs. 69% last year

"Sixty-six percent of B2C marketers surveyed said they're more successful with content marketing compared with one year ago," says Lisa Murton Beets, research director, Content Marketing Institute. "At the same time, fewer B2C marketers than last year agreed that their organization has realistic expectations about what content marketing can achieve. One of the best ways content marketers can set appropriate expectations is to document their strategy. This will help stretched teams –even those that perform very well -- focus on the priorities that matter most to their organization, and give teams that want to do more a starting point for building a business case for additional resources."

"Our research shows that B2C content marketers are placing a higher value on creativity and craft in content creation and production compared with one year ago," says Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs, and author of Everybody Writes. "Additionally, when we look just at the top-performing B2C content marketers, we see they place a higher priority on delivering content quality over content quantity and are more focused on creating content for their audience versus their brand -- all important keys to content marketing success."

Watch this video, for a quick analysis of the research.
For research charts, key highlights, quotes and more, check out this folder.
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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 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.  Content Marketing Institute is organized by UBM plc.  UBM is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world.  Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors.  Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed.  Please visit www.ubm.com for the latest news and information about UBM.

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.

SOURCE Content Marketing Institute