B2B Content Marketing 2016 Benchmarks, budgets and trends

Read on to learn about the state of content marketing in B2B organizations today and how the most effective marketers stand out. For access to tools to help you become more successful at content marketing, see the back of this report for ways to get in touch.
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Content Marketer B2B Content Marketer Content Marketer Institute B2B Trends North America Marketer Institute MarketingProfs effective Content Marketer Trends
About manojranaweera

Content Marketer B2B Content Marketer Content Marketer Institute B2B Trends North America Marketer Institute MarketingProfs effective Content Marketer Trends
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2016 Benchmarks, Budgets, 
and Trends—North America
2
Welcome .................................................................................................................................................................3
Key Takeaways .....................................................................................................................................................4
■ Section 1: Usage & Effectiveness ................................................................................................................6
■ Section 2: Strategy & Organization ........................................................................................................ 10
■ Section 3: Content Creation & Distribution ......................................................................................... 14
■ Section 4: Goals & Metrics .......................................................................................................................... 22
■ Section 5: Budgets & Spending ................................................................................................................ 25
■ Section 6: Challenges & Priorities ........................................................................................................... 27
■ Comparison Chart: Profile of a Best-in-Class B2B Content Marketer ........................................ 29
■ Comparison Chart: Differences Between B2B and B2C Content Marketers ............................ 30
■ Demographics ................................................................................................................................................ 31
■ About ................................................................................................................................................................. 32
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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3
WELCOME
Greetings, Content Marketers,
Welcome to the sixth annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—
North America report.
Over the years, we’ve talked a lot about content marketing effectiveness. But in your 
organization, is it even clear what content marketing success or effectiveness looks like? 
We were surprised to find that 55% don’t know. 
To be more effective at content marketing, you have to know what success looks like, 
but that’s only the starting point. Best-in-class marketers are more likely than their less 
effective peers to have a documented content marketing strategy and editorial mission 
statement. They meet with their teams frequently, experiment with a broader range of 
tactics, and more.
Read on to learn about the state of content marketing in B2B organizations today and 
how the most effective marketers stand out. For access to tools to help you become more 
successful at content marketing, see the back of this report for ways to get in touch.
On with the content marketing revolution!
Joe & Ann
Joe Pulizzi
Founder
Content Marketing Institute
Ann Handley
Chief Content Officer
MarketingProfs
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4
KEY TAKEAWAYS
One key theme that emerged from this year’s B2B research is that 
effective content marketers do several things differently:
Here are some key takeaways:
■  Only 30% of B2B marketers say their organizations are effective at content marketing, down from 38% last year. 
Effectiveness levels are greater among respondents with documentation, clarity around success, good communication, and 
experience.
■  44% of B2B marketers say their organization is clear on what content marketing success or effectiveness looks like;  
55% are unclear or unsure.
■  44% of B2B marketers meet daily or weekly—either in person or virtually—to discuss the progress of their content marketing 
program; however, the more effective the organization is at content marketing, the more often they meet (61% of the most 
effective meet daily or weekly).
They understand 
what successful 
content marketing 
looks like
They document 
their content 
marketing 
strategy
They document 
their editorial 
mission statement
They 
communicate 
frequently with 
their team
1
2
3
4
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5
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key takeaways continued:
■  Fewer B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy compared with last year (32% vs. 35%), even though 
the research consistently shows that those who document their strategy are more effective in nearly all areas of content 
marketing.
■  Respondents’ content marketing maturity levels were roughly equally apportioned: approximately one-third were in the 
early stages; one-third, in the adolescent stage; and one-third, in the sophisticated/mature stage. In general, marketers 
become more effective as they gain experience, the findings show.
■  B2B marketers allocate 28% of their total marketing budget, on average, to content marketing—the same percentage as last 
year. The most effective allocate 42%, and the most sophisticated/mature allocate 46%.
■  Lead generation (85%) and sales (84%) will be the most important goals for B2B content marketers over the next 12 months.
■  Over the last six years, B2B marketers have consistently cited website traffic as their most often used metric. This year, 
however, we also asked them to rate metrics by importance. The most important metrics are sales lead quality (87%), sales 
(84%), and higher conversion rates (82%).
■  B2B marketers, as in years past, continue to be heavily focused on creating engaging content (72%), citing it as the top 
priority for their internal content creators over the next year.
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6
USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
Does your organization
use content marketing?
Last year, 86% of respondents said they  
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.” 
88%
Yes
12%
No
Percentage of B2B Respondents 
Using Content Marketing
 
SAY YES
88% 
 
 
 
i
 
 
i
: 
 
i
 I
i
i
f
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7
USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
How would you describe  
your organization’s content  
marketing maturity level?
This was a new question this year. In general, 
effectiveness levels are greater among marketers 
with higher levels of content marketing maturity:
•  64% in the sophisticated/mature phase say  
they are effective at content marketing
•  23% in the adolescent phase say  
they are effective at content marketing
•  6% in the young/first steps phase say  
they are effective at content marketing
SAY SOPHISTICATED  
OR MATURE
32% 
SOPHISTICATED
MATURE
ADOLESCENT
FIRST STEPS
YOUNG
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
8%
24%
29%
27%
11%
How B2B Marketers Assess Their  
Content Marketing Maturity Level
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
Overall, how effective  
is your organization  
at content marketing?
Last year, 38% of B2B marketers said they were effective.
Effectiveness levels increase with:
•  Experience (64% of sophisticated/mature marketers 
say they are effective) 
• A documented content marketing strategy (48%)
• A documented editorial mission statement (49%)
•  Organizational clarity on what content marketing 
success looks like (55%)
• Daily or weekly content marketing meetings (41%) 
How B2B Marketers Rate the 
Eﬀectiveness of their Organization’s 
Use of Content Marketing
Very Eﬀective
6%
5
22%
2
Not at All Eﬀective
4%
1
24%
4
44%
3
SAY THEY ARE  
EFFECTIVE
30% 
Note: For this survey, we define effectiveness as “accomplishing your overall 
objectives.” We refer to those who rate their organizations as a 4 or 5 (on a scale of 
1 to 5, with 5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at All Effective”) as the “most 
effective” or “best-in-class” marketers. The 1s and 2s are considered the “least 
effective,” while the 3s are neutral.
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
9
USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
In your organization,  
is it clear what an effective  
or successful content marketing 
program looks like? 
B2B marketers whose organizations have  
a clear vision of content marketing success  
are more effective than those that do not:
• 79% of the most effective marketers have clarity
• 77% of the least effective marketers lack clarity
Percentage of B2B Marketers 
Whose Organizations Have Clarity 
on Content Marketing Success
Unsure
21%
No
34%
Yes
44%
SAY YES
44% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization have a 
content marketing strategy?
Last year, 35% of B2B marketers had a documented 
content strategy, 48% had a verbal-only strategy,  
and 14% had no strategy.
A documented content marketing strategy  
impacts effectiveness:
•  53% of the most effective marketers have a  
documented content marketing strategy
•  40% of the least effective marketers have  
no strategy at all.
B2B marketers who have a documented content 
marketing strategy get better results from their 
content marketing tactics, social media platforms, 
and paid methods of content distribution (i.e., they 
rate them as more effective when compared with 
their peers who don’t have a documented strategy).
48%
Yes, but 
it is not 
documented
Unsure
No
Yes,
and it is 
documented
32%
16%
4%
Percentage of B2B Marketers Who
Have a Content Marketing Strategy
 
HAVE A DOCUMENTED 
CONTENT MARKETING 
STRATEGY
32% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization  
have an editorial mission  
statement for the primary  
audience you target?
This was a new question this year. The likelihood 
of having a documented editorial mission 
statement increases if the marketer also has  
a documented content marketing strategy  
(56% of those with a documented content 
marketing strategy also have a documented 
editorial mission statement).
In addition, 48% of the most effective marketers 
have a documented editorial mission statement.
Yes, and it is  
documented
No
Yes, but 
it is not 
documented
35%
28%
30%
Unsure
6%
Percentage of B2B Marketers Who
Have an Editorial Mission Statement
 
HAVE A DOCUMENTED 
EDITORIAL MISSION 
STATEMENT
28% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
How often does your  
team meet (either in person  
or virtually) to discuss the  
progress/results of your  
content marketing program?
Effectiveness is greater among teams that  
meet more frequently (61% of the most effective 
B2B marketers meet daily or weekly).
SAY DAILY  
OR WEEKLY
44% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How Often B2B Marketers 
Meet to Discuss Their
Content Marketing Program
Weekly
8%
11%
16%
8%
6%
14%
36%
Quarterly
Monthly
Only when it is necessary
Other
Biweekly
Daily
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
How valuable are  
team meetings in helping  
your organization to be  
more effective at  
content marketing?
B2B marketers who meet daily or weekly are 
more likely to consider meetings valuable 
(70%) than those who meet biweekly or 
monthly (49%).
SAY MEETINGS  
ARE VALUABLE
54% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How B2B Marketers Perceive 
the Value of Internal 
Content Marketing Meetings
19%
35%
35%
6%
3%
Extremely Valuable
Very Valuable
Somewhat Valuable
Not Very Valuable
Not at All  Valuable
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Compared with 2015,  
how much content  
will your organization  
produce in 2016?
While 73% of the most effective B2B marketers 
plan to produce more content, the least effective 
plan to produce even more (81%).
Unsure
Same Amount
More
76%
19%
2%
Less
2%
Expected Change in 
B2B Content Creation
(2015 vs. 2016)
 
SAY THEY WILL  
PRODUCE MORE
76% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which content marketing  
tactics does your  
organization use?
These results are similar to last year’s findings. 
Illustrations/photos was the tactic with the 
biggest jump in usage (from 69% last year to 
76% this year).
Note: Fewer than 50% of B2B marketers said they use 
the following tactics: Research Reports (49%), Microsites/
Separate Website Hubs (47%), Branded Content Tools 
(42%), eBooks (39%), Print Magazines (36%), Books (30%), 
Digital Magazines (29%), Mobile Apps (28%), Virtual 
Conferences (25%), Podcasts (23%), Print Newsletters 
(22%), and Games/Gamification (12%).
B2B Content Marketing Tactic Usage
Social Media Content — other than blogs
Case Studies
eNewsletters
In-person Events
Blogs
Videos
Articles on Your Website
Illustrations/Photos
White Papers
Infographics
Webinars/Webcasts
Online Presentations
93%
82%
81%
81%
81%
79%
79%
76%
71%
67%
66%
65%
Average 
Number
Used
13
USE SOCIAL MEDIA  
CONTENT
93% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the tactics 
your organization uses?
In-person events, which has been rated the most 
effective tactic for the last six years, increased from 
69% to 75%. Effectiveness ratings increased for 
all the other tactics shown here as well, except for 
blogs (60% last year vs. 59% this year). The biggest 
increase was for infographics (50% last year vs. 
58% this year).
Eﬀectiveness Ratings for B2B Tactics
In-person Events
Webinars/Webcasts
Case Studies
75%
66%
65%
White Papers
63%
Videos
62%
Research Reports
61%
eNewsletters
60%
Blogs
59%
Infographics
58%
Online Presentations
58%
SAY IN-PERSON  
EVENTS ARE  
EFFECTIVE
75% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which social media platforms 
does your organization  
use to distribute content?
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube remain 
the top 4 social media platforms. Compared with 
last year, there haven’t been major increases or 
decreases in their use.
Last year, the use of Google+ had risen 9 
percentage points from the previous year. This 
year, it decreased slightly (from 64% to 62%).
SlideShare and Pinterest use decreased (by 4 and 
8 percentage points, respectively). Instagram use 
increased from 24% to 29%.
B2B Content Marketing 
Social Media Platform Usage
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
94%
87%
84%
YouTube
74%
Google+
62%
SlideShare
37%
Instagram
29%
Pinterest 25%
Average 
Number 
Used
6
USE LinkedIn
94% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: Fewer than 25% of B2B marketers said they use the following social 
media platforms: Vimeo (21%), iTunes (10%), Tumblr (9%), Vine (7%), 
Medium (6%), Periscope (6%), and SnapChat (5%).
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the  
social media platforms  
your organization uses?
Once again, B2B marketers rated LinkedIn  
most effective (64% last year vs. 66% this 
year). The effectiveness ratings of YouTube and 
Instagram also increased slightly, and Twitter’s 
rating stayed the same.
The effectiveness rating of Facebook decreased 
slightly over the last year. The ratings of Pinterest 
(-5%) and Google+ (-7%) decreased most.
Eﬀectiveness Ratings for 
B2B Social Media Platforms
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
66%
55%
51%
SlideShare
41%
Facebook
30%
Instagram
22%
Pinterest
20%
Google+ 13%
SAY LinkedIn  
IS EFFECTIVE
66% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which paid advertising  
methods does your  
organization use to  
promote/distribute content?
For the second consecutive year, search engine 
marketing (SEM) is the paid method that B2B 
marketers use most frequently. The use of all of 
these methods has increased over the last year. 
The largest increase was for promoted posts  
(42% last year vs. 52% this year).
B2B Paid Advertising Usage
66%
Content 
Discovery Tools 14%
Average 
Number 
Used
3
39%
51%
52%
55%
Print or Other Oﬀline Promotion
Traditional Online Banner Ads
Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads)
Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets)
Native Advertising
(long-form paid content placement 
on external sites)
57%
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
USE SEARCH ENGINE  
MARKETING (SEM)
66% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the paid  
advertising methods your  
organization uses to  
distribute content?
Once again, B2B marketers say search engine 
marketing (SEM) is the most effective paid 
method for promoting/distributing content.
The effectiveness ratings for all of these paid 
methods have increased over the last year. The 
largest effectiveness rating increase was for 
content discovery tools (36% last year vs. 45% 
this year).
Eﬀectiveness Ratings for B2B 
Paid Advertising Methods
55%
29%
31%
40%
45%
Print or Other 
Oﬀline Promotion
Traditional Online
Banner Ads
45%
Social Ads (e.g., LinkedIn ads)
Promoted Posts (e.g., promoted Tweets)
Native Advertising
(long-form paid content placement 
on external sites)
48%
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Content Discovery Tools
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SAY SEM IS 
EFFECTIVE
55% 
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which content offers does  
your organization ask its  
audience to subscribe to?
87% of respondents extend at least one 
offer. Even the most effective marketers 
and those whose content marketing level is 
sophisticated/mature tend to focus most on 
eNewsletters and blogs.
Content Oﬀers B2B Marketers 
Ask Audience to Subscribe to
6%
7%
7%
12%
Podcasts
Other
Online
Community
Blog
Print
Magazines
10%
Digital
Magazines
56%
eNewsletters
72%
Video
Series
12%
Do Not
Extend Oﬀers
22%
SAY eNEWSLETTERS
72% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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GOALS & METRICS
How important will each  
of these content marketing  
goals be to your organization  
in the next 12 months?
Lead generation and sales, in that order, are 
the two most important content marketing 
goals of most B2B marketers, no matter what 
their effectiveness level is or whether they have 
a documented strategy and editorial mission 
statement.
The exceptions:
•  Organizations that are in the first steps of their 
content marketing program place greater 
emphasis on sales (85%) than lead gen (78%).
•  Enterprise marketers (1,000+ employees) say 
engagement is their most important goal (82%), 
followed by sales (81%), and lead gen (79%).
Organizational Goals for 
B2B Content Marketing
85%
Lead Generation
Sales
Lead Nurturing
Brand Awareness
Engagement
Customer Retention/Loyalty
Customer Evangelism/
Creating Brand Advocates
Upsell/Cross-sell
84%
78%
77%
76%
74%
61%
58%
SAY LEAD GENERATION  
IS THE MOST  
IMPORTANT GOAL
85% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each goal a 4 or 5 on a 
5-point scale where 5 = “Very Important” and 1 = “Not at All Important.”
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GOALS & METRICS
How important are  
the metrics your  
organization uses?
Regardless of how effective they are at content 
marketing, B2B marketers consistently cite sales 
lead quality, sales, and higher conversion rates as 
the top 3 most important metrics.
Most Important Metrics
B2B Content Marketers Use
87%
Sales Lead Quality
Sales
Higher Conversion Rates
Sales Lead Quantity
Website Traﬀic
Brand Lift
Customer Renewal Rates
84%
82%
71%
71%
69%
66%
SEO Ranking
Subscriber Growth
Purchase Intent
67%
62%
64%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated 
each metric a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very 
Important” and 1 = “Not at All Important.”
Note: Additional metrics rated as important were 
Qualitative Feedback from Customers (61%), Data 
Capture (60%), Time Spent on Website (59%), Inbound 
Links (54%), Social Media Sharing (50%), and Cost 
Savings (36%).
Sales lead quality, sales,  
and higher conversion rates 
top the list
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GOALS & METRICS
What is THE MOST  
important metric
your organization uses?
Most B2B marketers say sales lead quality is 
the most important metric. The exception 
is micro-size organizations (1-9 employees), 
which are more focused on sales (32%) than 
sales lead quality (24%).
The Most Important Metric 
B2B Content Marketers Use
 
Sales Lead Quality
Sales
Higher Conversion
Rates
Sales
Lead
Quantity
Brand
Lift
Website Traﬀic
Subscriber Growth
Other
31%
23%
13%
9%
7%
5%
3%
3%
SEO Ranking
6%
SAY SALES  
LEAD QUALITY
31% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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25
BUDGETS & SPENDING
Approximately what  
percentage of your  
organization’s total marketing 
budget (not including staff) is 
spent on content marketing?
The average proportion of total marketing 
budget allocated to content marketing last 
year was also 28%.
There is a correlation between effectiveness 
and the amount of budget allocated. The  
most effective B2B marketers allocate 42%,  
on average (up from 37% last year), whereas 
the least effective allocate 15% (down from 
16% last year).
B2B marketers whose content marketing 
maturity level is sophisticated allocate the 
most (46%).
Percentage of Total Marketing Budget
Spent on B2B Content Marketing
 
Unsure
1%-9%
0%
10%-24%
25%-49%
50%-74%
75%-99%
1%
23%
22%
20%
16%
10%
4%
3%
100%
IS THE AVERAGE
28% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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BUDGETS & SPENDING
How do you expect  
your organization’s content  
marketing budget to change  
in the next 12 months?
More than half of B2B marketers plan to 
increase their content marketing budget. 
Even 57% of those who are least effective 
at content marketing plan to increase their 
budget.
35%
Remain
the Same
Decrease
Unsure
Increase
51%
3%
11%
B2B Content Marketing Spending 
(Over Next 12 Months)  
 
SAY THEY WILL  
INCREASE SPENDING
51% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CHALLENGES & PRIORITIES
What are your organization’s  
top five content marketing  
challenges this year?
This year, we asked B2B marketers to select their top 5 
challenges from a list that also included the following:
• Gaps in knowledge and skills of internal team (25%)
•  Understanding/choosing technology that we need 
(24%)
• Lack of integration across marketing (23%)
•  Finding or training skilled content marketing 
professionals/content creators (21%)
• Lack of buy-in/vision from higher-ups (19%)
•  Implementing the technology that we already  
have in place (18%)
• Other (6%)
• No challenges (1%)
The most effective B2B marketers are more challenged 
with measuring content effectiveness (53%) than they 
are with producing engaging content (49%). The same is 
true for those who are sophisticated/mature in content 
marketing (54% vs. 51%).
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Top Challenges for 
B2B Content Marketers
57%
60%
57%
52%
35%
35%
 
 
 
 
 
Producing Engaging Content
Measuring Content Eﬀectiveness
Producing Content Consistently
Measuring the ROI of Content Marketing Program
Lack of Budget
Producing a Variety of Content
SAY PRODUCING 
ENGAGING CONTENT
60% 
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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CHALLENGES & PRIORITIES
What are the top five 
 priorities that your  
organization’s content creators 
will focus on this year?
This year, we asked B2B marketers to select their  
top 5 priorities for internal content creators from  
a list that also included the following:
• Content optimization (38%)
• Content curation (22%)
• Content personalization (20%)
• Becoming stronger writers (19%)
• Other (3%)
• No priorities this year (2%)
Creating more engaging content was also the 
top priority last year, no matter how effective the 
marketer or what size the company.
Creating more engaging content is an even 
bigger priority for those who are in the first steps 
of their content marketing maturity program 
(82%); that group is highly focused on producing 
engaging content, with their second priority (better 
understanding of what content is effective) trailing  
far behind (64%).
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Top Priorities for
B2B Content Creators
65%
57%
72%
51%
41%
 
 
 
 
 
Creating More Engaging Content
Better Understanding of What Content 
Is Eﬀective — and What Isn’t
Finding More/Better 
Ways to Repurpose Content
Creating Visual Content
Becoming Better 
Storytellers
41%
Better Understanding 
of Audience
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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COMPARISON CHART
Profile of a Best-in-Class  
B2B Content Marketer
Chart term definitions: A “best-in-class” content marketer (aka “most effective”) is one who rates his or her organization a 4 or 5 in effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being 
“Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at All Effective.” Those who rate their organization a 1 or 2 are “least effective.” The numbers under “average/overall” represent total respondents.
Most Effective
Average/Overall
Least Effective
Organization is clear on what an effective or  
successful content marketing program looks like
 79%
44%
23%
Describes organization as sophisticated/mature
70%
32%
4%
Meets daily or weekly to discuss content marketing program
61%
44%
25%
Finds meetings extremely or very valuable
72%
54%
38%
Has a documented content marketing strategy
53%
32%
13%
Has a documented editorial mission statement
48%
28%
14%
Average number of tactics used
15
13
11
Average number of social media platforms used
7
6
5
Average number of paid advertising methods used
4
3
3
Percentage of total marketing budget allocated to content marketing
42%
28%
15%
Plans to increase content marketing budget in next 12 months
48%
51%
57%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
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30
B2B
B2C
Uses content marketing
88%
76%
Considers organization effective at content marketing
30%
38%
Organization is clear on what an effective or successful content marketing program looks like
44%
43%
Describes organization as sophisticated/mature
32%
37%
Meets daily or weekly to discuss content marketing program
44%
48%
Finds meetings extremely or very valuable
54%
59%
Has a documented content marketing strategy
32%
37%
Has a documented editorial mission statement
28%
39%
Average number of tactics used
13
12
Average number of social media platforms used
6
7
Average number of paid advertising methods used
3
4
Percentage of total marketing budget allocated to content marketing
28%
32%
Plans to increase content marketing budget in next 12 months
51%
50%
Differences Between B2B  
and B2C Content Marketers
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
COMPARISON CHART
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31
DEMOGRAPHICS
B2B Content Marketing: 2016 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America was produced by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs 
and sponsored by Brightcove.
The sixth annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers 
using lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, the Business Marketing Association (BMA), Blackbaud, The Association for Data-driven 
Marketing & Advertising (ADMA), Industry Week, New Equipment Digest, and WTWH Media.
A total of 3,714 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—completed the survey 
during July and August 2015. This report presents the findings from the 1,521 respondents who said they were B2B marketers in North America (1,334 of 
whom said, “yes, our organization uses content marketing”), producing a +/-2.5% degree of accuracy at a 95% confidence level.
The B2C percentages shown in this report (p. 30) derive from the same research study. The full findings for B2C North America are available in a separate 
report.
B2B Industry 
Classification
 
 
26%
20%
14%
9%
4%
4%
3%
3%
17%
■ Advertising/Marketing
■ Technology
■ Manufacturing
■ Consulting
■ Publishing/Media
■ Banking/Accounting/Financial
■ Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals 
■ Engineering/Construction/Architecture 
■ Other 
Size of B2B Company
(by Employees)
B2B Content Marketing Roles 
 
19%
31%
27%
22%
■ Small (10-99 Employees)
■ Micro (Fewer than 10 Employees)
■ Midsize (100-999 Employees)
■ Large (1,000+ Employees)
60%
Content Marketing Leader for Overall Program
Writer
Website/Technology
Editorial Lead
Internal Content Curator
Audience Development
42%
32%
29%
28%
19%
Traditional Marketing/Paid Media
Community 
Management
Designer
27%
15%
Influencer 
Relations
14%
Agency/Freelance 
Relations
14%
Sales
13%
Other 9%
15%
2016 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: Multiple responses permitted.
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32
ABOUT
Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs thank all the survey respondents  
and 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, multi-channel 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. CMI has been named an Inc. 5000 company for the last four years. Watch this video to learn more about 
CMI. View all CMI research at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research.
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.
About the Business Marketing Association (BMA)
For more than 90 years, the Business Marketing Association (BMA) has dedicated itself exclusively to the discipline of business-to-business 
marketing. A division of the Association of National Advertisers, the BMA enriches the lives of B-to-B marketers by providing them with 
a forum to learn about new trends and network with peers to exchange ideas. As the largest organization in the world dedicated to B-to-B 
marketing, the BMA’s 17 chapters and 2,500 members represent corporate professionals, agencies, small businesses, and suppliers committed 
to advancing the practice of B-to-B marketing. To learn more, visit www.marketing.org.
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 more than 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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