How is B2B marketing content driving engagement? It's personal
B2B marketers recently shared that one of their biggest concerns when investing in a content marketing strategy is the inability to measure engagement and how content is driving action.
Because B2B marketers are under increasing pressure to find new ways to engage across a myriad of channels and touch points, 59 per cent say that one of their biggest concerns is gaining deeper insights beyond clicks and views. Additionally, 58 per cent say that being able to accurately measure ROI is a major obstacle that marketers struggle with. Further, 31 per cent say that a roadblock is being able to measure and prove conversion behavior driven by content while 31 per cent say that being able to measure and prove deeper content engagement is a challenge. The survey of 500 marketers by Rapt Media also found that when it comes to proving ROI, 60 per cent of B2B marketers agree that they are unable to measure the ROI on the content they produce, while 49 per cent are unable to measure content performance across all channels in aggregate.
One of the key findings in the report is the reluctance to invest in content marketing technology. In fact, 63 per cent of marketers surveyed said they devoted less than one-tenth of their marketing budgets to content marketing technology. When it comes to measuring and understanding content engagement beyond its initial consumptions, marketers remain in the dark, the study suggests. Additionally, 98 per cent of B2B marketers said they'd be more willing to invest in content technology if it addressed the concerns of measurement and engagement.
B2B marketers increasingly recognize the need for personalization in content as a way to measure the level of engagement. 75 per cent say content today falls short and needs to be more personalized for different audiences, not less, while 47 per cent say content isn't versatile enough and can't be leveraged across multiple mediums and devices.
The common thread, according to the survey, is that marketers seeking to establish deeper measurement capabilities might be paying for content technology that still does reach their true audience. If content becomes more personalized in nature versus customized at the point of distribution, it could offer marketers the deep layer of metrics that they so direly need.
According to the survey, companies that create personalized experiences often see substantially higher conversion rates. The "rules of engagement" have changed — with personalization of content at the point of creation taking an increasingly important role in engaging audiences — and B2B marketers now consider measuring content engagement as a top priority and investment.