When we build strategies for our clients at Convince & Convert, we usually help them plan for the next 12-24 months, but in this highly unusual pandemic, it seems like I usually change gears every six months to keep abreast of current considerations and market conditions. I'm sure you feel it too: the only sure thing is change.
However, there are things we can absolutely learn from the shifts and changes in our industry. And we can use those lessons to prepare for what's to come. That's why I'm so grateful to our friends at the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs for creating their long-term annual report, the most recent of which – B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights into 2021 – allows us to look at both current times and historical trends.
If you are a B2B marketer, be sure to read what I learned from their B2B report .
Full disclosure: I often speak at CMI and MarketingProfs events, and MarketingProfs is a former client of my company Media Volery. However, all opinions in this section are mine.
As we dive into 2021, let's take a look at some key B2C content marketing statistics and trends that will help us plan for the coming year.
1. More than 80% of B2C content marketers see budgets stay the same or increase in the second half of 2020.
It may be counter-intuitive, but the majority of B2C content marketers have seen their budgets steady or even increase year over year. My assumption is that because content marketing tends to be used more often in the case of higher fare goods and services, those consumers may be less economically affected. by the pandemic. Indeed, they may have had more disposable income to spend 2020 with less activity and travel.
In 2021, while I believe many B2C brands can spend similar budgets, I recommend thinking and being flexible about how and where you spend that budget. Instead of events, you can spend that money on influencer campaigns. Instead of experiential marketing, you can focus on the fundamentals of email marketing. Things can still change with the trend; having flexibility, rather than discreet line details, will make the process go more smoothly.
2. Stable content marketing team; most groups remain the same size or even grow.
As well as budgets, we found that on the B2C side, the majority of content marketing teams remained the same size, and more than a quarter (27%) increased in size compared to last year.
This stability indicates that, on average, content marketing methods have matured and are valuable enough in their organization for them to continue to grow. Thinking about the roles and skills that will be most useful to your team in 2021 should be an important part of your budget and planning consideration.
3. 49% of B2C organizations outsource at least some of their content marketing activities.
In the previous point, I noted that although most organizations keep their team sizes the same, 40% have made some changes. This may have to do with the fact that organizations are split almost in half on outsourced marketing. Furthermore, smaller companies are more likely to not outsource, possibly choosing to hire for part-time or full-time roles.
What we've found with our own customers is that, while adding headcount can help with bandwidth issues, those roles aren't always the most effective at solving bandwidth problems. challenges in the organization. Outsourcing areas where you need more expertise, such as graphic design for specific channels or event production, can help your team focus on their core competencies. surname.
Next, what do outsourcing organizations focus their energies on?
4. Of the activities the organization outsources, 75% outsource content creation.
It's no surprise, but as with every other year, we've found that time and bandwidth are key challenges organizations are dealing with.
What we see when we work with both B2B and B2C brands is content creation is a popular area to outsource because of its more time, but the best content leverages the expertise and connections of the organization. That's what builds trust and provides the most lasting value through content marketing – not attracting unqualified leads through keyword chasing. As a result, outsourcing smarter – through subject matter experts and influencers that your target audience trusts – can be an effective way to increase the value of your content marketing. .
5. What has changed during the pandemic? However, the majority of organizations have changed their messaging targeting/strategy and/or editorial calendar 34% have re-surveyed their customer journey.
It is understandable that organizations will change their targeting/messaging strategies in the short term, but as we enter the second year of this new way of living, adapting patterns in the customer journey ours is very important.
We must understand the new reality faced by our core customers, and we must acknowledge that some of our customers may have entirely new considerations. Think about people who used to shop in the malls now working from home, or about parents who used to have to take care of their kids and now have less time between parenting and work. How can you stay relevant to them while respecting their time, bandwidth and priorities?
Now take the time to re-survey your audience, focus on your top customer groups, and redrawing the customer journey will allow you to think more carefully about the touchpoints your customers reach. your item needs.
6. How have content types changed over the past year? More videos, live streams and virtual events than last year.
According to the report, “Virtual events/ webinar /online courses increased to 39% from 27% Live streamed content increased to 35% from 13%. ”
The media we are using to communicate with our audiences has changed based on the new reality of social distancing, but my prediction is there will be much more to come.
Many of these changes will be permanent and/or have a major impact on audience expectations about how content will be delivered to them.
If you haven't invested in video and virtual events capabilities in your organization, if you haven't trained your team to think about how IGTV or YouTube Live can be incorporated into the experience you provide your audience Assuming from a content marketing perspective, you need to take the A train that SAP.
This isn't just a long slide into more video content; it's the fact that our audience needs more secure methods to connect with others in their community. That's why platforms like Clubhouse are gaining traction: the human interaction and connection available through them.
7. The dominant social media channels still dominate in B2C.
According to the report, organic social media usage is similar to last year's report, with two exceptions: “Instagram has grown to 81% from 74%. YouTube has grown to 72% from 62%. ”
This information isn't really a surprise compared to my previous views on human connection, but the dataset doesn't consider collaboration/participation-centric channels like TikTok (recently released). implementing self-service ads aimed at small businesses) or Clubhouse, could become a hit in the B2C community. Will those channels become important in your industry in the next year or two? This is the time to experiment and locate opportunities.
8. Surprisingly, the percentage of B2C marketers using paid distribution channels for content marketing has decreased compared to last year's report.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: paid distribution channels are needed more than ever to get our content out to audiences. That's the nature of the monster, as companies like Google, Facebook and their rivals compete harder for advertising dollars. However, the report says, “72% of B2C marketers used paid channels to deliver content in the last 12 months, compared with 85% the year before. ”
Then explain the downward movement of advertising dollars among survey respondents? My guess is that due to the narrow wording of this question, the budget may have been shifted from promoting content to promotions geared towards direct sales. However, we know that purchasing decisions are often backed by assets and content marketing efforts. As a result, this budget change can get in the way of unhelpful purchasing decisions.
That's why my previous stance on understanding the changing customer journey is more important than ever. President of Convince & Convert Jay Baer spoke for a long time about the ways we need to reframe your business during this time and it continues to be right.
Based on these observations of the past year's impact on content marketing, keep these three guiding principles in mind for moving forward in 2021:
- Audiences' lives are very different and so are their behaviors and considerations. Make sure you have a basic understanding of what they need.
- It's not just the content you create, but the way it allows your audience to interact. Your audience is looking for content that allows them to feel more connected during these times of isolation.
- Make sure you're nimble and flexible about where and how you use your content marketing budget, considering the needs of your audience. What has worked before cannot be the direction for the next year or two.
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