A current survey shows which kind of content and which content buyers want to consume during their customer journey. Credibility is an essential criterium during this process. What else is important can be read about here.
Buyers’ research behaviour has changed
The buying process for B2B is becoming more and more complex. To meet the demands, buyers have to adapt their research behaviour. If in the past potential suppliers were contacted in the first phase of the purchasing process, today buyers inform themselves via various channels before they ever get in touch with sellers. As shown by the Content Preferences Survey Report 2018 from Demand Gen Report: the largest group of buyers (40 per cent) has already studied three to five sources of information before contacting a seller. Thirty-eight per cent prefer to gather even more information.
The report also examined which kind of content is particularly significant for buyers during their information-gathering process. The 168 B2B marketing and sales decision-makers questioned in the survey have shown that buyers are taking an ever more sophisticated and selective approach. Trustworthy sources are becoming more important, just as much as influencers from the respective industry.
Generating content in B2B: what buyers are looking for most
For enterprises who want to win over buyers, the report provided some concrete insights for the generation of content:
- 88 per cent of buyers want to read less about the specifications of the products on offer and more about the benefits of the product for their own business.
- Three-fourths of those questioned strongly agree that manufacturers should support their statements and claims with data and research.
- 78 per cent of the survey’s participants are setting ever greater store by the trustworthiness of the source when it comes to the selection of content.
- Nearly two-thirds of buyers prefer content from influencers from the relevant industry.
- Likewise, nearly two-thirds prefer sellers who make content easy to access – for instance through a single-click registration process or other measures which are less time-consuming.
Info graphics, blogs and podcasts are highly popular among buyers
Also in terms of the content’s format, the buyers questioned have clear preferences. Seventy-nine per cent have used case studies in the past 12 months. Seventy-one per cent of those questioned read blog posts along their customer journey to gain information. Info graphics are relevant for more than two-thirds of the decision-makers.
The respective phase within the purchasing process also plays a role when it comes to the right content format. In the early phase, info graphics are especially popular (76 per cent), but podcasts (66 per cent) are also interesting for decision-makers in this phase. In the middle phase, webinars are in demand at 48 per cent; and shortly before the buying decision is taken, 48 per cent of those questioned like to be convinced by ROI calculations.
