Marketers are always trying to up their game, and leveraging the right content can help them advance to the next level. According to the Demand Metric “Content and the Buyer Journey’s Benchmark Study,” sponsored by ion interactive, 44% of employees surveyed, most of whom are marketers, say that buyers convert very or moderately well because of content.
If marketers really want to power up their content marketing strategies, they need to understand that certain forms of content are better at achieving certain kinds of goals. For instance, 70% of respondents say that engaging, interactive content—such as assessments, games, and quizzes—converts buyers moderately or very well—only 36% say the same for static passive content, such as whitepapers. Likewise, 93% of participants say that interactive content is somewhat or very effective at educating buyers, compared to 70% for passive content. And when it comes to standing out from competitors, 88% of employees say that interactive content is very or somewhat effective, versus 55% who claim the same level of effectiveness for passive content, according to the report.
However, failure to overcome obstacles can mean game over for marketers. Fifty-eight percent of participants say content doesn’t create engagement opportunities and 40% say that their content quantity is inefficient. In addition, 35% say that free content doesn’t generate leads well.
While there’s no cheat code to help marketers know when they should start engaging with buyers, data indicates that the earlier the interaction the better. Although only a quarter of buyers surveyed say they reveal themselves to vendors as soon as they know what they need, 90% of study participants say influencing buyers early on in their journey is very or somewhat important. Furthermore, 51% of respondents say content is least effective in the late stage of the buyer’s journey, such as when they’re ready to make a purchase decision.
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