The 2020 benchmark report titles, along with publishing dates and descriptions, are as follows:

The 2020 Benchmark Report on Application Performance Management (publishing Q3 2019) – How Top-Performing Companies are using next-generation API capabilities to speed the development of new applications, optimize the performance of existing applications, and improve customer satisfaction and employee productivity

The 2020 Benchmark Report on Enterprise Business Intelligence (publishing Q3 2019) – How Top-Performing Companies are using next-generation EPM capabilities to make smarter business decisions and drive profitable growth

The 2020 Benchmark Report on Enterprise Performance Management (publishing Q3 2019) – How Top-Performing Companies are using next-generation EPM capabilities to make smarter business decisions and drive profitable growth

The 2020 Benchmark Report on Digital Asset Management (publishing Q1 2020) – How Top-Performing Companies are using next-generation DAM capabilities to optimize digital content organization and access, both inside and outside the organization, automate workflows, manage permissions and ensure brand consistency

The 2020 Benchmark Report on Enterprise Resource Planning (publishing Q1 2020) – How Top-Performing Companies are using next-generation ERP capabilities to integrate business processes and automate information flows across back- and front-office functions to reduce operating costs and drive profitable growth

The 2020 Benchmark Report on Enterprise Asset Management (publishing Q1 2020) – How Top-Performing Companies are using next-generation EAM capabilities to optimize maintenance operations, reduce equipment downtime, streamline purchasing and procurement, ensure regulatory compliance and drive business growth

The 2020 Benchmark Report on Corporate Learning Management (publishing Q2 2020) – How Top-Performing Companies are using next-generation LMS capabilities to deliver personalized learning experiences based on company objectives and learner needs to boost employee knowledge and productivity and improve business performance

The 2020 Benchmark Report on Human Capital Management (publishing Q2 2020) – How Top-Performing Companies are using next-generation HCM capabilities to empower HR professionals to optimize talent acquisition and onboarding, streamline workforce processes and systems, and improve employee performance

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According to the eBook: “89% of marketers are using content marketing and 66% of marketers plan to increase content marketing spend in the next year. As a modern marketer, you know that content marketing is a critical component of every marketing strategy. Content marketing builds awareness, drives interest, and ultimately helps generate revenues by addressing a problem or offering an innovative twist on an old approach.”

LinkedIn is singing our song. To download the eBook, please click here.

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We’re also looking forward to the release, in June, of The 2016 Benchmark Report on B2B content Marketing and Lead Generation. The annual report has emerged as a definitive resource for B2B marketers. For us, it’s always a thrill to have a front-row seat to the innovation that is taking place in the world of B2B content marketing and our fingers on the pulse of how marketers are allocating their marketing spend and achieving success. To participate in the survey that serves as the basis for the research, please click here.

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Starfleet Research will lift off in early 2016. We have teamed with B2B content distribution partners like Madison Logic to help drive its success. The new website, which is still in development (and officially launches in January), will showcase the latest Smart Decision Guides and co-branded eBooks along with content assets in two new categories: Benchmark Reports (best practices market research, to help decision makers understand how top-performing companies are achieving their desired business objectives with specific technology-enabled business initiatives) and Actionable Insights Reports (which bring together the best in third-party thought leadership, to further educate the marketplace). As always, we welcome feedback and any suggestions for improvement. Please send comments to feedback@starfleetmedia.com.

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The fact that B2B companies are more than 2.5-times more likely to be focused on using content marketing for new customer acquisition than for customer retention purposes is telling, and it informs everything from content development to promotional tactics. Incidentally, this ratio has not changed significantly in the past year.

The chart below, based on 341 qualified survey respondents, illustrates some of the more granular objectives that are fueling today’s B2B content marketing initiatives.

Unfortunately, companies frequently come up short in fully achieving their objectives. Consider the following insights, which are also derived from our recent research findings:

• Fewer than one-fifth (18%) of survey respondents report that they have been “very successful” in achieving their primary objectives for content marketing.
• Fewer than one-third (32%) of survey respondents report that they have been “successful” in achieving their primary objectives for content marketing.
• More than one-quarter (27%) of survey respondents report that they have “not been successful” in achieving their primary objectives for content marketing.

The reasons that companies often fail to hit the ball out of the park (and, in some cases, completely strike out) with their content marketing initiatives are generally hard to pinpoint. They likely run the gamut, from suboptimal content development activity to inefficient operations management to poor SEM and landing page optimization to broken sales pipelines and lead nurturing processes.

An overreliance on company-produced content assets, which are often perceived by today’s target prospects to be nothing more than thinly-veiled marketing collateral, may also be a big part of the problem. Licensing or commissioning unbiased, third-party content assets can go a long way toward helping companies better achieve their content marketing objectives.

To download The 2015 Benchmark Report on B2B Content Marketing and Lead Generation, click here.

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Following are a few key findings from our latest benchmark research, based on 324 survey responses:

• Almost one-third (33%) of survey responds report spending more than half of their marketing budgets on content marketing during the past 12 months; 16% (compared to only 10% last year) say they spent more than 70% if their marketing budgets on content marketing during the past 12 months
• More than one-third (36%) of marketers plan to allocate a greater portion of their marketing budgets to content marketing over the next 12 months.
• Almost one-quarter (24%) of companies plan to more than double their spending on content marketing over the next 12 months.
• None of the survey respondents indicated that their companies plan to reduce their spending on content marketing over the next 12 months.

Click here to download the full report.

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Fact #2: Creating compelling content is hard. It’s no surprise, therefore, that almost three-quarters (73%) of companies “often” or “almost always” repurpose at least some portion of the content that was created for one asset (e.g., an eBook or white paper) into one or more other assets (e.g., a blog post, bylined article or infographic).

Fact #3: Content marketing processes and operations are oftentimes inefficient, with many companies lacking a content marketing strategy (27% outsource their strategic planning). Moreover, only 60% of large and very large companies use a content marketing collaboration / project management platform to coordinate and track related tasks and workflows internally and with vendors.

These facts, along with many others, are highlighted in our latest market research on B2B content marketing and lead generation. The new benchmark report has already been downloaded by thousands of marketers and has been garnering some nice media attention this week from leading industry publications like MarketingProfs (“B2B Content Marketing: Top Tactics, Goals, and Tools“) and eMarketer (e.g., see chart below and related article).

To download The 2015 Benchmark Report on B2B Content Marketing and Lead Generation, click here.

The post Three Facts that B2B Content Marketers Should Keep in Mind appeared first on Starfleet Media.

The result is an even more comprehensive look – arguably, the most comprehensive and revealing one to be found anywhere – at how B2B companies are evolving their content marketing and lead generation capabilities to better achieve their business objectives.

To be sure, most B2B companies continue to make good progress in harnessing the power of content marketing to demonstrate thought leadership, raise brand visibility, and, of course, generate qualified leads. That progress is reflected in many of the research findings. At the same time, there remains plenty of room for improvement.

Last year’s report was featured in dozens of leading publications and media outlets and accessed via a wide range of channels, including trade associations and industry events, by marketing and sales practitioners at thousands of companies around the world. We hope this year’s report will help steer an even greater number of people and companies in the right direction.

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