Creating and Distributing Content for the Customer Journey

How B2Bs Can Influence Audience Behavior Through Strategic Content

Executive Summary

Content is more than an upper funnel, lead generation device. When crafted with purpose and intent, strategic content can influence audience behavior throughout the business-to-business (B2B) customer journey.

What B2B content marketing trends will emerge in 2019?

eMarketer estimates that a majority of US B2B companies are using digital content marketing. And the most successful companies plan to invest more this year. Still, most B2Bs are not mature in their content marketing efforts, and a top priority is to improve their content strategy approach.

How do B2Bs develop a successful content strategy?

A holistic content program needs to be relevant to the audience. Most B2Bs aren’t taking the time to research audience behavior and the different phases of the customer life cycle. But this is necessary for content to resonate and align with the customer’s position in the journey.

How can B2Bs create an effective customer journey map?

There are six key elements to mapping the customer life cycle. Companies must collaborate cross-functionally, take the time to define their buyers and customers, conduct deep research into audience behavior, list all audience touchpoints, focus on a particular goal and drive consensus.

What are the customer journey stages?

There is no one-size-fits-all customer life cycle map. But there are eight common audience experiences that B2B companies should note.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report will guide marketers through a customer journey mapping exercise and explore why and how different content should be implemented at each stage of the life cycle.

KEY STAT: Strategic content can influence B2B audience behavior across the customer life cycle, according to January 2019 research from Walker Sands Communications.

Here’s what’s in the full report

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22expert perspectives

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Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. B2B Content Marketing in 2019: We Can Do Better
  3. Mapping the Customer Journey
  1. Aligning Content Strategy with the Journey Stages
  2. Key Takeaways
  3. eMarketer Interviews
  1. Read Next
  2. Sources
  3. Media Gallery

Interviewed for This Report

Ardath Albee
Marketing Interactions
CEO
Interviewed March 13, 2019
Steven Amato
Contend
Founder, CEO, President and Chief Content Officer
Interviewed February 22, 2019
Alison Biggan
SAP
President, Corporate Marketing
Interviewed March 12, 2019
Michael Brenner
Marketing Insider Group
CEO
Interviewed March 8, 2019
Rishi Dave
Vonage
CMO
Interviewed March 4, 2019
Carla Fitzgerald
Spireon
CMO
Interviewed March 12, 2019
Peter Isaacson
Demandbase
CMO
Interviewed February 25, 2019
Kay Kienast
True Influence
CMO
Interviewed February 25, 2019
Joe Lazauskas
Contently
Head of Marketing
Interviewed March 13, 2019
Jae Lee
IBM Watson Marketing
Global Product Marketing
Interviewed February 26, 2019
David Lewis
DemandGen International
Founder, CEO
Interviewed March 11, 2019
Ellie Mirman
Crayon
CMO
Interviewed March 13, 2019
Josh Mueller
Dun & Bradstreet
CMO
Interviewed March 15, 2019
Lee Odden
TopRank Marketing
CEO
Interviewed February 25, 2019
Paige O'Neill
Sitecore
CMO
Interviewed February 22, 2019
Elliot Sedegah
Adobe Experience Cloud
Group Manager, Strategy and Product
Interviewed March 5, 2019
Jenn Steele
Madison Logic
CMO
Interviewed February 21, 2019
Pieter De Temmerman
LiveRamp B2B
COO
Interviewed February 25, 2019
Vin Turk
Madison Logic
Co-Founder, COO
Interviewed February 21, 2019
Gavin Warrener
T-Mobile
Director, B2B Digital Marketing and Demand Generation
Interviewed February 25, 2019
David McAnally
DialogTech
Vice President of Marketing
Interviewed February 25, 2019
Spencer Smith
LiveRamp B2B
Head of Product Marketing
Interviewed February 25, 2019

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authors

Jillian Ryan

Contributors

Ross Benes
Analyst
Lauren Fisher
Principal Analyst
Amy Rotondo
Research Manager, US
Peter Vahle
Forecasting Analyst