62% of Customers Want Marketing Content that Speaks to Pain Points

New research suggests that customers prefer to turn to original marketing content during the buying process that addresses their specific pain points.

To learn more about customer preferences, the Content Marketing Institute and SmartBrief recently conducted the “How Content Influences the Purchasing Process” survey. The findings showed that the majority of customers (62 percent) prefer marketing content that speaks to their specific needs and/or pain points. Fifty-seven percent want content to provide specifics on products/services, and 43 percent prefer it to be more educational than promotional.

Approximately 74 percent stated that content that includes original research influences their purchasing decisions. This was only surpassed by one-to-one peer recommendations (80 percent). Product reviews (58 percent), in-person events (55 percent) and product demos (55 percent) were also influential among buyers.

Other forms of marketing content such as ebooks/white papers (33 percent), videos (32 percent) and blog posts/articles (21 percent) were near the bottom of the list.

CXOs and Marketing Content Preferences

Previous research indicates the type of marketing content that buyers prefer may depend on their specific roles.

The “Thought Leadership in Action: Strategic Content to Help CXOs Learn and Lead” report from Forbes Insights and Deloitte surveyed 300 CXOs to learn more about where they gain business insights. About a quarter of respondents (22 percent) claimed they turn to feature-length articles and reports. Nearly 21 percent said they read business books, and 18 percent stated that they use interactive data visualization tools.

“Learning takes a lot of time, which is why CXOs need business insights that are comprehensive, relevant and clear,” explain the authors of the report.