B2B Buyers Turning to Shorter Marketing Content During the Buying Process

New research suggests that marketers may want to shift to shorter pieces of content to reel in B2B buyers.

The “2017 Content Preferences Survey Report” from DemandGen recently discovered that 46 percent of B2B buyers have moved towards shorter formats of content in the past year. This trend could be fueled by the fact that about one-third claim that they have less time to devote to research than they did in the past.

In terms of content preferences, most buyers (78 percent) stated that they have turned to case studies to research B2B purchasing decisions in the past 12 months. Seventy-seven percent said the same about white papers, and 76 percent claimed that they have engaged with webinars for further insight.

Accessibility is a primary concern for B2B buyers, according to the research. Approximately 71 percent said that they want marketing content to be easier to access. Seventy-six percent would also like to see more data and research supporting marketing content.

“Buyers give the most credence to peer reviews and user generated feedback; 68 percent of respondents said they frequently give credence to this form of content, while 60 percent give credence to content authored by a third-party publication or analyst,” wrote the authors of the report.

Research During the B2B Buying Process

Previous research has honed in on the wide array of resources B2B buyers turn to as they make purchasing decisions. The “2016 B2B Buyer’s Survey,” for example, found that 68 percent learn toward web search, while 54 percent review vendor websites. In addition, 49 percent claimed that they turn to their peers/colleagues during the buying process.

“From review sites to social media, today’s B2B buyers have more options than ever when it comes to finding feedback from peers,” wrote the survey conductors. “Review sites – long a staple of consumer marketing – continue to gain influence in the B2B realm.”