A COMMISSIONED STUDY CONDUCTED BY FORRESTER CONSULTING, NOVEMBER 2024 Creating Compelling Customer-Centric Content
Executive Summary Too often, B2B marketing messaging is product-centric and sounds impersonal, irrelevant, and biased. To create customer-centric content, you must understand and address your customers’ needs, challenges, and goals with the content you produce — all while promoting it at the right time and in the right channels to reach your key buyers. In May 2023, Forrester conducted a survey of 767 B2B technology buyers to understand their content preferences and experiences throughout the buying journey. We found that while buyers rely on vendor-provided thought leadership to inform their strategies and purchase decisions, they struggle to trust and find value in much of the content they receive. ABOUT FORRESTER CONSULTING Forrester provides independent and objective research-based consulting to help leaders deliver key outcomes. Fueled by our customer-obsessed research, Forrester’s seasoned consultants partner with leaders to execute their specific priorities using a unique engagement model that ensures lasting impact. For more information, visit forrester.com/consulting. © Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester®, Technographics®, Forrester Wave, and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Project Team: The Market Impact Consulting Group Contributing Research: Forrester’s Portfolio Marketing & Product research group © FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 2 3
Buyers use thought leadership to inform and influence. Thought leadership is a strategic value-add asset that can help drive market differentiation and new points of view. Buyers are looking for objective and data-backed insights that can help them stay ahead of their competition, grow their sphere of influence, and inform purchase decisions. Current Thought Leadership Use Cases Stay ahead of industry trends Aid understanding of market/industry trends Drive internal innovation Provide market intelligence/ benchmarks Inform which vendors we consider for purchase Impact perception of a vendor’s brand, vision, and/or values Help with personal and professional development Shape internal business strategy/decision-making (Showing “Always use” or “Frequently use”) 73% 73% 61% 60% 58% 58% 52% 43% Base: 759 technology buying decision-makers at global enterprises who have received thought leadership content from vendors Note: Showing top eight responses Source: Forrester’s Content Preferences Study, 2023 5 © FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 4
Most content shared today isn’t informative or influential. Marketers often approach thought leadership with a product-centric mindset, missing the opportunity to provide useful or informative insights that can solve the needs of their buyers and help their brand stand out in a crowded field of thought leadership content. “Content is integral to the customer experience. It’s how customers find us, engage with us, and choose us. Given just how much content is pushed to business buyers, however, finding ways to stand out is critical.” — Phyllis Davidson, VP and principal analyst, Forrester 71% The materials vendors share with me is more focused on their products than my organization’s needs. Much of the materials vendors share with me is biased toward the vendor. It’s not objective or balanced. 65% The material vendors share with me fails to demonstrate a clear understanding of my organization’s needs. 59% Base: 767 respondents who are technology-buying decision-makers at global enterprises Source: Forrester’s Content Preferences Study, 2023 7 © FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 6
Bold and objective thought leadership positions are needed to help brands stand out. 86% of technology buyers are more likely to trust a vendor’s thought leadership position and claims if they are backup by an objective, third-party. “Buyers are drowning in a sea of sameness. They fail to find any value in the content they receive because much of it is myopically focused on the vendor and its products and services — not on the cares and concerns of the recipient. This is especially true for thought leadership content, which is frequency … a labored retreading of familiar ground or the latest business fad with little original thought or insight.” — Ian Bruce, VP and principal analyst, Forrester Base: 767 respondents who are technology-buying decision-makers at global enterprises Source: Forrester’s Content Preferences Study, 2023 9 © FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 8 Base: Source:
Personalization is a critical component of valuable thought leadership content. Buyers want to consume thought leadership content that can be personalized based on their needs and preferences. These needs and preferences change throughout each stage of their purchase journey. Most Valuable Content Types And Length Across Purchase Journey Short-form written content 74% Buyers expect an experience that is personalized to their needs and preferences.1 Learing about the solution Shortlisting vendors Selecting a vendor/ engaging with a vendor Engaging with a vendor after the sale Short-form video Short-form interactive tools Long-form video Short-form video Long-form video Short-form interactive tools Long-form written content Long-form video Long-form written content Short-form video Short-form interactive tools Short-form video Short-form interactive tools Long-form video Long-form written content Technology Buyer Purchase Journey 64% 59% 57% 54% 61% 58% 57% 54% 58% 58% 54% 52% 57% 55% 55% 54% Base: 767 respondents who are technology-buying decision-makers at global enterprises Note: Showing top 4 responses. Source: Forrester’s Content Preferences Study, 2023 11 © FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 10 1 Source: From One To Many: How To Maximize B2B Content Reuse, Forrester Research, Inc., June 9, 2022.
Key Recommendations Start with a clear picture of your target audience. It is critical that you define a targeted audience for thought leadership to make content that is relevant and personalized. At a minimum, this audience should be defined at the regional, company size, industry, and buying group levels. Leverage interactive assets to enhance the reader experience. Buyers in our content preferences study prefer interactive thought leadership content for a more engaging, experience. Interactive assets also allow readers to customize content, delivering a more personalized experience for your audience. Maximize your content reach. Your content should not be one and done — promoting content across multiple channels over an extended period of time will yield the best results. Align asset promotion to audience preferences to be where they want to be when they are ready to engage. Methodology In this study, Forrester conducted an online survey of 767 decision-makers at organizations with 500 or more employees in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Nordics, Singapore, the UK, and the US to evaluate the current state of B2B content marketing and thought leadership. Survey participants included decision-makers who actively participated in a technology purchase decision in the past 12 months. Respondents were offered a small incentive as a thank-you for time spent on the survey. The study was completed in May 2023. Note: Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding. REGION EMEA 36% North America 33% APAC 31% COMPANY SIZE (EMPLOYEES) 500 to 999 15% 1,000 to 4,999 43% 5,000 to 19,999 25% 20,000 or more 18% INDUSTRY (TOP FOUR) Tech/tech services 15% Manufacturing/ materials 13% Finserv/insurance 12% Retail 9% TITLE C-level 19% VP 7% Director 29% Manager 45% Demographics DEPARTMENT (TOP FOUR SHOWN) IT 29% Marketing/ advertising 19% Customer experience 19% Customer service 18% 13 © FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 12
Explore More Download the full study: A Guide To Creating Compelling Customer-Centric Content RELATED FORRESTER RESEARCH October 25, 2023, Maximize Your Results With ThirdParty Content, Webinar. Ian Bruce and Lisa Gately, Most Thought Leadership Isn’t Thoughtful Or Leading: How Can We Fix That?, Forrester Blogs. It’s Not About You: Effective B2B Personalization Means Putting The Customer First, Forrester Research, Inc., August 2, 2023. The Future Of B2B Content, Forrester Research, Inc., March 8, 2023. LEARN HOW FORRESTER CAN HELP CREATE CONTENT THAT FUELS DEMAND Read now © FORRESTER RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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