B2B surveys and research reports offer content marketers opportunities they’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Sure, it offers quantitative insights that you can use in your products, sales outreach and marketing strategy. But you can also feed the data into your content marketing campaigns. Nothing validates the value of your product or service quite like a study that shows your prospects what their industry peers are thinking.
Clear Disappearing Hurdles
Two of the biggest obstacles to conducting research have been obliterated with technology. Historically, research studies have been complicated and expensive. But today’s online tools make surveys both easy and affordable. Content4Demand often turns to SurveyMonkey for internal research projects. There are plenty of other options that are just as easy to use.
Using your marketing database, you can quickly identify relevant segments for a range of survey topics. If your database is too small, you can also purchase third-party lists or hire a third-party research firm with expertise in your industry. The best firms have access to millions of members in their research-panel databases. From there, you can target the most relevant combination of criteria: job title, industry, geographic region or whatever else you deem important.
Feed Content Streams
Respondents to the 2021 Content Preferences Survey Report ranked research and survey reports as the top content format 45% of them turn when they’re researching purchase decisions. Plus, 43% say they share research reports with other members of their buying committees.
To get the best value from your efforts, plan ahead for how you’ll leverage the results. A single study can deliver the content to feed one or more robust marketing campaigns, presenting the results in context via white papers, videos, webinars, infographics, podcasts and any of your other well-trafficked formats. We’ve helped clients like BluJay Solutions create compelling content with industry-leading research.
Our sister company Demand Gen Report conducts key research and benchmark studies throughout the year, and they present the results that drive content initiatives for weeks—or even months—after the original reports are published.
Share your results with journalists and bloggers who cover your industry, and you’re likely to get some valuable press coverage that positions you as a thought leader. These folks are always eager to get their hands on interesting facts and figures to support their work.
Glean Buyer Insights
Surveys are one of the best ways to learn what your buyers want and need. A peek into their priorities can help you adjust offers and messaging for the best possible ROI. You might ask them about their top goals and pain points, how their spending has changed or which information sources they trust the most. Think about the most valuable information you’re after, and craft your questions to solicit that information.
Learn more about the value of B2B surveys and research in our on-demand webinar, Data-Driven
Content Strategy: How to Turn Survey Data Into a Treasure Trove of Insights.
Content4Demand partners with clients to develop buyer-focused content campaigns based on their own research, third-party research or research we execute on their behalf. If you don’t have the resources or bandwidth to execute a research-based campaign, contact us to learn how we can help you.
Holly Celeste Fisk
Holly Celeste Fisk is an accomplished marketing pro with 20+ years of experience in B2B and B2C. She’s responsible for Content4Demand’s internal marketing efforts, managing everything from content creation and email marketing to events and sponsorships, blog publishing, website management and social media presence. When she’s not working, you’ll find her sliding into third at softball, buried in a book or practicing her Italian.