The content marketing landscape has seen some dramatic changes since our initial Content Preferences Survey in 2012.While white papers and webinars remain among the most popular types of content for engaging prospects, buyers are increasingly relying on infographics, videos and other interactive content, such as ROI calculators and assessments, as they make their buying decisions.

More than one third (38%) of B2B marketers expect their demand generation budgets to grow by 20% or more in 2015, and they will invest in a number of tactics to drive results, including persona development, webinars and in-person events. In addition, 36% report that their budgets will increase 1% to 10% in the coming year.

Respondents to the 2015 Demand Gen Report Benchmark Study report that those numbers will closely mirror their overall budgets, with 21% anticipating growth of 20% or more in their total marketing budget.

In Demand Gen Report's inaugural Lead Nurturing Benchmarking Study, many B2B marketers report they are leveraging several years of experience in developing lead nurturing campaigns. 71% state that they leverage lead nurturing in their demand generation initiatives, while 19% plan to implement it within the next year. 

Those who have already began using lead nurturing have seen improved campaign response and the ability to deliver more qualified leads to the sales team, among other benefits.  Lead nurturing veterans are now implementing more sophisticated campaigns for even more positive results.

In Demand Gen Report’s 2014 Content Preferences Survey, B2B buyers revealed that they rely are placing a greater emphasis on visual content throughout the purchasing lifecycle. They are also accessing content much more frequently from smartphones and tablets. These trends have led to an even higher buyer reliance on content than ever before to assist in research and purchasing decisions.

While the sales cycle is getting longer and buyers continued to wait to engage with sales, B2B buyers are more satisfied with the process than they were a year ago.

That was just one finding in Demand Gen Report’s 2014 B2B Buyer Behavior Survey. A total of 150 B2B buyers were involved in a major purchase during the past 12 months, revealing some significant trends that impact the purchasing process, including:

• The number of respondents who said they were satisfied with their last purchasing experience surged by 57% over 2012 totals;
• As many as 40% of respondents said they waited longer than last year to initiate contact with B2B vendors;
• As many as 34% of respondents said the number of team members involved in the B2B purchase process increased over the past year;
• More than two thirds (68%) of respondents agreed that the number of sources used to research and evaluate purchase has increased over the past year.

Demand Gen Report’s Second Annual Killer Content Awards recognize organizations that have created cutting-edge content across digital and physical channels. This report provides a behind-the-scenes look at the content creation process of the top 10 “Great White” winners and 10 “Mako honorees, outlining the objectives, development strategies and key metrics for success.