Exclusive Survey Report: Business Executives’ Content Preferences & Consumption Habits

Business executives are increasingly wary of sales messaging, as The Content Preferences Survey, conducted by DemandGen Report, found that 75% of respondents encourage solution providers creating content to “curb the sales messaging.” Research findings indicate a need for marketers to reevaluate their content strategies to ensure that prospects understand the value for their business and objectives, rather than resorting to obtrusive, ineffective sales-speak.

To offer recommendations to solution providers creating content, 55% of respondents selected “focus less on product specifications and more on value.” The survey also underscored the importance of “trustworthy” content. When asked how their content consumption habits have changed over the last year, 60% of respondents said they place a higher emphasis on the trustworthiness of the source creating content.

Despite their busy schedules, business executives take time to share content they find. While email is a primary sharing mechanism, the survey found that more than half (53%) of executives share content using LinkedIn. Some of the other channels used for sharing include Google+, Pinterest and SlideShare, but these options yielded low, single-digit percentages.

The white paper still reigns supreme, crowning the list of content types that buyers use to research a business topic or solution. But more visual formats, such as webinars (72%); videos (44%); and infographics (38%) also were cited as emerging formats for research. The findings also support the need to ungate top-of-funnel content offers such as infographics; however, buyers expect they’ll have to share their basic information for certain types of content.

A majority (77%) of respondents will share basic info (name, company and email) to access a white paper, while 75% of respondents will share basic info to access an E-book. Conversely, for more visual content, or resources that are more informal and engaging, executives expect immediate access. More than three quarters (74%) of respondents expect to access infographics without registration, while 67% expect to access videos without registration.

The desktop computer is becoming nearly obsolete as a primary research channel. Not much news there, but almost half (40%) of respondents said they are accessing content on their mobile phone more frequently, while 23% are using a tablet device more frequently.

The Content Preferences Survey report will guide B2B organizations looking to kick off a new content marketing strategy or improve upon an existing strategy, to support marketing campaigns and enhance demand generation initiatives.

To download a complimentary copy of the full report, click here.

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