Rachel RicklesContent Marketing Evangelist

The Importance of Full Funnel Content Marketing

Let’s Talk About

The B2B Buyer’s Journey Today

B2B Buying Committee

Delivering Relevant Content

Key Takeaways and Q&A

Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates

about 3 times as many leads- Demand Metric

B2B Buying Committee

Delivering Relevant Content

Key Takeaways and Q&A

Let’s Talk About

The B2B Buyer’s Journey Today

Awareness

Consideration

Lead Gen

The Typical Buyer’s Funnel

Page viewsBlog visitsTime spent on siteShare of voice

Social sharesTop/branded keywordsPage views per visit

CPLAverage lead scoreMQL’sOpportunities

Awareness

Consideration

Page viewsBlog visitsTime spent on siteShare of voice

Social sharesTop/branded keywordsPage views per visit

The Typical Buyer’s Funnel

CPLAverage lead scoreMQL’sOpportunities

Lead Gen

Today’s Buyer’s JourneyCustomers make it through 90% of the purchase process

before reaching out.

Sources: *Forrester, “Buyer Behavior Helps B2B Marketers Guide the Buyer’s Journey,” October 2012; **Zero Moment of Truth Study, Google

10 pieces of content are consumed in the process

Today’s Buyer is More Empowered Than Ever

Search Social Mobile

Awareness

Consideration

Blog postsInfographicsQuizzesVideosResearch reportsWhitepapersData sheetsWebinarsCase studiesDemos/Trials

Content for the Funnel

Welcome programsProduct releasesProduct tips/tricks

Retention

Lead Gen

The B2B Buyer’s Journey Today

Delivering Relevant Content

Key Takeaways and Q&A

Let’s Talk About

B2B Buying Committee

The Decision Process has Changed

The average B2B decision making group now

includes 5.4 buyers

45% of technology decision-makers work

outside IT, in finance, sales, facilities, and marketing

Create content for all members of the tech buying committee

5.4 45%

CEB’s “Why You Should Teach Customers How to Buy” 2014; “The Social Bridge to the IT Committee,” commissioned study conducted by comScore, Inc, in 10 countries on behalf of LinkedIn, Q3 2013

4The average number of

departments influencing a typical B2B buying

decision

Engineering

IT

Operations

Project Manageme

ntFinance

Sales Support

Purchasing

Business Developme

nt

It’s Bigger than You Think

86% of buyers discuss technology

solutions/vendors with an outside party

External influencers play a factor as well

86%8 in 10 buyers look outside the buying committee for

opinions

Content for the Committee

Sales Directors

SalesTeam

AMTeam

Marketing

HR

Content for the Committee

The B2B Buyer’s Journey Today

B2B Buying Committee

Key Takeaways and Q&A

Let’s Talk About

Delivering Relevant Content

2016 B2B Content Marketing Report

2016 B2B Content Marketing Report

Company’s Expertise

Audience Pain Points & Interests

Untapped Opportunit

y

Great content lies at the intersection of 3 key elements

Spec/Fund Vendor Choice Manage RenewIdentify Needs

Content for the Committee by Stage

Who is involved in recognizing

the problem and identifying

needs?

Who is responsible for

researching vendors, reviewing pros/cons,

conducting a value analysis,

and setting budget?

Who is the final decision

maker/makers?

Who is responsible for

using the product, giving feedback and

working with the customer service

teams?

Who are the decision makers when it comes to

contract renewals?

When Do Buyers Reach Out?

After they have a short list of solutions

53% 22%

Customer & The Buyer’s Journey Benchmark Report, Demand Metric

25%As soon as they know

they have a need

EARLY MID-WAYWhen they’re ready to

buy

LATE

3 Steps to Relevant Content

Create, reuse, or repurpose content that is specific to these audiences

Identify where they are in the buying stage

Identify who is on the buying committee

How Can LinkedIn Help?

NewsCred

The Case for B2B Marketing on LinkedIn

6xGENERATE QUALITY LEADS:

75%

11x 73%

13% 27%

The ROI of Google AdWords

Better response rates

Increase in web visits

Lower CPL than Google AdWords

Lower CPL than other social channels

Increase in page views

DELIVER THE RIGHT MESSAGE TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE:Replicon

BUILD BRAND AWARENESS:Cetera

The B2B Buyer’s Journey Today

B2B Buying Committee

Delivering Relevant Content

Let’s Talk About

Key Takeaways and Q&A

The buying journey has changed. Content marketing needs to change with itEven though we all want leads, we need to build trust with our audience and offer content outside the gateOur core target audience are not alone. There is a larger buying committee making purchase decisions

Takeaways

Creating and delivering relevant content doesn’t have to be hard – we just need to know who we need to reach and when

How to Get Started

Learn More: Visit business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions. Download the Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide Get Started: Gain reach by sponsoring content from your company page. Think about a full funnel approach to reach your audience at every stage.Brainstorm: Who is involved in the purchase decision for your product? What content can you leverage to speak to those audiences?

Q & A