Editorial

Last year, Brafton reported that content marketing is a competitive necessity for B2B firms, and it seems this is especially true in the software and computing sectors. A new study from the Content Marketing Institute reveals that 94 percent of B2B computing and software firms market with content.

The survey indicates that content marketing can pay off, with more than one-third of these B2B computing and software firms saying content is aligned with web visitors' buying stages. At the same time, the results demonstrate the need for better strategies with respect to content marketing – in the B2B computing and software sectors and beyond.

"Though content marketing is not new, many marketers are still learning," says Joe Pulizzi, founder of the CMI. "Most marketers are beginning to grasp the basics, but the findings show they need help developing and executing a plan."

Some of the biggest challenges reported by marketers were producing engaging content (41 percent), producing enough content (25 percent) and producing a variety of content (16 percent). Officials at the CMI believe these struggles indicate that many of these businesses are churning out content, but ignoring the needs of their consumers.

One way brands might produce effective content is by offering information that keep up with the trends that interest consumers searching for new developments in their industries. Custom news marketing meets the demand of 75 percent of online Americans who look for news on the web, and it offers frequently updated, consistently fresh content.