75% of B2B content marketers share the same six frustrations. In this report, we'll tell you what those obstacles are, reveal the impact they have, and seek expert advice on what to do about them.
In late 2019, Radix Communications gave B2B marketers a chance to vent their frustrations, anonymously, about the things that stop them creating the content they really want.
We got 105 responses, from all over the world. Marketers of all levels, from content creators to CMOs, in businesses of all sizes. And despite that diversity, the story they told us is clear.
On the whole, B2B marketers are not satisfied with the content they publish. And most of the obstacles that prevent them from doing their best work are within their own organisations.
I have friends in B2C marketing and by comparison their job is a doddle. But senior B2B marketers are almost £20k behind in terms of salary.
Also in this report...
Overall, senior marketers and respondents in North America were the most satisfied. But still, there was no major category where most of the people were proud of most of their content.
The consistency doesn't end there. The survey revealed six key content barriers, each of which are common to at least 75% of marketers:
Conflicting and changing priorities, or an unclear brief
Interference from managers and stakeholders
Insufficient budget and resources
Too much work, and not enough time
Lack of input and co-operation from other departments
Limited customer contact
Importantly, the big six outrank issues that are generally assumed to be key obstacles for B2B, like dull subject matter, conservative buyers, or lack of ideas.
B2B marketers know what they need to do, but are being hamstrung by their own organisations.
In this report, we'll reveal the survey findings in full – and use them to illustrate the impact of these six challenges. We'll also hear perspectives from top B2B marketers, including advice on how to handle each issue, and where to find a role that enables your best work.
Largely, people who are critical of B2B content have not had butts in seats in actual corporations.
There's a whole bunch of stuff that goes into making content, that the market doesn't acknowledge. Talent, passion and will are maybe 10% of it. Does the organisation agree on topics? Do you have a supportive team? Are sales co-operative? What about the leadership team? What kind of budget and tools do you have? How many micromanagers are there?
The survey results absolutely nail it: the big three obstacles are resources, interference, and changing priorities. There's always an exec who fancies himself a marketer, and is constantly getting in the way. It's way too rare to be in a situation like I'm in right now, where you can drive the team to work efficaciously and creatively.
Corporate teams need to realise that they have to define personas and messaging up front. The worst thing you could do is try to decide within a tactic what you're trying to say. Otherwise, they're trying to figure out who they are, what they believe and what they're doing, as you go along. Which is why web pages, ebooks and videos get changed and changed.
It's ridiculous, the constraints that most marketers are dealing with.
Every B2B marketer has experienced the situation where new players come in at the end, and muddy the water. So imagine what it's like to have other people screwing things up, and then being blamed by the market when your content sucks. It's like: "If you only fuckin' knew."
