Clutch’s survey of 384 consumers of online business content found that 87% of respondents frequently encounter business content using search engines, slightly more than the 85% who find business content through social media and 75% who encounter content most frequently on company websites.
The study indicates that B2B audiences are avid consumers of business content online and use content to inform their purchasing decisions.
By optimizing content for SEO and for their target customers, companies can engage B2B audiences online and work to transition them through their sales funnel to conversion.
B2B audiences consume content frequently and according to their purchasing intent
Clutch’s survey supports industry research that B2B customers extensively research companies and products online as part of their purchasing process.
The survey found that 88% of B2B audiences consume business content online at least once a week.
For the most part, the reasons why B2B audiences consume business content online reflects their buying intent and determines the type of content they prefer.
For example, 45% of B2B audiences read business content online to stay informed about industry trends, the most common reason cited among respondents.
This broad reasoning for consuming content demonstrates low purchasing intent. Thus, this group likely fits in the “awareness” stage of the conversion funnel and consumes content to learn more about a business or an industry before moving forward in their purchasing process.
As a result, they reported blogs and articles as their preferred type of content, since blogs and articles are more likely to focus on broader topics such as industry trends.
On the other hand, B2B audiences that read content to further research a company’s products or services, or to help them make a final purchasing decision, gravitate towards content that speaks to their high level of purchasing intent. Fittingly, this group prefers product descriptions and reviews more than other forms of online content.
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