• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 5, 2020

Don’t discount the old channels — like email. That’s the main takeaway from B2B Content Consumption Trends, a study by Centerline Digital.   

Email is the top B2B content vehicle and the best at producing leads and revenue, the study reports, sourcing other research.

B2B consumers are “generally finding content in ways they have in the past — through email and search — coupled with continued growth on select social media platforms.” 

What’s more, 82% of influencers share information via email when researching purchasing decisions. 

The lesson here: “Be sure to plan for a ‘share via email’ option when creating content, especially long form.”

The study adds that “whitepapers and longer-form content are often shared with colleagues via email, so it’s no surprise that email remains a popular channel in B2B, despite trends that point to decreasing usage in B2C.”

(That aside about B2C is the only thing we would quibble with). 

As for types of content, 76% of B2B buyers say they are most likely to share white papers and other types of long-form content. 

At the early-funnel stage, they prefer infographics. And 59% of senior executives prefer video over text when both are presented on the same page.

The most valuable social media platforms are Facebook (89%), LinkedIn (83%), YouTube (81%) and Twitter (80%). In addition, 72% of buyers go to Google during the awareness stage. 

C-level execs take 21% more time than mangers to read the content they have downloaded, probably because of lack of time, although you might also infer that they read it more carefully.

“The higher the job title, the wider the content consumption gap,” the study continues. 

Managers are the group most likely to request additional content. But C-level execs are next, and their consumption has risen 11% over last year.

Moreover, VPs and individual contributors will typically consume requested content within 24 hours. And 74% of prospects who do download have never done so on your site, according to the paper.

Finally, 52% of B2B buyers prefer content designed for mobile, desktop and tablet. Keep that in mind when putting your emails together.

Most of the study's information comes from other sources. But it rings true.