Various patterns emerge at the intersection between B2B content consumption and the buying journey.
NetLine’s new report analysed how B2B buyers opted to share their first-party data as they registered for different content types at various stages of their purchase timeline (up to 3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, or more than 1 year).
The results show that content formats more likely to be associated with an immediate buying decision are information-heavy formats, especially on-demand webinars, live webcasts, and white papers, but also survey reports, research reports, and analyst reports.
At the end of the spectrum are shorter or more approachable formats—ebooks, followed by tips and tricks guides, eKits, courses, newsletters, book summaries, and cheat sheets.
Ebooks are the most popular content type overall, amassing 43% of all registrations. In 2021, webinar registrations increased by 63% YOY, with on-demand being chosen more often than live webinars.
However, virtual events’ popularity increased even more, by 139% YOY.
While 2021 did see the return of in-person conferences and face-to-face meetings, given that online events provide 79% more data than physical events 2022 could very well become the year of hybrid events. Time will show.
