Content marketing and mobile optimization are among the top priorities for digital marketers this year. And it’s to be expected. Smartphone adoption is soaring all over the world and tablet sales are set to grow by a staggering 70% in 2013. We spoke with content marketing strategist and industry expert Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, to find out what this surge in the use of mobile devices means for B2B Enterprise marketers. Here’s what he shared:
Your B2B Enterprise content marketing report for 2013 shows that 49% of B2B marketers in North America use mobile content as a tactic, and 47% of them use mobile apps specifically. What benefits do you think these tactics offer?
B2B buyers have one device with them at all times to search and share information: their mobile phones. If your content doesn’t play nicely with smartphones, there is a big missed opportunity. As for apps, I think most B2B enterprise companies are still experimenting here. Apps need to solve a very specific problem for them, so if that’s the case for the creation of the app…then great.
Do you think these numbers will increase in the coming years?
Yes, absolutely.
In your view, are enterprises doing enough to optimize their content for mobile?
Enterprises in the tech industry…yes, they are all over this. Manufacturing, for instance, is woefully behind. What needs to happen is for us to forget all the bells and whistles for a second and just make sure that our content can be accessed on all mobile devices in a very easy, engaging and efficient manner.
Do you think mobile will eventually take over and eclipse other marketing channels?
Enterprise marketers, on average, leverage 17 different content types in their content marketing. Those types are accessed via print, email, social, website, mobile and in-person events. This integration craziness will continue, because customers are in complete control. If we focus only on mobile and forget about the others, we lose. Mobile is critically important, but not at the expense of the other channels.
What do you think the future will bring for content marketing on mobile? Share your thoughts with us in the comments and make sure to follow Joe on Twitter for more tips and insights.
