This Week in Marketing: Conquering Content Challenges

By Tequia Burt, Editor in Chief of  LinkedIn Ads Blog

When asked by Content Marketing Institute about the biggest content creation challenges they face in 2024, B2B marketers cited the following above all:

• Creating the right content for our audience
• Creating content consistently
• Differentiating our content

In some ways, these are fundamental barriers that marketers have faced throughout the history of content marketing. But in the age of content saturation, media fragmentation, evolving habits, and generative AI, the best techniques for overcoming them are changing. 

As this week’s roundup of trending articles and insights illustrates, there have been clear shifts in the preferences and expectations of B2B audiences. They want transparency. They want original data and research. They want personalization and relationship-building. 

Marketers can deliver on all of these things with the right strategy. Dive into expert tips and advice below to stay in front of the most pressing B2B content challenges. 

What to Read

The Need to Address Transparency in Content Marketing Today (Fast Company): “While advancing technologies may be useful towards navigating the current climate,” writes Keith Turco, “what marketers should really be demanding from their providers is adherence to a new standard of absolute transparency, and one that ensures both constant compliance and the elimination of opaque syndication practices.”

B2B Marketing: Our Role In Driving Sales During Challenging Economic Times (Forbes): CMO Karl Van den Bergh weighs in on the evolving, nuanced role of marketing in driving revenue as B2B sales cycles lag and decisions are heavily scrutinized.

A Complete Guide to Using Original Research to Elevate B2B Content Marketing (TopRank Marketing): Business decision-makers crave unique data and insights they can trust, straight from the source. Theresa Meis covers the benefits of original research reports, and how to use them effectively for B2B marketing, mentioning LinkedIn’s B2B Marketing Benchmark as one example.

Seven Ways To Use GenAI For B2B Personalization (Forrester): Personalization is one of the most powerful yet straightforward applications of generative AI in B2B marketing. Jessie Johnson highlights seven key techniques, from leveraging content as data to skipping the small talk.

Why Nurture Programs Aren’t Just About Converting Leads (CustomerThink): Nurture programs should be viewed as investments in future customers, focusing on relationship-building rather than merely accelerating conversions, argues Howard Sewell.

What to Watch

B2B Marketing Strategy: 2025 Edition

On this edition of the CMO Huddles Studio, guest host Jamie Gier of DexCare is joined by the following marketing leaders for a forward-looking exploration of B2B strategy:

• Josh Leatherman, Service Express
• Tom Bianchi, Acquia
• Charles Groome, Biz2Credit

What to Know

It’s time for B2B marketers to take back the weekend! A new website traffic study by DesignRush, as highlighted at Demand Gen Report, found that there’s been a 23% surge in B2B weekend traffic. The report also found that weekend browsing sessions tend to be longer and generate higher conversion rates, with visitors more likely to fill out forms, download resources and explore content more deeply.

“While many B2B marketing teams focus heavily on weekdays, the real opportunity lies in leveraging weekend engagement,” said Robin Fishley, SEO Director at DesignRush. “With decision-makers becoming more active on Saturdays and Sundays, brands can no longer afford to ignore this time frame.”

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