How Marketers Are Using Original Research in Content

Marketers are using original research primarily to create blog posts, infographics, and PDFs, according to a recent report from Mantis Research and BuzzSumo. The report was based on data from a survey conducted in January and February 2018 among 698 marketers from around the world (53% work for B2B firms, 16% for B2C firms, 26% for hybrid B2B-B2C firms, and 5% for governments/nonprofits). Respondents were surveyed on how their firms are using original research, which was defined as research published to gain attention from external audiences (benchmarks, salary guides, etc. ), not research conducted to meet internal needs (marketing plans, competitive analyses, etc.). Half of B2B marketers say they have created content based on original research in the past year. This compares with just 35% of B2C marketers. Among marketers who create content based on original research, 77% publish research-based blog posts, 55% publish research-based infographics, and 54% publish research-based PDFs. Among marketers who create content based on original research, the most popular types of pieces are survey-based research (58% publish them), pieces based on owned data (54%), and pieces based on analysis of third-party data (42%).