State of B2C MarketingStrategy Report 2019

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Introduction

Marketers + Success

Organization + Success

Documented Strategy + Success

Planning + Success

Goals + Success

Agile Project Management + Success

Additional Benchmarks and Insights

Survey Methodology

Who Took the Survey?

Industry Breakdown

What Is CoSchedule?

The world of B2C marketing moves fast.

In comparison to B2B marketers, your buying cycles may be much more rapid, and purchasing de-cisions made much more quickly. While emotion plays a role in B2B decision-making when choosing products and services, it’s an even stronger consideration for B2C marketers.

Managing teams and keeping their focus aligned with a cohesive strategy in this kind of environment isn’t easy. There’s always something new you can be doing or another shiny object to chase.

Yet, you likely see peers and competitors who appear to be doing well. Hopefully you feel that way about your own work too. But, even if that is the case, it’s easy to wonder how you stack up against the rest of the B2C marketing landscape.

This report attempts to answer some basic questions, including:

Introduction

How are successful B2C marketers managing their teams?

What’s their approach to planning and managing their strategy?

What tactics, channels, and content types do they find most successful?

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Amongst the 677 B2C marketers in the survey, just 62% consider themselves Somewhat Successful or Very Successful. of that total, just 9% fall into the latter.

According to the survey data, one of the best things marketers can do to improve their odds for success is to get organized.

Marketers who said their marketing teams were well-organized were 472% more likely to report success. The correlation between success and organization is strong as well (R = 0.43, n = 417, p-value < 0.0001).

In comparison, 70% of B2B marketers in the survey reported being successful (57% Very Success-ful, and 13% Somewhat Successful). This discrepancy could be explained by the size of the data sets (1,206 B2B marketers versus 677 B2C marketers).

However, while most B2C marketers are on the right track, this data does seem to suggest most feel they have room to improve. Next, this report will take a look at what successful B2C marketers are doing differently.

How Successful Do B2C Marketers Consider Themselves?

Organized B2C Marketers Are 472% More Likelyto Report Success

Somewhat Successful

Neutral

Very Successful

Somewhat Unsuccessful

Very Unsuccessful

53%

24%

9%

8%

7%

358

162

59

54

44

0% 26.5% 53% COUNT PERCENT

Somewhat Organized

Somewhat Disorganized

Unsure

Very Organized

Very Disorganized

47%

21%

12%

10%

10%

317

139

79

71

71

0% 23.5% 47% COUNT PERCENT

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However, when looking at the total number of B2C marketers who reported being organized, 47% re-sponded Somewhat Organized and just 10% said they were Very Organized. Here again we see room for improvement.

Marketers are often told that documenting strategy precedes success. The data overwhelmingly sup-ports that notion too, with marketers who document at least a portion or all of their strategy being 410% more likely to report success.

But, how many B2C marketers in the study are actually following through on that advice? Just 39% are documenting parts of their strategy, and another 10% document their entire strategy.

Fortunately, seeing that 26% intend to document strategy in 2019 is encouraging, and suggests that the word is spreading amongst B2C marketers. Here are two resources to assist with documenting your strategy:

B2C Marketers Who Document Strategy Are 410%More Likely to Be Successful

Are B2C Marketers Documenting Their Strategy?

0% 20% 40%Portions of their Strategy

Are Documented

Entire Marketing StrategyIs Documented

No Documented Strategy

No Documented StrategyBut Will Create One in 2019

265

173

168

71

39%

26%

25%

10%

COUNT PERCENT

How to Create a Marketing Strategy That Will Skyrocket Your Results By 9,360%

30 Marketing Plan Samples and 7 Templates to Build Your Strategy

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Plan your work, then work your plan. This is a common phrase heard around the CoSchedule offices, and there is data to support the value of this maxim: B2C marketers were 226% more likely to report being successful when they proactively plan projects and campaigns.

A basic part of planning, getting organized, and documenting strategy is goal-setting. However, for mar-keters of any stripe, setting effective goals is easier said than done: go too low and your “success” will matter little, while setting them too aggressively and you’ll set yourself up for a difficult conversation with your boss.

So, how are B2C marketers doing with goal-setting?

However, only 37% of B2C respondents said they Usually plan projects in advance. A slim 12% said they Always do. With less than half of respondents reporting that proactive planning is a habit, then it’s clear this is an opportunity for B2C marketers to improve.

Proactive Planning Makes B2C Marketers 226%More Likely to Be Successful

Settings Goals Makes B2C Marketers 419%More Likely to Be Successful

Are B2C Marketers Planning Projects Ahead of Time?

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Always

Never

37%

32%

13%

12%

6%

248

218

89

84

38

0% 18.5% 37% COUNT PERCENT

Are B2C Marketers Setting Goals?

Yes

No

0% 33% 66%

65%

35%

442

235

COUNT PERCENT

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An encouraging 65% are setting goals. The correlation is moderate (R = 0.34, n = 417, p-value 0.0001), suggesting there’s an appreciable link between setting goals and finding success.

Of all the findings from the survey, this one may be the most eye-popping. When B2C marketers imple-ment agile processes, they report being 580% more likely to be successful. There’s a moderate to strong correlation between the data too (R = 0.38, n = 417, p-value 0.0001).

However, it’s a slim portion of B2C marketers who have gotten on board with agile. Only 5% Always implement agile processes, while 23% do Sometimes:

This data suggests a couple things:

To learn more about agile marketing, consider starting with CoSchedule’s comprehensive guide.

B2C Marketers Implementing Agile Marketing ProcessesAre 580% More Likely to Report Success

The majority of B2C marketers are unfamiliar with agile marketing. 42% reporting Unsure shows there’s work to be done spreading the word about agile and its benefits.

Those who do implement agile could likely improve their practice. Marketing teams typically adapt agile to fit their needs. But, the 23% who Sometimes implement it may do well to consider reevaluating their approach and moving toward Always implementing it.

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Are B2C Marketing Teams Using Agile Processes?A

Unsure

Sometimes

Never

Rarely

Always

42%

23%

21%

10%

5%

282

155

139

68

33

0% 21% 42% COUNT PERCENT

What else are B2C marketers doing to manage their teams and strategies?

Additional Management and Strategy Insightsfor B2C Marketers

We know that getting organized, proactively planning, documenting strategy, and even implementing agile all correlate with marketing success. But, are B2C marketers using tools to help manage these processes?

Here’s a look into which tools are most common. Email service providers taking the top spot is less sur-prising than it might seem when considering the effectiveness of email marketing (ranking #2 in the next section of this report).

This ties in with relatively low to moderate percentages of marketers reporting they’re taking steps to get organized and plan ahead. Accordingly, this may not be particularly surprising, but it would be interest-ing to see if an increase in organization and strategic planning would necessitate more marketers obtain-ing tools to facilitate that work.

Are B2C Marketers Using Project Management Software?

What Other Tools Are in B2C Marketing Stacks?

No

Yes

0% 37% 74%

73%

27%

495

182

COUNT PERCENT

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What Types of Tools Are B2B Marketing Teams Using?

Landing Page Software(ex: Unbounce, Leadpages, etc.)

Email Service Provider(ex: MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, etc.)

Analytics Platforms(ex: Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, etc.)

Graphic Creation Tools(ex: Canva, Piktochart, etc.)

Social Media Platform(ex: Hootsuite, Sprout Social, etc.)

Customer Relationship Management

SEO Software / Platform

Task Management Software(ex: Any.do, Todoist, etc.)

Project Management Software

Marketing Automation Platform

Marketing Management Platform

Digital Asset Management Platform

0% 9.5% 19%

543

445

387

314

311

190

190

178

135

111

80

71

45

18%

15%

13%

10%

10%

6%

6%

6%

5%

4%

3%

2%

2%

COUNT PERCENT

Social Media Scheduling Tool(ex: Buffer, MeetEdgar, etc.)

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When collaborating with teams, the ability to find files and assets quickly is often a sticking point. Things get saved in different places with varying file naming conventions. Or, they aren’t placed where others can find them. Whatever the case may be, the ability to find what you need quickly makes effective col-laboration much easier.

Is it Easy for B2C Marketers to Find Files andAssets They Need?

Somewhat Agree

Unsure

Somewhat Disagree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

47%

18%

16%

13%

6%

319

124

108

85

41

0% 24% 48% COUNT PERCENT

8

24%

17%

13%

12%

10%

7%

5%

3%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

0%

0%

0%

0%

162

117

91

79

69

44

33

21

12

9

9

7

6

5

4

3

2

2

2

0

0% 12% 24% COUNT PERCENT

Social Media Ads

Email Marketing

Blog Posts

Organic Social Media Posts

Website Content

Videos

Other

PPC Ads

Landing Pages

Podcast Episodes

Print Ads

Television Ads

eBooks

Microsites

Original Research

Billboards

Radio Ads

White Papers

Case Studies

Podcast Ads

Coming in at 24%, this suggests that social media marketing is shifting more and more toward pay-to-play strategies (though organic social posts weigh in at a respectable #4). The success of email market-ing at #2 ties into the popularity of email marketing platforms with B2C marketers as well.

It’s intriguing to note that paid social media content is the most successful content type for this group of marketers:

Which Tactics and Content Types Are MostSuccessful for B2C Marketers?

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This one may sound basic. But, it’s something that falls directly in line with planning, getting organized, and managing projects effectively (items this report have established as having a high correlation with success).

A collective 60% are setting deadlines either Most of the Time or Always, which is encouraging. So is seeing just 16% either Rarely or Never setting them. For help setting deadlines, this post from the Co-Schedule blog may be useful.

Are B2C Marketers Setting Project Deadlines?

Most of the Time

Always

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

35%

25%

24%

10%

6%

235

166

164

71

41

0% 17.5% 35% COUNT PERCENT

The majority of marketers in this group do not quantifiably measure the productivity of each of their team members. While there’s an extremely weak correlation between success and measuring productivity in the data, the number of marketers doing so is too low to understand its relationship to success:

Are B2C Marketers Measuring Team Member Productivity?

No

Yes

0% 41% 82%

81%

19%

550

127

COUNT PERCENT

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It’s been established that trends in the B2C marketing space shift quickly. So, what are these marketers reading to stay up to date and ahead of the competition?

What Are B2C Marketers Reading to Stay Ahead?

CoSchedule Blog

Hubspot Blog

Social Media Examiner

Forbes

Wired

Harvard Business Review

Neil Patel

Entrepreneur

Moz Blog

Fast Company

TechCrunch

Copyblogger

Business Insider

CNET

Adweek

Inc.

Buffer Blog

The Verge

CMI

Shopify Blog

Fortune

MarketingProfs

Ad Age

305

253

179

162

128

120

112

110

109

103

87

74

66

60

59

59

58

54

52

52

43

43

42

0% 6% 12% COUNT PERCENT

12%

10%

7%

6%

5%

5%

4%

4%

4%

4%

3%

3%

3%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

2%

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Survey Methodology

This data is based on findings from a research survey distributed to CoSchedule’s email list and social media followers. 3,599 marketers and content creators took the survey overall, with 677 marketers from 71 countries describing themselves as B2C marketers.

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Who Took the Survey?

Here’s a closer look at the survey’s B2C marketing respondents:

Solo

2-5

6-10

11-25

25+

52%

37%

11%

6%

3%

0% 26% 52% PERCENT

Respondents By Team Size

Solopreneur

SMB Marketing Team

Enterprise Marketing Team

Agency

48%

35%

10%

7%

0% 24% 48% PERCENT

Respondents By Company / Organization Type

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Industry Breakdown

Here’s a closer look at the survey’s B2C marketing respondents:

Media and Entertainment

Healthcare

Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality

Higher Education

Marketing (Agency/Consulting)

Business Consulting

Food Services

Manufacturing

IT, Software, and Technology

Financial Services

Real Estate

Government

Agriculture

Automotive

Pharmaceuticals

128

106

89

78

61

37

34

32

32

23

23

19

8

4

3

0% 9.5% 19% COUNT PERCENT

19%

16%

13%

12%

9%

5%

5%

5%

5%

3%

3%

3%

1%

1%

0%

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LEARN MORE

Manage Your Marketing Team With CoSchedule

CoSchedule is the only way to organize your marketing in one place. It’s a family of agile marketing products that will help you stay focused, deliver projects on time, and make your team happy.

It’s mission control for all your marketing, equipped with powerful automation and work management capabilities.

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