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How Has Content Marketing and Digital Consumption Changed During the Past Year?

The COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on both businesses and customers in the B2B market. It shifted the way we conduct business, communicate, and market products or services.

Not only did businesses have a tough time adjusting, but so did customers. In this article, we explore how content consumption evolved during and after the pandemic, what organisations should be doing differently to improve customer acquisition, and some typical content marketing pitfalls to avoid.

The Evolution of Digital Content Consumption

Before the pandemic, B2B marketing revolved around in-person events, face-to-face sales pitches, and cold calling. Once remote work became the norm, digital content consumption became the primary way to connect.

Many brands increased their investment in content marketing:

  • 85.7% of marketers increased reliance on social media posts
  • 57% leaned more heavily on blog content
  • 49.4% turned to webcasts
    (Source: CMO Council)

This shift was crucial. In the Technology CMO Outlook Report, leaders from IFS, ServiceNow, ContentCal and Adobe shared how they transitioned to digital marketing campaigns.

“Social media has moved from a thing that’s ‘nice to have’ to the core of how you stay in touch with your customers.”
— Malin Liden, VP, Head of EMEA Marketing Transformation Office at SAP

Additionally, long-form content such as blogs, whitepapers and articles saw a resurgence. According to HubSpot, 70% of marketers invested in content marketing in 2020. With more people browsing online, brands needed to stay present and relevant through informative, engaging content.

What Businesses Can Do Moving Forward

Lead with Empathy

In B2B marketing, it’s easy to forget that you’re speaking to real people. While you’re serving a business, you’re still dealing with individuals who have emotions, challenges, and expectations.

“With companies cutting back, factories closing and employees across many industries getting furloughed, we had to be mindful of our marketing messages and lead with empathy.”
— Maya Price, Marketing Director at SAP

To do this, ask yourself:

  • What does the person behind the business need?
  • How can we support them?
  • Are our services flexible enough?
  • Can we adapt our message to meet their current concerns?

Empathy-driven messaging builds trust and long-term relationships.

Personalise Your Content

Generic content no longer cuts it. Personalisation is essential — and data backs it up:

  • 80% of customers say they’re more likely to buy from brands offering personalised experiences
  • 55% of marketers report that personalisation boosts conversion rates
    (Source: Epsilon)

As your audience navigates different stages of the sales funnel, your content should meet them where they are. This is the core of customer-centric marketing.

If you’re in a crowded room and shout, “Hey everyone!”, few will respond. But if you shout, “Hey you in the red shirt!”, those wearing red will turn around.
— That’s the power of personalisation.

Find the Perfect Content Fit

During the pandemic, companies rushed to deliver webinars, blogs, and digital events. But many forgot to consider content relevance and buyer stage.

As Oliver Pilgerstorfer, CMO at IFS, observed: “Webinar fatigue is real.”

To avoid this, map content to stages of the marketing funnel:

Top of Funnel (Awareness)

Middle of Funnel (Consideration)

Bottom of Funnel (Decision)

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Common Content Marketing Mistakes

#1 One-Size-Fits-All Strategy

Your content should adapt to specific customer journeys — not just include their name in an email. Use dynamic content, segmentation, and funnel-specific strategy to make personalisation meaningful.

#2 Failing to Understand Your Customer Avatar

To build a customer avatar, ask:

  • Who are they?
  • What’s their role in buying decisions?
  • What keeps them up at night?
  • What type of content do they prefer (audio, visual, long-form, social, etc.)?

#3 Creating Bland or Boring Content

You have 6.8 seconds to grab attention. Make it count with:

Avoid writing for algorithms. Write to inform, educate and inspire real people.

Final Thoughts

The pandemic accelerated the shift to digital marketing — but that doesn’t mean more content is always better. Instead, smarter content that’s empathetic, personalised and strategically placed in the customer journey wins the day.

Adapt your approach by focusing on what your customers really need, not just what you want to promote. Create content that respects their time and offers real value.

Need Support with Strategy or Content Production?

At CopyHouse, we help fast-growing B2B tech and fintech brands connect with their ideal customers through strategic, human-first content marketing. Whether you need messaging workshops, SEO support or full content campaigns — we’re here to help.

👉 Get in touch to speak to our team.