The B2B content marketing maturity curve: Where do you sit?
Pretty much all B2B companies are creating content. But let’s be honest—some of it works, some of it doesn’t, and figuring out why isn’t always easy.
If you’re creating content but struggling to connect it to leads and revenue, this guide is for you.
We’ve broken B2B content marketing into four levels. No buzzwords or overcomplicating things. This is a simple way to understand where you are today and what steps will help you improve.
Why content marketing is key for demand generation
I’m sure you know about this by now, but let’s recap: B2B buyers don’t want to be sold to—they want to self-educate. Before speaking to sales, they’re researching, comparing options, and forming opinions. And 79% of B2B buyers consume at least three to five pieces of content before engaging with a salesperson (Gartner).
This is why content marketing is so effective. It’s the key to creating demand, building trust, and accelerating the buying process by:
✔ Educating prospects before they reach sales.
✔ Positioning your brand as a trusted authority.
✔ Helping buyers make informed decisions on their own terms.
But not all content delivers results. To be effective, content marketing needs structure.
That’s where the B2B content marketing maturity model comes in.
The B2B content marketing maturity model
Every B2B company falls somewhere on this curve:
1️⃣ Ad hoc content creation (posting and hoping for the best)
2️⃣ Basic content management (some strategy, still guesswork)
3️⃣ Strategic content marketing (content that's pulling its weight)
4️⃣ Integrated demand generation (content driving demand at scale)
Let's explore each stage in detail.
Stage 1: Ad hoc content creation (posting and hoping for the best) 📝
What this looks like:
At this stage, content exists—but that's about it. Content creation is highly reactive and unstructured. If this describes your current approach, you're not alone—many B2B companies operate here.
Key characteristics:
Primarily reactive content creation (creating content when needed without planning)
No documented content strategy
Content created in silos by different departments
Inconsistent messaging and branding
Limited measurement of content performance (if any)
Focus on product features rather than customer needs
No clear buyer personas or journey mapping
No consideration of the buyer journey stages
Low SEO optimisation
Minimal content repurposing
Common frustrations:
❌ "We're creating some content, but it's not driving business."
❌ "We don't know what's working and what's not."
❌ "We post when we have time, but it's inconsistent."
Of course, this approach creates challenges. Marketing teams struggle to demonstrate impact, while sales teams don't have the resources to nurture prospects. Meanwhile, genuine opportunities for engagement often go unaddressed due to the limitations of ad-hoc content creation.
The impact? Market irrelevance, misalignment with buyer needs, and the inability to engage with the 97% of buyers who aren't ready to purchase all present significant risks to growth and revenue.
What to do next:
✔ Define your audience: Who are you actually speaking to, and what do they care about?
✔ Set a goal: Is your content focused on brand awareness, lead generation, or supporting sales?
✔ Create a simple plan: Start with a basic content calendar to stay consistent.
✔ Measure more than vanity metrics: Look beyond clicks and focus on engagement, conversions, and whether content is attracting the right audience.
Stage 2: Basic B2B content marketing (some strategy, still guesswork) ⚙️
What this looks like:
At this stage, there's progress. Content isn't just being published randomly—there's a plan, and some thought is going into what gets created. But results are inconsistent.
Key characteristics:
Basic content calendar in place
Some audience research and simple personas
Beginning to track basic metrics (views, clicks)
More consistent brand messaging
Content types expanding beyond blog posts (e.g., case studies, whitepapers)
Basic to mid-level SEO considerations
Primarily focused on top of funnel informational content but without strategic alignment
Limited awareness of the true buyer journey stages (especially for large AOVs)
Basic content distribution but no nurturing strategy
Beginning to build a resource library
Common frustrations:
❌ "Some content performs well, but we don't know why."
❌ "Sales isn't using our content as much as we'd like."
❌ "We're not sure what to double down on."
While this is progress, limitations remain. Content is still created without a proper understanding of the buyer journey. Systems operate in silos, without any kind of nurturing. Content is typically created based on internal perspectives or SEO goals rather than genuine buyer needs.
Engagement metrics improve, but organisations still struggle to convert this into qualified leads and revenue opportunities. Marketing efforts remain difficult to connect directly to business outcomes.
What to do next:
✔ Identify what's actually working: Start tracking engagement beyond vanity metrics. Which pieces are leading to conversions, pipeline, or meaningful interactions?
✔ Repurpose high-performing content: If a blog does well, turn it into LinkedIn posts, email content, or a webinar. Make the most of what works.
✔ Get feedback from sales: Find out which questions they hear most often and whether existing content helps them in conversations.
✔ Create content with intent: Move beyond just producing content for the sake of it. Align it with the buying journey so it's relevant to real prospects.
Stage 3: Strategic content marketing (content that's pulling its weight) 🌐
What this looks like:
By this stage, content is no longer just an afterthought—it's a real driver of demand. It's consistent, aligned to business goals, and starting to contribute meaningfully to pipeline and revenue.
Key characteristics:
Documented content strategy aligned with business goals
Comprehensive buyer personas
Content mapped to basic Top, Middle, and Bottom of funnel
Regular content audits and gap analysis
Defined content workflows
Advanced metrics tracking (conversion rates, attribution)
Consistent repurposing across channels
Marketing automation for lead nurturing
Regular competitor content analysis
Still viewing the buyer journey as linear rather than dynamic
Common frustrations:
❌ "We want to scale content, but it's time-consuming."
❌ "We have a steady flow of leads, but not enough are converting."
❌ "We need better distribution beyond just organic and email."
Organisations at this stage experience improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness. Strategic approaches provide a more comprehensive view of content performance, while structured processes ensure consistent quality and messaging.
While this approach outperforms stages 1 and 2, it still has significant limitations. The content strategy often assumes a linear buyer journey that doesn't align with how modern B2B buyers actually make decisions. Content tends to focus on the solution rather than helping buyers navigate the complex internal decision-making process that characterises B2B purchases.
What to do next:
✔ Use lead nurture outreach sequences: Start building targeted nurture sequences that take prospects through the sales funnel (education through to a purchase).
✔ Double down on distribution: Look at paid promotion, partnerships, and content repurposing to reach a wider audience.
✔ Start testing more direct-response content: Introduce comparison guides, ROI calculators, and sales enablement content to help push leads further down the funnel.
Stage 4: Integrated demand generation (content driving demand at scale) 📈
What this looks like:
At this highest stage of maturity, organisations have an advanced understanding of the modern B2B buyer journey to transform content marketing from a support function to a strategic advantage.
Key characteristics:
Content fully aligned with the modern B2B buyer journey (six stages) in a non-linear way (see more on this below)
Recognition that only 3% of buyers are ready to buy at any given time
Content designed for the human argument progression (problem aware → solution aware → committee buy-in → budget allocation → brand selection)
Content that addresses the non-linear nature of the buying process
Cross-functional content creation (marketing, sales, product, customer success)
Content ROI clearly visible
Data-driven content optimisation
Advanced lead scoring based on content engagement
Strategic thought leadership positioning
Content that helps buyers get through internal decision-making processes
Common frustrations:
❌ "We want more personalisation, but it's tricky to do well."
❌ "We need to improve content ROI."
❌ "Scaling content without losing quality is tough."
Our Six-Stage Buyer Journey framework enables this leap forward. By understanding that modern B2B buyers progress through distinct stages of the human argument- problem awareness, solution understanding, committee alignment, budget allocation, and vendor selection, mature content marketing organisations create resources that genuinely help buyers make decisions—not just promote products.
Here’s a look at what this looks like in practice:
The result? Organisations using this approach have achieved:
✅ Significant reduction in sales cycle length
✅ Increase in qualified leads
✅ Reduction in cost per acquisition
✅ Enhanced ability to engage with buyers across all stages of their journey
This approach moves content marketing from a cost centre to a strategic function that provides genuine competitive advantage.
What to do next:
✔ Experiment with intent data: Use behavioural signals to identify what content prospects need next.
✔ Test out account-based marketing (ABM): Start aligning content to high-value accounts instead of broad audiences.
✔ Refine sales enablement: Ensure sales teams have the right content at the right time to handle objections and move deals forward.
Evaluating your content marketing maturity
Of course, you might be wondering how to assess your current content marketing maturity. We'd love to offer you a free content marketing audit to evaluate your maturity level. Or you can use this basic self-assement below.
Self-assessment: Which stage best describes your business?
✅ Stage 1 (Ad Hoc): Content exists, but there's no clear strategy or consistency.
✅ Stage 2 (Basic): There's a plan, but results are unpredictable.
✅ Stage 3 (Strategic): Content is driving leads, but there's room to sharpen things up.
✅ Stage 4 (Integrated): Content is fully aligned with the buyer journey and driving demand at scale.
Also, consider these questions:
⏹️ Do you have a documented content strategy that aligns with business objectives?
⏹️ Can you map your content to all six stages of the buyer journey or human argument?
⏹️ What percentage of your content addresses the needs of buyers who aren't ready to purchase?
⏹️ Can your content help buyers navigate internal decision-making processes?
⏹️ How effectively does your content address the six stages of the modern B2B buyer journey?
⏹️ Do you measure content performance beyond basic engagement metrics?
⏹️ How quickly can you adapt to changing buyer behaviours and preferences?
Your answers will help pinpoint your current position on the maturity curve and identify practical next steps for advancement.
Prepare for common roadblocks (here's how to overcome them)
Most companies run into the same challenges when trying to mature their content strategy. Here's what slows progress—and how to fix it:
🚩 Publishing content without a clear goal – Blogs, whitepapers, and case studies are created without a connection to demand generation. (Fix: Align every piece of content to a specific stage in the buyer journey.)
🚩 Sales and marketing working in silos – Marketing produces content that sales doesn't use, and sales struggles to find the content they need. (Fix: Create a shared content library and involve sales in content planning.)
🚩 Measuring the wrong things – Traffic and social engagement don't always indicate success. (Fix: Focus on content's impact on pipeline and conversions.)
🚩 Limited content distribution – Posting on a blog or LinkedIn isn't enough. (Fix: Expand into paid promotion, email, partnerships, and content repurposing.)
🚩 Letting content go to waste – Publishing strong content once and moving on. (Fix: Repurpose high-performing content into multiple formats—social posts, email sequences, video snippets, and more.)
The best content strategies don't focus on creating more—they maximise what's already working.
Step 3. Moving up to the next stage
A practical plan for progressing through the maturity curve:
If you’re at Level 1 (Basic):
Develop a simple content strategy with clear goals.
Build a consistent content calendar and stick to it.
Start tracking engagement beyond vanity metrics.
If you’re at Level 2 (Developing):
Improve lead nurturing with content aligned to buyer needs.
Get sales feedback on what content they actually use.
Repurpose high-performing content into multiple formats.
If you’re at Level 3 (Established):
Personalise content using intent data and audience segmentation.
Align content strategy with account-based marketing (ABM).
Develop more bottom-of-funnel content to support sales.
If you’re at Level 4 (Best-in-class):
Optimise content based on real-time sales conversations.
Integrate content with revenue operations to track business impact.
Build a continuous improvement process so your strategy evolves with your audience.
What’s next?
It’s proven: content marketing is a driver of demand, pipeline, and revenue. But only if the quality is right and you maximise the use of it. And, remember, the strongest content strategies are built with sales, designed for the buyer, and refined through real data.
📩 Need help moving to the next stage? Get in touch–we’d love to help. We help B2B data and tech businesses build content marketing strategies that actually generate demand.