The latest research from Turtl, the world’s first Revenue Content Platform, reveals a critical issue in B2B marketing: a widening gap between content production and its measurable impact on revenue.
Turtl’s study, which surveyed 500 B2B marketing executives across the UK and US from organisations with $100m to $1bn turnover, highlights an industry at a crossroads – where content continues to dominate marketing strategies, yet its effectiveness remains clouded by unreliable attribution and flawed metrics.
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B2B marketing has actually undergone a transformation in recent years, with content becoming the backbone of demand generation, customer engagement and brand building. According to Turtl’s research, 91% of marketers have increased their content budgets over the last five years, reflecting the rising importance of content in business strategy.
However, as spending grows, so does the expectation for marketing teams to prove content’s direct impact on revenue – a challenge that many struggle to overcome.
For marketers, this pressure can lead to a loss of confidence, as they face growing scepticism from leadership, sales teams, and other stakeholders about the effectiveness of their strategies.
The inability to demonstrate clear ROI can undermine their credibility within the company, making it harder to gain support for future initiatives. As expectations intensify, failure to meet benchmarks can even jeopardise job security.
These rising demands also lead to increased stress and burnout, affecting both the personal and professional well-being of marketers and further complicating their ability to innovate and drive meaningful results.
Despite 95% of marketing executives expressing confidence in their ability to link content to revenue, the reality tells a different story. Many still rely on outdated or misleading performance indicators such as downloads, traffic and data capture, rather than accurate signals of revenue generation.
This disconnect is not just an operational issue, it is a strategic flaw that undermines business growth. Turtl’s findings highlight a harsh reality: content isn’t meeting its revenue potential, and marketers lack the right tools to close the gap between dollars in and results out.
Key insights from the report:
- 86% of Marketing Directors say that proving content’s impact on revenue would make their job easier, yet many lack the tools or methodologies to do so effectively.
- Over half of CMOs (58%) agree that better content-revenue attribution would alleviate pressure in their roles.
- 96% of executives believe linking content performance to revenue is the key to competitive advantage, with improved sales (68%) cited as the most significant benefit.
- Bad data is costing businesses millions, with 21¢ of every marketing dollar wasted due to poor data quality. As a result, a third of marketing teams’ time is spent managing unreliable data, and nearly 30% of campaigns suffer due to flawed insights.
- CMOs under pressure: 47% of marketing leaders say they have felt growing expectations to deliver revenue over the last five years, with only 1 in 5 expecting this pressure to ease in the future.
- Reliable attribution could transform productivity, with 96% of CMOs stating that a clear link between content and revenue would boost team performance and efficiency.
As content’s role in driving revenue becomes more pronounced, the industry must move toward actionable, revenue-focused insights. Without a clear attribution model, businesses risk wasted budgets, misaligned strategies and decreased morale within marketing teams.
To close the revenue gap, marketers must embrace a more sophisticated, data-driven approach that aligns content with key business outcomes.
“We know there’s no bigger challenge facing B2B marketing leaders today than the revenue gap. Every dollar that marketers spend must be able to tell a compelling story back to the business about how it’s driving revenue today, and how it’s going to work even harder tomorrow.
B2B marketing has long operated on trust in content’s effectiveness, but today, trust is not enough. The pressure to prove impact is mounting, and without accurate attribution, CMOs are left in the dark. This research demonstrates how essential it is for marketing leaders to rethink how they measure success, and close the revenue gap once and for all.” Nick Mason, CEO & Founder, Turtl
With content budgets continuing to grow and expectations rising, now is the time for marketing leaders to take control, refine their data strategies, and ensure content is working as a true revenue driver.
By closing the revenue gap, marketers can not only secure ongoing budget support but also boost their job confidence, gain recognition from the C-suite, and strengthen their position as key drivers of business growth. This proactive approach not only leads to professional success but also elevates their influence within the organisation. Learn more about content marketing strategies at Propolis.
