If Content Marketing is all the rage – as it should be – does the reason always have to be lead generation? It seems that in the search world it is always about lead generation but according to MarketingProfs 2013 B2B Report on Content Marketing the number one reason companies execute content marketing programs is for brand awareness.

The following chart, from this excellent report, shows the reasons B2B companies ‘do’ brand awareness. I have put checkmarks next to the ones that are pure search visibility goals. I didn’t want to get greedy and check them all.

Search Marketing needs to stop trapping itself as a ‘visitor traffic to static website‘ program. It is as much about brand awareness (through industry keyword category search results) and thought leadership (Google+ status results) as it is about driving someone to a form on a website.