Content remains at the top of the priority list for most marketing strategies, and there is plenty of evidence to support that reasoning.
Simply put, content marketing is essential to any digital marketing strategy, whether you're running a small local business or a large multinational corporation.
After all, there's no question that content in its many evolving forms is the very foundation of the web and social media.
Modern SEO has effectively become content marketing, optimized for any purpose.
This is content that demonstrates Google's experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (EEA) on behalf of its customers – content that answers all the questions consumers might have about your services, products, or business in general. It's time to demand and reward companies that create.
Content marketing involves creating useful, relevant, interesting, and consistent content in a variety of text, image, video, and audio-based formats across traditional and online channels available to modern marketers. It involves a lot of sharing.
The primary focus should be on attracting and retaining a clearly defined audience, with the ultimate goal of driving profitable customer actions.
You can and should create different types of content for each stage of your customer's journey.
Some content, such as blogs and how-to videos, is informative or educational. On the other hand, other content, such as the promotional landing page of his campaign, reaches the stage of encouraging potential customers to make a purchase.
But with so much content being created and shared every day, it's important to stay up to date with the latest content marketing trends and best practices to keep pace and understand which strategies are most effective. is important.
Never has this been more true than in 2024. We are in the midst of a generative AI content revolution. Some feel this is both an opportunity and a threat for marketers.
To help you catch up, here are 35 content marketing statistics you should know.
Use of content marketing
How many companies are leveraging content marketing and how do they plan to achieve success?
- According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of B2C marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy.
- 97% of marketers surveyed by Semrush achieved success with content marketing in 2023.
- A B2B content marketing study conducted by CMI found that 40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. 33% have a strategy but it is not documented, and 27% do not have a strategy.
- Half of marketers surveyed by CMI said they outsource at least one content marketing activity.
content marketing strategy
What strategies do content marketers use or find to be most effective?
- 83% of marketers believe they would be more effective if they created high-quality content less frequently. (Source: Hubspot)
- A 2022 Statista Research survey of marketers around the world found that 62% of respondents emphasized the importance of being “always on” for their customers, and 23% said content-driven communications were personalized and We believe this is the most effective method for targeted targeting efforts.
- With increasing focus on AI-generated search engine results, 31% of B2B marketers say they are focusing more on answering user intent and questions, and 27% are focusing more on thought leadership 22% say they create more conversational content. (Source:CMI)
Content type
Content marketing used to be synonymous with blog posts, but the web and content have evolved into audio, video, interactive, and meta formats.
Here are some statistics on trends and performance for different types of content.
- Short-form video content like TikTok and Instagram Reel is the No. 1 content marketing format that offers the highest return on investment (ROI).
- 43% of marketers reported that original graphics (such as infographics and illustrations) are the most effective type of visual content. (Source: Vengage)
- 72% of B2C marketers expect their organizations to invest in video marketing in 2022. (Source: Content Marketing Institute – CMI)
- The State of Content Marketing: 2023 Global Report by Semrush found that articles that include at least one video tend to attract 70% more organic traffic than articles that don't.
- Interactive content generates 52.6% more engagement compared to static content. On average, buyers spend 8.5 minutes viewing static content items and 13 minutes viewing interactive content items. (Source: Mediafly)
Content production
Creating useful, unique, and engaging content poses one of the biggest challenges for marketers. But innovative marketers are turning to generative AI as a tool to ideate, create, edit, and analyze content faster and more cost-effectively.
Here are some statistics on content creation and how fast AI is changing the game.
- Just two months after ChatGPT launched, Generative AI has reached over 100 million users. (Source: Search Engine Journal)
- A recent Ahrefs poll found that nearly 80% of respondents have already implemented AI tools into their content marketing strategy.
- Marketers using AI say it is most useful for brainstorming new topics (51%), researching headlines and keywords (45%), and writing drafts (45%). (Source:CMI)
- Additionally, marketers surveyed by Hubspot said they save 2.5 hours per day by using AI for content.
Content distribution
It's not enough to create and publish content.
A successful content strategy must include delivering content through channels frequented by a company's target audience.
- While Facebook remains the primary social channel for content distribution, video-centric channels like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are growing the fastest. (Source: Hubspot)
- B2B marketers reported to CMI that LinkedIn is the most popular and best-performing organic social media distribution channel by a wide margin at 84%. All other channels he was below 30%.
- 80% of B2B marketers use paid social media advertising. (Source:CMI)
content consumption
Once your content reaches your audience, it's important to understand how they consume it and take action as a result.
- According to Demand Gen's 2023 Content Preferences Study, 62% of B2B buyers prefer actionable content such as case studies when making purchasing decisions, citing a “need for valid information sources.” It became clear.
- The same study also found that buyers tend to rely heavily on content when researching potential business solutions, with 46% reporting an increase in the amount of content they consume during this period. I am.
- In a recent post, blogger Ryan Robinson reports that the average reader spends 37 seconds reading a blog.
- DemandGen survey participants also said they most trust demos (62%) and user reviews (55%) to gain valuable insight into how a solution meets their needs.
Content marketing performance
One of the main reasons content marketing has become so popular is because it can be measured, optimized, and linked to return on investment.
- B2C marketers reported to CMI that the top three goals that content marketing helps achieve are increasing brand awareness, building trust, and educating target users.
- 87% of B2B marketers surveyed use content marketing to generate leads.
- 56% of marketers who use blogs say blogging is an effective strategy, and 10% say blogging generates the highest return on investment (ROI).
- 94% of marketers say personalization increases sales.
content marketing budget
Budget changes and willingness to invest in specific marketing strategies are good indicators of how popular and effective these strategies are on a macro level.
The statistics below seem to show that marketers recognize the value of content.
- 61% of B2C marketers said their 2022 content marketing budget will exceed their 2021 budget.
- 22% of B2B marketers said they spend more than 50% of their total marketing budget on content marketing. Additionally, 43% said their content marketing budget will increase from 2020 to 2021, and 66% expect it to increase again in 2022.
content challenges
All forms of marketing come with challenges related to time, resources, expertise, and competition.
Recognizing these challenges and tackling them head-on with a well-thought-out strategy is the best way to overcome them and achieve success.
- The top three content challenges include “attracting quality leads with content” (45%), “creating more content faster” (38%), and “generating content ideas” ( 35%). (Source: Semrush's “State of Content Marketing: 2023 Global Report”)
- 44% of marketers surveyed in CMI's 2022 B2B Report highlighted the challenge of creating content that is appropriate for multi-level roles as their top concern. This made internal communication a top issue for the previous year.
- SEO/search algorithm changes (64%), social media algorithm changes (53%), and data management/analysis (48%) are also top concerns for B2C marketers.
- 47% of people want downtime from their internet-enabled devices due to digital fatigue.
- Although generative AI has been noted to have benefits, it also presents challenges for some marketers who are concerned that it will be replaced by AI. In a Hubspot survey, 23% said they felt they should avoid using generative AI.
- Another challenge with AI is how quickly it comes into the field without giving organizations time to provide training or create policies and procedures to use AI properly and legally. I mean. According to CMI, when asked if their organization has guidelines for the use of generative AI tools, 31% of marketers said yes, 61% said no, and 8% said they don't know. I answered.
It's time to start
As you can see, and you're probably already aware, content marketing is a highly effective and cost-effective way to generate leads, increase brand awareness, and drive sales. Content, in many forms, influences virtually every online interaction.
Generative AI is effectively solving some of the time and resource challenges by acting as a turbo-powered marketing assistant, but it also raises some procedural concerns.
However, demand for content remains strong.
Build and execute a documented content strategy by creating, optimizing, distributing, and monitoring valuable, relevant, and customer-centric content with or without the help of AI. Those who are willing to put in the work can reap significant business rewards. .
Other resources:
Featured image: Deemak Daksina/Shutterstock
