Are you looking for effective ways to boost organic website traffic and skyrocket brand awareness?
Do you want to generate and nurture leads and convert them into loyal customers?
Or perhaps you want to establish your brand as an industry authority and win the trust of your target audience?
If your answer to these questions is a resounding “yes”, you must stay abreast of the latest content marketing statistics and trends.
Table of Contents
Why Do Content Marketing Stats Matter?
In recent years, content marketing has emerged as one of the most cost-effective techniques for building and promoting your brand.
Whether you’re selling quirky craft supplies or a keyword research tool, you need awesome content to grow your business.
It’s instrumental in reinforcing your brand’s reputation and credibility and helps you grab the attention of your target audience. Moreover, it delivers long-term results and offers a higher ROI compared to other marketing techniques.
It isn’t surprising that high-quality content is the lifeblood of every successful inbound marketing campaign.
However, the amazing benefits of content marketing have lured many entrepreneurs, advertisers, and digital marketers to try their hands at it.
Consequently, there’s a plethora of lookalike and mediocre content floating all across the internet.
In such a scenario, how do you ensure that your content hits the right ears at the right time?
An effective solution is to watch out for the latest content marketing statistics and adapt your strategy according to the emerging trends.
This is particularly crucial considering that the landscape of content marketing is constantly evolving.
From changes in search engine algorithms to the introduction of new social media platforms – it’s a fast-changing digital world.
ALSO READ:
How to become a Content writer
If you don’t modify your content strategy accordingly, it’ll eventually become outdated and you’ll fall behind your competitors.
Additionally, monitoring new content marketing statistics helps you understand the industry’s best practices.
It also lets you analyze your existing strategy and determine where you stand when compared to others.
This can go a long way to further improve your content marketing strategy and align it with your end goals.
Whether you’re promoting a bootstrapped startup or a thriving MNC, keeping an eye on these relevant statistics is crucial for your business.
However, if you look for content marketing stats online, you’ll likely find an overwhelming amount of data.
Identifying essential and meaningful statistics from the cornucopia of data can be a herculean task.
That’s why we’ve curated a list of the most important B2C and B2B content marketing statistics.
Let’s get started.
Content Marketing Usage Statistics
Every business, irrespective of its scale and niche, needs a rock-solid content marketing strategy.
It isn’t surprising that more and more marketers have started focusing their efforts to effectively create and distribute stellar content.
Here are a few eye-opening statistics related to content marketing usage:
1. 91% of all marketing professionals use content marketing in their companies.
However, only 9% of these marketers evaluate the performance of their strategy as excellent. (Semrush)
2. Nearly 60% of marketers report that content marketing is an extremely/very important component of their overall marketing strategy.
70% of marketers are also actively investing in content marketing. (HubSpot)
Let’s delve deeper into B2B content marketing statistics pertaining to usage.
3. More than 25% of B2B marketers claim that their organization’s content marketing strategy is extremely or very successful. (CMI)
It’s been nearly the same over the last couple of years. (CMI)
4. In 2020, 51% of B2B marketers also believe that their organization’s content marketing strategy is somewhat more successful than a year ago. (CMI)
This figure has risen by 6% since 2018. (CMI)
5. 42% of B2B marketers also believe that their organization is in the mature or sophisticated stage of content marketing maturity in 2020. (CMI)
This percentage hasn’t significantly changed since 2019.
Let’s now check out some B2C content marketing statistics pertaining to usage and overall success.
6. 86% of B2C marketers believe that content marketing is an integral part of all their marketing campaigns. (CMI)
7. 71% of B2C marketers also report that their organization uses a content marketing strategy. (Statista)
8. Moreover, 64% of B2C content marketers claim that their company is extremely or very committed to content marketing. (CMI)
A stronger commitment to content marketing also translates to greater overall success.
9. 42% of B2C marketers report that their organization is in the sophisticated or mature phase of content marketing maturity. (CMI)
10. Additionally, more than a quarter of B2C marketers believe that their organization’s content marketing strategy has been extremely or very successful.
A whopping 55% of B2C marketers also report that their content marketing strategies have been somewhat more successful than the previous year. (CMI)
The content marketing stats clearly indicate that today’s marketers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of using high-quality content.
Most businesses have also developed a fair understanding of how to optimize their strategies for the best results.
It’s worth noting that most organizations are also achieving more success with their content marketing strategies.
The only way to stay ahead of your competitors is to build a robust yet flexible content marketing strategy.
ALSO READ:
best content writing tips
Content Marketing Strategy Statistics
In this section, we’ll take a look at how new-age businesses and marketing professionals approach their content marketing strategies.
11. 77% of marketers report that their organizations have a content marketing strategy.
However, 38% of them agree that their strategy is only average. (Semrush)
12. In 2020, 69% of the most successful B2B marketers claim to have a well-documented content marketing strategy. (CMI)
This is in sharp contrast to only 16% of the least successful marketers who have a documented strategy.
Therefore, outlining a clear and rock-solid content marketing strategy is crucial for every organization’s overall success.
13. The percentage of B2B content marketers who have a documented strategy has also risen by 4% between 2018 and 2020. (CMI)
Image via Content Marketing Institute
14. While 41% of B2C marketers have a content marketing strategy, only 33% of marketers report that it’s properly documented.
22% of B2C content marketers also intend to document their content marketing strategy within the next year. (CMI)
15. Moreover, a majority of B2C marketers agree that a document content marketing strategy aligns their team around common goals.
65% of B2C marketers also believe that it helps their team set the right priorities and keeps them on the same page. (CMI)
It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to develop a robust content marketing strategy and document it.
This is applicable to both B2B and B2C organizations, irrespective of their scale and target audience.
The above content marketing statistics reveal that a documented strategy is a direct indicator of content marketing success.
Content Formats & Distribution Channels Statistics
In addition to outlining and documenting your content marketing strategy, it’s crucial to select the best-performing and high-converting content formats.
It’s equally important to promote your content across the most effective and popular distribution channels.
The final selection of content formats and distribution channels is based on your target audience’s needs and preferences.
However, you must keep an eye on relevant content marketing statistics to identify trending and emerging formats as well as channels.
16. Videos are the most widely used content format.
Most marketers focus on creating promotional brand storytelling and product/service promotion videos. (HubSpot)
17. However, written content also continues to rule the roost with the most popular formats being blog posts, emails, and case studies. (Semrush)
Image via Semrush
18. Additionally, 53% of marketers intend to prioritize blog content creation in the future. (HubSpot)
19. A whopping 95% of B2B marketers use social media content i.e. stories, tweets, short videos, memes, infographics, etc.
New-age content formats such as live streaming and podcasts have also gained popularity. Moreover, the preferred content formats vary according to the marketing objectives. (CMI)
Image via Content Marketing Institute
20. Moreover, most B2B marketers agree that their organization’s content creation efforts are largely focused on targeting top-of-the-funnel consumers.
50% of the content B2B organizations produce is created for consumers in the early stages of the buyer’s journey. (CMI)
21. B2C marketers, on the other hand, have significantly increased their use of audio-visual content.
More than half of the marketers also focus on creating content to cater to audiences in different stages of the buyer’s journey. (CMI)
22. 52% of B2C marketers also claim to use elements of storytelling in their content.
This is understandable considering that emotionally-driven and narrative-based content often helps strike a chord with today’s consumers. (CMI)
23. While 68% of B2C content marketers have used social media stories, a striking 57% also leverage long-form content. (CMI)
It’s worth noting here that well-researched, insightful, and valuable blog posts are still used by most marketers, irrespective of the business they’re promoting.
However, many organizations are also shifting their content creation efforts towards videos, podcasts, and social media posts to attract their target audience.
Let’s now take a look at some relevant statistics pertaining to content distribution channels.
24. 94% of marketers use social media to effectively distribute their content.
Email marketing and paid advertising are also widely used. (Semrush)
25. 89% of B2B marketers also use their company website/blog for organic content distribution. (CMI)
26. Moreover, 84% of B2B marketers use paid advertising to promote their content.
Social media continues to be the most widely used paid distribution channel with 72% of them using it. (CMI)
27. LinkedIn is the most preferred social media platform for organic content distribution as well as paid advertising.
66% of B2B content marketers also use Facebook for paid advertising. (CMI)
The content distribution statistics for B2C marketers also exhibit similar trends.
28. 68% of B2C marketers gave used paid advertising methods for content distribution.
The top reasons for using paid advertising are to attract a new audience and boost website traffic. (CMI)
29. Social media platforms continue to be a preferred content distribution channel for B2C marketers.
77% of them also use it for paid advertising. (CMI)
Image via Content Marketing Institute
30. Most marketers also report that the best techniques for improving the performance of their content assets are SEO and content repurposing. (Semrush)
31. However, email marketing is the most preferred technique for nurturing leads through content. (CMI)
Overall, social media platforms are widely used for organic as well as paid content distribution.
Among these platforms, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are the most effective. Marketers also leverage SEO to optimize the performance of their content assets.
Audience Research Statistics
Identifying and understanding your target audience is a crucial part of every content marketing strategy.
In this section, we’ll take a look at a few useful content marketing statistics related to audience research.
31. Today’s marketers focus on creating tailored content for different audience segments. (HubSpot)
32. B2B marketers create content for an average of four different audience segments. (CMI)
33. More than half of B2C content marketers also use buyer personas for content creations. (CMI)
34. The most effective audience research techniques used by B2C marketers are social listening, website analytics, and keyword research. (CMI)
It is, therefore, no longer an option to develop a one-size-fits-all content strategy.
If you want your content to yield the desired results, you must create distinct buyer personas for each audience segment. It’s also crucial to personalize your content for each segment.
Content Marketing Goals Statistics
The type of content you create and the distribution channels you use largely depends on your end goals.
From increasing brand awareness and reach to building brand authority and reputation — you can set a wide array of goals.
35. B2B marketers primarily focus on top-of-the-funnel goals.
While 86% of them use content marketing to create brand awareness, more than 70% also use it to build brand trust and educate their audiences. (CMI)
36. Likewise, 79% of B2C marketers have used content marketing to amplify brand awareness.
Over 60% of B2C marketers have also used it to build trust, educate their audiences, and bolster customer loyalty. (CMI)
37. More than 70% of marketers also want to generate qualified leads and boost website traffic through content marketing. (Semrush)
Image via Semrush
Content Marketing Metrics & ROI Statistics
Apart from setting specific, realistic, and measurable goals, it’s crucial to assign relevant KPIs (key performance indicators) to each goal.
It helps evaluate your content performance and measure the ROI of your content marketing strategy.
38. Organic website traffic is the most commonly used metric to measure content performance and success.
This is closely followed by leads, page views, and conversion rates. (Semrush)
39. Additionally, 57% of B2C marketers measure content marketing ROI.
However, only 32% of B2C content marketers believe that their teams are extremely proficient in monitoring content marketing performance using the selected KPIs.
More than a quarter of marketers still struggle with using the chosen metric to measure performance and ROI. (CMI)
The B2B content marketing statistics related to metrics and ROI are somewhat better.
40. While 80% of B2B marketers use metrics to measure content marketing success, 65% have also established KPIs. (CMI)
41. Moreover, 43% of B2B organizations measure content marketing ROI.
More than half of them also rate their ability to demonstrate content marketing ROI as excellent or very good. (CMI)
42. The metrics B2B marketers commonly monitor include email engagement, website traffic, website engagement, and social media analytics.
78% of B2B marketers also tracked conversion rates to measure content marketing performance. (CMI)
These statistics indicate that monitoring relevant metrics and measuring ROI is one of the more challenging areas of content marketing.
Content Marketing Budget Statistics
You can’t successfully create and promote content without allocating a dedicated budget. But how can you decide on an optimal content marketing budget? Let’s take a look at the latest statistics.
43. 46% of marketers report that their companies spent $10,000 or less on content marketing in 2019. (Statista)
44. B2B organizations spent an average of $185,000 on content marketing in 2019.
The available budget impacted several aspects including the use of paid advertising. (CMI)
45. The key areas where B2C marketers have increased their spending include content creation and paid distribution. (CMI)
46. 62% of marketers also intended to increase their content marketing budget in 2020. (Semrush)
Overall, content marketing spending is on the rise, with most marketers focusing on content creation.
This, in turn, indicated that you’ll face stiff competition from other marketers and content creators to reach your potential customers.
Content Marketing Teams Statistics
You need a team of skilled writers, designers, analysts, marketers, and advertisers to create, promote, and monitor your content.
Whether you’ll recruit full-time employees or freelancers depends on various factors including your goals and budget.
47. 25% of B2B organizations have a centralized content marketing team that manages multiple brands/products. (Statista)
48. However, 52% of B2B organizations report that they only have a small or one-person content marketing team.
Another 32% don’t have any full-time content marketing personnel at all. (CMI)
49. The size of content marketing teams grow with company size.
Nevertheless, 49% of large B2B organizations have teams comprising only 2 to 5 full-time content marketing personnel. (CMI)
50. Only 18% of B2C organizations have a centralized content marketing team. (Statista)
51. The typical content marketing team includes a writer, social media manager, an SEO expert, and a graphic designer. (Semrush)
Image via Semrush
52. 50% of B2B marketers outsource at least one content marketing activity, with content creation being the most commonly outsourced task. (CMI)
53. For companies that outsource content creation, their needs are mostly related to writing, graphic design, and video production. (Semrush)
Image via Semrush
Content Marketing Technology & Challenges Related Statistics
In this section, we’ll take a look at the most common tools and technology used for content marketing. We’ll also explore the common challenges content marketers face.
54. More than 80% of B2B marketers report that their organizations use analytics tools and email marketing software. (CMI)
55. B2C marketers also leverage social media analytics in addition to web analytics and email marketing software. (CMI)
56. More than 50% of marketers struggle with creating content that generates qualified leads and attracts website traffic.
Another 45% also find it challenging to create content that resonates with their target audience. (Semrush)
57. Additionally, more than 50% of B2C marketers report that changes to search engine algorithms and social media algorithms are the top issues of performance. (CMI)
Nearly half of all B2B marketers also intend to improve the conversion of audiences and content distribution tactics in 2020. (CMI)
Conclusion
Keeping an eye on the latest content marketing statistics is crucial for the success of your overall marketing campaign.
The latest statistics reveal that many organizations are successfully jumping on the content marketing bandwagon.
They’re also increasingly realizing the importance of building a well-documented strategy.
While blog posts and guides continue to be useful, marketers are also focusing on creating engaging audio-visual content.
Social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn and Facebook, are the most widely used distribution channels.
There has also been an increase in the use of paid advertising for content distribution.
Would you like to add any other useful content marketing stats to this list? Share your views in the comments section below.