Content marketing is becoming more important to organizations as the years go on. The Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs provide a yearly study with thorough research and benchmarks for content marketing strategies. Discover the content marketing study results below.
Modern Marketing Partners (MMP) would like to thank and acknowledge the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs for providing this data. MMP has broken down some of the research into categories that’ll help readers better understand the findings.
The annual study is available in versions for business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and other versions like technology and enterprise. Per the title above, this blog will focus on B2C findings. If interested in B2B content marketing survey results, click here.
Key Findings
Based on some of the key findings from this study, content marketing is increasing in use and value to B2C marketers.
57% of B2C marketers surveyed they expect their content marketing budget will increase this year more than it did in 2018.
69% of B2C marketers surveyed increased their use of social media for content marketing purposes compared with one year ago. The top social media platforms used by B2C marketers are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Social media tops the list of paid methods B2C marketers use to distribute content.
B2C marketers say changes to SEO and search algorithms are a top issue of concern to their organization. Changes in SEO and search algorithms can happen up to a few times a year.
66% of U.S. consumers spend more on brands to which they feel loyal to. This ties into why it’s so important for an organization to build trust and credibility with their audience. 81% of B2C marketers say they’re concerned with content creation that builds loyalty.
Content Marketing Usage & Strategy
B2C marketers should have a clear content marketing strategy that will help them distribute their content and bring in new audiences.
33% of B2C marketers surveyed have a documented content marketing strategy. A documented strategy often leads to success, however only 1 in 3 B2C marketers are doing this.
Majority of B2C content marketing increased their use of audio/visual content, written digital content and images compared with one year ago.
68% of B2C content marketers surveyed use paid methods to distribute content. The biggest reason for distributing content is to attract new audiences for their organization.
Success & Commitment to Content Marketing
The success of B2C’s content marketing can positively correlate to their organization’s commitment to it.
74% of B2C content marketers say their organizations content marketing is more/somewhat more successful compared with one year ago while 64% report their organization is extremely/very committed to content marketing.
Technology Use & Proficiency
How does B2C marketer’s proficiency with content marketing affect their use of it?
40% of B2C marketers describe their organizations proficiency with the use of content marketing as intermediate. They are starting to become more consistent with a content marketing plan and seeing early stages of success.
The top 3 technologies B2C marketers use to assist with managing content marketing are social media publishing/analytics, email marketing software and analytic tools.
Audience Research
Researching a target audience is key to knowing what content they want to see.
Social media listening, website analytics and keyword research are the top 3 techniques B2C content marketers use to research their audience.
B2C content marketers say they nurture their audiences mostly through email. Email marketing is a great tool for content marketing.
The Future of Content Marketing
Every year the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs release this study that helps marketing professionals with their strategies and goals. Based on the survey, the importance and usage of content marketing has continued to increase.
If interested in finding more information on this content marketing study, you can find that here.
Additional Content Marketing Resources
6 Common Content Marketing Missteps
Inspire Customers with User-Generated Content
5 Great Services for Content Promotion
10 Content Ideas to Improve Your Brand Personality
