Content Marketing Statistics

Have you opened up your Instagram and seen someone you follow doing their morning skincare routine? Have you asked yourself why?

The answer is simple — they are trying to sell you some products! That is called content marketing. It’s an efficient marketing strategy as people spend about seven hours daily exposed to digital content.

Below, you’ll find some up-to-date statistics that will help you understand how exactly content marketing works.

Must-Know Content Marketing Stats for 2022

• 78% of businesses with successful content marketing in 2021 had a documented strategy.
• In 2021, 97% of organizations had content as a crucial part of their marketing strategy.
• Organic search is the most powerful distribution channel for 89% of companies.
• 64% of B2B marketers outsource writing.
• 72% of marketers find brand content more compelling to customers than traditional ads.
• 78% of customers think custom content companies want to build long-lasting relations.
• 72% of marketers believe content marketing improves consumer engagement.
• Content marketing leaders observe 7.8 times higher unique site traffic than followers.

General Content Marketing Stats

Content is king. Period.

Bill Gates was right in 1996 and is still right today — it’s the way to make money on the internet.

That’s why we at SpendMeNot have decided to illustrate how popular content marketing is.

1. Content is an important part of the marketing strategy of 97% of companies.

(Source: Semrush)

Well, that’s almost everyone in the marketing business!

Semrush’s research also reveals that 57% of the respondents had a documented content marketing strategy. Furthermore, 55% consider their content marketing “fairly developed” or “advanced,” while 42% have only taken the first steps.

2. 78% of organizations with successful content marketing have a documented strategy in place.

(Resource: Semrush)

Different tactics led to this positive outcome.

For example, over half of Semrush’s content marketing research respondents focused on improving their content quality. Meanwhile, 46% chose SEO as their priority, and 41% increased their video content marketing efforts.

As a result, 19% of companies considered their strategy “very successful.”

3. Branded content is more effective than traditional marketing adverts for 72% of marketers.

(Source: Neil Patel, Pressboard Media)

Traditional content distribution channels, such as the radio and newspapers, have demonstrated a steady decline in popularity. The focus now is on the web. What’s more, content creation statistics show that branded content is 22 times more engaging than adverts.

4. 78% of consumers think custom content companies want to build long-lasting relationships.

(Source: Made By Things)

The secret of content writing is to avoid directly selling goods. The main goal is to add value to the content, whether education or entertainment. That helps companies find brand-aware audiences that trust their products.

It has proven an effective means to attract new customers and maintain strong relationships with existing ones.

Content Marketing Growth Statistics

The demand for good quality content is on the rise due to the undeniable success of content marketing in achieving business goals.

Let’s see some more in-depth data on the subject.

5. The content marketing market will grow by $417.85 billion by 2025.

(Source: PR Newswire)

Nowadays, content marketers have significant technological advances at their disposal. Modern businesses tend to utilize them to increase sales. Consequently, this market is expected to grow in the next few years at a 16% CAGR.

6. Content marketing budgets make up at least a third of marketers’ total spending.

(Source: Hubspot)

Nearly 40% of marketers plan to spend between 31% and 50% of their total marketing budgets on content marketing.

What’s more, in 2022, 84% of media planners intend to use a mix of organic and paid media to achieve their goals.

7. Leaders in content marketing have 7.8 times higher unique site traffic than followers.

(Source: Upland Software)

To begin, experienced content marketers always have a documented strategy. But, well-written content is also essential for creating a unique site as it drives more potential buyers to your page.

Content marketing statistics show professionals in the field constantly improve their techniques and writing to solidify their position as leaders. As a result, their sites have notably more visitors than their followers’ pages.

8. 72% of professionals say content marketing increases engagement.

(Source: OptinMonster)

That’s another proof that content marketing works and is worth the effort.

Additionally, 72% of marketing professionals say that besides engagement, it also significantly increases leads.

B2B Content Marketing Stats

B2B professionals use content marketing in order to increase traffic, brand awareness, leads, and, ultimately, sales.

Below are the stats that best illustrate this trend.

9. 93% of B2B marketers use content marketing.

(Source: Neil Patel)

The vast majority of marketers prefer content marketing to traditional advertising. Content invites people to come to you for information. In comparison, traditional marketing tends to be more interruptive and aggressive.

 10. Two-thirds of B2B marketers worldwide plan to increase their content marketing spend.

(Source: Statista, Statista)

In a survey conducted in 2021, 66% of respondents said they considered increasing their budget for content marketing. What’s more, 20% of them planned to invest over 9% more.

Additionally, in 2022, 69% of B2B marketers invest in video content marketing. Events and owned-media assets came in second and third with 61% and 57%, respectively.

11. 80% of B2B professionals believe content marketing helps build brand awareness.

(Source: Content Marketing Institute)

Creating brand awareness remains the primary goal of B2B businesses. Moreover, 75% say content marketing also helps them build trust, which results in higher sales.

Additionally, content marketing statistics show that 70% of B2B marketing professionals use content to educate their customers about their products and related topics.

12. 64% of B2B marketers outsource writing as part of their business strategy.

(Source: Color Whistle)

Most successful B2B marketers use content outsourcing to increase leads and productivity.

That allows them to have a team of professionals take care of the writing while still following the predetermined strategy and the company’s values.

13. Half of all B2B purchases are made directly online.

(Source: Qymatix)

Since 89% of B2B buyers use the internet to buy and research the vendor, it is not a surprise that 50% of business transactions are done digitally.

Content marketing success is ensured by using diverse distribution channels to sell your products and services.

14. Email is the top format for distributing B2B marketing content.

(Source: Pipeline)

The top five formats B2B marketers use to distribute content for marketing purposes are email (93%), social media (92%), blogs (79%), in-person events (56%), and webinars (55%).

Furthermore, companies use five different channels to get their content to diverse audiences to ensure success.

15. 92% of B2B marketers use social media to attract customers.

(Source: Content Writing Jobs)

LinkedIn and Twitter are the most important platforms for B2B content marketing. According to CMI content marketing research, 19 of 20 B2B marketers use them to reach new buyers.

These platforms allow buyers to participate in a discussion about a product and see B2B content in their newsfeeds.

16. 80% of B2B social media links come through LinkedIn.

(LinkedIn)

Four out of five B2B social media marketing leads come through this professionals-oriented platform.

You can create and publish a post on your company site, or an individual team member can engage with target audience posts. Most importantly, professional LinkedIn articles allow writing original content.

17. 89% of businesses say organic search is one of the best content distribution channels.

(Source: Embryo Digital)

One of the most interesting content marketing facts is that most businesses rely on organic search. The unpaid results rank algorithmically as opposed to adverts that marketers buy.

However, organic search is not just the strategic placement of keywords in a text. The content should be relatable and relevant to customers’ needs.

18. 93% of marketers think that interactive content is effective.

(Source: OptinMonster)

An impressive 88% of B2B marketers plan to make at least 10% to 30% of their content interactive. That includes 75% of contests and 69% of quizzes.

According to research, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are the future of content marketing strategies.

B2C Content Marketing Statistics

A B2C marketing strategy focuses on a single consumer. It is less rational and works by targeting the customer’s impulses and emotions.

Here, you can learn more about this approach.

19. One of four B2C marketers believes they have a successful content marketing strategy.

(Source: Content Marketing Institute)

That’s a big drop from last year when one in three (34%) reported the same. However, more than half (55%) said they were moderately successful.

Furthermore, 79% of B2C marketers have slightly changed their strategies in the last 12 months. And 20% admit they had to update them drastically due to the pandemic.

20. Content marketing statistics in 2022 show that 60% of influential B2C companies have a documented strategy.

(Source: Neil Patel)

Experts in the field consider having a documented strategy in place to be among the top reasons for success. That allows marketers to produce various content tailored to their customers’ needs and interests.

On the other hand, the lack of a predetermined course of action often leads to decreasing levels of engagement and losing clients.

21. 61% of B2C marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget.

(Source: Content Marketing Institute)

A survey by CMI reveals that 19% of respondents expect to increase their content marketing budget by more than 9%. Meanwhile, 42% believe the change will be between 1% and 9%.

On the other hand, 29% think their content marketing budget will stay the same, and only 3% foresee a decrease.

22. Content creation statistics show that short articles (83%) and videos (60%) are the top two content types B2C organizations use.

(Source: Content Marketing Institute)

In terms of effectiveness, short articles and posts produced the best results for 60% of B2C marketers. Videos come in second with 53% and virtual events with 51%.

23. 43% of B2C marketers use organic platforms as content distribution channels.

(Source: Content Marketing Institute)

The most popular and effective organic social platform for B2C marketers is Facebook. The second and third most used platforms are LinkedIn and Instagram, with 78% and 74%, respectively.

Video Content Marketing Stats

Video content has been steadily rising in popularity. Let’s see more about how it’s used as a marketing strategy.

24. 86% of marketing professionals use video as a marketing tool.

(Source: Wyzowl)

Marketers don’t miss out on the chance to utilize video as part of their content marketing strategy. Some 92% of marketers say that it is an important part of their marketing strategy, which is a 63% increase over the past three years.

25. 87% of marketers have reported good ROI with video.

(Source: Wyzowl)

According to content marketing ROI statistics, video has proven to be a powerful tool. It has increased traffic for 82% of marketers.

In addition, it has also improved dwell time, user understanding, and lead generation. That ultimately led to increased sales for over 80% of businesses.

26. 76% of marketing teams invested in video content in the last three years.

(Source: Lemonlight)

Video content has become extremely popular, especially during the pandemic. Marketers surveyed in the Lemonlight research invested in video production internally (44%), hired a production team (28%) or provided freelance support (23%).

27. 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

(Source: Wyzowl)

As for the effectiveness of content marketing, 88% of online consumers were convinced to buy a service or product after watching a video.

Moreover, 78% bought or downloaded a piece of software or app after coming across a video.

28. Articles with images have 94% more views.

(Source: Jeff Bullas)

The picture says a thousand words. According to research, content with images gets significantly more views and shares.

In addition, 60% of customers are willing to contact a business after an image appears in their search results.

Trends in Content Marketing

To be successful at producing valuable content, you need to keep up with evolving and continuing trends.

You also need to find ways to reach your target audience. That’s why below you can read about some of the trends set to dominate this year.

29. Long-content articles drive four times more traffic than articles with an average length.

(Source: LinkedIn)

According to a report published by Semrush, long-content articles of 3,000 to 7,000 words or more are more engaging, shareable, and better for SEO. However, on average, companies’ posts are 900 to 1,200 words.

In any case, for the maximum effectiveness of content marketing, it’s vital to have a strategic mix of short (300-900 words) and long content.

30. Content with infographics grows traffic 12% faster.

(Source: Visme)

Visual aids can be helpful when writing articles on complicated topics. That’s why 49% of content creators use infographics. Consequently, they drive the most engagement and increase readership by 80%.

31. Interactive content has twice as high an engagement rate as static content.

(Source: Rock Content, Wp-stack.co)

According to interactive content marketing stats, 85% of B2B marketers have already used interactive infographics. Additionally, 79% of marketers also consider it a great way of repurposing existing content. That can lead to increased visits and continuing engagement.

32. There were over 115 million US podcast listeners in 2021.

(Source: Forbes)

And that number is set to grow. Moreover, US consumers listened to nearly 15 billion hours of podcasts last year. That sure is something content marketers should take into consideration, as it can help them build trust with consumers.

33. 85 million Americans used AR and VR in 2021.

(Source: Forbes)

Some brands have already recognized the opportunities of marketing in the metaverse. It could unlock a next-level loyalty scheme. It would require mostly video and audio content, but written content will also be needed.

34. An average person will watch over 100 minutes of online videos in 2022.

(Source: Great Content)

Videos will continue to dominate the content world in the years to come. Currently, social media videos are among the top trends in content marketing. Additionally, TikTok and Instagram reels have the potential to become part of the most impactful content strategies.

35. 90% of surveyed marketers believe in the effectiveness of influencer marketing.

(Source: Influencer Marketing Hub)

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, an explosion of new content has been created over the last few years. Additionally, a LinkedIn survey reveals that 92% of people would rather believe an influencer than a corporate ad.

Wrap up

Content marketing stats show that this is one of the most effective marketing strategies available nowadays.

In fact, it was found to be more influential than traditional forms of advertising. Additionally, it’s less expensive and can be customized to target specific demographics. That makes it an ideal strategy for companies of all sizes.

Finally, content marketing is highly shareable, meaning that it has the potential to reach a wide audience with minimal effort. All of this proves this strategy is on the rise and will remain strong in the foreseeable future.