content-marketing-statistics-2023

Content Marketing Statistics (2024)

Discover the latest content marketing statistics and trends that can supercharge your content strategy.
content-marketing-statistics-2023
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In today's digital age, content marketing emerged as a powerful strategy for businesses to connect with their target audience, build brand awareness, and drive customer engagement. With the proliferation of online platforms and the constant evolution of consumer behavior, understanding the latest content marketing statistics and trends is crucial for staying competitive and maximizing marketing efforts.

Content Marketing By Numbers

90%
 
of organizations have a content marketing strategy.
71%
 
of content marketers reported that content marketing has grown in significance in
the past year.
54%
 
of businesses that invest a substantial amount on a single content piece acknowledge their strategy as highly successful.
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Key Takeaways


  • 71% of content marketers reported that content marketing has grown in significance in the past year.
  • Researching the audience and SEO are the top factors that lead to success for reportedly ~50% of businesses.
  • Visual content dominates, with 91-100% of content having some form of visuals. 
  • 9 in 10 marketers use their website as a key channel for content distribution. 
  • 48% of marketers have a monthly content marketing budget of up to $5k. 
  • In 2023, 62% of B2B businesses intend to leverage AI content generation tools for content marketing efforts.
  • 78% of content marketers reported that their organizations plan to invest or continue investing in video in 2023.
  • The content marketing industry is set to reach 374 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.

Table of Contents

General Content Marketing Statistics

Importance of Content Marketing

(According to marketers)

importance-of-content-marketing importance-of-content-marketing-v3

According to a recent survey, an overwhelming 71% of content marketers have seen content marketing grow in significance in the past year. This can be attributed to the understanding that the quality of content plays a crucial role in achieving success. In fact, 54% of businesses that invest more than $2,000 in a single content piece consider their content marketing strategy highly successful.

Conversely, organizations with minimal funding for content marketing face challenges in publishing frequency, lead generation, and accurately measuring return on investment (ROI).

Content Marketing Strategies

A clearly outlined strategy supported by adequate resources is essential to achieve impactful
content marketing. Marketers seem to embrace this, with 66% of them saying their strategy is documented (compared to 57% in 2022

This absence of a structured strategy creates a scenario where content marketers are merely generating content without a clear purpose, often in response to impromptu demands or requests.

Content Marketers with a Content Marketing Strategy

Content-Marketers-with-a-Content-Marketing-Strategy-1

Numerous factors contribute to success in content marketing, but thorough audience research and search engine optimization (SEO) are highly regarded, with 47% and 46% of thriving companies, respectively, prioritizing these elements. Additionally, a common approach to maintaining a robust online presence involves publishing a higher content volume and increasing posting frequency, which 45% of businesses favor.

Factors that Lead to Content Marketing Success

Researching our audience
47%
Search Engine Optimization
46%
Publishing more content, increasing posting frequency
45%
Improving the quality and value of the content
44%
Updating and repurposing existing content
42%
Analyzing competitors
41%
Creating more video/visual content
40%
Collaborating with other teams (e.g., Sales or Product)
38%
Website optimization
34%
Diversification/publishing new content types
24%
Optimizing content for mobile
23%
Trying new distribution channels
17%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%

The Impact of Content Quantity and Quality on Organic Rankings

Statistics on content marketing provide valuable insights into the ever-changing landscape of this field. They demonstrate how content marketing is becoming increasingly important in establishing brand awareness, credibility, and engagement across various industries.

Due to the constantly evolving nature of content marketing, it is crucial for businesses to stay informed about the latest trends and adopt effective strategies in order to succeed in the highly competitive digital space.

Tactics Implemented to Boost Ranking

Creating more content and posting more often
55%
Improving the quality of the content, making it more valuable
53%
Creating more research-driven content
37%
Paying more attention to keyword research
36%
Analyzing search intent for creating content
35%
Improving technical SEO on the website
30%
Building topic clusters and content hubs
24%
Link building and guest posting
21%
Winning Featured Snippets
9%
None
2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%

The Rise of Visual Content Marketing

Content is transforming, becoming increasingly focused on visual elements, particularly rich media like videos, which have surged to unprecedented popularity.

Organizations that allocate 10% to 50% of their content marketing efforts to content design are 33% more likely to achieve successful results compared to those with no design resources.

When it comes to producing visuals, around 28% of marketers have the advantage of having an in-house designer available to them. Approximately 35.5% of marketers use online tools or graphic makers to create visual content.

Did you pivot your visual content
marketing strategy in 2021?

marketing-strategy-in-2021

Tools Used to Create Visual Content

icon-tools
35.5%
Online tools or graphic makers
icon-designers
28%
In-house designer
icon-design-softwares
18.7%
Advanced design softwares
icon-freelance-designers
17.8%
Freelance/contract designers

Content Marketing Platforms

Data offers valuable insights into the diverse content distribution channels employed by organizations. Nine out of ten marketers emphasize their website as a primary channel for distributing content. Blogs are also highly regarded, with 78% of organizations utilizing them. Email newsletters (69%) and other forms of email communication (67%) are also adopted as popular choices for content distribution.

Owned-Media Platforms Used to Distribute Content

Website
90%
Blog
78%
Email newsletter
69%
Email (other than newsletter)
67%
In-person or digital events
54%
Microsite (e.g., resource center)
28%
Branded online community
26%
Online learning platform
14%
Digital magazine
12%
Separate content brand (e.g., website or digital magazine)
11%
Mobile app
9%
Other
4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%

When it comes to organic social media platforms, LinkedIn has emerged as the most extensively used and effective platform for 60% of B2B content marketers. On the other hand, Facebook received the lowest ratings, with 37% of marketers reporting it as either not very effective or not effective at all.

Effectiveness of Organic Social Media Platforms

Platform Extremely Effective Very Effective Somewhat Effective Not Very Effective Not At All Effective
LinkedIn 21% 39% 33% 6% 1%
Facebook 5% 18% 41% 31% 6%
Twitter 3% 14% 47% 28% 8%
YouTube 9% 29% 45% 15% 2%
Instagram 6% 19% 44% 27% 5%

Investments in Content Marketing

Investments in content marketing have witnessed significant growth, with businesses allocating substantial budgets and embracing advanced technologies to optimize their strategies and achieve impactful results.

Budgeting in Content Marketing

Effective budgeting in content marketing entails allocating and managing financial resources to support content creation, distribution, promotion, measurement, and more. Success and desired business outcomes heavily rely on well-executed budgeting practices.

Regarding marketing budget allocation, the investment in content marketing has remained relatively stable compared to the previous year. According to reports, 23% of organizations allocated 50% or more of their marketing budget to content marketing initiatives.

Total Marketing Budget Spent on Content Marketing

100%
2%
75%-99%
7%
50%-74%
14%
25%-49%
23%
10%-24%
23%
5%-9%
17%
1%-4%
9%
0%
4%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%
22%
24%

Around 24.4% of marketers allocate a monthly marketing budget between $5k-15k. Only 7.1% have a monthly budget that exceeds $45k, while nearly half of marketers (48.1%) allocate no more than 5k.

Monthly Content Marketing Budget

$0-5k
48.1%
$5k-15k
24.4%
$15k-25k
11.7%
$25k-35k
5.3%
$35k-45k
3.4%
$45k+
7.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%

Use of Technology in Content Marketing

Technology is pivotal in content marketing, empowering marketers to streamline operations, improve productivity, and provide tailored and personalized experiences to their target audiences. Analytics tools and social media publishing platforms are widely used by companies to manage content.

Technologies Used to Manage Content

Analytics tools (e.g., web analytics, dashboards)
84%
Social media publishing/analytics
71%
Email marketing software
68%
Content creation / calendaring / collaboration / workflow
65%
Customer relationship management (CRM) system
51%
Content management system (CMS)
50%
Marketing automation system (MAS)
32%
Sales enablement platform
17%
Digital asset management (DAM) system
15%
Content distribution platform
14%
Content performance/recommendation tools
12%
Other
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%

AI Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is among the emerging technologies that influence content marketing. Data shows that 19% of businesses using AI content generation tools have reported achieving highly successful content strategies. 

As we near 2024, these figures are expected to rise further, as AI content generation tools for content marketing efforts become more common. A substantial 62% of B2B and 38% of B2C businesses have expressed their plans to adopt these tools.

companies-currently-using-ai-generated-tools
Companies Currently Using AI-Generated Tools
companies-planning-to-use-tools-to-assist-content-marketing-efforts
Companies Planning to Use
AI Tools to Assist Content
Marketing Efforts
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Metrics and Goals

Businesses should establish clear metrics and goals in order to evaluate the efficacy of their strategies, monitor performance, and achieve desired results. These metrics should encompass performance indicators such as website traffic, engagement metrics, conversion rates, lead generation, and more.

An impressive 81% of marketers currently assess and evaluate their content initiatives' effectiveness. The primary metrics used for this purpose include website traffic (86%) and email and website engagement (83%).

Metrics Used to Track Content Performance

Website traffic
86%
Email engagement
83%
Website engagement
83%
Conversions
79%
Social media analytics
74%
Email subscriber numbers
59%
Search rankings
59%
Quantity of leads
57%
Quality of leads
52%
Cost to acquire a lead, subscriber, and/or customer
49%
Other
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
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Content Marketing Budget
Anticipations in 2023
(According to marketers)

content-marketing-budget-anticipated-in-2023

In 2023, ~50% of marketers expressed optimism regarding their content marketing budget growth. This sentiment reflects a prudent approach and thoughtful deliberation amidst an uncertain economic landscape.

Companies make substantial investments in content marketing with the expectation of tangible returns, which leads them to seek a clear assessment of their Return on Investment (ROI). 

To effectively evaluate and measure ROI, they primarily rely on Google Analytics (64%), Social Media Analytics (44%), and SEO tools (34%). These tools enable businesses to gather relevant data and insights necessary for analyzing the performance and effectiveness of their content marketing efforts.

Tools to Assess Content Marketing ROI

Google Analytics
64%
Social media analytics tools
44%
SEO tools
34%
Salesforce
28%
Specialized content marketing tools/platforms
27%
Tableau dashboards
14%
Not sure
3%
Other
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%

These platforms play a vital role in calculating the revenue generated from leads and conversions from content marketing (67%), as well as measuring the income derived from organic traffic (48%) and various other essential metrics.

Measuring Content Marketing ROI

Calculate revenue coming from leads/conversions generated by content marketing
67%
Calculate revenue generated from organic traffic
48%
Calculate how much we managed to save on advertising
24%
Calculate revenue coming from non-paid channels
21%
Not sure
5%
Other
1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%

What the Future Holds

icon-video
78%
of content marketers reported that their organizations plan to invest or continue investing in video.
icon-laptop
69%
of marketers plan to invest in owned-media assets
icon-social
57%
of marketers plan to invest in social media/community building
icon-users
27%
of marketers plan to invest in User Experience (UX) design

The investment in video content is projected to experience ongoing growth. In 2023, 78% of content marketers reported that their organizations plan to invest in or continue investing in video, marking a notable increase from 69% in the previous year.

Furthermore, there have been significant increases in the number of marketers intending to invest in owned-media assets (69% compared to 57% in the previous year) and social media/community building (57% compared to 39% in 2022). These findings indicate a growing acknowledgment of the value and effectiveness of video content and the importance of owned-media assets and social media in content marketing strategies.

Content Marketing Investment in 2023

Video
78%
Owned-media assets
69%
Events (digital, in-person, hybrid)
60%
Paid media
59%
Social media/community building
57%
Earned media
43%
Getting to know audiences better
33%
User experience (UX) design
27%
Audio content
24%
Content technologies
19%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
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Summing Up

Statistics on content marketing provide valuable insights into the ever-changing landscape of this field. They demonstrate how content marketing is becoming increasingly important in establishing brand awareness, credibility, and engagement across various industries.

Due to the constantly evolving nature of content marketing, it is crucial for businesses to stay informed about the latest trends and adopt effective strategies in order to succeed in the highly competitive digital space.