40+ Incredible Content Marketing Statistics for 2024
By Ivana V.
February 6, 2024
Businesses have been using some form of content marketing for hundreds of years, but the digital age has seen this type of advertising strategy explode. People are now consuming more information than ever before, and all content marketing statistics show the trend will only continue to rise.
This indicates that engaging marketing strategies will be an even bigger priority for companies around the world. The vast majority have already adapted to the changing times and now create various types of content to promote their products, but the possibilities still seem endless. New and emerging technologies are always threatening to disrupt and change the playing field, so no serious business can grow too comfortable and risk getting left behind.
To show you the true scale and importance of content creation, we’ve researched the newest available data and pulled out the best facts and most telling marketing statistics about its impact on our world.
Top Statistics About Content Marketing – Editor’s Choice
- 72% of marketers have reported that content marketing has quantifiably improved prospect engagement.
- Reports show that more than 90% of marketers use digital content to approach their customers.
- 65% of marketers struggle with creating engaging and Google-loved content.
- Small businesses with blogs generate 126% higher lead growth than small businesses without blogs.
- In 2018, 75% of marketers reported using tech to acquire insight into the performance of their content.
Audience Behavior Statistics
31% of marketers count on blogging and short articles to build brand awareness.
(Content Marketing Institute)
Blogs are far from a dying breed. Even in 2021, they – along with other social media content – worked to build brands up. But to keep the existing user base satisfied, newsletters are the way to go according to 24% of surveyed marketers.
Around 20% of US customers are mobile-only users.
(Pew Research)
Optimizing your content for mobile devices is essential, especially when you want to target younger audiences. The stats on content marketing point to a discrepancy between older and younger customers who are increasingly turning to smartphones for all their digital needs.
66% of B2B customers strongly agree that companies should make it easier to access their content.
(DemandGen)
While marketers have certainly made strides in creating engaging content for the customers to go through, it is obvious that there are still a lot of issues with the services they offer. The latest B2B content marketing trends, statistics, and insights indicate that well designed platforms with a smoother user experience have a great chance to attract new buyers in the coming years.
26% of adults in the United States say they are constantly online.
(Pew Research)
Content marketing stats from 2015 show the number of adults in the United States who claimed to always be online was 21%, which suggests a constant upward trend. In fact, the newest research shows more than 77% of adults go online at least once a day.
90% of buyers say they would have engaged with a salesperson earlier in the purchasing process.
(CSO Insights)
Customer relations have been pushed aside by big companies. Instead, many have opted for AI-assisted self-service options without much contact with the buyer. This is in stark contrast with actual customer wishes. What’s more, it can be a big advantage in content marketing effectiveness for businesses that offer a more personalized service.
Mobile searches for “best” have grown over 80% in the past two years.
(Think with Google)
According to content marketing statistics for 2019, people are buying more and more via their mobile devices and becoming obsessed with research at the same time. This is especially true for items that may seem at first glance to be of less importance. In fact, in the same period of time, searches for “best toothbrush” have grown 100%, while searches for “best umbrella” have gone up 140%.
32% of US adults listen to podcasts monthly.
(Edison Research)
Overall, 20 million more people have listened to at least one podcast compared to last year’s numbers. Content marketing facts show 90 million people are monthly listeners, while more than 60 million adults listen to podcasts on a weekly basis. This makes any platform that hosts podcast content the perfect place to incorporate new marketing strategies.
The average American listens to more than 17 hours of online audio content each week.
(Edison Research)
Research shows the percentage of Americans who listen to online radio or stream audio content has grown from 33% in 2012 to a staggering 66% in 2019. For the first time ever, over half the population has listened to an audiobook, proving how valuable this sort of content can be for marketers.
40% of B2B buyers consume three to five pieces of content before reaching out to a salesperson.
(DemandGen)
The most researched content types when it comes to B2B shoppers are case studies, white papers, and blog posts. Statistics in marketing show people are relying more on content for their research, with the tendency to concentrate on content that focuses on ROI (return on investment) and business tactics.
On average, people retain 10% of audio information after three days, but this number grows to 65% if the information is paired with a relevant image.
(Brain Rules)
This is why most US marketers are pushing for more visual components in their digital content. In fact, more than 50% of B2B marketers believe creating visual content is a top priority of their digital marketing strategy.
Content Marketing Strategy Statistics
70% of US companies actively invest in content marketing.
(HubSpot)
Companies are more aware of the potential exposure and profit content marketing can bring to their brands. Among surveyed marketers, 60% said content marketing is very important for them, while fewer than 10% consider this form of marketing unimportant for their business.
Marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13 times more likely to see a positive ROI.
(HubSpot)
It is no surprise, then, that the majority of marketers identify blog creation as their key content marketing tactic. According to recent online marketing statistics, blogs are still one of the most shared types of content, even though video has surpassed them in recent years.
63% of marketers plan to increase their YouTube marketing.
(Social Media Examiner)
As we’ve mentioned, video content has become an essential part of any serious marketing strategy, so much so that it’s prioritized by more than 60% of marketers in the United States. With the popularity of YouTube and video streaming platforms like Twitch, this number is bound to climb a lot higher in the next few years.
81% of the most successful content marketers believe their customers view them as a credible and trusted resource.
(Content Marketing Institute)
B2B content marketing statistics like this one prove that the strategy of gaining customer trust by providing valuable information builds strong bonds and indicates long-term success. This goes hand in hand with 78% of companies valuing creativity and showing their craft, thus proving there’s a genuine care put into each piece of new content they publish.
33% of B2C marketers have a documented content marketing strategy.
(Content Marketing Institute)
A documented content marketing strategy can prove to be an invaluable asset to any company out there, but only a third of surveyed firms claimed to have one. Thirty-eight percent of the surveyed B2C companies said they had an undocumented strategy, while 20% planned to create one in the next 12 months.
37% of B2C marketers use content marketing to create brand awareness.
(Altimeter)
In just one year, B2C content marketing statistics and strategies have seen a considerable shift, at least when it comes to campaign targets. For example, customer experience is the target of just 20% of campaigns, but getting brand recognition is much more important now.
The average percentage of total marketing budget spent on content marketing by B2B companies is 26%.
(Content Marketing Institute)
Content Marketing Institute statistics show the gap between what the most and least successful B2B companies spend on content marketing is extremely wide. The most successful marketers spend 40% of their marketing budget while the least successful spend only 16%, proving the real value of content marketing.
Content marketing strategies generate over 400% more leads per $1,000 within 36 months compared to paid search campaigns.
(Oracle)
This research showed that, for medium and large businesses, marketing costs dropped by 41% when they switched to content marketing. What’s more, the average customer acquisition cost for a large company dropped from $108 to $64 per lead when it switched to content marketing.
Only 9% of B2C marketers believe their organization’s proficiency with the use of content marketing technology is at an expert level.
(Content Marketing Institute)
A further 40% of marketers describe their organization’s proficiency as intermediate, so most companies are starting to see early success with the technology.
Paid advertising is important for 68% of marketers.
(HubSpot)
Social media is designed to give marketers the tools to really dig through the audience’s taste and habits, but those tools don’t come for free. “Boosting” posts on Facebook, for example, provides a deeper understanding of how the campaign performs, thus allowing for better knowledge of what can be used as organic content.
Facebook provides the best ROI for one in three B2C marketing organizations.
(HubSpot)
Facebook campaigns directly create conversions. The same can be said for Google Paid Search, a method that directly drives user engagement to a product and/or a page where a purchase can be made. It’s worth noting that more than 10% of marketers said they weren’t able to measure the ROI of their paid advertising campaigns.
General Content Marketing Statistics
94% of marketers distribute content via social media.
(SEMrush)
Almost everything we digest from the internet today is done through social media. Instead of opening dozens of tabs in our browsers, we’d rather just fire up Facebook or Twitter to catch up on all the latest news. This fact doesn’t go unnoticed by advertisers – nearly all surveyed marketers confirmed that they employ social media in their distribution strategies.
There were 8 million active advertisers on Facebook during the first quarter of 2020.
(Statista)
Facebook remains the top choice for marketers around the world, whether for local businesses or big international brands. Internet marketing statistics show the platform is continuously growing as an advertising space, with a year-on-year growth of 1 million new active advertisers.
Fewer than 20% of marketers use Facebook groups to promote their brands.
(HubSpot)
Having a Facebook Business page is still the best way to represent a company on the popular social networking site. More than 40% of marketers said that a business page is the most valuable tool for hitting goals on Facebook, with Facebook events being the least chosen option.
YouTube accounts for more than 15% of global internet traffic.
(Sandvine)
The world’s biggest video site continued to hold onto the title even in 2021. In fact, it is the second most popular website in the world, with first place belonging to Google.
YouTube ad revenue climbed to $15.1 billion in 2019.
(Bloomberg)
So, how does all that traffic translate to cold hard cash? It translates really well, in fact. According to the annual report published by Alphabet Inc, the owner of both Google and YouTube, the social video site did really well in 2019. The previous “adpocalypse” has finally been mitigated.
Instagram earned an estimated $20 billion in ad revenue in 2018.
(Bloomberg)
Content marketing statistics for 2019 show that this platform has finally beaten YouTube’s earnings. It might be the most popular site for video, but Instagram is definitely the place where advertisers have found their footing.
68% of B2C marketers use and develop social media stories to distribute content.
(Content Marketing Institute)
Stories have become the feature of choice for most B2C marketers, as they prove to be the most effective way to engage the audience. Long-form content, such as articles and guides, takes second place with 57%, while video snippets come in third at 52%.
Pinterest earned $1.03 billion in ad revenue in 2019.
(Statista)
This growth of revenue is similar to the year-on-year earnings increase between 2017 and 2019. Two years in a row, Pinterest recorded a $300 million ad revenue increase, with analysts predicting that in 2020 the company will see the total revenue jump by $363 million.
Social media analytics is the tool of choice for 84% of B2C marketers.
(Content Marketing Institute)
A recent study from the Content Marketing Institute found that integrated analytics tools in social media have surpassed dedicated analytics tools by 1%. The least popular tools were customer relationship management (CRM) systems with 49% and content management systems (CMS) with 41%.
Fewer than 10% of US marketers used Snapchat in 2019.
(HubSpot)
Statistics about content marketing show that Snapchat, currently, doesn’t look as attractive as it once did, at least for marketing purposes. Instagram has successfully integrated Snapchat’s features, TikTok is on the rise, and younger generations are flocking to what’s more popular.
Email marketing is the most effective way to promote content, with an ROI of $40 for every dollar spent.
(Smart Insights)
As spam filters evolve and the level of spam emails continues to drop to historic lows, advertising content via email has never been as profitable as it is now. Content marketing statistics about ROI say 59% of B2B marketers identify email as their most effective channel in terms of revenue generation.
Videos added to email content can increase click rates by 300%.
(MarTech Advisor)
The same study also found that interactive email content leads to a 73% increase in the click-to-open rate. Adding GIFs, animation, collapsable menus, and other interactive features can lead to higher engagement with the content and also increase revenues.
24% of B2C marketers expect their content marketing budget to rise in 2020.
(HubSpot)
Compared to early 2019, when 57% of marketers were planning budget increases, this is a significant drop. Now, 41% of surveyed marketers don’t plan to increase their budget, while roughly 35% of surveyees are unsure.
54% of B2C content marketers say their organization’s level of content marketing is extremely successful.
(Content Marketing Institute)
Of all the businesses surveyed, a staggering 74% said their level of success is higher than that of the previous year. Content marketing success statistics show that only 3% of marketers said they were somewhat less successful than in 2018.
88% of marketers are satisfied with the ROI of their video marketing efforts on social media.
(Animoto)
Results from video content marketing statistics show 93% of marketers have landed at least one new customer directly because of their social media video content. This type of content has become so important that video creation skills are increasingly being sought after when hiring for a new marketing position.
45% of consumers discovered brands on social media through video ads.
(Animoto)
This makes video ads the number one way consumers discover brands, while recommendations from friends come in second place with 31%. Visual content marketing statistics show that third and fourth place go to Facebook groups at 30% and sponsored influencer posts at 29%.
Long-form content outperforms shorter content by over 40%.
(Quick Sprout)
Research shows that Google favors pages with rich content. So, if you’re focusing on blogging and written content marketing, it’s best to keep the word count on your page above 2,000. According to the content marketing SEO statistics collected by QuickSprout, it looks like the ideal word count is somewhere above 2,400.
94% of B2B content gets zero external backlinks.
(Backlinko)
Backlinko’s study included more than 912 million blog posts. It’s a clear indicator that building links through content marketing is more challenging than ever before. Businesses are increasingly implementing strategies like guest blogging and HARO to gain external links to their website.
The content marketing industry will be worth $412 billion by 2021.
(The Drum)
The projected annual growth of the industry will be around 16%, which is set to represent an incremental growth of over $217.3 billion in the period from 2016 to 2021. Content marketing is already the best way to engage consumers, and the number of companies using content marketing statistics to improve their services is constantly rising.
55% of businesses said they currently outsource their marketing efforts.
(Content Marketing Institute)
Content marketing spending statistics show companies are increasingly outsourcing work, even though nearly the same number of respondents said they have two or more employees dedicated to content marketing. The bigger companies, with 100+ employees, are more likely to outsource their marketing. Among them, 65% said they currently turn to outsourcing their marketing teams.
In 80% of cases, content creation is what B2C marketers most often outsource.
(Content Marketing Institute)
It’s not very difficult to see why a marketing company would like to get rid of the burden of content production. Oftentimes it’s cheaper to outsource, leaving more money for funding other aspects of the campaign, as well as having your top employees planning the next big slogan or logo.
60% of marketers reuse content two to five times, but only 29% actually have a strategy for doing so.
(IZEA)
Repurposing older, successful content is a smart strategy, so much so that 45% of businesses use automated marketing for their content on a regular basis. The problem is, however, that in most cases there’s no real strategy to this, and a lot of good opportunities for improvement get wasted.
54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
(HubSpot)
Statistics about visual content marketing point to an insatiable hunger for information. This represents a great opportunity for marketers, especially those who produce quality video content and impactful advertisements.
Conclusion
The digital marketing industry is rapidly expanding and evolving into a dominant force in the advertisement world. However, we’re not at peak level just yet. Most B2B and B2C marketers are finding it hard to catch up with the latest technological advancements and consumers’ rising standards. This is why industry trends are moving towards freelancers and outsourced agencies for content creation, and experts are in high demand.
The facts and marketing stats we’ve gathered show a clear move towards mobile devices and video creation as the main targets for digital advertising in the coming years. Visual marketing is set to experience another big boom with emerging augmented reality and virtual reality gadgets. But for now, the main focus lies on social network stories and YouTube videos.
The emergence of podcasts and audiobooks is disrupting tried-and-true advertising methods, and the popularity of this kind of content has exploded in just a few years. All the content marketing statistics we’ve found point to audio as a major battleground between businesses seeking to attract new customers to their brands.