Have you seen those billboards that say “Does outdoor advertising work? Just did!”
I could say the same thing to you right now.
Say hello to content marketing.
Content marketing is a method of moving prospects through your marketing funnel by providing relevant content to increase their knowledge of the value you provide and the needs you meet.
Think of it this way: traditional marketing is taking your message, going to where people are, then working hard to get the message in front of them.
Content marketing uses your digital presence to create awareness of what you offer, your expertise and your value proposition.
Content marketing:
- Creates awareness of your brand
- Connects you with shoppers who are in the market for your service
- Encourages focus on your ideal client, so you get better leads and higher conversions
Content marketing comes in a variety of forms, including:
Blog Posts | Social Media Posts | Video | Images | Live Sessions
White Papers | Case Studies | Executive Briefs | Infographics | Checklists
So, which ones work, which ones do prospects like the most and which ones bring the most value to your business?
We’re glad you asked. We’ve pulled together some stats about content marketing – take a look:
Who’s Using Content Marketing?
- 91% of B2B marketers say they’re using content marketing to connect with customers.
- 70% of marketers across industries say they’re using content marketing as a key part of their business efforts.
- 56% of businesses want to use resources to increase their content creation efforts.
- 62% of companies that have 5,000 employees or more produce daily content.
- 60% of marketers create at least one piece of content a day.
- 66% of marketers prefer Instagram for influencer marketing campaigns.
How Are Your Prospects Accessing Content
7. Organic search drives 51% of content consumption.
8. 94% of content marketers use social media to distribute their content.
9. Virtually all Americans have a smartphone, and one in five Americans are smartphone only, meaning they use no other broadband service in their home. 91% of social media users access the platforms via a smartphone.
10. 92% of marketers see video as an important part of their digital strategy.
11. 57% of marketers now use live video within their strategies.
12. 85% of people listen to podcasts for more than seven hours weekly.
13. According to Hubspot, the ideal length for a blog post is 2,500 words.
14. Half of all searches are for long-tail keywords – 4 words or longer.
15. Visual content like infographics, photos and charts showed a 56% increase for B2B marketers in 2019 in comparison to the previous year.
What Types Of Content Are Prospects Most Interested In?
16. Consumers prefer video content that is humorous, educational or related to a social issue or cause.
17. 61% of marketers believe visual content is absolutely necessary to their marketing strategy.
18. 46% of consumers prefer watching content over listening or reading.
19. 92% of consumers prefer ads that feel like a story.
20. Content with 3,000 to 10,000 words (long-form content) gets shared more often.
21. Voice search continues to grow in popularity, and search assistants favor long-form content – very long. The average result comes from content with 2,300+ words.
22. Listicles get 2x more traffic than other types of posts.
23. LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating B2B leads than Facebook or Twitter.
24. 88% of B2B buyers think content producers should focus less on the specifics of their products and more on the value they bring to potential clients.
25. Whitepapers are a key part of the decision making process for 71% of B2B buyers.
What’s The Value Of Using Content Marketing As Part of Your Marketing Strategy?
26. Marketers who prioritize marketing efforts (e.g. making blogging a serious priority) are 13 times more likely to see positive ROI.
27. 78% of consumers prefer to get to know a company via articles rather than ads.
28. Content marketing conversion rates are about 6x higher than other digital marketing methods.
29. 61% of consumers are influenced by custom content.
30. Companies that blog consistently have 434% more pages indexed by search engines compared to those who don’t blog at all.
31. Content marketing costs about 62% less than traditional marketing, yet generates 3x the amount of leads.
32. 80% of video marketers claim video has directly increased sales.
33. 47% of consumers now use ad blockers, which reduces the reach and relevancy of traditional advertising.
34. The most effective B2B marketers spend 39% of their budget on content marketing.
35. 95% of B2B service and product buyers consider content as trustworthy when evaluating a company and its offerings.
36. Companies that publish 16+ blog posts per month get nearly 3.5x more organic traffic.
37. Companies with a blog on their website earn up to 97% more inbound links, which boosts SEO.
Content marketing is, at its heart, an effort to put the needs of your prospects before your own. Instead of pushing out marketing messaging that’s focused on what’s in it for you, content focuses on what’s in it for them, addresses their needs and questions, and creates stronger relationships with your buyers long-term.
Convinced? Here’s one more stat for you: Leads that are nurtured with content result in 20% more sales opportunities and leads that are nurtured also spend 47% more than non-nurtured leads.
What are you waiting for? Start strategizing and building content that generates reliable, high-quality leads for your business.
Need some ideas? Check out our blog post on ways to create great content even if you’re not a big fan of writing.
