21 Content Marketing Numbers That Will Blow Your Mind!

Breaking through the noise is increasingly difficult for marketers. Consumers are becoming more savvy, and there are simply a lot more messages that we’re competing against.

As a marketer, business owner or CEO, we’re tasked with the job of assessing what’s best for our brand, and what strategies work well for our business and which ones don’t. Often, you’re left wondering if your business is using the right tactics.

Maybe you’ve heard of content marketing, and you’re wondering whether to include it in your marketing mix. Or, maybe if you should be including more of it! If so, we have some great news about its effectiveness. But, don’t take our word for it…

Below are some stats we’ve complied to illustrate if it works and why it works.

Why Consumers Prefer Content Marketing

• 90% of consumers find custom content useful and 78% believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them. (TMG Custom Media)
• 61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom content, and they are also more likely to buy from that company. (Custom Content Council)
• 81% of shoppers conduct online research before buying. (Adweek)
• Interesting content is one of the top 3 reasons people follow brands on social media. (Content+)
• Social media sites and blogs reach 8 out of 10 of all U.S. Internet users and account for 23% of all time spent online. (Content Marketing Institute)
• 64% users use ad blocker because they believe ads are annoying or intrusive. (HubSpot) Proof is that downloads of one of the most popular ad blocking application has surpassed 300 million. (HubSpot)
• 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information through a series of articles than ads. (CMI)
• Most internet users perceive blogs as an accurate source of information. (HubSpot)
• 51% B2B buyers rely on content to research their buying decisions, and they want shorter, interactive content that educates rather than sells. (DemandGen)

Key takeaway: Buyers want to be better prepared and be sure about their future purchases. As a result, they end up doing in-depth research and reading as much as they can. Often, they reward companies who help them learn more by buying from them.

Benefits of Blogging

• Small businesses with blogs get 126% more lead growth than those without a blog. (Impact)
• Blogs give websites 434% more indexed pages. (Content+)
• Companies that blog receive 97% more links to their website. (HubSpot)
• Blogs are 3x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts. (HubSpot)
• B2B companies that blogged 11+ times per month had almost 3x more traffic than those blogging 0-1 times per month. (HubSpot)
• B2B companies with blogs generate 67% more leads on average than those who don’t blog at all! (Social Media B2B)

Key takeaway: A blog is the starting point of your interaction with your target audience. It is where you start building relationships by telling your brand’s story. Good blogs contain a range of ideas, newsworthy information, research, educational posts, and solutions that boost growth. Plus, the more you blog the higher your chances of being found by search engines, and the more you create, the more there is for your blog visitors and social channels.

Content Marketing Stats

• Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing. (DemandMetric)
• Content marketing generates 3x as many leads as traditional marketing. (Content Marketing Institute))
• The average cost to generate a lead through inbound marketing ($143) is about half the average for outbound marketing ($373). (G+)
• Conversion rates are six times higher (2.9%) for companies and brands using content marketing than those that aren’t (0.5%). (Aberdeen Group)
• Marketers, on average, spend over a quarter of their marketing budget on content marketing. (B2B Marketing Insider)
• 62% of companies today outsource their content marketing — that’s up 7% from last year! (Mashable)

Key takeaway: It’s a myth that content marketing is expensive. Not only is it a cheaper option (especially when compared to traditional marketing), it’s more effective too. But, keep in mind that content marketing is a long-term strategy. Your marketing goals can’t be achieved overnight, and it’s only after a period of time that you’ll start to see results – like all good things, it takes time to develop a relationship with your prospects.

Understand that your efforts will pay off if you adopt a holistic approach and align your content to both the buyer’s persona and the stage buyers are at in their journey.

To be effective, your content should tell a story without selling. It should communicate how useful your product is to your customer, so they can better understand the value of it and how it relates to their need.

“Content marketing is the only marketing left.” –Seth Godin

In conclusion, content marketing can help you gain exposure for your solutions to your audience’s problems. It helps your business connect with them and start a conversation. By sharing timely, relevant content, it helps your customers solve their problems, educates them and also motivates them to take action.