Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
73% of B2B marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy
Only 40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy
80% of marketers report that content marketing is a core business strategy for their company
Short-form video is the top media format for the fifth consecutive year
91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
53% of marketers prioritize blogging as their primary content marketing format
93% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content
90% of content marketers say email is the most effective channel for distributing content
Organic search is the top traffic source for high-revenue content/media blogs
Content marketing generates over 3x as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less
Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that don't blog
60% of marketers say that content marketing generates lead demand
65% of marketers have integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their content marketing strategy
84% of bloggers report that AI content tools have impacted their workflow
43.8% of marketers use AI specifically for brainstorming content topics
Content Formats & Media
- 1Short-form video is the top media format for the fifth consecutive year
- 291% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
- 353% of marketers prioritize blogging as their primary content marketing format
- 4Long-form content (3,000+ words) gets 3x more traffic, 4x more shares, and 3.5x more backlinks than average length articles
- 5Podcasts are used by 25% of content marketers
- 669% of marketers say they would increase their video budget if they could
- 7Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content
- 8Infographics are the fourth most used type of content marketing
- 987% of video marketers say video has given them a good ROI
- 10Articles with lists get 2x more traffic and 2x more social shares than other blog post types
- 1196% of marketers have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service
- 1247% of buyers view three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep
- 13Case studies are used by 73% of B2B marketers
- 1451% of marketers say video is the type of content with the best ROI
- 15Blog posts with more than one image get 2x as many shares as posts without images
- 1641% of marketers create custom graphics and illustrations for their content
- 17User-generated content is 35% more memorable than other media
- 1839% of marketers are using webinars as a content format
- 19Only 13% of marketers are using VR/AR in their content strategies
- 20E-books and white papers are the top content types for middle-of-the-funnel marketing
Interpretation
Content marketing looks like a crowded stage where short-form video is the five-year headliner, with 91% of businesses using video, 87% reporting good ROI and 69% wanting bigger video budgets while 96% have watched explainer clips, yet the smartest acts balance quick hits with depth because 53% prioritize blogging, long-form articles of 3,000 or more words attract three times the traffic, four times the shares and 3.5 times the backlinks, list posts and image-rich blogs get twice the traffic and shares, interactive content doubles conversions, user-generated content is 35% more memorable, 41% create custom graphics, infographics remain a top visual tool, 73% use case studies, e-books and white papers lead the middle of the funnel, webinars reach 39% of marketers, podcasts 25%, and VR and AR still sit on the sidelines at 13%.
Distribution & Channels
- 193% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content
- 290% of content marketers say email is the most effective channel for distributing content
- 3Organic search is the top traffic source for high-revenue content/media blogs
- 4Facebook is the primary content distribution channel for B2C marketers
- 580% of B2B marketers use paid social media advertising to distribute content
- 667% of marketers plan to increase their investment in TikTok for content distribution
- 7Content shared by employees receives 8x more engagement than content shared by brand channels
- 877% of B2B marketers use email marketing newsletters to distribute content
- 9Articles published on LinkedIn specifically can generate a 2x higher engagement rate than typical posts
- 10Google drives 8x more traffic to content sites than all social media networks combined
- 11Brands that use SMS marketing for content distribution see open rates as high as 98%
- 1254% of marketers use influencer marketing to distribute their content
- 13Instagram is used by 78% of social media marketers to share content
- 1443% of B2B marketers use guest posting as a distribution method
- 15Twitter/X usage for content distribution in B2B dropped to 67% in recent years
- 1670% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads
- 17Content syndication is used by 30% of B2B marketers to expand reach
- 18Mobile devices account for 58% of all organic search visits to content
- 1995% of traffic to the top 10% of articles comes from organic search
- 20YouTube is the second most popular search engine for discovering content
Interpretation
If you want your content to be found, fed, and forwarded, treat SEO and email as the unshakable foundation, lean on LinkedIn and employee amplification for B2B credibility, use Facebook and Instagram for consumer reach, layer in paid social, TikTok and influencers for attention spikes and SMS for near guaranteed opens, and never forget that Google and YouTube still drive the lion's share of discovery.
Performance & ROI
- 1Content marketing generates over 3x as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less
- 2Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that don't blog
- 360% of marketers say that content marketing generates lead demand
- 4Content marketing leaders experience 7.8x more site traffic than non-leaders
- 5B2B companies that blog heavily get 3.5x more traffic than those that blog once a week or less
- 6Small businesses with blogs get 126% more lead growth than those without
- 772% of marketers say content marketing increases engagement
- 8The average conversion rate for websites with custom content is 2.9%, compared to 0.5% for those without
- 956% of marketers cite brand awareness as their top goal for content marketing performance
- 1082% of marketers report actively investing in content marketing implies a direct correlation to ROI growth
- 11Businesses utilizing user-generated content see a 29% increase in web conversions
- 12Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see positive ROI
- 1374% of companies say content marketing is increasing the quality and quantity of leads
- 14Only 21% of marketers are successful at tracking the ROI of their content marketing
- 15Website conversion rates are nearly 6x higher for content marketing adopters than non-adopters
- 16After reading a custom content recommendation 61% of online consumers are more likely to buy
- 17Brands relying on content marketing save over $14 on every new customer acquired
- 18Loyal readers are 5x more likely to purchase from a brand than non-readers
- 19Improving content quality has led to better results for 55% of successful B2B marketers
- 2088% of B2B marketers view audience engagement as a top metric for content performance
Interpretation
The stats read like proof that content marketing is planting a garden instead of renting billboards: done consistently and well—think regular blogging and user-generated pieces—it drives far more traffic, leads, engagement and conversions at a fraction of the cost and boosts ROI, if only more marketers would actually track it.
Strategy & Operations
- 173% of B2B marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy
- 2Only 40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy
- 380% of marketers report that content marketing is a core business strategy for their company
- 450% of marketers outsource some of their content marketing activities
- 578% of CMOs believe that custom content is the future of marketing
- 642% of B2B marketers say they’re increasing their content marketing budget in the coming year
- 761% of marketers say generating traffic and leads is their biggest content marketing challenge
- 846% of businesses want to increase their content creation spending in 2024
- 983% of marketers say it is better to focus on quality rather than quantity of content
- 1070% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing
- 1157% of marketers report that they do not have the bandwidth to create content efficiently
- 12Content marketing industries are expected to grow by $417.85 billion during 2021-2025
- 1329% of B2B marketers have a significantly successful content marketing strategy
- 1452% of B2B marketers agree that their organization provides them with the technology they need to succeed
- 15The leading cause of content marketing friction is a lack of resources, cited by 42% of marketers
- 1651% of content marketing roles are now focused on strategy rather than just creation
- 1781% of marketers view content as a core business strategy
- 1872% of the most successful marketers measure the ROI of their content marketing
- 19Half of all marketers say that content marketing helps them build credibility and trust with their audience
- 2045% of marketers cite creating content for the specific needs of the buyer persona as a top priority
Interpretation
Content marketing has become the boardroom darling—everyone believes in it and many are increasing budgets and outsourcing work, yet too many still lack documented strategies, bandwidth, and measurement, so the companies that treat content like a planned, well-resourced business channel will turn belief into measurable growth.
Tech, AI & Trends
- 165% of marketers have integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their content marketing strategy
- 284% of bloggers report that AI content tools have impacted their workflow
- 343.8% of marketers use AI specifically for brainstorming content topics
- 433% of marketers use AI to generate written content
- 5The use of audio content in marketing has risen by 12% in the last two years
- 6Voice search optimization is a priority for 12% of content marketers
- 758% of marketers plan to increase their budget for AI content creation tools
- 875% of content marketers use technology to gain insight into the performance of their content
- 948% of marketers use automation tools to manage their content calendar
- 1027% of marketers believe increased personalization is the biggest trend in content marketing
- 1140% of B2B marketers use analytics tools (like GA4) to measure content performance
- 1271% of marketers believe AI creates content that sounds like a human wrote it
- 13Google's visual search tools (Lens) are driving a 20% increase in visual content optimization focus
- 1460% of marketers are concerned that AI-generated content will hurt their search rankings
- 15Only 22% of marketers are currently using a Content Management System (CMS) to its full potential
- 1631% of marketers use AI to create outlines for blog posts
- 17Trends show 82% of internet traffic will be video by 2025
- 1845% of marketers are experimenting with AI for data analysis related to content
- 1964% of marketers say AI is important for their content marketing success over the next 12 months
- 20Use of content collaboration tools (like Trello or Asana) has increased by 30% among content teams since 2020
Interpretation
Content marketers are increasingly handing AI the brainstorming, outlining and drafting chores while pouring resources into video, audio, visual and analytics tools to measure performance, yet persistent worries about search rankings, underused CMSs and the need for human-led personalization mean AI is a powerful partner rather than a replacement.
