Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less
Marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI
72% of companies say video has improved their conversion rate
82% of marketers actively use content marketing
70% of B2B marketers say content marketing is more successful than one year ago
40% of B2B marketers say content marketing is a critical component of their overall marketing strategy
67% of webinar hosts say their primary goal is increasing brand awareness and lead generation
87% of marketers report that video has helped them increase leads
Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content
LinkedIn finds that 96% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn for organic social media marketing
47% of buyers view three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep
95% of B2B buyers say content is a significant driver when evaluating a company and its offerings
61% of marketers say generating traffic and leads is their top challenge
46% of marketers use automation in their content marketing strategy
65% of B2B marketers have not established a specific Lead Nurturing strategy
Channels & Distribution
- 1LinkedIn finds that 96% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn for organic social media marketing
- 247% of buyers view three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep
- 395% of B2B buyers say content is a significant driver when evaluating a company and its offerings
- 488% of B2B marketers use email marketing as a content distribution channel
- 577% of internet users read blogs
- 654% of decision-makers say they spend more than one hour per week reading thought leadership content
- 791% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content, making it the most used platform
- 862% of B2B marketers use webinars to nurture leads
- 968% of online experiences begin with a search engine, making SEO crucial for content distribution
- 10Paid distribution channels are used by 81% of B2B marketers
- 11Facebook is the primary content distribution channel for B2C marketers
- 1271% of B2B buyers read blog content during their buying journey
- 13Twitter is used by 82% of B2B content marketers
- 1448% of marketers create content for 3-5 different buyer personas
- 1589% of potential customers use search engines to research a purchase decision
- 1655% of business professionals watch videos every week
- 1763% of marketers use video content in their social media marketing
- 18LinkedIn is 277% more effective for lead generation than Facebook and Twitter
- 1959% of B2B marketers use Instagram for content distribution
- 2043% of listeners are more likely to buy a new product after hearing an ad on a podcast
Interpretation
Think of content as your sales wingman and LinkedIn as the MVP, because buyers consult search and three to five pieces of content, value thought leadership, and respond to blogs, email, webinars, video, podcasts and paid promotion, so a persona driven, SEO focused program centered on LinkedIn is the shortest path to B2B leads.
Content Formats
- 167% of webinar hosts say their primary goal is increasing brand awareness and lead generation
- 287% of marketers report that video has helped them increase leads
- 3Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content
- 4The top three types of content B2B marketers use are social media posts (94%), short articles/posts (80%), and email newsletters (74%)
- 5Long-form content (3000+ words) gets 3x more traffic, 4x more shares, and 3.5x more backlinks than articles of average length
- 6Using quizzes in content marketing can increase lead capture by 500%
- 7Podcasts are used by 43% of B2B marketers
- 8Case studies are considered the most effective content format for B2B marketers at 73%
- 958% of marketers say original written content is the most important type of content for their strategy
- 1040% of marketers say that stock photography helps them reach their marketing goals
- 11Infographics are liked and shared on social media 3x more than any other type of content
- 12Titles with 6-13 words attract the highest and most consistent amount of traffic
- 13eBooks are used by 46% of B2B marketers for lead generation
- 1479% of B2B marketers use slide decks/presentations for content marketing
- 15User-generated content is used by 23% of marketers
- 1675% of marketers say they are increasing their investment in interactive content
- 17Virtual events are used by 75% of B2B marketers
- 1837% of marketers say that visual content is the most important form of content for their business
- 19Articles with images get 94% more total views
- 2062% of marketers use podcasts as part of their content strategy
- 21Checklists are preferred by 25% of B2B buyers when conducting research
Interpretation
These stats make one thing clear: if you want leads, don't be boring; invest in long, original, image-rich and interactive content such as webinars, video, quizzes, infographics, case studies, slide decks, podcasts and virtual events, and use smart titles and images, because those formats consistently outperform passive posts in driving awareness, traffic, shares, backlinks and, most importantly, conversions.
ROI & Metrics
- 1Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less
- 2Marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI
- 372% of companies say video has improved their conversion rate
- 4Companies that blog receive 97% more links to their website
- 584% of marketers plan to increase their investment in video marketing
- 666% of marketers expect their 2024 content marketing budget to increase
- 781% of marketers say their content views have increased over the last year
- 8The average conversion rate for a landing page is 2.35%, but the top 25% are converting at 5.31% or higher
- 9Content marketing leaders experience 7.8 times more site traffic than non-leaders
- 10Companies with 30+ landing pages generate 7x more leads than those with fewer than 10
- 1172% of marketers say content marketing increases engagement
- 1229% of marketers repurpose existing content to save time and budget
- 13Aligning sales and marketing teams can lead to 38% higher sales win rates
- 14The average cost per lead drops 80% after 5 months of consistent content marketing
- 15Over 50% of marketers say keyword rankings and organic traffic are the top metrics for success
- 16Content marketing drives higher conversion rates (2.9%) compared to non-users (0.5%)
- 17Only 35% of marketers have a dedicated content marketing budget
- 18Companies that automate lead management see a 10% or greater increase in revenue in 6-9 months
- 1952% of B2B marketers say their content marketing budget remained the same year over year
- 2028% of marketers have reduced their advertising budget to fund more content marketing
Interpretation
Put simply, content marketing is the long-term salesperson that works for less and brings in more, so companies that prioritize blogging and video, align sales and marketing, and automate lead management see dramatically higher traffic, leads, and conversions while many competitors still underfund the obvious winner.
Strategy & Effectiveness
- 182% of marketers actively use content marketing
- 270% of B2B marketers say content marketing is more successful than one year ago
- 340% of B2B marketers say content marketing is a critical component of their overall marketing strategy
- 4Small businesses with blogs get 126% more lead growth than those without
- 560% of marketers say that content marketing is very or extremely important to their overall strategy
- 6Organizations with a documented content marketing strategy are far more likely to report success than those without one
- 780% of B2B content marketing assets are gated
- 851% of businesses that invest in content marketing publish content every day
- 9B2B companies that blog 11+ times per month get almost 3X more traffic than those blogging 0-1 times per month
- 1093% of B2B marketers use content marketing
- 1178% of CMOs believe custom content is the future of marketing
- 1253% of marketers prioritize content quality over quantity
- 1386% of B2B organizations use content marketing for lead generation
- 1464% of marketers want to learn how to build a better content strategy
- 1592% of marketers consider video an important part of their marketing strategy
- 1657% of marketers report that custom content was their top marketing priority
- 1760% of B2B marketers outsource at least one content marketing activity
- 1890% of the most successful content marketers prioritize their audience's informational needs over their sales message
- 19Lead generation is the sole goal for 85% of B2B content marketers
- 2090% of consumers find custom content useful
Interpretation
Taken together these stats deliver a blunt but useful truth: content marketing is no longer a pastime but the home field advantage for lead generation, and organizations that treat it like a discipline by documenting strategy, prioritizing audience first high quality custom and video content, publishing often (small businesses that blog see 126 percent more lead growth and B2B blogs publishing 11 or more times monthly get nearly three times the traffic), and strategically gating or outsourcing assets consistently outperform those that wing it.
Technology & Challenges
- 161% of marketers say generating traffic and leads is their top challenge
- 246% of marketers use automation in their content marketing strategy
- 365% of B2B marketers have not established a specific Lead Nurturing strategy
- 444% of marketers say measuring the ROI of their content marketing efforts is their biggest challenge
- 569% of marketers say they do not reuse content
- 6Only 42% of B2B marketers say they have conversations with customers as part of their content research
- 745% of marketers cite a lack of time as their biggest content marketing challenge
- 856% of marketers use data to create content that appeals to their audience
- 961% of B2B marketers say their organization lacks the right technology for content marketing
- 1032% of marketers say their workflow is too manual and slow
- 11Only 21% of B2B marketers claim to be successful at tracking ROI
- 1227% of marketers say they struggle with creating visual content
- 1340% of marketers predict that AI-driven content generation will be a key trend
- 1462% of marketers say they are not using the full potential of their marketing technology stack
- 1541% of marketers say producing content consistently is a major challenge
- 1650% of marketers say that producing engaging content is a top challenge
- 1739% of marketers say they struggle to find subject matter experts to create content
- 1830% of marketers say finding the right technology is an obstacle
- 1973% of B2B marketers use analytics tools to measure content performance
Interpretation
It’s like owning a Swiss Army knife but forgetting the scissors: marketers have analytics and some automation, yet they lack time, the right tech, nurturing strategies, and reuse practices, so content is inconsistent, hard to measure, and fails to reliably generate leads.
