Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less
Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that do not blog
72% of companies say video has improved their conversion rate
40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy
80% of marketers who are highly successful have a documented content strategy
73% of B2B marketers have a content editor or content manager on their team
66% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for content marketing results
LinkedIn generates 80% of B2B leads from social media
50% of B2B organizations have a content marketing budget of less than $100k
Short-form video is the #1 leveraged media format in content strategies
87% of video marketers say video has increased traffic to their website
The average blog post length is 1416 words
70% of potential customers prefer learning about a product via an article rather than an ad
47% of buyers view 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep
81% of shoppers conduct online research before making a purchase
B2B vs B2C Impact
- 166% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for content marketing results
- 2LinkedIn generates 80% of B2B leads from social media
- 350% of B2B organizations have a content marketing budget of less than $100k
- 4B2C marketers are more likely to use Facebook (96%) than any other social platform
- 596% of B2B buyers like content with input from industry thought leaders
- 671% of B2B customers review a blog during their buying journey
- 760% of B2C marketers report they are committed to content marketing
- 8B2B marketers use an average of 13 different content marketing tactics
- 941% of B2B buyers read 3-5 pieces of content before talking to a salesperson
- 10B2C content is 40% more likely to rely on visual storytelling than B2B content
- 1180% of B2B content marketing assets are gated
- 1258% of B2B marketers said that virtual events/webinars produced the best results for their content marketing
- 13B2B companies that blog more than 11 times per month get almost 3X more traffic
- 1477% of B2B marketers use email marketing newsletters as part of their content strategy
- 1543% of B2B marketers say documenting their strategy is a major hurdle compared to 33% of B2C marketers
- 16B2C buyers are 57% more likely to trust user-generated content than B2B buyers
- 1762% of B2B buyers say a white paper is the most influential content format
- 18B2B marketers allocate 26% of their total budget to content marketing on average
- 1938% of B2B buyers said they share blog posts with colleagues during the purchase process
- 20B2C marketers prioritize short-form video 20% more than their B2B counterparts
Interpretation
Content marketing today is two very different games: B2B, often working with modest budgets and juggling a dozen-plus tactics, crowds LinkedIn with gated thought-leader white papers, frequent blogs, webinars and email to shepherd buyers who read multiple assets before talking to sales, while B2C splashes visual storytelling, short-form video and user-generated content on Facebook to win quick trust, so document your strategy or watch leads remain stubbornly elusive.
Buyer Journey & Consumption
- 170% of potential customers prefer learning about a product via an article rather than an ad
- 247% of buyers view 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep
- 381% of shoppers conduct online research before making a purchase
- 490% of buyers say online content has a moderate to major effect on their purchasing decisions
- 555% of buyers rely more on content than they did a year ago
- 644% of buyers say they will share their contact info for a webinar
- 775% of people admit to judging a company’s credibility based on their website design and content
- 867% of the buyer’s journey is now done digitally
- 996% of consumers don’t trust ads but trust content that provides value
- 1052% of buyers say they are definitely more likely to buy from a vendor after reading their content
- 1165% of consumers immediately delete emails that don't look good on mobile
- 12The average buyer spends between 5 and 15 minutes reviewing a single piece of content
- 1384% of people expect brands to create content that provides solutions and produces experiences
- 1446% of buyers say they will share contact info for a case study
- 15Buyers are 3x more likely to trust a company’s employees than the company itself (via content)
- 1668% of consumers feel more positive about a brand after consuming content from it
- 1734% of buyers have less time to research purchases than in previous years, placing a premium on concise content
- 18Decision makers are 10% more likely to view a video specifically if it’s on a landing page
- 1962% of buyers rely on practical case studies to move to the purchase phase
- 2094% of people cite "easy navigation" as the most useful feature when exploring content on a site
Interpretation
Think of content as your brand’s best-dressed salesperson: 70% of prospects prefer an article to an ad and 96% trust helpful content over ads, so with 81% researching online, 67% of the buyer’s journey happening digitally, buyers reviewing between three and five pieces of content often for five to fifteen minutes each before engaging sales, and 55% relying more on content than a year ago, concise, solution-focused material that is three times more trusted when it comes from employees, lives on a well-designed, mobile-friendly site with easy navigation, and includes practical case studies, webinars and landing page video is not optional but the decisive factor for building credibility, capturing contacts and driving purchases.
Formats & Channels
- 1Short-form video is the #1 leveraged media format in content strategies
- 287% of video marketers say video has increased traffic to their website
- 3The average blog post length is 1416 words
- 4Long-form content (3000+ words) gets 3x more traffic and 4x more shares
- 551% of marketers are using podcasts or other audio content
- 6Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content
- 753% of marketers are optimizing photos or images for search to drive sales
- 8Infographics are the fourth most used type of content marketing
- 9Blog posts with more than one image get 2x as many shares
- 1080% of people remember what they see, compared to what they hear or read
- 1147% of marketers report that video is the most difficult content format to create
- 12Articles with H2 and H3 tags have higher performance and readability metrics
- 13Case studies are used by 73% of B2B marketers to drive sales
- 1440% of content marketers named "original research" as the best performing content type
- 15Creating a "How-to" article increases the chance of ranking for a featured snippet by 20%
- 16Posts with lists get 2x more shares even than "How-to" posts
- 1793% of marketers say that interactive content is effective at educating the buyer
- 18Webinars are the preferred format for 42% of buyers evaluating middle-of-funnel decisions
- 1969% of marketers use eBooks to convert leads in the consideration stage
- 20"Listicles" are the most popular blog post format among business blogs
Interpretation
Think of content as a smart meal plan: short-form video drives traffic and dominates strategies, long-form original research feeds the funnel with three times the traffic and four times the shares, images, listicles and infographics double social lift and recall, interactive content and webinars double conversions and educate buyers, and case studies, how-tos and eBooks with clear H2 and H3s close deals, but remember that video is powerful yet the hardest format to produce.
ROI & Effectiveness
- 1Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less
- 2Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that do not blog
- 372% of companies say video has improved their conversion rate
- 4Businesses that prioritize blogging enter to see 13 times positive ROI according to HubSpot
- 5Email marketing generates $36 for every $1 spent
- 660% of marketers say that content marketing helps them get higher quality leads
- 7Organic search driven by content drives 53% of all site traffic, largely outperforming paid search
- 8Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see a positive ROI
- 970% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing
- 1061% of online purchases are the result of a customer reading a blog
- 11Content marketing rakes in conversion rates six times higher than other methods
- 1295% of B2B buyers say content helps them trust a company and evaluate whether they want to do business with them
- 13Small businesses with blogs get 126% more lead growth than those without
- 1458% of marketers said their content marketing strategy was moderately or very successful in achieving sales goals
- 1574% of companies indicate that content marketing is increasing the quality and quantity of leads
- 16Companies that publish 16+ blog posts per month get almost 3.5X more traffic than companies that publish 0-4 monthly
- 1749% of companies report that organic search is the channel with the highest ROI
- 18Inbound marketing strategies including content are 10 times more effective for lead conversion than outbound
- 1979% of companies that have a blog report a positive ROI for inbound marketing in 2021
- 20Adopting a content marketing strategy raises engagement rates by over 20%
Interpretation
These numbers deliver a blunt truth with a wink; invest in consistent content like blogs, video, email and SEO and you’ll get dramatically more high-quality leads, far better conversion rates and much greater ROI at a fraction of the cost of outbound tactics.
Strategy & Planning
- 140% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy
- 280% of marketers who are highly successful have a documented content strategy
- 373% of B2B marketers have a content editor or content manager on their team
- 450% of marketers plan to increase their investment in content marketing in 2022
- 5The top technology used by content teams is analytics tools at 88%
- 642% of companies plan to hire more content operations staff this year
- 733% of B2B marketers outsource their content creation
- 846% of businesses want to increase their content creation spending in the coming year
- 978% of companies have a team of one-to-three content specialists
- 10Repurposing content is a strategy used by 42% of marketers to update existing libraries
- 1183% of marketers believe it is more effective to create higher quality content less often
- 1265% of successful content marketers conduct content audits more than twice a year
- 1369% of marketers say they are investing time in SEO as a primary content distribution strategy
- 1451% of businesses that invest in content marketing publish content every day
- 15Only 29% of B2B marketers are extremely or very successful with tracking ROI
- 1661% of marketers define success as an increase in traffic
- 1727% of marketers say that creating a visual content strategy is one of their biggest challenges
- 1858% of B2B marketers use AI for content creation and strategy assistance
- 1990% of the most successful content marketers prioritize their audience’s informational needs over their own promotional message
- 2064% of marketers say their biggest challenge is creating content that generates quality leads
Interpretation
These statistics show that small but growing content teams increasingly rely on analytics, SEO, AI and outsourcing, and that having a documented strategy, conducting regular audits and prioritizing high quality, audience-first content drives success, proving that strategy beats shouting into the content void, yet many firms still struggle to track ROI and generate quality leads.
