Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy
80% of those who classify their content marketing as extremely successful have a documented strategy
48% of marketing leaders say content marketing is a core part of their strategy for 2024
Short-form video is the number one leveraged media format by marketers
91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
The average blog post focuses on around 1400 words
LinkedIn is the top organic social channel for B2B marketers at 96%
Email marketing has an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent
68% of online experiences begin with a search engine
71% of B2B buyers read blog content during their buying journey
81% of consumers say trust is a deal breaker in their buying decision
B2B buyers consume an average of 13 pieces of content before deciding on a vendor
72% of marketers use AI tools to generate content ideas
65% of marketers say they don’t know how to measure the ROI of their content
AI writing assistants are used by 44% of marketers for content production
B2B vs B2C & Audience
- 171% of B2B buyers read blog content during their buying journey
- 281% of consumers say trust is a deal breaker in their buying decision
- 3B2B buyers consume an average of 13 pieces of content before deciding on a vendor
- 476% of consumers expect companies to recognize their individual needs
- 562% of B2B buyers say a vendor's content had a significant impact on their buying decision
- 670% of consumers feel closer to a company as a result of content marketing
- 752% of B2B buyers say they represent a buying committee of 2 to 4 people
- 888% of successful B2B marketers prioritize the audience's informational needs over sales messages
- 9B2C marketers are 15% more likely to use humor in their content than B2B
- 1046% of B2B buyers want shorter content formats
- 1164% of consumers make a purchase after watching a branded social video
- 1284% of B2B marketers say content marketing builds brand loyalty effectively
- 1354% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support
- 14Buying decisions in B2B take longer with 36% of sales cycles lasting 4-6 months
- 1571% of customers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions
- 1667% of B2B buyers rely more on content to research and make purchasing decisions than they did a year ago
- 17B2C content is 4x more likely to be emotional than rational
- 1890% of consumers find custom content useful
- 1940% of B2B buyers say they consume 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a salesperson
- 20B2C marketers prioritize community building 20% more than B2B marketers
Interpretation
These stats say it plainly: content is courtship, not a cold call, with 71% of buyers reading blogs and B2B shoppers sampling roughly 13 pieces before choosing, so brands must earn trust (81% call trust a deal breaker; 71% expect personalization), prioritize useful information over sales pitches (88%), serve shorter and video-first formats when appropriate (46% want shorter content; 64% buy after branded social video), and use the right mix of emotion, humor, and community-building to influence committee-driven, longer sales cycles and turn helpful content into loyalty.
Content Formats & Creation
- 1Short-form video is the number one leveraged media format by marketers
- 291% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
- 3The average blog post focuses on around 1400 words
- 453% of marketers are prioritizing long-form video content
- 5Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than passive content
- 645% of marketers are investing in audio content and podcasts
- 7Visual content is 40 times more likely to get shared on social media
- 832% of marketers say visual images are the most important form of content for their business
- 987% of video marketers say video has increased dwell time on their website
- 10Case studies are used by 73% of B2B marketers
- 1160% of marketers create at least one piece of content per day
- 12Infographics can increase web traffic by up to 12%
- 13User-generated content is used by 48% of marketing teams
- 1451% of marketers say updating old content is the most efficient tactic
- 1523% of marketers actively use webinars as a content format
- 16Listicles are the second most popular blog post format
- 17Ebooks are a primary form of lead generation for 43% of B2B companies
- 1880% of people prefer watching a live video to reading a blog
- 19It takes an average of 4 hours to write a blog post
- 2096% of marketers report that video is an important part of their marketing strategy
Interpretation
Treat your content like a dinner party, serve plenty of short and long-form video, garnish with visuals, interactivity and user-generated flavors, keep the buffet refreshed by updating assets and posting regularly, and you’ll significantly increase dwell time, shares and conversions.
Distribution & Channels
- 1LinkedIn is the top organic social channel for B2B marketers at 96%
- 2Email marketing has an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent
- 368% of online experiences begin with a search engine
- 450% of marketers leverage Instagram for content distribution
- 582% of marketers actively use content marketing for SEO purposes
- 6Organic search creates 53% of all site traffic
- 777% of marketers use social media advertising to distribute content
- 8Facebook is the primary content distribution channel for B2C marketers
- 940% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the most critical to their content success
- 1094% of marketers use social media for content distribution
- 11TikTok usage by marketers for distribution grew to 24% in the last year
- 12Companies that blog get 55% more website visitors
- 13Mobile devices account for 58% of organic search visits
- 14Guest posting is a distribution strategy for 36% of marketers
- 1587% of B2B marketers use email to distribute content
- 16Google drives 8 times more traffic than all social media networks combined
- 1726% of marketers use paid search to promote their content
- 18Tuesday is the best day to send a content-focused email
- 19YouTube is the second most popular search engine for content discovery
- 2066% of marketers use paid methods to distribute content
Interpretation
Here’s the blunt playbook: make organic search your backbone since 68% of online experiences begin with searches and organic brings 53% of traffic while Google outpaces all social eightfold, pair that with email which returns about $36 for every $1 and powers most B2B programs with newsletters hitting peak engagement on Tuesdays, put LinkedIn at the center of your B2B strategy and Facebook for B2C, lean into YouTube and the rapidly growing TikTok for discovery, keep blogging to gain roughly 55% more visitors, optimize everything for the 58% of visitors on mobile, and use paid social and search along with guest posts only to amplify what your audience already wants because nearly every marketer is already doing just that.
ROI, Measurement & Tech
- 172% of marketers use AI tools to generate content ideas
- 265% of marketers say they don’t know how to measure the ROI of their content
- 3AI writing assistants are used by 44% of marketers for content production
- 4Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing
- 582% of marketers report that AI content generation creates content as good or better than humanly generated content
- 6Companies spending 10-50% of their budget on content saw the best results
- 775% of marketers use technology to gain insight into content performance
- 8Content marketing generates over 3x as many leads as outbound marketing
- 958% of marketers plan to increase their spending on AI for content creation in 2025
- 1039% of marketers say their top content marketing challenge is generating quality leads
- 11Analytics is the most common technology used by content marketers at 85%
- 12Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see positive ROI
- 13Average spend on content marketing technology increased by 15% year over year
- 1448% of marketers use AI to summarize content
- 1587% of marketers use Google Analytics to measure content performance
- 16Businesses with blogs get 126% higher lead growth than those without
- 1728% of marketers have replaced part of their writing team with AI tools
- 1842% of companies have a content marketing attribution model in place
- 19Only 25% of marketers are confident in their ability to measure content ROI
- 20Marketing technology absorbs 25.4% of the total marketing budget
Interpretation
Marketers are happily putting AI in the driver's seat, using machines to brainstorm, write and even replace staff because content is cheaper and delivers far more leads than traditional marketing, but most still can't prove the trip's value or reliably convert quality leads, so budgets are shifting to tech faster than teams have dialed in attribution and ROI.
Strategy & Planning
- 140% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy
- 280% of those who classify their content marketing as extremely successful have a documented strategy
- 348% of marketing leaders say content marketing is a core part of their strategy for 2024
- 470% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing
- 583% of marketers believe it is more effective to create higher quality content less often
- 657% of marketers report that pivoting their strategy is their biggest challenge
- 761% of marketers outsourced at least one content marketing activity
- 8Consistency is the top factor for success according to 47% of marketers
- 969% of successful B2B marketers have a dedicated content marketing group
- 1042% of marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget in the coming year
- 1197% of marketers include content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy
- 12Brand awareness is the number one goal for 80% of content marketers
- 1350% of marketers say they need to align content with the buyer's journey better
- 1433% of marketers say their organization lacks a clear content strategy
- 1555% of successful content marketing teams use persona-based content creation
- 1678% of CMOs believe custom content is the future of marketing
- 1744% of marketers say improving the quality and value of their content has led to success
- 1862% of B2B marketers have separate strategies for different content formats
- 19Researching the audience is the top starting point for strategy for 49% of marketers
- 2058% of marketers use their content strategy to build customer loyalty
Interpretation
Content marketing has quietly become table stakes, with nearly everyone folding it into their plans and the data showing that documented strategies, dedicated teams, and fewer but higher-quality, persona-driven pieces drive success even as marketers wrestle with pivoting, aligning to the buyer's journey, and converting awareness into lasting loyalty.
