2024 Content Marketing Stats

There’s much out there regarding the benefits of various types of marketing, and when you speak with marketing agencies, many solutions will be brought forward, but content marketing as not just a viable, but a powerful visibility strategy is often missing from the conversation. Read the article below and you will understand just how much of a disservice that is for small business.

 

The links in Sources below give the validation for these claims and data.

 

  • Content marketing is 62% cheaper than traditional methods and triples lead generation.
  • It has a conversion rate six times higher than other methods.
  • For every dollar spent, content marketing returns an average of $2.77.
  • Click-through rates can increase by 97%, with ROI amplified 13 times over traditional strategies.
  • Publishing over 16 blog posts monthly leads to 4.5 times more leads and 3.5 times more traffic.
  • 72% of successful companies measure their content marketing ROI, especially in email marketing.
  • Inbound marketers tracking ROI are 12 times more likely to see improved returns year-over-year.

 

View 7 Key Takeaways Minimize

Effective Content Marketing ROI

  • Content marketing triples lead generation while being 62% less expensive than traditional advertising.
  • Conversion rates for content marketing are six times higher than other methods.
  • Click-through rates can see a 97% boost, with ROI increasing 13-fold compared to conventional strategies.
  • 75% of content marketers optimize emails for mobile, leading to better ROI.
  • About half of B2B buyers review three to five pieces of content before talking to sales reps.
  • The average return on every dollar invested in content marketing is $2.77.
  • Content marketing campaigns have conversion rates about six times higher than outbound efforts.

The Challenge of Measuring ROI

  • One-third of content marketers struggle to effectively measure their efforts.
  • Major challenges include integrating data across platforms, unclear organizational KPIs, and linking performance data to objectives.
  • Only 65% of marketers have identified their KPIs for evaluating success.
  • 65% of marketers can’t quantifiably prove the impact of their marketing.
  • 35% of marketers view understanding ROI as very or extremely important.
  • While 83% use metrics to gauge performance, only 51% clearly understand their content’s effectiveness.
  • 22% of content marketers don’t know their content marketing ROI.
  • In the B2C sector, 57% measure their content marketing ROI.
  • 55% of B2B marketers are unsure what effective content marketing looks like.
  • 46% of marketers find measuring content marketing ROI challenging.
  • 50% struggle with assessing content effectiveness.
  • 58% prioritize identifying which content works best.
  • 47% of B2B marketers don’t track their content marketing ROI.
  • 72% of successful companies measure their content marketing ROI.
  • Only 8% of marketers feel confident in measuring ROI, with 39% rating themselves as somewhat successful.
  • 40% check content success weekly, 28% daily.
  • Tracking ROI makes inbound marketers 12 times more likely to see increased returns year-over-year.

Why Successful Companies Embrace Content Marketing

  • Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional techniques and triples lead generation.
  • 87% of content marketers focus on audience needs over promotional content.
  • The value of content marketing is expected to reach $600 billion by 2024.
  • 78% of successful brands credit their well-defined strategy for their success.
  • SEO is the top tactic, with 75% acknowledging its efficiency.
  • 78% believe tailor-made content is the next big step in marketing.
  • Only 19% report having a highly developed content marketing strategy.
  • 86% of B2C marketers use content marketing strategies.
  • Email marketing is growing, projected to reach $17.9 billion by 2027.
  • 80% trust in the effectiveness of their content marketing efforts.
  • 88% of B2B marketers incorporate content marketing into their plans.
  • 91% of marketers in the B2B sector use content marketing.
  • 64% of B2C marketers are extremely dedicated to content marketing.
  • 89% say content marketing gives a better ROI than traditional methods.
  • 92% view content as vital for long-term ROI.
  • Tiger Fitness saw a 60% increase in returning customers due to video content.
  • Coca Cola invests more in content creation than TV ads.
  • Cisco’s digital campaign hit lead goals while saving $100,000.
  • Marriott aims to be the top travel content publisher.

How Content Marketing Impacts Lead Generation

  • Over 67% of marketers report increased lead generation or business demand through content marketing.
  • In tech, 95% of purchases are decided by buying committees; 49% rely solely on digital content.
  • More than 16 blog posts per month result in 4.5 times more leads and 3.5 times more traffic.
  • Both B2B and B2C see more leads with increased blog posts.
  • Leads from SEO have a close rate of nearly 15%.
  • B2C companies posting over 11 blogs monthly see four times more leads.
  • Blogs with over 400 posts get 2.5 times more traffic.
  • Half of online shoppers engage with 3 to 5 blogs.
  • 64% of small businesses use email marketing to connect with customers.
  • 57% of small businesses plan to increase email marketing; 78% will up digital marketing budgets.
  • 71% of B2B buyers read brand blogs before purchasing.
  • Active B2B blogs generate 67% more leads monthly.
  • Small businesses with blogs see a 126% increase in leads.
  • 57% of marketers gained new customers through blogging.
  • 70% of B2B marketers increased leads and engagement with content marketing.
  • 93% of marketers got a new customer from social media videos.
  • Blogging is a key driver for 70% of B2B marketers’ lead generation.
  • Content marketing strategies yield conversion rates six times higher.
  • 85% of marketers prioritize lead generation, followed by nurturing (78%) and sales (84%).
  • 72% report more leads due to content marketing.
  • Blogging small businesses see a 126% lead growth.
  • Long-form blog posts generate nine times more leads than short ones.

Blogging is Alive & Well

  • Websites with over 400 blog posts double their traffic.
  • Posting 2-4 times a week offers the highest conversion and traffic rates.
  • Nearly 80% of internet users regularly read blogs.
  • SEO-optimized blogs attract 1,000% more traffic than those reliant on social media.
  • Blog posts are the most produced content type.
  • 55% of successful content marketers focus on quality.
  • Blogging as a priority leads to 13 times more positive ROI.
  • 53% of marketers focus primarily on blogging.
  • Blogs rank 5th in driving ROI.
  • 61% of consumers make purchases after reading blogs.
  • Blogs have an average 19% conversion rate.
  • 82% of marketers who blog see positive ROI.
  • Companies with blogs get 55% more visitors and 97% more inbound links.
  • 51% of blog readers shop online.
  • 14% of bloggers earn a salary.
  • Over 16 posts a month lead to 3.5 times more traffic.

The Expansion of the Content Marketing Budget

  • Marketers spending 10%-70% on content marketing are often very successful.
  • 50% plan to increase content marketing budgets in 2024.
  • 15% of companies are unsure about their content marketing spend.
  • Many cap yearly investments at $10,000 or less.
  • Outsourcing of content tasks dropped by 10% last year.
  • Writing is the most outsourced task, with 81% hiring external writers.
  • 27% of B2C content teams grew last year.
  • Content marketing is projected to be worth $600 billion by 2024, with the highest ROI.
  • On average, 26% of marketing budgets go to content marketing.
  • 80% of companies plan to up digital marketing budgets.
  • 24% allocate half or more of their total budget to content marketing.
  • 72% consider a solid content strategy key to marketing success.

Consumer Appreciation of Content Marketing

  • 90% say online reviews influence their buying decisions.
  • 46% consider blogger recommendations when shopping.
  • 18-24-year-olds prefer search engines over Facebook for news and updates.
  • 99% of email users check their inbox daily, some up to 20 times.
  • 68% view brands more favorably after engaging with their content.
  • B2B: Case studies, webinars, videos, and interactive content are preferred.
  • B2C: Increased budgets for content creation and paid distribution.
  • 78% think brands that provide content are helpful.
  • 64% trust brands more after engaging with their content.
  • Consumers are 131% more likely to buy after reading content.
  • 68% actively read about interesting brands.
  • 60% enjoy relevant content from various brands.
  • 65% of decision-makers visit websites after watching brand videos.
  • 64% are more likely to buy online after seeing a brand video.
  • 60% seek products after reading about them.
  • 70% prefer learning about companies through articles, not ads.
  • 80% value company information via custom content.
  • 82% develop a positive view after reading custom content.
  • 61% are more likely to buy from companies offering custom content.
  • 78% feel connected to companies providing custom content.
  • 90% find custom content useful.
  • 70% feel closer to companies because of their content marketing.
  • 79% spend half their shopping time researching products.
  • 47% review 3-5 pieces of content before talking to sales reps.
  • 95% trust content for evaluating companies.
  • 90% say content influences their purchases.
  • 48% create content for different stages of the buying process.

Social Media & Content Marketing ROI

  • 60% of content marketers link social media strategies to sales outcomes.
  • Facebook leads in social media ROI.
  • LinkedIn is B2B marketers’ favorite for organic reach and results.
  • 91% are happy with video marketing ROI on social platforms.
  • Visual content is 40 times more shareable.
  • 72% say content marketing boosts engagement.
  • 30% find social media channels drive website traffic.
  • 94% of B2B marketers distribute content on LinkedIn.
  • 66% discover new businesses on X.
  • 69% make purchases influenced by tweets.
  • 94% intend to buy from businesses they follow on X.

ROI of Podcasting in Content Marketing

  • 64% of B2B professionals value podcasts early in their purchase journey.
  • 80% recall brands advertised in podcasts.
  • 67% remember specific product features or promotions from podcasts.
  • Podcasts have four times higher brand recall than other formats.
  • 51% lean towards brands heard in podcasts.
  • Video content is expected to lead investment in 2024.
  • 29% will increase investment in long-form video; 51% in short-form.
  • 75% report better ROI with visual content.
  • 83% are satisfied with video marketing ROI.
  • Videos on websites may boost conversions by 80%.
  • Emails with videos have a 96% higher click-through rate.

SEO/Organic Search ROI in Content Marketing

  • 28.5% click the first Google result.
  • Top three Google listings get 75% of clicks.
  • 70% of experiences start with a search.
  • 53.3% of web traffic comes from organic search.
  • Google handles over 90% of global searches.
  • 70% say SEO is better for sales than PPC.
  • 59% of B2C marketers find high-quality content the best SEO tactic.
  • 52% say content marketing improves search rankings.
  • Organic search accounts for 51% of content discovery.

How Content Marketing is Handled

  • 44% of marketers see content production as their biggest challenge.
  • 46% who don’t succeed skip content audits.
  • 69% tailor content for the top of the sales funnel.
  • 80% of marketing content isn’t used by sales teams.
  • 42% of B2B marketers rate themselves proficient in content marketing.
  • 60% produce at least one piece of content daily.
  • 45% publish weekly.

The Power of E-mail Marketing

  • 62% of marketers track email marketing ROI.
  • Email marketing is second most popular in B2C, with a 74% adoption rate.
  • Personalized subject lines can increase open rates by 50%.
  • 22% of emails are opened within the first hour.
  • 85% of email traffic is spam.
  • 94% of malware comes through email.
  • Daily email users will hit 6 billion by 2025.
  • Fridays have the highest email open rates at 19%.
  • Saturdays have the lowest at 17%.
  • Personas improve email personalization, conversions by 10%, and click-throughs by 14%.

Other Pertinent Statistics

  • 90.63% of blogs get no Google traffic.
  • 6.6 billion people are online.
  • Content marketing software could reach 4.95 billion users.
  • 76% of B2B buyers find whitepapers crucial for decisions.
  • Navy SEAL training has better odds than clicking a banner ad.
  • Interactive content converts 70% of the time.
  • By 2020, 85% of customer-business interactions were expected to be human-free.
  • 47% of millennials trust financial firms with valuable content.
  • 86% of entrepreneurs say publishing a book helped grow their business.
  • Average B2C content team size is 2-5 members.
  • Budget limits are the main outsourcing challenge for B2C content marketing.
  • 26% of B2C organizations lack a content marketing manager.
  • 83% of B2C marketers prefer blog posts.
  • 87% use website traffic to measure content performance.
  • 57% of B2B buyers favor webinars.
  • 50% watch product videos before buying.
  • 67% consider image quality important in buying decisions.
  • Paid content distribution investment dropped to 67% from 81%.
  • Small companies with 300+ blog posts get 3.5 times more traffic than those with 0-50 posts.

Looking for an SEO solution that actually works?

EdgeTech SEO brings results.

Experience the difference. Contact us today.

Tell us about your website and how to reach you, and we'll be in touch!

more insights

person using phone and laptop computer

Budgeting for Your Content Marketing Strategy

In an era where digital prowess can make or break businesses, content is undeniably the king in the vast kingdom of marketing. For entrepreneurs and business owners, stepping into the world of content marketing is both thrilling and intimidating, particularly when the spotlight falls on budget considerations.

Read more >