40 Content Marketing Statistics Every Small Business Should Know

Content marketing is a powerful strategy for small businesses to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, and drive growth. In this article, we’ll explore 40 up-to-date content marketing statistics that highlight its impact and significance. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, these stats will provide valuable insights to enhance your content strategy.

Understanding Content Marketing

Content marketing is a strategic strategy that involves creating and sharing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a specific audience. It’s an inbound strategy, focusing on engaging and educating the audience through digital assets like text, images, and videos rather than direct promotional messages.

What is Content Creation?

Content creation is crucial for businesses to attract and engage audiences, build authority and trust, drive traffic and SEO, fuel social media and email campaigns, and support sales and conversions. By consistently producing high-quality content, businesses can attract potential customers, build authority, drive organic traffic, engage subscribers, and guide potential customers through their buying journey, ultimately fostering brand loyalty and success.

The Evolution of the Content Marketing Industry

Content marketing has come a long way, adapting to changing consumer behavior, technological advancements, and market dynamics. Here are some key milestones in its evolution:

• Early Days (Pre-Internet):
  • Content marketing existed even before the internet. Brands published newsletters, brochures, and magazines to educate and engage their audience.
  • John Deere’s “The Furrow” magazine (first published in 1895) is a classic example of early content marketing.
• Digital Revolution (1990s-2000s):
  • The rise of the internet transformed content marketing. Websites, blogs, and email newsletters became popular channels.
  • Brands started creating online content to attract and retain customers.
• Social Media Era (2000s-2010s):
  • Social media platforms emerged, providing new avenues for content distribution.
  • Brands leveraged platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to engage with their audience directly.
• Content Diversity (2010s-Present):
  • The proliferation of content formats expanded options for marketers. Video, podcasts, webinars, and interactive content gained prominence.
  • User-generated content (UGC) and influencer marketing became essential.
• Personalization and AI (Present and Beyond):
  • Personalized content experiences using data-driven insights became crucial.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) now assists in content creation, distribution, and optimization.

Why Small Businesses Should Invest in Content Marketing

Content marketing is a crucial strategy for small businesses due to its cost-effective reach, building brand awareness, establishing authority and trust, driving organic traffic, nurturing customer relationships, supporting other marketing efforts, driving conversions and sales, being adaptable and diverse, offering various formats like blog posts, infographics, podcasts, and videos, and providing measurable results through metrics like website traffic, engagement, and conversion rates. It also helps small businesses maintain a consistent brand experience by responding to comments, addressing customer pain points, and providing solutions. Content marketing also supports other marketing efforts, such as social media campaigns, email newsletters, and paid advertising, creating a cohesive brand experience. It also drives conversions and sales by guiding potential customers through their buying journey. Unlike paid ads, content remains accessible over time, providing ongoing value. Overall, content marketing is a cost-effective and effective way for small businesses to reach a wide audience and build a strong brand presence.

Diving into Content Marketing Stats

1. There are over 600 million blogs online.
2. Blogging has grown 12% since 2015.
3. Over 6 million new posts are published every day
4. WordPress is home to approximately 60 million blogs, and 43% of websites on the Internet are powered by WordPress
5. 70% of consumers would rather read a blog post than view an ad
6. 30% of readers prefer to read and share blog posts that have numbers in the title

Content Marketing Strategy Statistics

7. 82% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing, 10% report not using content marketing, and 8% are unsure if their company uses content marketing.
8. 69% of marketers actively invest time in SEO.
9. 76% of marketers report that content marketing generates demand/leads (a 9 percentage points increase since last year). In addition, 63% of marketers say that content marketing helps to nurture the audience/customers/leads, and 50% say that it helps build loyalty with existing clients/customers (a 13 percentage points decrease).
10. 40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. That percentage is higher among the most successful B2B marketers — 64% have a documented content marketing strategy.

Content Marketing Budget Statistics

11. Almost 50% of professionals involved in content marketing expected their content budgets to increase over the next year, 26% expected them to stay the same, and 19% expected them to decrease.
12. Content marketing revenue amounted to 63 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.
13. The content market industry is set to reach 107 billion U.S. dollars by 2026.

Successful Content Marketing Campaigns Statistics

14. 82% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing.
15. 40% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. That percentage is higher among the most successful B2B marketers — 64% have a documented content marketing strategy.
16. 76% of marketers report that content marketing generates demand/leads (a 9 percentage points increase since last year).
17. Video was the primary form of content being created in 2023 (50%), followed by images (47%), and blogs (33%).
18. Almost 80% of respondents had already adopted AI tools in their content marketing strategies.

Long Form Content Statistics

19. Long-form content attracts an average of 77.2% more links than shorter articles.
20. Articles with a word count of over 2,500 earn the most links.
21. Long reads of 3000+ words get 3 times more traffic than articles of average length (901-1200 words).
22. : Long-form articles generate 2 times the engagement of short articles on mobile devices.
23. The average blog post is 1236 words long.

Content Marketing ROI Statistics

24. 54% of marketing professionals stated their organizations measured the return on investment of content marketing activities.
25. 20% of marketers stated that they spent between three and five thousand U.S. dollars on content marketing every month in 2022.
26. Content marketing generates over 3x as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less.
27. On average there is a content marketing ROI of 2.77 dollars for every dollar spent.

Statistics on Content Marketing Impact

28. 76% of marketers report that content marketing generates demand/leads (a 9 percentage points increase since last year). In addition, 63% of marketers say that content marketing helps to nurture the audience/customers/leads, and 50% say that it helps build loyalty with existing clients/customers (a 13 percentage points decrease).
29. 51% of the businesses that invest in content marketing publish content every day.
30. 73% of respondents prefer to learn about a product or service from a short video. 11% prefer to read a text-based article, website, or post. 4% prefer to view an infographic. 3% prefer to download an ebook or manual. 3% prefer to attend a webinar or pitch. 3% prefer to receive a sales call or demo.

Statistics on Content Marketing Trends

31. Online videos have an audience reach of around 92.3% among internet users worldwide.
32. 91% of people say they want to see more video content from brands.
33. Video accounts for 82.5% of global internet traffic.
34. 91% of marketers use video as a marketing tool.
35. 66% of consumers report short-form videos as the most engaging content.
36. 89% of people say watching a video has convinced them to buy a product or service.
37. The average user spends 88% more time on websites that have videos.
38. 85% of internet users in the United States watch online video content.
39. YouTube is the most widely used video marketing platform, with 90% of video marketers trusting it.
40.  Only 36% of marketers have published ‘live’ video content, such as live streams on social media channels.

Content Marketing Strategies

Content marketing is a crucial aspect of many businesses’ marketing strategies, with 82% of marketers actively investing in it. 40% of B2B marketers have a documented strategy, with 64% having a successful one. SEO is a crucial aspect of content marketing, with 69% actively investing in it. 76% of marketers report content marketing generates demand, and almost 80% have adopted AI tools.

The Role of Content Marketers

A content marketer is a professional who plans, researches, creates, distributes, and analyzes content to attract and engage potential customers. They typically create blog posts, how-to guides, videos, infographics, white papers, and more. Depending on their experience, content marketers may also be expected to conduct market research and analyze content performance.

Here are some common roles within the content marketing industry:

• Content Strategist: Content strategists have a clear overview and understanding of a brand’s goals, messaging, and values. They develop a content strategy that is aligned with the overarching business objectives and oversee its implementation.
• Content Creator: Content creators are responsible for producing a huge range of content types, from social media posts, video scripts, and long-form articles to guides, emails, downloadable content, and more. Their day-to-day work involves researching and writing engaging, accurate, and valuable content for specific audiences.

The Art of Creating Content

Creating content within the context of a content marketing strategy involves several key steps:

• Understanding Your Audience: The first step in creating content is understanding who your audience is. This involves creating buyer personas, understanding their needs, and identifying the type of content they consume.
• Setting Clear Goals: Your content should have clear goals. Whether it’s to drive traffic, generate leads, or increase brand awareness, having clear goals will guide your content creation process.
• Brainstorming Content Ideas: Once you understand your audience and have clear goals, the next step is brainstorming content ideas. This can involve keyword research, competitor analysis, and using tools like Google Trends.
• Creating the Content: The next step is creating the content. This involves writing the content, creating graphics, recording videos, etc. The content should be high-quality, engaging, and valuable to your audience.
• Promoting the Content: Once the content is created, the next step is promoting it. This can involve sharing it on social media, sending it to your email list, or using SEO to drive organic traffic.
• Analyzing the Results: The final step is analyzing the results. This involves using analytics tools to measure the performance of your content and see if it’s achieving its goals.

Aspect	Understanding Your Audience	Setting Clear Goals	Brainstorming Content Ideas	Creating the Content	Promoting the Content	Analyzing the Results
Objective	Identify who the audience is and what they need	Define what success looks like for your content	Generate a list of topics and formats that will resonate with your audience	Produce the actual content pieces	Increase visibility and reach of your content	Measure the impact of your content and its effectiveness
Key Activities	- Creating buyer personas - Understanding audience needs - Identifying content preferences	- Setting specific, measurable goals - Aligning goals with business objectives	- Keyword research - Competitor analysis - Utilizing Google Trends	- Writing, designing, and/or recording - Ensuring quality and engagement	- Social media sharing - Email marketing - SEO optimization	- Using analytics tools - Evaluating content performance against goals
Tools & Techniques	- Surveys - Market research - Social media listening	- SMART goal framework - Content strategy documents	- SEO tools - Social media analytics - Content brainstorming tools	- Content management systems (CMS) - Design and video editing software	- Social media platforms - Email marketing software - SEO tools	- Google Analytics - Social media insights - Conversion tracking tools
Outcome	A deep understanding of the target audience's preferences and behaviors	A roadmap for what the content should achieve	A creative and strategic plan for content topics and formats	Engaging and valuable content ready for distribution	Expanded audience reach and engagement with the content	Insights into content performance and areas for improvement
Challenges	- Accurately identifying audience segments - Keeping up with changing audience preferences	- Setting realistic yet challenging goals - Aligning goals with larger business objectives	- Coming up with original ideas - Predicting content trends	- Maintaining consistent quality - Resource and time constraints	- Cutting through the noise to reach the audience - Platform algorithm changes	- Interpreting data accurately - Linking content performance to business outcomes

What The Latest Content Marketing Statistics Mean for Your Business

The latest content marketing statistics have several implications for your small business:

• Investment in Content Marketing: With 82% of marketers actively investing in content marketing, it’s clear that content marketing is no longer optional. It’s a crucial part of any marketing strategy.
• Documented Content Marketing Strategy: The fact that 64% of the most successful B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy highlights the importance of strategic planning in content marketing. If you don’t have a content marketing strategy yet, now is the time to create one.
• Content Marketing for Lead Generation: Content marketing generates over 3x as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less. This means that investing in content marketing can help you generate more leads while saving money.
• Use of AI Tools in Content Marketing: The widespread adoption of AI tools in content marketing points to the growing role of technology in optimizing content creation and distribution. If you’re not already using AI tools in your content marketing, it might be worth exploring.
• Long-Form Content: Long-form content attracts an average of 77.2% more links than shorter articles. This suggests that creating long-form content can help you attract more links and generate more traffic.

FAQs: Content Marketing Statistics

How effective is content marketing?

Content marketing is highly effective, with 76% of marketers reporting that it generates demand and leads. It’s a cost-effective strategy that drives organic traffic, nurtures customer relationships, and supports other marketing efforts.

Is content marketing in high demand?

Yes, content marketing is in high demand, with 82% of marketers actively investing in it. It’s a crucial aspect of many businesses’ marketing strategies due to its effectiveness in generating leads and building brand awareness.

How big is the content marketing market?

The content marketing market revenue amounted to 63 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 and is projected to reach 107 billion U.S. dollars by 2026, indicating significant growth and opportunities in the industry.

What is the most important content marketing statistic for small businesses?

For small businesses, the most important content marketing statistic is that it generates over 3 times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less. This highlights its effectiveness and cost-efficiency in lead generation.

How do content marketing statistics influence marketing strategies?

Content marketing statistics provide valuable insights that help businesses make content marketing work. For instance, the widespread adoption of AI tools in content marketing indicates the importance of leveraging technology for optimization. Additionally, the preference for long-form content underscores the significance of creating comprehensive, engaging content.

What content marketing statistic is most surprising and why?

The statistic that long-form content attracts an average of 77.2% more links than shorter articles is surprising because it emphasizes the impact of content depth and quality on link generation. It underscores the importance of investing in comprehensive, in-depth content to enhance online visibility and authority.

How can a small business use content marketing statistics to improve their marketing?

Small businesses can use content marketing statistics to inform their strategy and decision-making processes. For example, they can allocate resources toward creating long-form content to maximize link generation and organic traffic or even learn ways to improve writing and SEO. Additionally, they can leverage AI tools to optimize content creation and distribution, thereby enhancing efficiency and effectiveness.

What strategies do successful content marketers commonly use?

Successful content marketers commonly employ strategies such as having a documented content marketing strategy (adopted by 40% of B2B marketers), investing in SEO (69% of marketers), and utilizing AI tools in content marketing (almost 80% adoption rate). You can also step up your marketing strategy and make your content marketing more productive by creating targeted, high-quality content that resonates with your audience and drives results.

Image: Envato Elements

This article, "40 Content Marketing Statistics Every Small Business Should Know" was first published on Small Business Trends