We’re about halfway through 2014—meaning your well of ideas might be running dry, innovation may be paused and exhaustion may have kicked in. So now’s the time to do a gut check and ask yourself: Has your brand run out of gas? If so, now is a great time to stop, catch your breath and pump some new life into your marketing efforts. One of the most effective ways to do this is to focus on making your online presence stronger with a robust content marketing strategy.
To get you moving in the right direction, we at Content Boost thought it would be helpful to round up some of the most powerful, up-to-date content marketing statistics to jump-start your strategy today:
Content Marketing:
- 71 percent of marketers are increasing their content marketing investment in 2014. (Source: Curata)
An overwhelming number of companies plan on increasing the amount of money they allocate for content marketing efforts—from hiring strategy executives and outsourcing providers to investing in software for planning and production to conceptualizing robust content marketing strategies.
- 47 percent of companies are now outsourcing content creation to a third-party content strategy vendor. (Source: Eloqua)
Think about it: If you were to build a house, you’d hire a team of planners and builders. Outsourcing content production means relying on a team of trained professionals who can guarantee first-class content production.
- Almost three-quarters (73 percent) of digital marketers believe that brands are transitioning into publishers. (Source: Econsultancy)
Publishing has become a critical part of a company’s purpose. Today’s brands need to tell their tale organically, by relying on the use of vehicles such as blogging, email marketing and white papers, among others.
- Over the next 12 months, content marketing will be the top area for marketing investment. (Source: Demand Metric)
Aside from the importance of ranking strongly on Google, marketers everywhere see the inherent value in providing a wealth of company and industry-specific news across their online profiles. With traditional selling out and organic selling in, content will continue to emerge a top marketing investment.
Social Media:
- 87 percent of B2B companies rely on social platforms as a chief content marketing vehicle. (Source: CMI and MarketingProfs)
Think social media is merely an avenue for communicating with your peers and distributing entertaining content? Think again. Sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook have become critical content distribution channels that business leaders are using to share valuable information with customers.
Social media is a great tool for expanding your reach in a cost-effective manner. Use the social networks to reach customers in real-time and to foster that personal connection.
- 42 percent of online adults use multiple social networking sites. (Source: Pew Research)
When it comes to social media management, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Disseminate your content across more than one channel to ensure you reach the greatest amount of leads possible.
- 94 percent of small-to-medium sized businesses use social media for marketing purposes. (Source: LinkedIn)
Customer service is the bread and butter of any small, and social media makes it possible to reach out and provide that personal touch that drives customer retention. According to Social Media Examiner’s “2014 Social Media Marketing Industry Report,” 66 percent of small businesses will use social media to generate leads this year.
Blogging:
- Blogging is now the number one method for increasing site traffic, surpassing SEO. (Source: HubSpot)
Ever since Google updated its Hummingbird search algorithm in 2013, SEO has taken a back seat to strong content production. Use blogs for the majority of your daily content production, and then distribute that content across your various social platforms.
- 77 percent of all Internet users read blogs. (Source: Ignite Spot)
Since so many Internet users read blogs, it means that blogs are a vital part of the customer lifecycle these days. By making sure you have a robust blog, you will keep customer eyeballs on your site and away from the blogs of your competitors.
- Companies that blog at least 15 times per month get five times more traffic than companies that don’t. (Source: NewsCred)
In order to build readership, it’s important to maintain a steady flow of production. Sticking to a regular posting schedule—and editorial calendar—will help ensure there is always fresh, riveting content in your copy well.
Email Marketing:
- Marketing messages make up 54 percent of all emails sent by businesses. (Source: Epsilon)
Email marketing provides a wealth of benefits for businesses, namely because it provides concrete metrics into the effectiveness of campaigns. Marketers can glean insight from click through, open and forward rates to find out where customers’ interests lay.
- 114.8 million emails are sent globally every day. An average person will spend 11.2 hours every week reading and answering emails. (Source: Mashable)
Thanks to the prevalence of mobile devices, email has become a real-time technology. Use email communication to reach your customers wherever they are.
Don’t buy into the statistic that all email marketing results in spam. By using a crafty title and subject line, you can hook a reader and usher them through the purchasing funnel.
- 91 percent of consumers check their email at least once per day. (Source: ExactTarget)
Think about it: A smartphone will stay with a user from the time he or she wakes up until the individual goes to bed. Unlike direct mail, which can take days to arrive at a destination, email is instant and effective.
Lead Generation:
- Google generates about 17 times the amount of website clicks as Bing, Ask.com, Yahoo and AOL combined. (Source: Shareaholic)
Google has become prime real estate online due to its overwhelming popularity, and its efficiency. When deciding where you would like your company to rank most highly, give Google your full attention.
- 80 percent of the most successful content marketers claim that lead generation is a goal. (Source: CMI and MarketingProfs)
Today’s content needs to do more than just tell a great story; it needs to convert and nurture prospective and existing customers. Quality content can provide the thought leadership and critical insight necessary to attract new leads.
- Content marketing produces three times more leads per each dollar spent. (Source: Kapost)
Content marketing is a low-cost, high-reward investment that will pay off time and again for your company. In addition to attracting readers online, content can be used by sales and marketing teams for email blasts and presentations.
Are you hungry for more content marketing statistics? Check out our integrated marketing white paper by clicking here.
