We may have witnessed a lot of big marketing moments in 2013 already from the introduction of #tbt to the announcement of Facebook’s graph search to the huge boon in YouTube visitors thanks to Psy’s Gangnam Style. But perhaps the biggest marketing story of 2013 so far has been that of content marketing.
That’s because the dawn of the content marketing era is upon us, evidenced by the growing ubiquity of company blogs, the rise of business Facebook pages and the incredible number of webinars and podcasts at one’s disposal, among many other things.
Although Content Marketing might be well past its first 100 days of office, let’s take a quick look at the current state of content marketing, as recently shared by Wishpond:
- 91 percent of marketers already use content marketing
- $118.4 billion will be spent on content marketing, video marketing and social media in 2013
- Marketers spend more than a quarter of their marketing budget on content marketing
- Blogs give websites 434 percent more indexed pages and 97 percent more indexed links
As Content Marketing Institute Founder Joe Pulizzi contends, “Simply put, if you develop even a simple strategy for your content marketing, and give some thought to how that strategy should integrate with the rest of your marketing plan, you can, and probably will, dominate. While everyone else is lost in the woods, you’ll already be on the path to greatness.”
A recently distributed state of content marketing infographic proves that marketers from the smallest of mom and pop shops to the largest of enterprises are embracing the concept of content marketing, and as a result, are undoubtedly beginning a quest to dominate, as Pulizzi puts it.
Specifically, 78 percent of CMOs feel that custom content is the shiny key needed to unlock marketing success; 86 percent of business-to-consumer marketers are embracing content marketing strategies; and even the smallest of companies (less than 10 employees) are putting aside 42 percent of their marketing budget to content creation.
So why are companies—including your competitors—flocking to content marketing?
- 79 percent are searching to augment brand awareness
- 74 percent are looking to excel at customer acquisition
- 71 percent have realized that content marketing drives lead generation
- 64 percent want to bolster customer loyalty
- 64 percent are determined to establish themselves as thought leaders
There is little room for doubt that the sun has not risen on the content marketing landscape. Not only are marketers embracing the idea of crafting custom copy, but they are also developing an understanding of how custom copy can play into social and mobile strategies. For example, with interesting content being in the top three reasons why people follow brands on social media, 93 percent of business-to-business marketers are leveraging social networking for marketing campaigns.
What stands out to you about this infographic? Let us know below or tweet at us @ContentBoost.
