23 Content Marketing Statistics & Why They Should Matter to You

Are you trying to build your website traffic and sales? Are you not having much success? It could be due to your lack of SEO and content marketing. Today, the internet is flooded with information from billions of websites and blogs. Everyone is fighting for the same eyeballs on their content.

If you’re not seeing the results you were hoping for, it’s time you start paying closer attention to content marketing and what it can do for you through the use of better copy and content on your website.

Below, you will find 23 content marketing statistics that have quite a bit of weight behind them. I will lay them all out for you along with my own personal commentary as to why this is significant and why it should matter to you.

Let’s get started!

23 Important Content Marketing Statistics

Below are 23 content marketing strategies you should be aware of:

1. 70% of companies invest in content marketing. (Source: HubSpot)

There’s a reason so many brands, both big and small, focus on content marketing – it’s an effective and inexpensive way for you to grow your business. If you’re not focusing on content marketing, you’re allowing your competitors to have the upper hand even if they have an inferior product or service compared to what you offer.

2. One-fourth of marketers invest in content marketing related to product promotions, while just over 20% invest in branded storytelling specifically. (Source: HubSpot)

Whether your focus is building out product page copy or explaining the reason why someone should trust your brand, content marketing comes into play. The copy on your product page needs to convince your reader that they NEED your product. If it doesn’t, you risk them leaving your website and going to a competitor (who may steal your sale).

3. Three quarters (74%) of web users pay attention to the quality of spelling and grammar on company websites. (Source: RealBusiness)

You get what you pay for. While I’m not necessarily downplaying sites like UpWork and Fiverr (they serve those who want something at next to nothing), do you really think you’re going to get the highest quality content and copy if you’re paying $10? Content marketing takes research, keyword optimization, and more. It takes HOURS to create a solid article or piece of copy. Creating something that helps build traffic and convert sales takes time, and someone who specializes in content marketing – it can’t be rushed. Do your research before you decide on hiring someone to complete your next project.

4. Your headline copy is everything! On average, a whopping 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but only 2 out of 10 will go on to read the rest. (Source: Copyblogger)

The sad reality is that people will judge a book by its cover. Or, in this instance, your headline/title. If your headline or title doesn’t entice someone to click and read the copy or article, what good will it do you? The short answer… none. A professional content creator or copywriter will write a headline that demands attention and gets people to continue reading.

5. On average, visitors to a page will only read 20% of its content. This means you need to structure your page so that the most important points stand out. (Source: Nielsen Norman Group)

Have you ever gone to a website that was nothing but text? You probably tried to skim it, found yourself scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, got frustrated, and then clicked off of the page, right? Well, that’s what most people do. A good content creator or copywriter will break up the content/copy into easy to scan, skim, and digest sections to enhance the reader’s experience and help guide them through the piece.

6. The ideal reading time for a blog post is 7 minutes (roughly 1,600 words). Bear this in mind when planning your writing. (Source: Buffer)

When it comes to content marketing, the length of your content piece matters. Google can actually penalize you if you publish a piece of content that is very brief where keywords are shoved, stuffed, and forced into the piece in hopes of getting Google to rank it without putting in much effort. The fact is, you need a quality piece of content that keeps the reader engaged and doesn’t bounce from the page quickly, which can hurt your overall ranking.

7. Don’t be afraid of long-form content! Longer landing pages are more comprehensive, giving you greater scope for links and a better search ranking. More copy could increase your sales by 52%, as was the case for Moz when it tried this. (Source: Unbounce)

Similar to what was said in #6, the greater depth you provide for your content piece, the better. The more information you can provide the reader and add value, the more they are going to trust you, your site, your brand, and consider you to be an authority in the space. Don’t skimp on your content, or you risk losing the sale.

8. In 2019, roughly 25.8% of internet users were blocking advertising on their connected devices. Ad targeting is going to get increasingly more complex with new privacy regulations being introduced and the implementation of cookie-blocking technology being led by Apple and Firefox. (Source: Marketingland)

Think ads work? Well, some do. However, with more and more people using cookie-blockers and “privacy mode” on their devices, it’s making it more difficult for brands to get in front of their target audience. With content marketing, you have the ability to produce content that is evergreen and rather than spending thousands on ads that are here today to build sales but potentially gone tomorrow when the ad gets pulled. If the ad stops, so can the attention and sales. That’s why having a solid evergreen content marketing strategy is more critical now than ever.

9. Advertising will continue to become increasingly more expensive and complex. And not to mention, consumers prefer content to advertising.  In fact, 70 percent of people would rather get information about a company or learn something from an article or blog post rather than from a traditional advertisement. (Source: Demand Metric)

With ads, you really only have a certain number of words or characters that you can work with. Therefore, ads need to be brief and to the point. How much value and education can you smash into a little ad? Not much. That’s why so many brands these days are leveraging content marketing (while still using ads). It’s difficult to sell someone strictly through an ad unless it directs them to a well-written landing page (aka content marketing) where the reader can digest what the product/service is about and decide if they want to make a purchase or not.

10. 32% of consumers check out a brand’s social media presence before checking out their website. (Source: Animoto)

Part of content marketing deals with social media. Not only can a copywriter create your social media posts, but those posts can direct people to a piece of content or product page (also written by a content creator or copywriter). You can think of it similarly to creating funnels. Additionally, any evergreen piece of content you have created can be used in multiple social media posts that are broken down into digestible pieces of helpful information that direct the reader to a landing page of your choice.

11. 65% of B2B content consumers strongly agree they have higher preferences for credible content from industry influencers. (Source: Demand Gen Report)

Google looks for content that authoritative people create. For instance, here is a case study that shows a search engine marketing consultant diving into ME and the value that I bring to my clients. While the case study was to see how traffic is migrating to my client’s website, the result ended up pointing specifically at me (yes, I’m tooting my own horn). This is something you should look at with anyone you’re looking to hire for content marketing and content creation. Are they an authority or just some random writer?

12. Content marketing generates over three times as many leads per dollar as outbound marketing and costs 62% less. (Source: Demand Metric)

Are you looking to stretch your dollar further? That’s precisely why so many brands are transitioning over to a content marketing strategy. If you can spend less and get more, it seems like a no-brainer, right? With more leads coming in, think about all of the new business you can pick up.

13. On average, content marketing costs 41% less than paid search. (Source: Oracle)

You want the most benefit from your spend, right? Of course, you do! Content marketing is the new craze, and brands across the globe are benefiting from quality content and copywriting. When it comes to the best bang for your buck, it’s hard to compete with content marketing.

14. About 64% of marketers actively invest time in search engine optimization (SEO). (Source: HubSpot)

This number honestly needs to be 100%. If you want to rank on Google and get eyeballs on your brand, products, services, you MUST focus on SEO. SEO is key to getting ranked in search engine results. If you aren’t sure how to manage your SEO, hire a competent content creator or copywriter to help adjust your pages to improve your search engine optimization and get the attention your brand demands.

15. Text will always be the foundation of search, so making sure the text around your website’s assets is descriptive will help them rank well in search. (Source: HubSpot)

The written word is never going away. It’s one of the main ways that we all gather information. We read what’s online, we read the newspaper, we read from our smartphones, we read news headlines, we read about our favorite sports, politics, etc. The text/copy you have on your website is always going to be a valuable asset to help you build your traffic and sales. If you want to rank well and ensure your brand gets noticed, you need to focus on content marketing and copywriting or content creation, such as blog articles.

16. Blogs are among the primary three forms of media used in content strategies today. (Source: HubSpot)

Do you have a blog on your website? No? WHY?! A blog is a fantastic evergreen marketing strategy that helps you rank on search engines, become an authority in your industry, be a source of valuable information for customers and prospects, and unlike traditional marketing methods, once a piece of content is up on your blog, it can live there forever without you needing to constantly put money into that piece to keep it live.

17. 93% of B2B marketers use content marketing. (Source: CMI)

What can you say about this statistic? 93% is no coincidence. There’s a reason why so many marketers use content marketing – it works! If you haven’t leveraged content marketing as part of your marketing spend, it’s time to look at your budget and figure out where you can cut back or expand your budget to start funding it TODAY. You can either stay up to date with current methods and strategies, or you can fall behind all of your competitors (which I’m sure isn’t something you wish to do in such a competitive market).

18. 78% of CMOs believe custom content is the future of marketing. (Source: DemandMetric)

This just makes sense. If you can get content created that is specific and narrow in focus, it’s only going to help you. Look at your market, what your customers are looking for, and have questions surrounding and get those pieces of content created. While any professional writer may suit your needs, it would be wise to find a writer who specializes in your industry and has a vast knowledge of your demographic. By hiring a qualified professional writer or copywriter, you can outsource your content needs and know you’re going to get a piece back that is worth every penny spent and will have a solid ROI.

19. 58% of marketers said, “original written content” is the most important type of content, outdoing visuals and videos. (Source: Social Media Examiner)

For starters, don’t take an article you found online and post it on your website. That work has probably been paid for by the source and has a copyright, not allowing anyone else to use the piece without written and approved consent. Also, the original source will ALWAYS look better in Google’s eyes as it’s the original content source and will therefore rank better. Work with a content writer or copywriter to get specific and original content created for your site. In the long run, it will work out much better.

20. Up to 81% of marketers plan to increase their use of original written content. (Source: Social Media Examiner)

If it works, why would you stop something that is bringing an ROI? Written content is an effective marketing strategy and helps build traffic and sales. The proof is in the pudding. Content marketing is a huge focus these days and, when compared to traditional ads, comes at a fraction of the price and is just as, if not more, successful at building and converting sales.

21. 86% of highly effective organizations have someone in charge of content strategy. (Source: CMI)

Whether you decide to bring someone on in-house or outsource your content marketing strategy, you can’t go wrong. Something to keep in mind is that you may be better off outsourcing your content marketing strategy as you only need to pay for projects that are complete versus signing a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck as well as potentially needing to pay taxes on the employee, their benefits, etc. When you hire someone to outsource your work to, they are responsible for all of that, which helps keep money in your pocket while still getting the job done.

22. 64% of B2B marketers outsource writing. (Source: TopRankBlog)

Like with #21, businesses are starting to realize that it makes more sense to outsource writing to professionals rather than bring someone on as an employee. If you hire someone to join your company and provide them with (as an example) a low $50,000 salary, you could have content created every single week from someone you outsource the work to and would probably only pay a fifth of what you would have paid for the employee’s salary. Doesn’t $10,000 sound way better than a $50,000 spend for the same work? That’s why so many businesses are looking to outsource content and copy to professional content creators and copywriters.

23. 72% of marketers are producing significantly more content than they did a year ago. (Source: CMI)

Again, you stick with and double down on what works, right? If you can spend $1 and make $10 back, you’d run with it all day, every day, no? Obviously, content and copy are much more than a $1 expense, but you get the point. The exciting part is, brands are making a TON of money with content published on their website. It’s not uncommon to be skeptical of content creation at first. But once you start seeing the results, it will become a staple in your content marketing strategy.

Are You Ready to Get Started with Your Content Marketing Strategy?

Unsure if you need a content writer or copywriter for your content marketing needs? Click here to have a better understanding of what both can do for you.

There’s a lot that goes behind content marketing, and having someone with a proven track record and who Google loves to rank is imperative. A case study from a search engine marketing consultant has shown that my name is an authoritative factor when it comes to ranking on Google.

With nearly two decades of writing under my belt and 100+ happy customers, I know exactly what it takes to get you, your business, and your products/services noticed and in front of your target demographic.

If you need someone to help you build out your content marketing strategy, feel free to contact me, and I’d be glad to put it together for you and meet your content and copy needs!

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