59 Killer Content Marketing Stats: 2014 Edition

Content marketing moves incredibly fast. So fast that just a decade ago, most of us had never heard of it - today, the tactic is used by 93% of marketers. There’s been a world of changes between then and now, which is why fresh research is crucially important. Whether you’re creating a blog or a presentation to prove to your boss just why original articles are the future, you’re in luck. We’ve curated 59 of the most powerful content marketing stats from the latest, high-quality research reports.

Topics covered range from content marketing usage to consumer preferences, and far beyond. Buckle your seatbelts, because this is going to be epic:

1. 93% of B2B marketers use content marketing, a 2% increase over 2012. (Source: CMI)
2. Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3 times as many leads. (Source: DemandMetric)
3. 60% of marketers create at least one piece of content each week. (Source: eMarketer)
4. 42% of B2B marketers say they’re effective at content marketing. (Source: CMI)
5. 78% of CMOs believe custom content is the future of marketing. (Source: DemandMetric)
6. 57% of marketers report custom content is their top marketing priority for 2014. (Source: Altimeter)
7. Year-over-year growth in unique site traffic is 7.8x higher for content marketing leaders compared to followers (19.7% vs 2.5%). (Source: Aberdeen)
8. Website conversion rate is nearly 6x higher for content marketing adopters than non-adopters (2.9% vs 0.5%). (Source: Aberdeen)
9. 44% of marketers have a documented content strategy. (Source: CMI)
10. 48% of smaller organizations have a documented strategy, compared to only 41% of larger organizations. (Source: CMI)
11. B2B marketers with a documented strategy are more likely to consider themselves effective. (Source: CMI)
12. 73% of organizations have someone in place to oversee their content strategy. (Source: CMI)
13. 86% of highly effective organizations have someone in charge of content strategy. (Source: CMI)
14. 72% of marketers think that branded content is more effective than magazine advertisements. (Source: CCC)
15. 69% of marketers say content is superior to direct mail and PR. (Source: CCC)
16. 73% of B2B marketers are producing more content than they did a year ago. (Source: CMI)
17. 32% of marketers are producing significantly more content than they did a year ago. (Source: CMI)
18. 82% of marketers who blog see positive ROI for their inbound marketing. (Source: HubSpot)
19. The average B2B marketer uses 12 different content marketing tactics. (Source: CMI) 

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20. The most common content marketing tactic is social media, used by 87% of marketers. (Source: CMI)
21. 76% of B2B marketers blog, and 73% publish case studies. (Source: CMI)
22. Gamification is the least common content marketing tactic; with only 10% of marketers using it. (Source: CMI)
23. While 63% of marketers create whitepapers, only 34% publish full-length eBooks. (Source: CMI)
24. Only 32% of marketers say they are effectively executing enough content. (Source: Aberdeen)
25. 27% of B2B marketers say they are effectively tracking content utilization metrics.(Source: Aberdeen)
26. The most effective B2B marketers believe blogs are the most powerful content marketing tactic. (Source: CMI)
27. The majority of B2B marketers believe in-person events are the most effective marketing tactic. (Source: CMI)
28. Brands that create 15 blog posts per month average 1,200 new leads per month. (Source: HubSpot)
29. The average B2B marketer engages in content promotion on 6 social media platforms. (Source: CMI)
30. Slideshare, Instagram, and Google+ have experienced the biggest growth in usage among platforms for content promotion. (Source: CMI)
31. B2B marketers believe LinkedIn is the most effective social media network for content promotion. (Source: CMI)
32. B2B marketers believe Google+ is the least effective social media network for content promotion. (Source: CMI)
33.49% of small businesses believe Slideshare is highly effective for content promotion. (Source: CMI)
34. Customers who receive email newsletters spend 82% more when they buy from the company. (Source: iContact)
35. Brand awareness is a content marketing goal for 82% of organizations. (Source: CMI)
36. Only 45% of organizations consider sales a content marketing goals. (Source: CMI)
37. The top 5 content marketing goals in 2014 are brand awareness, lead generation, customer acquisition, thought leadership, and engagement. (Source: CMI)
38. 63% of marketers use website traffic as an indicator of content marketing success. (Source: CMI)
39. Top indicators of content marketing success are traffic, quality leads, social shares, and SEO. (Source: CMI)
40. Marketers are least likely to use cost savings, cross-selling and increased customer loyalty as indicators of content marketing success. (Source: CMI)
41. Articles with images receive 94% more views. (Source: Jeff Bullas)
42. 58% of B2B marketers will spend more on content in 2014. (Source: CMI)
43. Only 1% of B2B marketers will decrease spending on content in the next year. (Source: CMI)
44. The average organization spends 30% of their marketing budget on content. (Source: CMI)
45. The most effective B2B marketers spend 39% of their marketing budgets on content. (Source: CMI)
46. 72% of large organizations, and 33% of small companies, outsource their content creation. (Source: CMI)
47. B2B marketers are most likely to outsource writing, with 64% seeking outside help. (Source: CMI)
48. B2B marketers are least likely to outsource buyer persona creation, with only 5% seeking outside help. (Source: CMI)
49. Design, content distribution, editing, and analytics are also among the most commonly outsourced content marketing duties. (Source: CMI)
50. 95% of B2B marketers use some form of content segmentation. (Source: CMI)
51. Trends are the most common form of content segmentation, followed by profiles and buying cycle stage. (Source: CMI)
52. 69% of content marketers feel a lack of time is their greatest challenge. (Source: CMI)
53. Nearly half of marketers struggle with producing enough content, and producing content that engages. (Source: CMI)
54. Only 23% of marketers struggle to gain buy-in for content marketing. (Source: CMI)
55. 50% of consumer time online is spent engaging with custom content. (Source: HubSpot)
56. 73% of consumers get frustrated by irrelevant web content. (Source: HubSpot)
57. 70% of consumers prefer to get to know a company through original articles. (Source: ContentPlus)
58. 90% of consumers find custom content useful, 78% believe the organizations behind the content are interested in building good relationships. (Source: McMurray/TMG)
59. 27,000,000 pieces of content are shared each day. (Source: AOL)

Want to dive a little deeper into some of the latest content marketing stats and research? Check out 28 Indispensible Research Reports and Case Studies for #SmallBiz Strategy!