59 Killer Content Marketing Stats: 2023 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.

Social media stats in content marketing

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 2023. (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)
  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 2023 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 2023. (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!