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32 Insane Statistics of Content Marketing

January 1, 2021March 11, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Who here has not once been intimidated by at least one facet of today’s content marketing? If you haven’t, then you’re obviously an extremely knowledgeable, confident, and masterful guru of content marketing. If you have, then you’re absolutely not alone. Many of us have felt intimidation when staring down the barrel of the latest and great content marketing trend or shift. In some cases, the intimidation factor has been so strong that it has stopped us from jumping on board with a new trend. As a result, we lose out on prime opportunities. And sometimes we drop the ball. It happens to the best of us. Every year we see blogs and articles about the new trends in social media, content marketing, and search engine optimization. But when is the last time you saw a compilation of statistics all about content marketing? Content Marketing Statistics That Will Blow Your Mind In the past few years, content marketing has weathered some pretty dramatic changes. Many of us have watched trends rise and sink, sometimes wishing we’d jumped on board, and other times thanking our lucky stars that we didn’t. We’ve snooped around the Internet and found some eye-opening stats that might boggle or change your mind about content marketing: On an average, marketers spend over one fourth of their marketing budget on content marketing. (B2B Marketing Insider) 93 percent of marketers are using social media, yet only 9 percent of marketing companies have full-time bloggers. (Search Engine Journal) 78 percent of Internet users conduct product research online. Your website will likely be your potential customer’s first impression. Says HubSpot, “[This] means your new business card isn’t a business card—it’s Google.” (HubSpot) Companies that outsource are doing bigger projects, spending an average of more than $1 million lat 2013 with a 5.5% increase from 2012. (Adweek) Over 10 million Facebook “apps” exist. (Search Engine Journal) 61 percent of consumers claim to feel better about a company that delivers custom content. They are more likely to buy from such a company. (Custom Content Council) 78 percent of business people opt to use a mobile device to check email. (HubSpot) 80 percent of all Pinterest pins are actually re-pins. (Search Engine Journal) Interesting content is one of the top three reasons why people choose to follow a brand on social media. (Content+) Companies that opt to build a blog and post content regularly receive 55 percent more web traffic. (HubSpot) The 55 to 64 year age bracket is the fastest growing demographic on Twitter. It has grown by 79 percent since 2012. (Search Engine Land) The Facebook and Google+ 45 to 55-year age bracket demographic have grown by 46 and 59 percent, making it the fastest growing social media demographic. (Search Engine Journal) In as few as two years, the number of marketers who believe Facebook is “important” or “critical” to their business has increased by 83 percent. (HubSpot) The +1 button on Google+ is hit at least 5 billion times per day. (Search Engine Journal) Blog and social media websites reach 8 out of 10 U.S. Internet users and account for 23 percent of all time spent online. (Content Marketing Institute) Since debuting in 2010, Instagram has seen more than 16 billion photos uploaded, which equates to approximately 5 million photos being uploaded every day. (Search Engine Journal) Thanks to blogs, websites get 434 percent more indexed pages and 97 percent more indexed links. (Content+) 91 percent of mobile Internet access is for social media activities with approximately 73 percent of smartphone users accessing their networks via apps at least once per day. (Search Engine Journal) Inbound marketing costs about 62 percent less per lead than outbound, traditional marketing. (HubSpot) LinkedIn produces more leads for B2B companies thanks to Twitter, Facebook or blogs, individually. However, only 47 percent of B2B marketers say they actively use LinkedIn, versus 90 percent on Facebook. (Inside View) During every minute of every day, there are 684,478 pieces of content shared on Facebook; 3,600 new photos posted in Instagram; 2,083 check-ins made on Foursquare. (Search Engine Journal) 67 percent of B2C and 41 percent of B2B companies have acquired a customer via Facebook. (HubSpot) B2B companies that blog produce an average of 67 percent more leads per month than companies that choose not to. (Social Media B2B) YouTube has over 1 BILLION unique visitors per month, and managed to reach the desirable 18-34 demographic more than any other cable network. (Search Engine Journal) When deciding to make a purchase, 46 percent of web users will look toward social media. (Search Engine Journal) While in-store shopping for an item, approximately 40 percent of U.S. smartphone owners compare prices on their mobile device. (HubSpot) Ever wonder about the male versus female ratio of social media users? Facebook is 60 percent female, 40 percent male. Twitter is 60 percent female, 40 percent male. Pinterest is 79 percent female, 21 percent male. Google+ is 29 percent female, 71 percent male. LinkedIn is 55 percent female, 45 percent male. (Search Engine Journal) 57 percent of businesses acquire customers via their company blog. (HubSpot) A Shocking Drop of the Ball Based on the stats above, it’s no secret that blogs are important to content marketing. So when did you last update your blog? How often do you add new content to your blog? Be honest! Here’s an even better question: how important do you think blogging is for your company or brand on a scale of 1 to 10? Did your opinion change after reviewing the stats above? Well, here are a few more blog specific statistics that might shock you: 29. According to HubSpot, 57 percent of companies gain new customers from their blog. 30. 61 percent of online consumers in the United States decide to make a purchase based on blog recommendations. (HubSpot) 31. 67 percent MORE leads are generated via B2B marketers’ blogs. (HubSpot) 32. 60 percent of consumers have a more … Read more

Social Media & Blogs: Making Your Posts More Social

December 31, 2020February 3, 2014 by Adam Oakley

We’ve spent a lot of time predicting what 2014 will hold for small businesses and their online content strategies — from the evolving fate of SEO to key Social Media solutions and trends. While consulting (our well researched) crystal ball, we kept finding one theme over and over and over: Killer content is hands down one of the most crucial strategies for better search engine results. Enter the Blog: Quality Content Crucial to Your Success Blogging is a wonderful way to produce quality, industry-driven content that will win you dedicated followers and new sales. According to Social Media Examiner’s own 2014 social media predictions, this is the year to “finally start that blog.” They warn that small businesses without a big social media ad campaign budget may run the risk of getting lost in the shuffle unless they produce and share their own quality content for their niche. And although blogging might not pop into your head first when someone says “social media”, we’d like to argue that blogs are both social and crucial to your social networking success. We love how Brian Clark puts it best: Blogs aren’t just social media, “Blogs pioneered social media.” Here’s What Blogs are Not Static: That’s right. We’re back to content quality already. Blogs share information, but don’t just present facts. One of the most common blog mistakes people make is confuse them with a well-crafted press release or product description. Blogs are less newsy, more inviting, emotional and entertaining. In fact, blogs should always encourage conversation. Promotion-heavy documents: Just as blogs aren’t newsy in the traditional sense, they also aren’t sales documents. Although a blog post is a great way to create buzz about your new project, share one too many promotional posts and you’ll find your follower base dwindling. Pitches are one-sided and after a while will bore and alienate even your most avid readers. Before you post ask: What will my readers get out of this kind of content? Why would they feel compelled to share it with their friends? Will they want to continue the conversation in the comment section? These questions should help you shift your focus from your agenda to your audience — where it belongs. One-time Communications: The best way to kill a conversation? Don’t talk. It almost goes without saying that blogs that aren’t updated aren’t effective. But the opposite is also true. Business blogs that are regularly updated generate 67% more leads for their companies than their blog-less competitors. So get blogging! And don’t let time be a barrier. Remember there are many qualified business bloggers who are just a click away. Just Words: That’s right, visual interest is also key to an engaging, social blog. Here are a few eye-catching options: A Well-Placed Image: This is actually not an option. An image is a must. A well-chosen picture will make your blog appealing when people read the post or see it linked on a social platform. When selecting an image, make sure to use a picture that offers more than a pop of color. Instead, try to make a statement or offer extra insight on what the readers should expect. Infographics: You can also let infographics do the talking from time to time. This captivating information-graphic mashup gives readers plenty to take in. From a visual presentation of stats to fun flow charts, infographics offer a valuable mix of content and visual oomph that will get people to your posts and keep them there longer. They are also fun to share, so you’ll be social before you know it. Video: Online videos are popular — like over “188.2 million Americans watched 52.4 billion online content videos” in the month of December 2013 kind of popular. So up the chances that people will find and stay on your blog with the most popular type of online media. 7 Characteristics Successful Blogs Share Ok, enough about what blogs aren’t. Let’s move on to the hallmarks of successful, social blogs. Here are the most important components to take your blog from one-sided conversation to a fun place to hang out and keep coming back to. 1. A Call to Action: You may never know who wants to join in the conversation unless you ask. At the end of each of your blogs, find a creative way to get your readers involved. Pose a question. Ask them to share their opinion. See if anyone has had experiences to prove or disprove your point. That’s right; blogs need to be a dynamic exchange of information. 2. Periodic Contests: To get things really going, you can run a comment contest from time to time. If your audience knows that every once in a while you give something back, they will eventually become your adoring audience. Pick a Number: Let’s say you run a fitness center. With this low-maintenance approach, you’d ask people to post what workout they did that day in the comment section on your “20 Minute Workouts” post by 5 p.m. Later that evening, just use an online number generator to randomly pick a number. If the generator gives you the number 8, then the lucky 8th commenter will win the resistance band you featured in one of the arm workout sets. Trivia Questions: You can also drum up comments by posing a question and getting people to guess the right answer. If you get more than one correct answer, make sure to go with the one with the oldest timestamp. 3. Sustained Conversation: If readers do answer your call to action and comment, make sure to comment back. Thank them. Answer their questions. Address their issues. You can also return the favor and comment on other bloggers’ posts who comment on yours. 4. Easy-to-Use Share Buttons: Optimize your content by making it easy to share. That way, you won’t be the only one sharing your post on Facebook or Twitter. You’ll get your blog’s fans in on the sharing action. If that’s not … Read more