Trends in Content Marketing

Study Reveals Which Content Marketing Tactics Marketers Will Spend More On

PHOENIX--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Companies spent a record $47.2 billion on content marketing in 2009, based on a recent industry report published by McMurry’s ContentWise, the leading source of news, information and research on the content marketing industry. The 2009 report also revealed that of a company’s average overall marketing, advertising and communications budget, 32 percent of the funds were dedicated to content marketing. This is the greatest-ever proportion of overall funds dedicated to content marketing; the previous high in 2007 was 27 percent. The survey also shared that marketers will be investing more money in content marketing tactics such as mobile, video and audio in the next year.

While print (custom magazines and newsletters) is still the overwhelmingly dominant form of content marketing—representing 65 percent of the $47.2 billion total market spend—mobile content ranked as the content marketing medium that marketers believe they are mostly likely to expand; 66 percent forecast greater upcoming use. The next two leading high-growth content marketing media were video and audio, with more than half the market (54 percent and 51 percent, respectively) forecasting increased use this next year.

Content for websites is the most commonly used nonprint form of content marketing (with 77 percent of marketers using the tactic), and website updates are also the form of content marketing with the greatest frequency. The average marketer updated its website(s) 125 times (or about once every three days) with articles, blog posts and other content. Video frequency, which is expected to grow this coming year, is already at 12 times a year.

The continuous growth of the content marketing industry can be attributed to brands’ realization that they can become their own media entity. By implementing these content marketing tactics, brands realize they no longer need a middleman to convey marketing messages, that becoming their own medium is more affordable and targeted, and that they now have an opportunity to fill the void being created by the erosion of classic media.

About McMurry
McMurry, one of the largest independent marketing communications companies in the U.S., offers best-in-class content marketing, interactive and video production services to clients including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., CBS, Aon, Deloitte, HP, Verizon, UPS, Thomson Reuters and Amtrak, as well as resources to thousands of corporate professionals.