16 Stats That Prove Why Content Needs to Be in Your Marketing Equation

Sure, you know that creating readable, clickable, shareable content is an important part of marketing. There’s a ton of research all over the internet (in the form of content, I might add) that proves that you need to be creating and distributing content in order to see results from your digital marketing efforts.

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But do you know why content is such an important factor? Because people want to read cool stuff on the internet. When they read something they like, they share it, and whoever came up with it in the first place benefits. People trust the word of other people over the word of companies telling them that their product or service is the best. If your company isn’t putting an effort into creating content that provides valuable or interesting information for your audience to consume, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of exposure.

I've pulled together 16 stats that show why your marketing budget needs to add in content creation and distribution. These statistics demonstrate that thought leadership, lead generation, and SEO heavily depend on content creation and distribution, all resulting in ROI.

Educational Content > Promotional Content

People can tell when companies are just saying things to get their email addresses. "Enter to Win" hooks can only go so far until your subscribers become sick of the 10% off coupons constantly flooding their inboxes. What they could use, however, is some valuable information that answers their questions and teaches them something. That's why:

• 54% of B2B marketers foster loyalty with current clients through content used to “delight.”
• 80% of business executives and owners would rather get information about a company by reading articles than by viewing ads.
• 72% percent of marketers report that content marketing has boosted their number of leads.

Documented Strategy > Winging It

Turns out, the marketers who are keeping track of their content strategy are the marketers who are seeing better results. It may seem like you're checking the content creation/distribution box on your to-do list by aimlessly posting content at random times, but are you seeing any actual good come from it? Decide what your goals are and plan accordingly. After all:

• 65% percent of the top-performing organizations have a documented content strategy.
• 77% of the most successful B2B content marketers use buyer personas in their content marketing strategy.
• 81% of B2B marketers say that a key benefit of having a documented strategy is that it aligns team members around mutual goals.

and get started on your documented content strategy today.

Real People > Corporate Branding

We're so over the sleazy sales guy — it's time for customers to be able to trust the people who are selling to them. Ditch the pitch and show your potential customers that you truly believe in what you are selling. Social media allows salespeople to share how they feel about their products or services for free, so there's really no excuse not to take advantage of it. Just consider:

• Salespeople who are highly active on social networks snag 45% more sales opportunities; plus, they're 51% more likely to reach their sales goals.
• 78% of social sellers sell more than sales reps who eschew social media.
• Sponsored content on social media is one of the top two methods of content distribution used by B2B marketers.

Reliable Brands = ROI

Living in the digital age, your customers have a much greater ability to comparison shop. That said, if a customer is debating between your offering and a competitor's, he or she is likely to decide based on brand if the product or service seems to be comparable in all other ways. Through content marketing, companies can establish trust in their brand in order to increase leads and close deals. So it's no wonder: