We’re continuing our in-depth analysis of some of the most important content marketing statistics of 2013, and exploring the importance of content on outsourcing, blogging and SEO.

20 Mindblowing Content Marketing Statistics Explained, Part 1

 The Content Marketing Statistic:

17. ‘62% of companies outsource their content marketing.’ [Mashable]

What It Means:

‘I can’t write that many blog posts, I CAN’T’

Almost 2/3 of companies outsource their content marketing. For every 3 businesses surveyed, 2 had gone to the time and expense of hiring a specialist content marketer – making businesses that don’t outsource something of a minority.

So why are so many businesses opting to outsource something that they used to manage themselves? Simply put – because they can’t do it anymore. Long-gone are the days of small businesses and agencies being able to create all of their copy and promotional material in-house. We’ve entered a new age of increasingly sophisticated content, with an effective and successful small business requiring a regularly updated, insightful business blog, a wealth of free resources for prospective visitors to download, and an active and engaging social media presence – alongside conventional marketing content like website content and press releases. Content has become a full-time pursuit, and small businesses and fledgling digital agencies simply don’t have the manpower to write enough content week-on-week. Even then, it’s crucial for copy to be innovative and intelligent, and to stay ahead of evolving SEO practices and technological innovations – and this requires a specialist (or ten!). Returning to our statistic, 2/3 of businesses understand both the importance of content, and the specialization it requires – but 1/3 of all businesses are still missing out. If you’re still weighing up the merits of outsourcing for your business, feel free to have a read of these relevant blog posts to help inform your decision:

Further Reading:

• A Small Business’ Guide to Outsourcing Content, Part 1
• Why Should My Agency Outsource its Content Needs?
• Should My Agency Hire or Outsource?

 The Content Marketing Statistic:

16. ‘Companies with active blogs receive 97% more leads’ [Content+]

What It Means:

Pictured: More Leads

One of the recurring themes of our last installment was the staggering impact a regularly-updated business blog can have on all aspects of a company’s success – and unsurprisingly, that theme continues in Part 2. We’ve already seen the impact that blogging has on indexed pages, creating 434% more links for search engines to crawl and rank – but what about the impact of a more important metric, leads?

As illustrated by Content+, the process of business blogging also has a phenomenal impact on lead generation – and when we consider the nature of blogging, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Blog writing allows a business to simultaneously educate visitors and represent itself as a market-leading, trusted resource. The creation of honest, impartial and fair content allows visitors to arm themselves with the information necessary to make the right choices for themselves – and because your business has provided that information, and allowed that empowerment, you’ll be the first port-of-call when it comes to buying a product or a service. As well as boosting traffic in the first place, running even a small business blog actually increases your leads, and sales-qualified leads – and all because of the valuable content your business has provided.

Further Reading:

• 5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Blog
• How to Start a Killer Business Blog
• How Blogging Works [Infographic]

 The Content Marketing Statistic:

15. ‘Content creation is ranked as the single most effective SEO technique’ [Marketing Sherpa]

What It Means:

It’s always good to look at the big picture of content marketing, and analyze the effect our content strategy has on the entire business – from driving traffic, all the way down the sales funnel, and onto repeat sales from delighted customers. Interestingly though, this statistic illustrates the phenomenal power that content marketing has over our ability to optimize our websites for search engines.

Many people, myself included, have a tendency to think of SEO as lines of code and shady dealings, but in reality, writing SEO-friendly content on a regular basis is the single most effective thing you can do for your Google rank. There are a myriad of tricks and tips you can use to optimize your writing for SEO, from the intelligent inclusion of keywords to the proper use of H-tags, and they all serve to make your page more visible to search engines. Importantly though, it does so in a way that doesn’t ruin the readability or value of your content, making it a win-win situation for your business (benefiting from greater traffic) and your visitors (as it becomes easier to find your awesome content! If you’re looking for a more in-depth explanation of how content can improve your SEO, have a look at this blog post:

Further Reading:

• How to Get the Most from Your In-Text SEO
• 4Free Marketing and SEO Tools Perfect for Small Businesses
• 5 Outdated SEO Techniques You’re Probably Still Using

Do you have any content marketing statistics you’d like us to explain in our next post? Leave us a message in the comments below!

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