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CONTENT MARKETING
2020
Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
2
m WELCOME.................................................................................3
m KEY FINDINGS..........................................................................4
m SUCCESS & MATURITY..............................................................6
m STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY.....................................9
m TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING......................................13
m CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION...................................18
m METRICS & GOALS..................................................................27
m BUDGET & PRIORITIES ..........................................................32	
m METHODOLOGY......................................................................36
m ABOUT...................................................................................37
SURVEY TERM DEFINITIONS
Content Marketing: A strategic marketing approach
focused on creating and distributing valuable,
relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain
a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive
profitable customer action.
Success: Achieving your organization’s desired/
targeted results.
NOTE
Use caution if making comparisons with past years.
The survey methodology changed beginning with
our 2019 version of this report, when we began
asking respondents to confirm their content
marketing role and whether their organization has
used content marketing for at least one year.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
Welcome to B2C Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets,
and Trends. In this report, we show you how B2C respondents
replied to our 10th annual content marketing survey.
B2C marketers are doing a lot of things right. According to the survey,
they’re using content marketing successfully to create brand awareness,
educate audiences, build credibility/trust, generate demand/leads,
and more. Social media, email, blogs, and in-person events have been
the highest-performing content types for their companies for building
awareness and securing, nurturing, and converting leads.
More than half of those surveyed outsource at least one content marketing
activity—content creation tops that list. In 2020, half anticipate their
organization will focus on content quality/quantity and work to improve the
quality/conversions of audiences. Will you be among those marketers?
Read on for more insights into the current state of B2C content marketing.
We hope you find this information useful as you plan for a prosperous 2020!
WELCOME
Ann Handley
Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs
Stephanie Stahl
General Manager, CMI
Robert Rose
Chief Strategy Advisor, CMI
Kim Moutsos
VP Content, CMI
Cathy McPhillips
VP Marketing, CMI
Lisa Murton Beets
Research Director/Report Author, CMI
Joseph “JK” Kalinowski
Creative Director, CMI
Nancy Reese
Research Consultant
4
Most B2C content
marketers are
reporting success
Three out of four B2C
marketers characterize their
organization as extremely,
very, or moderately
successful with content
marketing and say they
are much/somewhat more
successful compared with
one year ago. See page 7.
They rely heavily
on email
Respondents rated email
newsletters as their highest-
performing content type
for securing and nurturing
leads, and a close second
for converting leads. For
building brand awareness,
blog posts/articles and
social media content tied
for first. See page 23.
The majority outsource
at least one content
marketing activity,
with content creation
being the most likely
Among the 55% of
respondents who
outsource, 80% outsource
content creation, with
content distribution a far
second (37%). See pages
16 and 17.
Conversions, content
quality/quantity, and
audience expansion
in 2020
When presented with a list
of seven possible content
marketing priorities
for 2020 and asked to
select their top three,
respondents indicated
improve quality/conversion
of audiences (50%), focus
on content quality/quantity
(50%), and increase the
size of our audiences
(40%). See page 35.
Half agree they provide
optimal experiences
across the customer
journey
54% agree their
organization provides
customers with optimal
experiences across their
engagement journey.
Another 20% neither agree
nor disagree, while 26%
disagree. See page 11.
Facebook reigns
Facebook is both the top
organic and paid social
media platform B2C
marketers use, and the one
they say generates the best
content marketing results
for their organization. See
page 26.
KEY FINDINGS
5
KEY FINDINGS
All Respondents
Sophisticated/
Mature
Organization is extremely/very successful with content marketing 29% 52%
Has a documented content marketing strategy 33% 53%
Uses metrics to measure content performance 78% 93%
Always/frequently:
Crafts content based on specific stages of the customer journey 50% 69%
Prioritizes audience’s informational needs over organization’s sales/promotional message 60% 73%
Strongly/somewhat agrees:
Organization prioritizes delivering relevant content when and where a person is most likely to see it	 74% 84%
Organization provides customers with optimal experiences across the engagement journey 54% 70%
Differences Between B2C Marketers by Organization’s Content Marketing Maturity Level
Base: B2C content marketers.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
As shown here, B2C companies in the sophisticated/mature phase of content marketing maturity (see page 8) report higher
levels of content marketing success when compared with all respondents. The chart also shows a few other key differences.
The widest observed gap is among those who agree their organization provides customers with optimal experiences across
the engagement journey.
6
SUCCESS & MATURITY
7
Three out of four B2C marketers report their organization is extremely, very, or moderately
successful with content marketing.
How B2C Marketers Rate Their Organization’s
Overall Level of Content Marketing Success
5%1%
46%
24%
24%
■ Extremely Successful
■ Very Successful
■ Moderately Successful
■ Minimally Successful
■ Not At All Successful
How B2C Marketers Rate Their Organization’s
Content Marketing Success Compared
With One Year Ago
3% 2%
51%
22%
22%
■ Much More Successful
■ Somewhat More Successful
■ About the Same
■ Somewhat Less Successful
■ Much Less Successful
Base: B2C content marketers; aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Note: The survey defined success as achieving your organization’s desired/targeted results.
Base: B2C content marketers; aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
SUCCESS & MATURITY
8
39% of B2C marketers say their organization is in the sophisticated/mature phase of content
marketing maturity.
SOPHISTICATED
Providing accurate measurement to the business, scaling
across the organization
MATURE
Finding success, yet challenged with integration across
the organization
ADOLESCENT
Have developed a business case, seeing early success,
becoming more sophisticated with measurement and
scaling
YOUNG
Growing pains, challenged with creating a cohesive
strategy and a measurement plan
FIRST STEPS
Doing some aspects of content, but have not yet begun to
make content marketing a process
Base: B2C content marketers; aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
How B2C Marketers Rate Their Organization’s
Content Marketing Maturity Level
10%7%
1%
29%
24%
29%
■ Sophisticated
■ Mature
■ Adolescent
■ Young
■ First Steps
■ Unsure
SUCCESS & MATURITY
9
STRATEGY, OPINIONS
& TECHNOLOGY
10
STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Base: B2C content marketers; aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
71% of B2C marketers have a content marketing strategy—of those, 33% have documented it.
Percentage of B2C Marketers
With a Content Marketing Strategy
9%
38%
20% 33%
■ Yes, and it is documented
■ Yes, but it is not documented
■ No, but plan to within 12 months
■ No, with no plans
11
STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY
About half (54%) agree their organization provides customers with optimal experiences across
their engagement journey.
B2C Marketers’ Opinions About Content Marketing in Their Organization
(Strongly/Somewhat Agree)
81%
78%
54%
74%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Our audience views our organization as
a credible and trusted resource
Our organization values creativity and
craft in content creation and production
Our organization prioritizes delivering relevant content
when and where a person is most likely to see it
Our organization provides customers with
optimal experiences across their engagement journey
Base: B2C content marketers who answered each statement.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
12
STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY
The top three technologies B2C marketers use to assist with content marketing are social media
publishing/analytics (84%), analytics tools (83%), and email marketing software (72%).
Other technologies used:
ContentDistributionPlatform
(39%);ContentOptimization
(33%);MarketingAutomation
System(MAS)(30%);
ContentPerformance/
RecommendationAnalytics
(26%);DigitalAsset
Management(DAM)System
(23%);andIntegratedContent
MarketingPlatform(9%).
Technologies B2C Organizations Use to Assist
With Content Marketing
(Top 6)
84%
83%
72%
48%
51%
49%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Social Media Publishing/Analytics
Analytics Tools (e.g., web analytics, dashboards)
Email Marketing Software
Content Creation/Collaboration/Workflow
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
Content Management System (CMS)
STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses one or more of the technologies listed to assist with content marketing. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
13
TEAM STRUCTURE
& OUTSOURCING
14
TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING
All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees
We have a centralized content marketing group that works with multiple
brands/products/departments throughout the organization
18% 11% 24%
Eachbrand/product/departmenthasitsowncontentmarketingteam 7% 7% 7%
Both—We have a centralized group and individual teams throughout
the organization
20% 6% 31%
We have a small (or one-person) marketing/content marketing team
serving the entire organization	
50% 69% 35%
Other 4% 6% 3%
B2C Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Structure
Base: B2C content marketers; aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Across B2C organizations of different sizes, the most common reported structure is a small
(or one-person) marketing/content marketing team serving the entire organization.
15
TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING
All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees
11+ 3% 0% 5%
6-10 7% 4% 10%
2-5 42% 39% 44%
1 21% 25% 18%
0 (no one is full-time,
dedicated)
27% 33% 23%
Among all B2C respondents, 52% say their organization has two or more internal team
members who are full-time/dedicated to content marketing, although this varies by company
size; another one-third have no full-time/dedicated people.
B2C Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Size
(Full-Time/Dedicated to Content Marketing)
Base: B2C content marketers; aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
16
TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING
55% of B2C marketers outsource content marketing; larger organizations (100+ employees)
are more likely than smaller ones to outsource.
Does Your B2C Organization Outsource Any Content Marketing Activities?
All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees
Yes 55% 43% 65%
No 45% 57% 35%
Base: B2C content marketers.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
17
TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING
Content creation is the activity B2C marketers are most likely to outsource (80%).
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization outsources at least one content marketing activity. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Content Marketing Activities B2C Organizations Outsource
80%
37%
27%
16%
14%
14%
20%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Content Creation
Content Technology
Measurement
Editorial Planning
Other
Content Distribution
Content Strategy
18
CONTENT CREATION
& DISTRIBUTION
19
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Most B2C marketers (86%) fact check their content to ensure accuracy and three out of five (60%)
prioritize the audience’s informational needs over their sales/promotional message. Half (50%) craft
content based on specific stages of the customer journey.
Base: B2C content marketers who answered each concept.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Concepts B2C Marketers Always/Frequently Take Into Account
While Creating Content for Their Organization
86%
60%
50%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Fact check our content to ensure accuracy
Prioritize the audience’s informational needs
over our sales/promotional message
Craft content based on specific stages
of the customer journey
20
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
On average, B2C marketers create content for four different audiences.
Number of Different Audiences
B2C Marketers Create Content For
41%
28%
5%
26%
■ 6+
■ 4-5
■ 2-3
■ 1
Base: B2C content marketers; aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
21
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
B2C marketers say 43% of the content they create is for audiences in the top-of–the-funnel stage of
the customer journey, compared to a combined 30% for the late- and post-sale stages.
Base: B2C content marketers who answered the question; aided list. Percentages were required to equal 100%.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Percentage of Total Content B2C Marketers
Created for Content Marketing Purposes
in Last 12 Months
18%
20%
7%
43%
12%
■ Top-of-the-funnel
(generating awareness/interest)
■ Mid-funnel (consideration/intent)
■ Late-stage (evaluation/purchase)
■ Post-sale (loyalty/brand advocacy)
■ Other areas
22
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
The top types of content B2C marketers use are social media content (94%) and blog posts/short
articles (80%).
Other content types used in
last 12 months: Long-Form
Text (e.g., articles 3,000+ words)
(28%); Webinars/Online Events
(27%); Ebooks/Guides (27%);
Print Magazines (25%); Case
Studies (20%); Research Reports
(18%); White Papers (17%);
Podcasts (15%); Livestreaming
Content (13%); Print Books
(10%); and Other (18%).Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Content Types B2C Marketers Used in Last 12 Months
(Top 6)
94%
80%
74%
66%
54%
50%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Social Media Content (e.g., tweets, stories)
Blog Posts/Short Articles
Email Newsletters
Videos (excluding livestreaming)
Infographics/Charts/Photos/Data Viz
In-Person Events (e.g., live events, conferences)
23
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
We asked respondents which content types are the highest performing for their B2C organization for
building brand awareness, securing leads, nurturing leads, and converting leads. Their top responses
in each category are shown here.
TO BUILD BRAND
AWARENESS
Blog Posts/Short Articles
(31%)
Social Media Content
(e.g., tweets, stories) (31%)
TO NURTURE
LEADS
Email Newsletters (24%)
Social Media Content
(e.g., tweets, stories) (17%)
TO SECURE
LEADS
Email Newsletters (16%)
Social Media Content (e.g.,
tweets, stories) (13%)
In-Person Events (e.g., live
events, conferences) (13%)
TO CONVERT
LEADS
In-Person Events (e.g., live
events, conferences) (22%)
Email Newsletters (21%)
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization used more than one content type for content marketing purposes in the last 12 months; aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
24
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
The top three organic/nonpaid content distribution channels B2C marketers use are social media
platforms (93%), their organization’s website/blog (85%), and email (79%).
Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Organic Content Distribution Channels B2C Marketers
Used in Last 12 Months
93%
85%
79%
39%
37%
31%
11%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Social Media Platforms
Their Organization’s Website/Blog
Email
Media/Influencer Relations
Speaking/Events
Guest Posts/Articles in Third-Party Publications
Other
25
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
85% of B2C marketers use paid distribution channels for content marketing purposes; of that group,
89% use paid social media/promoted posts.
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization used at least one paid distribution channel in the last 12 months. Aided list;
multiple responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Base: B2C content marketers.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content
Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Paid Content Distribution Channels
B2C Marketers Used in Last 12 Months
89%
68%
50%
44%
40%
25%
19%
0 20 40 60 80 90
Social Media Advertising/Promoted Posts
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)/
Pay-Per-Click
Banner Ads Promoting Your Content
(e.g., ebook, webinar)
Sponsorships
(e.g., booths, workshops, branding)
Native Advertising/Sponsored Content
(not including social media platforms)
Partner Emails Promoting Your Content
(e.g., ebook, webinar)
Other
Did Your B2C Organization Use Any
Paid Content Distribution Channels
in the Last 12 Months?
15%
85%
■ Yes
■ No
26
B2C marketers use Facebook as their top social media platform, both for organic (nonpaid)
and paid content marketing distribution.
Respondents also selected Facebook as both the organic and paid social media platform that generates the best content
marketing results for their organization.
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
TOP RATED
Facebook
YouTube LinkedIn
Instagram Twitter
96%
62% 61%
74% 71%
Facebook
TOP RATED
YouTube Twitter
Instagram LinkedIn
95%
29% 16%
53% 29%
Organic Social Media Platforms
B2C Content Marketers Used in Last 12 Months
Paid Social Media Platforms
B2C Content Marketers Used in Last 12 Months
Other organic
social used in
last 12 months:
Pinterest (29%);
Snapchat (7%);
Quora (6%); Medium
(3%); Reddit (3%);
and Other (6%).
Other paid social
used in last 12
months: Pinterest
(6%); Snapchat (3%);
Medium (1%); Reddit
(1%); Quora (1%);
and Other (5%).
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization used
organic social media to distribute content in the last 12
months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization used paid
social media to distribute content in the last 12 months.
Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
27
METRICS & GOALS
28
METRICS & GOALS
More than three-fourths (78%) of B2C marketers use metrics to measure content
performance; of these, 63% have established KPIs and 51% measure content marketing ROI.
Does Your B2C Organization
Use Metrics to Measure
Content Performance?
16%
6%
78%
■ Yes
■ No
■ Unsure
Did Your B2C
Organization Establish KPIs
to Measure Content Marketing
Initiatives in the Last 12 Months?
27%
10%
63%
■ Yes
■ No
■ Unsure
Does Your B2C Organization
Measure Content Marketing ROI?
36%
13%
51%
■ Yes
■ No
■ Unsure
Base: B2C content marketers.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks:
Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses
metrics to measure content performance.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks:
Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses
metrics to measure content performance.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks:
Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
29
METRICS & GOALS
The top metrics B2C marketers track to measure content performance are conversions (81%),
website traffic (80%), website engagement (79%), social media analytics (76%) and email
engagement (75%).
Metrics B2C Marketers Tracked to
Measure Content Performance in Last 12 Months
(Top 7)
81%
80%
79%
59%
59%
76%
75%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Conversions (e.g., traffic to
subscribers, leads to sales)
Search Rankings
Social Media Analytics (e.g., shares,
followers, views, likes)
Email Engagement
(e.g., opens, clicks, downloads)
Website Traffic
(e.g., page views, backlinks)
Website Engagement (e.g., time spent,
bounce rate, form completions)
Email Subscriber Numbers
(e.g., growth, unsubscribes)
Other metrics tracked in last
12 months: Cost of a Lead,
Subscribers, and/or Customer/
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
(44%); Mobile Analytics (e.g.,
traffic, time spent, conversions)
(44%); PR Mentions/Media
Coverage (36%); Customer
Satisfaction Metrics (29%);
Customer Retention Rates
(24%); Marketing Qualified
Lead Metrics (e.g., MQLs, SQLs)
(15%); Sales Effectiveness (e.g.,
sales cycle time, sales team
performance) (15%); Lifetime
Customer Value (13%); and
Other (6%).Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses metrics to measure content performance. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
30
METRICS & GOALS
Among the B2C marketers who measure content marketing ROI, more than half (56%) rate
their ability to demonstrate ROI as excellent or very good.
EXCELLENT
We have measurement data showing ROI on overall
content marketing approach
VERY GOOD
We have measurement data showing ROI on at least one
content marketing initiative with well-informed insights in
other areas
AVERAGE
We have well-informed insights, but lack measurement
data showing ROI
BELOW AVERAGE
We only have speculative insights at this point
POOR
We have little insight into what works and what doesn’t
B2C Marketers’ Ability to Demonstrate ROI
for Content Marketing Initiatives
35%
1%1%
7%
10%
46%
■ Excellent
■ Very Good
■ Average
■ Below Average
■ Poor
■ Too Soon to Tell
Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses metrics and whose team measured ROI of overall content marketing
initiatives in the last 12 months. Aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
31
84% of B2C marketers have used content marketing successfully in the last 12 months to create
brand awareness.
METRICS & GOALS
Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
Goals B2C Marketers Have Achieved by Using
Content Marketing Successfully in Last 12 Months
84%
75%
65%
61%
55%
51%
49%
48%
38%
36%
1%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Create brand awareness
Educate audience(s)
Build credibility/trust
Generate demand/leads
Build loyalty with existing clients/customers
Support the launch of a new product
Nurture subscribers/audiences/leads
Generate sales/revenue
Build a subscribed audience
Drive attendance to one or more in-person events
None of the above
32
BUDGET & PRIORITIES
33
BUDGET & PRIORITIES
35% of B2C marketers reported a 2019 annual content marketing budget of $100,000 or more.
Another 31% reported it was less than $100,000. The average annual budget reported among
all respondents was $230,000.
2019 Annual Budget for
B2C Content Marketing (Average)
(All Respondents)
19%
23%
11%
6%3%
7%
31%
■ Less than $100,000
■ $100,000 to under $500,000
■ $500,000 to under $750,000
■ $750,000 to under $1,000,000
■ $1,000,000 or more
■ Unsure
■ There is no content
marketing budget
Note: Marketers who reported their organization has no content marketing budget were not asked to specify if the expenditures come from a general marketing or other fund. The survey did not specify whether to include content
marketing salaries, nor did it ask respondents to break out areas of content marketing spend.
Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
2019 Annual Budget for B2C Content Marketing (Average)
(By Company Size)
3%
0 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000 $400,000
100+ Employees
All Respondents
1-99 Employees
$337,000
$230,000
$111,000
34
59% of B2C marketers expect their 2020 content marketing budget to be higher than it
was in 2019.
B2C Marketers’ Expected
Change in 2020 Content Marketing
Budget Compared With 2019
17%
14%
4%
23%
42%
■ Increase 1% to 9%
■ Increase More than 9%
■ Stay the Same
■ Decrease
■ Unsure
Base: B2C content marketers who reported having an annual budget for content marketing in 2019.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
BUDGET & PRIORITIES
35
Half of B2C marketers anticipate improving the quality/conversion of their audiences and
focusing on content quality/quantity in 2020.
Top 3 Anticipated B2C Content Marketing
Priorities in 2020
50%
50%
40%
32%
30%
1%
37%
37%
0 20 40 60
Improve quality/conversion of audience(s)
Focus on content quality/quantity
Increase the size of our audience(s)
Improve content marketing measurement
Improve content distribution/promotion
Know our audience(s) better
Segment/capture better data from audience(s)
None of the above
Note: The survey asked respondents to select the top three content marketing activities they thought their organization might prioritize
in 2020. It did not ask respondents to rate their organization’s current success with any of the activities shown on the aided list.
Therefore, use caution if making assumptions about current challenges organizations may be facing in any of the areas listed.
Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; a maximum of three responses permitted.
2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
BUDGET & PRIORITIES
36
B2C Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends was produced by Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs.
The CMI/MarketingProfs 10th annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was emailed to a sample of marketers using lists from
Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs. Online survey hosting, data collection and tabulation was provided by Readex Research.
A total of 1,798 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—replied to the survey during June/July
2019. More than 250 respondents (256) indicated their organization is a for-profit company, primarily selling products/services to companies (B2C). This report presents
the findings from the 179 B2C respondents who indicated a) their organization has used content marketing for at least one year and b) they are a content marketer,
involved with the content marketing function, and/or someone to whom content marketing reports.
Find our archive of past reports at contentmarketinginstitute.com/research.
METHODOLOGY
B2C Industry
Classification
Size of B2C Company
(by Employees)
B2C Content Marketing
Job Title/Function
■ Small (10-99 Employees)
■ Micro(Fewerthan10Employees)
■ Medium (100-999 Employees)
■ Large (1,000+ Employees)
■ Content Creation/Content Management
■ Marketing Management
■ Corporate/Executive Management
■ Advertising/PR/Comm Management
■ Marketing Operations
■ General Management
■ Other
11%
11%
11%
29%
20%21%
30%
10%
7%5%
5%
5%
6%
29% 30%
23%16%
8%
5%
3%
15%
Geographic Location
of B2C Company
■ United States
■ Canada
■ India
■ Australia
■ United Kingdom
■ Other
64%
8%
5%
3%
2%
18%
■ Retail/Ecommerce
■ Agency (Content Marketing,
Advertising, Digital, PR)
■ Financial Services
■ Education
■ Technology/IT/Software/Hardware
■ Professional Services
■ Manufacturing
■ Healthcare/Med/Pharma/Life Sciences
■ Travel/Tourism/Hospitality
■ Other
37
Thanks to all the survey participants who made this research possible and to everyone who helps disseminate
these findings throughout the content marketing industry.
About Content Marketing Institute
Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise
brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event,
the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every fall in Cleveland, Ohio, and ContentTECH Summit event is held every
spring in San Diego, California. CMI publishes Chief Content Officer for executives and provides strategic consulting and content
marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. Content Marketing Institute is organized by Informa Tech.
To learn more: ContentMarketingInstitute.com.
About MarketingProfs
MarketingProfs is a training and education company dedicated to helping large organizations, small teams, and individuals execute
marketing campaigns that drive real results. MarketingProfs produces training programs, online events and conferences, including
the MarketingProfs B2B Forum. More than 600,000 marketers globally trust MarketingProfs as their top marketing resource.
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2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends

  • 2. 2 m WELCOME.................................................................................3 m KEY FINDINGS..........................................................................4 m SUCCESS & MATURITY..............................................................6 m STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY.....................................9 m TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING......................................13 m CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION...................................18 m METRICS & GOALS..................................................................27 m BUDGET & PRIORITIES ..........................................................32 m METHODOLOGY......................................................................36 m ABOUT...................................................................................37 SURVEY TERM DEFINITIONS Content Marketing: A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. Success: Achieving your organization’s desired/ targeted results. NOTE Use caution if making comparisons with past years. The survey methodology changed beginning with our 2019 version of this report, when we began asking respondents to confirm their content marketing role and whether their organization has used content marketing for at least one year. TABLE OF CONTENTS
  • 3. 3 Welcome to B2C Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. In this report, we show you how B2C respondents replied to our 10th annual content marketing survey. B2C marketers are doing a lot of things right. According to the survey, they’re using content marketing successfully to create brand awareness, educate audiences, build credibility/trust, generate demand/leads, and more. Social media, email, blogs, and in-person events have been the highest-performing content types for their companies for building awareness and securing, nurturing, and converting leads. More than half of those surveyed outsource at least one content marketing activity—content creation tops that list. In 2020, half anticipate their organization will focus on content quality/quantity and work to improve the quality/conversions of audiences. Will you be among those marketers? Read on for more insights into the current state of B2C content marketing. We hope you find this information useful as you plan for a prosperous 2020! WELCOME Ann Handley Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs Stephanie Stahl General Manager, CMI Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor, CMI Kim Moutsos VP Content, CMI Cathy McPhillips VP Marketing, CMI Lisa Murton Beets Research Director/Report Author, CMI Joseph “JK” Kalinowski Creative Director, CMI Nancy Reese Research Consultant
  • 4. 4 Most B2C content marketers are reporting success Three out of four B2C marketers characterize their organization as extremely, very, or moderately successful with content marketing and say they are much/somewhat more successful compared with one year ago. See page 7. They rely heavily on email Respondents rated email newsletters as their highest- performing content type for securing and nurturing leads, and a close second for converting leads. For building brand awareness, blog posts/articles and social media content tied for first. See page 23. The majority outsource at least one content marketing activity, with content creation being the most likely Among the 55% of respondents who outsource, 80% outsource content creation, with content distribution a far second (37%). See pages 16 and 17. Conversions, content quality/quantity, and audience expansion in 2020 When presented with a list of seven possible content marketing priorities for 2020 and asked to select their top three, respondents indicated improve quality/conversion of audiences (50%), focus on content quality/quantity (50%), and increase the size of our audiences (40%). See page 35. Half agree they provide optimal experiences across the customer journey 54% agree their organization provides customers with optimal experiences across their engagement journey. Another 20% neither agree nor disagree, while 26% disagree. See page 11. Facebook reigns Facebook is both the top organic and paid social media platform B2C marketers use, and the one they say generates the best content marketing results for their organization. See page 26. KEY FINDINGS
  • 5. 5 KEY FINDINGS All Respondents Sophisticated/ Mature Organization is extremely/very successful with content marketing 29% 52% Has a documented content marketing strategy 33% 53% Uses metrics to measure content performance 78% 93% Always/frequently: Crafts content based on specific stages of the customer journey 50% 69% Prioritizes audience’s informational needs over organization’s sales/promotional message 60% 73% Strongly/somewhat agrees: Organization prioritizes delivering relevant content when and where a person is most likely to see it 74% 84% Organization provides customers with optimal experiences across the engagement journey 54% 70% Differences Between B2C Marketers by Organization’s Content Marketing Maturity Level Base: B2C content marketers. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs As shown here, B2C companies in the sophisticated/mature phase of content marketing maturity (see page 8) report higher levels of content marketing success when compared with all respondents. The chart also shows a few other key differences. The widest observed gap is among those who agree their organization provides customers with optimal experiences across the engagement journey.
  • 7. 7 Three out of four B2C marketers report their organization is extremely, very, or moderately successful with content marketing. How B2C Marketers Rate Their Organization’s Overall Level of Content Marketing Success 5%1% 46% 24% 24% ■ Extremely Successful ■ Very Successful ■ Moderately Successful ■ Minimally Successful ■ Not At All Successful How B2C Marketers Rate Their Organization’s Content Marketing Success Compared With One Year Ago 3% 2% 51% 22% 22% ■ Much More Successful ■ Somewhat More Successful ■ About the Same ■ Somewhat Less Successful ■ Much Less Successful Base: B2C content marketers; aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Note: The survey defined success as achieving your organization’s desired/targeted results. Base: B2C content marketers; aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs SUCCESS & MATURITY
  • 8. 8 39% of B2C marketers say their organization is in the sophisticated/mature phase of content marketing maturity. SOPHISTICATED Providing accurate measurement to the business, scaling across the organization MATURE Finding success, yet challenged with integration across the organization ADOLESCENT Have developed a business case, seeing early success, becoming more sophisticated with measurement and scaling YOUNG Growing pains, challenged with creating a cohesive strategy and a measurement plan FIRST STEPS Doing some aspects of content, but have not yet begun to make content marketing a process Base: B2C content marketers; aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs How B2C Marketers Rate Their Organization’s Content Marketing Maturity Level 10%7% 1% 29% 24% 29% ■ Sophisticated ■ Mature ■ Adolescent ■ Young ■ First Steps ■ Unsure SUCCESS & MATURITY
  • 10. 10 STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY Base: B2C content marketers; aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs 71% of B2C marketers have a content marketing strategy—of those, 33% have documented it. Percentage of B2C Marketers With a Content Marketing Strategy 9% 38% 20% 33% ■ Yes, and it is documented ■ Yes, but it is not documented ■ No, but plan to within 12 months ■ No, with no plans
  • 11. 11 STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY About half (54%) agree their organization provides customers with optimal experiences across their engagement journey. B2C Marketers’ Opinions About Content Marketing in Their Organization (Strongly/Somewhat Agree) 81% 78% 54% 74% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Our audience views our organization as a credible and trusted resource Our organization values creativity and craft in content creation and production Our organization prioritizes delivering relevant content when and where a person is most likely to see it Our organization provides customers with optimal experiences across their engagement journey Base: B2C content marketers who answered each statement. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 12. 12 STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY The top three technologies B2C marketers use to assist with content marketing are social media publishing/analytics (84%), analytics tools (83%), and email marketing software (72%). Other technologies used: ContentDistributionPlatform (39%);ContentOptimization (33%);MarketingAutomation System(MAS)(30%); ContentPerformance/ RecommendationAnalytics (26%);DigitalAsset Management(DAM)System (23%);andIntegratedContent MarketingPlatform(9%). Technologies B2C Organizations Use to Assist With Content Marketing (Top 6) 84% 83% 72% 48% 51% 49% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Social Media Publishing/Analytics Analytics Tools (e.g., web analytics, dashboards) Email Marketing Software Content Creation/Collaboration/Workflow Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System Content Management System (CMS) STRATEGY, OPINIONS & TECHNOLOGY Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses one or more of the technologies listed to assist with content marketing. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 14. 14 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees We have a centralized content marketing group that works with multiple brands/products/departments throughout the organization 18% 11% 24% Eachbrand/product/departmenthasitsowncontentmarketingteam 7% 7% 7% Both—We have a centralized group and individual teams throughout the organization 20% 6% 31% We have a small (or one-person) marketing/content marketing team serving the entire organization 50% 69% 35% Other 4% 6% 3% B2C Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Structure Base: B2C content marketers; aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Across B2C organizations of different sizes, the most common reported structure is a small (or one-person) marketing/content marketing team serving the entire organization.
  • 15. 15 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees 11+ 3% 0% 5% 6-10 7% 4% 10% 2-5 42% 39% 44% 1 21% 25% 18% 0 (no one is full-time, dedicated) 27% 33% 23% Among all B2C respondents, 52% say their organization has two or more internal team members who are full-time/dedicated to content marketing, although this varies by company size; another one-third have no full-time/dedicated people. B2C Organizations’ Content Marketing Team Size (Full-Time/Dedicated to Content Marketing) Base: B2C content marketers; aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 16. 16 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING 55% of B2C marketers outsource content marketing; larger organizations (100+ employees) are more likely than smaller ones to outsource. Does Your B2C Organization Outsource Any Content Marketing Activities? All Respondents 1-99 Employees 100+ Employees Yes 55% 43% 65% No 45% 57% 35% Base: B2C content marketers. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 17. 17 TEAM STRUCTURE & OUTSOURCING Content creation is the activity B2C marketers are most likely to outsource (80%). Base: B2C content marketers whose organization outsources at least one content marketing activity. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Content Marketing Activities B2C Organizations Outsource 80% 37% 27% 16% 14% 14% 20% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Content Creation Content Technology Measurement Editorial Planning Other Content Distribution Content Strategy
  • 19. 19 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION Most B2C marketers (86%) fact check their content to ensure accuracy and three out of five (60%) prioritize the audience’s informational needs over their sales/promotional message. Half (50%) craft content based on specific stages of the customer journey. Base: B2C content marketers who answered each concept. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Concepts B2C Marketers Always/Frequently Take Into Account While Creating Content for Their Organization 86% 60% 50% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Fact check our content to ensure accuracy Prioritize the audience’s informational needs over our sales/promotional message Craft content based on specific stages of the customer journey
  • 20. 20 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION On average, B2C marketers create content for four different audiences. Number of Different Audiences B2C Marketers Create Content For 41% 28% 5% 26% ■ 6+ ■ 4-5 ■ 2-3 ■ 1 Base: B2C content marketers; aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 21. 21 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION B2C marketers say 43% of the content they create is for audiences in the top-of–the-funnel stage of the customer journey, compared to a combined 30% for the late- and post-sale stages. Base: B2C content marketers who answered the question; aided list. Percentages were required to equal 100%. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Percentage of Total Content B2C Marketers Created for Content Marketing Purposes in Last 12 Months 18% 20% 7% 43% 12% ■ Top-of-the-funnel (generating awareness/interest) ■ Mid-funnel (consideration/intent) ■ Late-stage (evaluation/purchase) ■ Post-sale (loyalty/brand advocacy) ■ Other areas
  • 22. 22 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION The top types of content B2C marketers use are social media content (94%) and blog posts/short articles (80%). Other content types used in last 12 months: Long-Form Text (e.g., articles 3,000+ words) (28%); Webinars/Online Events (27%); Ebooks/Guides (27%); Print Magazines (25%); Case Studies (20%); Research Reports (18%); White Papers (17%); Podcasts (15%); Livestreaming Content (13%); Print Books (10%); and Other (18%).Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Content Types B2C Marketers Used in Last 12 Months (Top 6) 94% 80% 74% 66% 54% 50% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Social Media Content (e.g., tweets, stories) Blog Posts/Short Articles Email Newsletters Videos (excluding livestreaming) Infographics/Charts/Photos/Data Viz In-Person Events (e.g., live events, conferences)
  • 23. 23 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION We asked respondents which content types are the highest performing for their B2C organization for building brand awareness, securing leads, nurturing leads, and converting leads. Their top responses in each category are shown here. TO BUILD BRAND AWARENESS Blog Posts/Short Articles (31%) Social Media Content (e.g., tweets, stories) (31%) TO NURTURE LEADS Email Newsletters (24%) Social Media Content (e.g., tweets, stories) (17%) TO SECURE LEADS Email Newsletters (16%) Social Media Content (e.g., tweets, stories) (13%) In-Person Events (e.g., live events, conferences) (13%) TO CONVERT LEADS In-Person Events (e.g., live events, conferences) (22%) Email Newsletters (21%) Base: B2C content marketers whose organization used more than one content type for content marketing purposes in the last 12 months; aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 24. 24 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION The top three organic/nonpaid content distribution channels B2C marketers use are social media platforms (93%), their organization’s website/blog (85%), and email (79%). Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Organic Content Distribution Channels B2C Marketers Used in Last 12 Months 93% 85% 79% 39% 37% 31% 11% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Social Media Platforms Their Organization’s Website/Blog Email Media/Influencer Relations Speaking/Events Guest Posts/Articles in Third-Party Publications Other
  • 25. 25 CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION 85% of B2C marketers use paid distribution channels for content marketing purposes; of that group, 89% use paid social media/promoted posts. Base: B2C content marketers whose organization used at least one paid distribution channel in the last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Base: B2C content marketers. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Paid Content Distribution Channels B2C Marketers Used in Last 12 Months 89% 68% 50% 44% 40% 25% 19% 0 20 40 60 80 90 Social Media Advertising/Promoted Posts Search Engine Marketing (SEM)/ Pay-Per-Click Banner Ads Promoting Your Content (e.g., ebook, webinar) Sponsorships (e.g., booths, workshops, branding) Native Advertising/Sponsored Content (not including social media platforms) Partner Emails Promoting Your Content (e.g., ebook, webinar) Other Did Your B2C Organization Use Any Paid Content Distribution Channels in the Last 12 Months? 15% 85% ■ Yes ■ No
  • 26. 26 B2C marketers use Facebook as their top social media platform, both for organic (nonpaid) and paid content marketing distribution. Respondents also selected Facebook as both the organic and paid social media platform that generates the best content marketing results for their organization. CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION TOP RATED Facebook YouTube LinkedIn Instagram Twitter 96% 62% 61% 74% 71% Facebook TOP RATED YouTube Twitter Instagram LinkedIn 95% 29% 16% 53% 29% Organic Social Media Platforms B2C Content Marketers Used in Last 12 Months Paid Social Media Platforms B2C Content Marketers Used in Last 12 Months Other organic social used in last 12 months: Pinterest (29%); Snapchat (7%); Quora (6%); Medium (3%); Reddit (3%); and Other (6%). Other paid social used in last 12 months: Pinterest (6%); Snapchat (3%); Medium (1%); Reddit (1%); Quora (1%); and Other (5%). Base: B2C content marketers whose organization used organic social media to distribute content in the last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. Base: B2C content marketers whose organization used paid social media to distribute content in the last 12 months. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 28. 28 METRICS & GOALS More than three-fourths (78%) of B2C marketers use metrics to measure content performance; of these, 63% have established KPIs and 51% measure content marketing ROI. Does Your B2C Organization Use Metrics to Measure Content Performance? 16% 6% 78% ■ Yes ■ No ■ Unsure Did Your B2C Organization Establish KPIs to Measure Content Marketing Initiatives in the Last 12 Months? 27% 10% 63% ■ Yes ■ No ■ Unsure Does Your B2C Organization Measure Content Marketing ROI? 36% 13% 51% ■ Yes ■ No ■ Unsure Base: B2C content marketers. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses metrics to measure content performance. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses metrics to measure content performance. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 29. 29 METRICS & GOALS The top metrics B2C marketers track to measure content performance are conversions (81%), website traffic (80%), website engagement (79%), social media analytics (76%) and email engagement (75%). Metrics B2C Marketers Tracked to Measure Content Performance in Last 12 Months (Top 7) 81% 80% 79% 59% 59% 76% 75% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Conversions (e.g., traffic to subscribers, leads to sales) Search Rankings Social Media Analytics (e.g., shares, followers, views, likes) Email Engagement (e.g., opens, clicks, downloads) Website Traffic (e.g., page views, backlinks) Website Engagement (e.g., time spent, bounce rate, form completions) Email Subscriber Numbers (e.g., growth, unsubscribes) Other metrics tracked in last 12 months: Cost of a Lead, Subscribers, and/or Customer/ Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) (44%); Mobile Analytics (e.g., traffic, time spent, conversions) (44%); PR Mentions/Media Coverage (36%); Customer Satisfaction Metrics (29%); Customer Retention Rates (24%); Marketing Qualified Lead Metrics (e.g., MQLs, SQLs) (15%); Sales Effectiveness (e.g., sales cycle time, sales team performance) (15%); Lifetime Customer Value (13%); and Other (6%).Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses metrics to measure content performance. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 30. 30 METRICS & GOALS Among the B2C marketers who measure content marketing ROI, more than half (56%) rate their ability to demonstrate ROI as excellent or very good. EXCELLENT We have measurement data showing ROI on overall content marketing approach VERY GOOD We have measurement data showing ROI on at least one content marketing initiative with well-informed insights in other areas AVERAGE We have well-informed insights, but lack measurement data showing ROI BELOW AVERAGE We only have speculative insights at this point POOR We have little insight into what works and what doesn’t B2C Marketers’ Ability to Demonstrate ROI for Content Marketing Initiatives 35% 1%1% 7% 10% 46% ■ Excellent ■ Very Good ■ Average ■ Below Average ■ Poor ■ Too Soon to Tell Base: B2C content marketers whose organization uses metrics and whose team measured ROI of overall content marketing initiatives in the last 12 months. Aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
  • 31. 31 84% of B2C marketers have used content marketing successfully in the last 12 months to create brand awareness. METRICS & GOALS Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; multiple responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs Goals B2C Marketers Have Achieved by Using Content Marketing Successfully in Last 12 Months 84% 75% 65% 61% 55% 51% 49% 48% 38% 36% 1% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Create brand awareness Educate audience(s) Build credibility/trust Generate demand/leads Build loyalty with existing clients/customers Support the launch of a new product Nurture subscribers/audiences/leads Generate sales/revenue Build a subscribed audience Drive attendance to one or more in-person events None of the above
  • 33. 33 BUDGET & PRIORITIES 35% of B2C marketers reported a 2019 annual content marketing budget of $100,000 or more. Another 31% reported it was less than $100,000. The average annual budget reported among all respondents was $230,000. 2019 Annual Budget for B2C Content Marketing (Average) (All Respondents) 19% 23% 11% 6%3% 7% 31% ■ Less than $100,000 ■ $100,000 to under $500,000 ■ $500,000 to under $750,000 ■ $750,000 to under $1,000,000 ■ $1,000,000 or more ■ Unsure ■ There is no content marketing budget Note: Marketers who reported their organization has no content marketing budget were not asked to specify if the expenditures come from a general marketing or other fund. The survey did not specify whether to include content marketing salaries, nor did it ask respondents to break out areas of content marketing spend. Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs 2019 Annual Budget for B2C Content Marketing (Average) (By Company Size) 3% 0 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000 $400,000 100+ Employees All Respondents 1-99 Employees $337,000 $230,000 $111,000
  • 34. 34 59% of B2C marketers expect their 2020 content marketing budget to be higher than it was in 2019. B2C Marketers’ Expected Change in 2020 Content Marketing Budget Compared With 2019 17% 14% 4% 23% 42% ■ Increase 1% to 9% ■ Increase More than 9% ■ Stay the Same ■ Decrease ■ Unsure Base: B2C content marketers who reported having an annual budget for content marketing in 2019. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs BUDGET & PRIORITIES
  • 35. 35 Half of B2C marketers anticipate improving the quality/conversion of their audiences and focusing on content quality/quantity in 2020. Top 3 Anticipated B2C Content Marketing Priorities in 2020 50% 50% 40% 32% 30% 1% 37% 37% 0 20 40 60 Improve quality/conversion of audience(s) Focus on content quality/quantity Increase the size of our audience(s) Improve content marketing measurement Improve content distribution/promotion Know our audience(s) better Segment/capture better data from audience(s) None of the above Note: The survey asked respondents to select the top three content marketing activities they thought their organization might prioritize in 2020. It did not ask respondents to rate their organization’s current success with any of the activities shown on the aided list. Therefore, use caution if making assumptions about current challenges organizations may be facing in any of the areas listed. Base: B2C content marketers. Aided list; a maximum of three responses permitted. 2020 B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs BUDGET & PRIORITIES
  • 36. 36 B2C Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends was produced by Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs. The CMI/MarketingProfs 10th annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was emailed to a sample of marketers using lists from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs. Online survey hosting, data collection and tabulation was provided by Readex Research. A total of 1,798 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—replied to the survey during June/July 2019. More than 250 respondents (256) indicated their organization is a for-profit company, primarily selling products/services to companies (B2C). This report presents the findings from the 179 B2C respondents who indicated a) their organization has used content marketing for at least one year and b) they are a content marketer, involved with the content marketing function, and/or someone to whom content marketing reports. Find our archive of past reports at contentmarketinginstitute.com/research. METHODOLOGY B2C Industry Classification Size of B2C Company (by Employees) B2C Content Marketing Job Title/Function ■ Small (10-99 Employees) ■ Micro(Fewerthan10Employees) ■ Medium (100-999 Employees) ■ Large (1,000+ Employees) ■ Content Creation/Content Management ■ Marketing Management ■ Corporate/Executive Management ■ Advertising/PR/Comm Management ■ Marketing Operations ■ General Management ■ Other 11% 11% 11% 29% 20%21% 30% 10% 7%5% 5% 5% 6% 29% 30% 23%16% 8% 5% 3% 15% Geographic Location of B2C Company ■ United States ■ Canada ■ India ■ Australia ■ United Kingdom ■ Other 64% 8% 5% 3% 2% 18% ■ Retail/Ecommerce ■ Agency (Content Marketing, Advertising, Digital, PR) ■ Financial Services ■ Education ■ Technology/IT/Software/Hardware ■ Professional Services ■ Manufacturing ■ Healthcare/Med/Pharma/Life Sciences ■ Travel/Tourism/Hospitality ■ Other
  • 37. 37 Thanks to all the survey participants who made this research possible and to everyone who helps disseminate these findings throughout the content marketing industry. About Content Marketing Institute Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every fall in Cleveland, Ohio, and ContentTECH Summit event is held every spring in San Diego, California. CMI publishes Chief Content Officer for executives and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. Content Marketing Institute is organized by Informa Tech. To learn more: ContentMarketingInstitute.com. About MarketingProfs MarketingProfs is a training and education company dedicated to helping large organizations, small teams, and individuals execute marketing campaigns that drive real results. MarketingProfs produces training programs, online events and conferences, including the MarketingProfs B2B Forum. More than 600,000 marketers globally trust MarketingProfs as their top marketing resource. ABOUT