Content marketing: the art of building engagement

The basic principle of content marketing is to reach audiences with high-quality and relevant content, rather than trying to sell directly. Well-organised content marketing is informative and constantly engages and inspires. Providing appropriate information creates a trusting environment for customers and can build a loyal customer base in the long term. With this approach, businesses can succeed in deepening customer relationships and excel in the competitive marketplace. To prove the power of content, here are 7 inspiring statistics!

What is content marketing?

Content marketing occupies an important place in the world of online marketing. It is based on an educational approach, where the goal is to stimulate sales and build meaningful customer relationships. Unlike traditional advertising, this strategy does not seek to influence consumers' decisions directly, but rather to engage them with valuable information and content.

It relies on content that inspires and informs, rather than incites an immediate purchase. The aim is to increase the awareness of potential customers, which ultimately strengthens brand loyalty. In this way, consumers are linked to the company through a value-based relationship.

The role of quality content in content marketing

Producing quality content is essential to a successful content marketing strategy. It involves harmonious text integration, video and graphics that enrich the consumer experience. Such diverse content makes the brand interesting and engaging and helps to improve SEO or search engine optimisation. The evolution of SEO allows branded content to stand out in the digital marketplace. Content focuses on relevance and value, which reinforce brand positioning.

Long-term benefits of content marketing

One of the key long-term benefits of content marketing is that it builds deep trust and loyal relationships with customers. Through educational content, audiences gain information and start to trust the brand because they see it as a credible source.

Content marketing also helps shorten sales cycles. Because consumers are now better informed and more engaged, their decision-making process takes less time, which is ultimately reflected in revenue inflows. Such a strategic approach, with a focus on value-driven relationship building, will ensure sustainable growth and brand success in the long term.

7 inspiring statistics on content marketing

Content marketing has become an indispensable tool for businesses today, and the following statistics prove it:

1. Popularity among businesses

91% of B2B companies and 86% of B2C companies actively use content marketing methods. This clearly shows that there is a significant role for this strategy in all business sectors.

2. Its place in the budget  

On average, businesses devote between 11% and 50% of their marketing budget to content marketing. Content marketing is an effective investment when it is built up of well-constructed and strategically integrated elements.

3. Technological development  

89% of marketers use generative AI tools to produce content, confirming the growing role of automation and technology in the field. AI is fundamentally defining the field of content production, and thus content marketing. However, it must be used in the right way by marketers.

4. Formats with the highest ROI

According to Hubspot data, short videos provide the highest ROI (21%) of all content formats, followed by images (19%), live videos (16%), podcasts (13%), and user-generated content (11%).

5. Achieving marketing objectives

Research by the Content Marketing Institute shows that content marketing plays a key role in achieving marketing objectives, with 87% of respondents saying it helps to increase brand awareness and 74% saying it helps to strengthen customer relationships.

6. Return on investment 

77% of companies are satisfied with the ROI from their content marketing strategy. This confirms that well-designed campaigns can deliver significant results for business.

7. Prevalence of outsourcing

62% of companies outsource their content marketing, allowing them to outsource this key area to experts while they can focus on other elements of their business strategy.

The impact of content marketing is wide-ranging and significant in terms of increasing visibility and building customer relationships. Through an engagement strategy, a company can develop a genuine relationship with its customers, which in the long term builds trust. Well-executed content can also shorten sales cycles and help increase brand awareness.

In the future, content marketing will continue to evolve as technological innovations, such as the integration of AI, open new opportunities for companies. The combination of automation and creative approaches will allow any business to reach its target audience more effectively.

For content marketing to be truly successful, it is worth getting expert help. Meraki provides professional support in all aspects of content marketing. We believe in goal-oriented content development and target group-specific communication - Contact us if you want us to tell your story!