Communicators may say they believe in the power of content marketing, but for their content to succeed they must be truly committed. This is according to The Content Marketing Institute’s 2018 UK Content Marketing Research report, which shows how a small shift in commitment levels can make a big difference to overall content marketing success. The UK content marketers who say they are “somewhat” committed to content marketing report 5% success rate in content marketing, whilst those who report they are “very” or “extremely” committed to content marketing have a much higher success rate of 38%.

UK Content marketing organisational structure

In terms of how marketing companies produce content marketing in the UK, the study shows that the larger the organisation, the more likely it is to have a centralised content marketing group that works with multiple brands/product lines throughout the organisation.

Key findings

• Around two-fifths (39%) say their organisation is in the sophisticated/mature phase of content marketing maturity; 26% are in the adolescent phase; and 34% are in the young/first steps phase.
• More than half of respondents (53%) outsource at least one content marketing activity.
• Content creation is the activity outsourced most often (42%).

Maturity of the market

Discussing how most marketers appreciate the importance of content marketing these days, Lisa Murton Beets, research director at Content Marketing Institute, says: “Content marketing – in the sense of using it as a method to provide valuable information and build relationships with prospects and clients – is an approach that most companies have embraced at this point, at least to some degree.”

The problem is finding a way to make content stand out, and engage audiences. Murton Beets continues: “The challenge now is how to optimise – how to differentiate in a world awash with content and how to maximize your content marketing return on investment.

“Our research showed that content marketers all around the world are becoming more focused on using content marketing to build their audiences, which is terrific; however, the next question becomes how will you keep your subscribers engaged?

UK marketing activities UK marketers source

Latest tools

“There are many technologies available to help marketers be more effective and efficient with content marketing – and new ones emerging all the time. Over the next few years, we anticipate seeing content marketers using more live video and voice search, being introduced to more refined AI-based technologies to use for content creation and distribution and other purposes, and being more focused on the overall experiences that customers have with their companies, along with the role that content plays in creating those experiences.”

It is good news that marketers and now more aware of the potential of content marketing, and as long as they are committed to producing great content, and are using the most effective tools to do so, the future looks bright for content producers in the UK.

Methodology

For the 8th annual content marketing survey, Content Marketing Institute surveyed 2,190 marketers from around the globe. The UK report presents the findings from the 117 respondents who indicated they were for-profit marketers in the UK. The survey was conducted online via email invitation to participate. You can read the full report here