Content Marketing Grows To $80 Billion. Podcasts Are Already Outpacing TV Infomercials.

Motivated by a newfound priority to get their story out during the pandemic, ad spending on content marketing surged 26% since 2020 to $80 billion. Almost two out of three local advertisers polled by Borrell Associates in March 2022 engaged in some form of content marketing last year. And while business is back to normal for many, without the same need to inform as necessary in 2020, the need to carry on with content marketing didn’t go the way of mask mandates.

In fact, 42% of content marketers said this style of promotion would become more of a priority in 2022, up from 38% in 2021.

Thirty-four percent of content marketers chose “better tell story/connect consumers with meaningful content” as the main reason they are placing a higher priority on content marketing. And 24% claimed that prioritizing content marketing simply helps them “stay competitive/grow business.”

Keep in mind that content marketing isn’t focused directly on selling a product or service or promoting an upcoming sale or event. Instead, it helps a business tell its story or showcase their expertise through promotional materials with a goal of ultimately leading to interest in the company.

Among those surveyed by Borrell, six percent said they used a podcast last year to promote their message. The same number expect to do so this year. That is three-times as many that expect to run infomercials on television.

While brochures and flyers were the favored type of content marketing in 2021, informative videos, sponsored content/segments and seminars/workshops are expected to see the biggest increases this year.

Borrell says the categories with the greatest propensity to use content marketing are finance & insurance, professional & business services, real estate, educational services, manufacturing, and information, media or advertising.

The study also turned up evidence that businesses that engage in content marketing are more active advertisers and have a better handle on their media mix than non-content marketers. But they need help with content creation and distribution.