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6 Vital Content Marketing Statistics for 2024

Published on May 14, 2024

6 Vital Content Marketing Statistics for 2024
Jennifer Goforth Gregory
Jennifer Goforth Gregory studioID

Generative AI continues to be one of the hottest content marketing topics of 2024. And with good reason – AI changed how we as marketers approach everything from generating ideas to SEO. More importantly, AI increases the need to focus on authentic storytelling to stand out from other brands. 

But AI isn’t the only topic on content marketers’ minds. Generating traction on social media, producing ROI, and creating content that resonates with their audience are of the utmost importance in 2024.

Read on for 6 vital content marketing statistics you need to know for 2024.

1. 96.55% of Websites Don’t Get Any Traffic from Google Search Results

Source: Ahrefs

Ahrefs’ web crawler tool uncovers 10 million new pages on the internet every 24 hours, so it’s not surprising that garnering organic traffic is becoming more challenging. After studying 14 billion pages, Ahrefs found that the vast majority of pages get zero traffic from Google. 

Additionally, only 1.94% of Google search results get 1 to 10 search visits per month. 

The report found several key reasons for the lack of organic traffic, including no demand for the topic, no backlinks on the page, and the mismatched page and search intent. 

studioID Says 

While getting organic traffic might not be the top priority for every marketer, it still holds merit in the competitive world of content marketing. To be one of the minority of sites getting organic results, shift your focus away from getting traffic and to meeting customer needs instead. By knowing your customer’s pain points, preferences, and worldviews, you can create content that both brings traffic to your site and converts those visitors to customers.

🔍 Related Reading: SEO Strategy for Driving Revenue: How to Rethink Your Approach

2. 56% of Brands Reported That Telling More Engaging Stories Is a Top Content Priority

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Source: studioID’s 2024 Content Marketing and Demand Generation Predictions survey

For the second year in a row, respondents of studioID’s annual survey responded that improved storytelling is a top priority for the year ahead. However, this focus on storytelling may conflict with the pressure to use AI to improve efficiency. 

The survey also found that 12% of respondents felt pressure to use generative AI throughout the creative process. 

studioID predicts that the most successful content marketers won’t replace human creativity with AI, but use it to boost creativity, such as helping with idea generation and research.

studioID Says 

B2B campaigns are increasingly adopting the creativity seen in B2C campaigns, says Lieu Pham, VP of Strategy at studioID. “That’s because audiences crave a personal connection. Successful marketers are leveraging emotional appeals with a focus on being distinct and memorable, marking an ongoing shift towards a more human-centric approach in content marketing irrespective of the business context,” says Pham. 

💡 Related Reading: 4 Brands Upping the Ante on Creativity + Storytelling in 2024    

3. 68% of Businesses See an Increase in Content Marketing ROI Thanks to Using AI

Source: SEMrush

With producing and proving ROI continuing to be a challenge for content marketers, one of the biggest questions this year is how AI will impact ROI. SEMrush’s 2024 Think Big with AI report found that the majority of businesses (68%) increased their ROI by using AI in their workflow. 

The top three reasons given for improved ROI include:

  • Creating more content faster

  • Focusing efforts elsewhere by saving time on content production

  • Producing more engagement with content

studioID Says

Demonstrating ROI starts with collecting and analyzing the right metrics. Many marketers get overwhelmed with countless KPIs, making it hard to determine what matters most. Instead, determine which metric is your brand’s “Golden KPI”. This data point represents the single most influential indicator of brand, trust, and demand and has the most impact in driving your marketing goal and overall business goal. By using Golden KPIs, brands can more effectively determine how AI impacts their ROI.

🌟 Related Reading: Content Marketing Measurement, Demystified: How to Demonstrate ROI from Brand to Demand

4. 61% of Content Marketers Selected ‘Brainstorming Content Concepts,’ as the Top Way They Plan to Use AI in 2024

Source: studioID’s 2024 Content Marketing and Demand Generation Predictions survey

Great content starts with an idea that resonates with your target audience. However, coming up with fresh and compelling ideas day after day can be challenging. Not surprisingly, content marketers are turning to AI to help content ideation. However, those who use AI to draft large content pieces, such as long-form videos, reports, and playbooks, find that full-scale content creation is one of the least effective uses of AI. 

studioID Says

For some, the best brainstorming often happens sitting around a table with other marketers. But each marketer’s creative process is different. And in the hybrid/remote world we work in, that’s not always possible. By treating generative AI tools as a colleague to bounce ideas off, marketers are finding that they can generate new and creative concepts. 

It may be tempting to simply use AI’s first idea, but instead treat the idea as a starting point and add in your own expertise. Then toss it back to AI for some more input. The end result then has the benefit of creativity, AI data analysis, and collaboration between human and machine.

🤝 Related Reading: Marketing’s New Power Duo: Generative AI Meets Generative Empathy

5. Social Video Will Account for Over 10% of All US Time Spent With Digital Media

Source: emarketer

If it feels like everyone around you is spending more time watching videos on social media than ever before, you are correct. For the first time, US consumers are spending more than 10 percent of their total time with digital media watching videos on social media. Because this statistic doesn’t include YouTube, the rise shows a shift in how people consume content. While it’s easy to jump to TikTok as the reason, Meta’s rebound of capturing social media time is also a big contributor to the change. 

studioID Says 

In our 2024 Content Marketing Predictions survey, 71% of marketers forecasted ‘short-form videos for social media’ would be their most successful format this year. And this is proving to be true this year, but how does a brand pivot its strategy to video? Liam Berry, Senior Marketing Strategist at studioID, says to not pivot to video but expand to video. Start with your existing assets — webinars, podcast recordings, video calls, etc. — and repurpose them for social media. 

If you’re producing great written content and virtual events, then you should be able to expand your practice into video without straying too much from what brings you success already.

Related Reading: 5 Short-Form Video Trends for Share-Worthy Content in 2024

6. 84% of B2B Marketers Say LinkedIn Delivers the Best Value for Their Organization Over Other Organic Social Media Platforms

Source: Content Marketing Institute

Social media is only effective if your company uses the right channel for your target market. With social media becoming a higher budgetary priority, brands must know which channel is most effective for reaching their specific customers. For B2B brands, LinkedIn was by far the most effective. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok all ranked under 30%.

studioID Says

While it’s tempting to focus on a high social media follower count, the real value comes from quality that translates into sales. By focusing on key prospects and top industry influencers, you can resonate with your target market. Buyers and influencers make a bigger difference in conversations than the content your brand creates. A social media strategy that is customized to your brand and goals is more effective at converting prospects than using the same social media strategies as your competitors.

👍 Related Reading: How to Win Social Media Marketing in 2024: 5 Make-or-Break Tactics