A new survey finds that despite the lagging economy, communicators are spending more on their content marketing efforts this year.
The annual Junta42 content marketing survey of 250 communicators finds that 59% of the respondents plan to increase their spending on content initiatives (as compared to 56% in 2009 and 42% in 2008).
“One thing is for sure—content marketing spending never saw the recession,” says Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42.
NEW MEDIA RULES
As for specific content platforms, new media content initiatives are getting most of the attention. Almost three-quarters of all communicators are leveraging their content through social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook.
The survey’s results are right in line with financial services company Aflac’s content strategy, says Laura Kane, Aflac’s VP of external communications. “Our spend went up last year and will likely go up again this year,” she says. The reason for the increase? “All of our audiences are increasingly demanding more relevant and targeted information, which means we have to be in more places than before,” Kane says.
One finding that was surprising to Kane was that only 31% of people use products promoting content in traditional media, since most of the content on blogs and social media is generated from that traditional medium.
“While content is king, the ability to put that information in context and make it relevant is core to the value we bring to our organizations,” says Kane. “Traditional media has the audience and credibility to deliver our story in a way Facebook, blogs and other tools simply do not achieve.”
The appearance of social media at the top of the content usage heap (see the chart below) and the usage dip of traditional vehicles like magazines certainly doesn’t surprise Esther Steinfeld, public relations manager at Blinds.com. “When companies like Ford launch new cars on Facebook, you know the platform has come of age,” she says. 
CONTENT SPEND
While the study finds that small companies (99 employees or less) spend, on average, 40% of their total communications budget on content, Steinfeld says her content outlay is “minimal,” yet it has increased in the past few years. “I think it’s interesting that a small business like ours even has a content budget,” says Steinfeld. Because of its online pedigree, Blinds.com sticks to digital content channels, including social media, blogs and online video. “We have over 80 videos posted on our site,” she says.
However, that small content budget might get bigger in the near future, says Steinfeld, as Blinds.com explores mobile options—both in sites and apps. “It’s going to be critical for all businesses to have mobile-friendly sites or run the risk of being ignored,” she says.
QUALITY CONTROL
Kane says that in her career, she’s worked for companies that have experimented with a wide variety of content delivery systems including: video magazines, on-demand channels, interactive television, eCommerce, and mobile. “In every case, the success or failure of the program came down to the quality of the content.” PRN
CONTACT:
Joe Pulizzi, [email protected]; Laura Kane, [email protected]; Esther Steinfeld, [email protected].