Study Shows Continued Growth In Content Marketing Budgets

Marketers continue to invest aggressively in content marketing, according to a study released last week by the Custom Content Council.

The study, "The Spending Study: A Look at How Corporate America Invests in Branded Content for 2012," is the organization's twelfth annual survey. It included responses from 177 enterprise marketing organizations.

According to the study, the average marketing organization now spends around $4.4 million a year. Of that amount, around $1.7 million was spent on branded content – a 13% increase in content spending over 2011. In addition, 36% said they expect to increase their branded content budgets during 2013, in spite of pressure to control or even decrease total marketing spend.

"The stability of brand content spend in the face of overall marketing budget decline proves the staying power and efficacy of content marketing," said Lori Rosen, Executive Director, Custom Content Council. This notable growth outcome is motivating brands to outsource at record levels."

Companies also continue to spend more on outsourcing custom content projects, according to the study. About 56% of the respondents say they outsourced during 2012, and the average annual outsourcing budget of nearly $1 million is a 47% increase over 2011.

Other survey highlights include:

• Personnel costs continue to be the single highest expense for both print and digital content projects;
• Around 70% of the content being created for campaigns is repurposed for social media activities;
• The top reasons cited for custom content spending include customer education, brand loyalty, up-selling and customer retention.

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