Content marketing significantly influences the decision to purchase a company’s product or services, according to a new survey from Clutch, a B2B research, ratings, and reviews company. Eighty-two percent of people (82%) have purchased a product or service from a company as a result of consuming content published by a business online.
Besides boosting revenue and sales, content marketing benefits businesses by improving their SEO and helping them move potential customers through the sales funnel.
Moving potential customers through the sales funnel so they convert is key. The survey found that 53% of people are more likely to revisit a company’s website after consuming its content, and 50% are more likely to research a company’s products or services.
Online Audiences Frequently Encounter and Recognize Content Marketing
People frequently encounter content marketing, or content published by a business online. Sixty percent of people surveyed (60%) identified the online business content they most recently encountered as content marketing.
Additionally, nearly 90% of people are confident in their ability to identify business content online as content marketing.
People are becoming more savvy at recognizing content marketing due to its popularity as a marketing strategy.
“Current technology allows people to consume content in all hours of the day across different devices,” said Andrew Travers, executive vice president of Lead to Conversion. “Providing content in multiple formats allows marketers to put their message in front of target audiences in a way that’s most convenient for them.”
People use a variety of cues to identify content marketing efforts. More than one-quarter (27%) say they notice when content is published on a company’s website. They also notice when content links back to a company’s website (21%), when the author includes the company in their bio (21%), or when the content mentions a company’s products or services (19%).
People Who Read Content Marketing Are More Likely to Advance Through the Sales Funnel
People say they value content marketing and are often motivated to engage with a company after consuming its content.
Two-thirds (67%) of those surveyed believe content marketing is ‘useful and valuable,’ compared to 33% who believe content marketing is ‘biased and unreliable.’
People value content that is high-quality, such as articles or videos that directly address their concerns.
“Readers are aware that [online business content] is created for marketing purposes, but appreciate brands that provide honest, reliable, high-quality content,” said Louisa McGrath, content manager for Rebrandly, a link management platform.
Content marketing should also be transparent and disclose any company affiliations or promotional calls to action.
Clutch’s 2018 Consumer Content Marketing Survey included 384 people who had consumed business content online in the past week.
For questions about the survey, a comment on the findings, or an introduction to the industry experts included in the report, reach out to Grayson Kemper at 200593@email4pr.com.
About Clutch
A B2B research, ratings, and reviews firm in the heart of Washington, D.C., Clutch connects small and medium businesses with the best-fit agencies, software, or consultants they need to tackle business challenges together and with confidence. Clutch’s methodology compares business service providers and software in a specific market based on verified client reviews, services offered, work quality, and market presence.