Survey reveals focus on content for 2013

Graeme Parton +

It has been revealed that 35% of marketers have made content strategies their main focus this year – double the figure from 2012.

This, according to some experts, places content marketing above mobile communications, media buying and search engine optimisation (SEO) in the priority lists of many marketers.

The figures were produced by the CopyPress 2013 State of Content Marketing Study, which was published last month. The statistics point to an obvious shift in attention towards using content to effectively promote a brand.

Interestingly, the survey also found that written articles, white papers and videos were the most cost-effective when it comes to ROI. When the marketers were questioned on which types of content they felt delivered the best results, 62 per cent said feature articles, 52 per cent said video content and 46 per cent said white papers.

The research from CopyPress also pointed out the key challenges faced by marketers when it comes to content. Half of those questioned said they thought videos were difficult to produce and were often overpriced. The constant development of video technologies is, however, expected to ease these concerns; especially as more people understand how to create such content in a cost-efficient way.

As many experts have pointed out, the effectiveness of featured articles lies in the expertise with which they are written. They should be interesting and relevant to ensure the target audience finds them valuable. Online content should also be written with skill to ensure there is no risk of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes damaging a business’s reputation.

It is for this reason that many businesses choose to outsource their online marketing to firms which specialise in content creation. With Google’s most recent updates, high quality content can work hand-in-hand with other SEO techniques to ensure a company’s website is accessible to a much larger audience.