CONTENT MARKETING
IN THE
UK 2016
BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS
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Welcome .................................................................................................................................................................3
Key Takeaways .....................................................................................................................................................4
■ Section 1: Usage & Effectiveness ................................................................................................................6
■ Section 2: Strategy & Organization ........................................................................................................ 10
■ Section 3: Content Creation & Distribution ......................................................................................... 14
■ Section 4: Goals & Metrics .......................................................................................................................... 22
■ Section 5: Budgets & Spending ................................................................................................................ 25
■ Section 6: Challenges & Priorities ........................................................................................................... 27
■ Comparison Chart: Profile of a Best-in-Class UK Content Marketer .......................................... 29
■ Demographics ................................................................................................................................................ 30
■ About ................................................................................................................................................................. 31
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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WELCOME
Greetings, Content Marketers,
Welcome to Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. This year,
we look at how UK for-profit marketers (both B2B and B2C) approach content marketing
compared with last year.
We added questions to the survey this year, which yielded new insights on factors such
as content marketing maturity levels, frequency and value of content marketing-related
meetings, and organizational clarity around content marketing effectiveness.
Among the many interesting findings this year, we noted that UK marketers are using
more content marketing tactics—and 66% say they expect their firm to increase its
content marketing budget within the next 12 months; however, overall effectiveness
has decreased, and fewer than 40% have a documented content marketing strategy or
editorial mission statement. Even though many UK content marketers are seeing great
results, others could benefit by taking a “back to basics” approach.
For resources to help you with your content marketing, see the last page of this report.
We’re happy to help.
Yours in content,
Joe
Joe Pulizzi
Founder
Content Marketing Institute
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
The use of many content marketing tactics, social media platforms, and paid methods to
promote/distribute content increased over last year.
Illustrations/Photos
YouTube
Infographics
Videos
Promoted Posts
12 PERCENTAGE
POINTS
13 PERCENTAGE
POINTS
10PERCENTAGE
POINTS
10PERCENTAGE
POINTS
30 PERCENTAGE
POINTS
U
SA
GE
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4
■ The use of nearly all content marketing tactics increased over last year. The greatest increase was for illustrations/photos,
which jumped from 63% last year to 75% this year. Videos and infographics both increased by 10 percentage points.
■ The use of nearly all social media platforms increased over last year. The greatest increase was for YouTube, which jumped
from 68% last year to 81% this year.
■ The use of all paid methods to promote/distribute content increased over last year. The greatest increase was for promoted
posts, which jumped from 34% last year to 64% this year.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
■ When asked to identify the most important metric they use to measure content marketing effectiveness or success,
20% of UK marketers say sales and another 20% say sales lead quality.
■ UK marketers are spending a higher average proportion of total marketing budget on content marketing this year
(29% vs. 26% last year). The most effective UK marketers spend 33% (on average), which is the same percentage they
reported last year.
■ 66% of UK marketers say they expect their organization’s content marketing budget to increase in the next 12 months.
■ The most effective UK marketers say measuring content effectiveness is their top challenge (61%), whereas the overall
sample says producing engaging content is their top challenge (61%).
■ The most effective UK marketers say the top priority for internal content creators over the next 12 months is developing
a better understanding of what content is effective—and what isn’t (68%), whereas the overall sample says creating
more engaging content is their top priority (70%).
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Content Marketing in Australia 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute/ADMA
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USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
Does your organization
use content marketing?
Last year, 85% of respondents said they use
content marketing.
Content marketing is defined as “a strategic
marketing approach focused on creating and
distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent
content to attract and retain a clearly defined
audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable
customer action.”
89%
Yes
11%
No
Percentage of UK Respondents
Using Content Marketing

SAY YES
89%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
How would you describe
your organization’s content
marketing maturity level?
This was a new question this year. In general,
effectiveness levels are greater among marketers
with higher levels of content marketing maturity.
Among those who reported being the
most effective:
• 78% were in the sophisticated/mature phase
• 22% were in the adolescent phase
• 0% were in the young/first steps phase
SAY SOPHISTICATED
OR MATURE
32%
SOPHISTICATED
MATURE
ADOLESCENT
FIRST STEPS
YOUNG
Providing accurate measurement to the
business, scaling across the organization
Finding success, yet
challenged with integration
across the organization
Have developed a business case,
seeing early success, becoming more
sophisticated with measurement and scaling
Growing pains, challenged
with creating a cohesive strategy
and a measurement plan
Doing some aspects of content,
but have not yet begun to make
content marketing a process
9%
14%
23%
30%
23%
How UK Marketers Assess Their
Content Marketing Maturity Level
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
Overall, how effective
is your organization
at content marketing?
Last year, 42% of UK marketers said their
organizations were effective at content marketing.
Having a documented content marketing strategy
helps in this regard: 46% of UK marketers who have
one say their organizations are effective at content
marketing.
How UK Marketers Rate the
Effectiveness of Their Organization’s
Use of Content Marketing
Very Effective
3%
5
19%
2
Not at All Effective
3%
1
31%
4
39%
3
SAY THEY ARE
EFFECTIVE
34%
Note: For this survey, we define effectiveness as “accomplishing your overall
objectives.” We refer to those who rate their organizations as a 4 or 5 (on a scale of
1 to 5, with 5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at All Effective”) as the “most
effective” or “best-in-class” marketers. The 1s and 2s are considered the “least
effective,” while the 3s are neutral.
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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Content Marketing in Australia 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute/ADMA
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9
USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
In your organization,
is it clear what an effective
or successful content marketing
program looks like?
This was a new question this year. 84% of UK
marketers whose organizations are in the
sophisticated/mature phase of content marketing
say they have clarity (vs. 57% of those in the
adolescent phase and 27% of those in the
young/first steps phase).
Percentage of UK Marketers
Whose Organizations Have Clarity
on Content Marketing Success
Unsure
15%
No
30%
Yes
54%
SAY YES
54%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization have a
content marketing strategy?
Last year, 36% of UK marketers said they had a
documented content marketing strategy, 51% had a
verbal-only strategy, and 11% had no strategy.
When compared with the overall sample, UK
marketers who have a documented content
marketing strategy report higher levels of
effectiveness with many of the content marketing
tactics, social media platforms, and paid methods of
content promotion/distribution that they use.
42%
Yes, but
it is not
documented
Unsure
No
Yes,
and it is
documented
37%
18%
3%
Percentage of UK Marketers Who
Have a Content Marketing Strategy

HAVE A DOCUMENTED
CONTENT MARKETING
STRATEGY
37%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization
have an editorial mission
statement for the primary
audience you target?
This was a new question this year.
Nearly half (49%) of the most effective UK
marketers have a documented editorial mission
statement.
61% of those who have a documented content
marketing strategy also have a documented
editorial mission statement.
Yes, and it is
documented
No
Yes, but
it is not
documented
27%
32%
36%
Unsure
5%
Percentage of UK Marketers Who
Have an Editorial Mission Statement

HAVE A DOCUMENTED
EDITORIAL MISSION
STATEMENT
32%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
How often does your
team meet (either in person
or virtually) to discuss the
progress/results of your
content marketing program?
When compared with the overall sample,
the most effective UK marketers meet more
frequently (56% of the most effective UK
marketers meet daily or weekly).
SAY DAILY
OR WEEKLY
41%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
How Often UK Marketers
Meet to Discuss Their
Content Marketing Program
7%
9%
19%
7%
9%
16%
34%
Monthly
Only when it is necessary
Other
Biweekly
Daily
Weekly
Quarterly
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
How valuable are
team meetings in helping
your organization to be
more effective at
content marketing?
When compared with the overall sample,
the most effective UK marketers are extracting
more value from their content marketing
meetings (78% of the most effective say
meetings are valuable).
SAY MEETINGS
ARE VALUABLE
59%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
How UK Marketers Perceive
the Value of Internal
Content Marketing Meetings
24%
30%
35%
5%
7%
Extremely Valuable
Very Valuable
Somewhat Valuable
Not Very Valuable
Not at All Valuable
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Compared with 2015,
how much content
will your organization
produce in 2016?
Nearly all UK marketers plan to produce more
content in 2016 vs. 2015, regardless of company
size, effectiveness, maturity level, or presence
of a content marketing strategy.
Less
Same Amount
More
88%
11%
1%
Unsure
None
Expected Change in
UK Content Creation
(2015 vs. 2016)

SAY THEY WILL
PRODUCE MORE
88%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which content marketing
tactics does your
organization use?
Last year, UK marketers used an average of 12
content marketing tactics. Their use of all the
tactics shown on the accompanying chart has
increased over last year, except for eNewsletters
and articles on your website, which dipped
very slightly.
Social media content (other than blogs) is once
again the most often used tactic (89% last year
vs. 94% this year).
The greatest increases in use over last year
were for:
• Illustrations/photos (63% last year vs. 75%
this year)
• Videos (73% last year vs. 83% this year)
• Infographics (61% last year vs. 71% this year)
Note: Fewer than 50% of UK marketers said they use the following tactics: Research
Reports (48%), Webinars/Webcasts (43%), Microsites/Separate Website Hubs (39%),
Branded Content Tools (38%), eBooks (38%), Print Magazines (35%), Books (32%), Digital
Magazines (29%), Mobile Apps (27%), Podcasts (25%), Print Newsletters (19%), Virtual
Conferences (19%), and Games/Gamification (13%).
UK Content Marketing Tactic Usage
Social Media Content – other than blogs
eNewsletters
Videos
Case Studies
Blogs
In-Person Events
Infographics
94%
87%
84%
83%
82%
74%
71%
63%
52%
Average
Number
Used
13
Illustrations/Photos
75%
Articles on Your Website
79%
Online Presentations
White Papers
USE SOCIAL MEDIA
CONTENT
94%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the tactics
your organization uses?
Of the content marketing tactics they use, the
accompanying chart shows the 10 that UK
marketers say are most effective.
Two tactics that appeared on this chart last year
(webinars/webcasts and infographics) have been
replaced by two tactics whose effectiveness ratings
have increased (research reports and branded
content tools). To summarize:
• Research reports increased from 51% last year
to 63% this year
• Branded content tools increased from 44%
last year to 60% this year
• Webinars/webcasts decreased from 60% last
year to 49% this year
• Infographics decreased from 55% last year to
52% this year
Each of the other tactics shown on the chart either
increased slightly or decreased slightly.
Effectiveness Ratings for UK
Content Marketing Tactics
Blogs
Case Studies
69%
69%
67%
Social Media Content – other than blogs
In-Person Events
66%
Research Reports
63%
Branded Content Tools
60%
Articles on Your Website
58%
White Papers
57%
Videos
56%
eNewsletters
54%
SAY BLOGS AND
IN-PERSON EVENTS
ARE EFFECTIVE
69%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each content type as 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale
where 5 = “Very Effective” and 1 = “Not at All Effective.”
Note: Additional content marketing tactics with effectiveness ratings include the following:
Infographics (52%), Microsites/Separate Website Hubs (50%), eBooks (49%), Webinars/Webcasts
(49%), Illustrations/Photos (48%), Online Presentations (45%), and Print Magazines (32%).
Additional tactics may not appear here due to their low incidence of use.
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which social media platforms
does your organization
use to distribute content?
Like last year, UK marketers use an average of
six social media platforms. LinkedIn is still the
platform they use the most (96% last year vs.
93% this year).
Usage of all of the other four platforms shown
on the accompanying chart increased over last
year. The greatest increase was for YouTube
(68% last year vs. 81% this year).
UK Content Marketing
Social Media Platform Usage
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
93%
92%
81%
Facebook
78%
Google+
74%
Average
Number
Used
6
USE LINKEDIN
93%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Fewer than 50% of UK marketers said they
use the following social media platforms: SlideShare (49%),
Instagram (39%), Pinterest (36%), Vimeo (32%), Vine (15%), iTunes (14%),
Tumblr (12%), SnapChat (6%), Periscope (5%), and Medium (3%).
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the
social media platforms
your organization uses?
This chart shows how UK marketers rate the five
social media platforms they use most often in
terms of effectiveness.
Like last year, UK marketers say Twitter is the
most effective social media platform; however,
the percentage who said it is effective decreased
this year (75% last year vs. 69% this year). The
effectiveness ratings for all of the other platforms
shown on the chart decreased very slightly over
last year as well, except for Facebook.
The effectiveness rating for Facebook increased
from 29% last year to 37% this year.
Effectiveness Ratings for
UK Content Marketing
Social Media Platforms
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
69%
58%
47%
Facebook
37%
Google+ 18%
SAY TWITTER
IS EFFECTIVE
69%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each social media platform
as 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Effective” and 1 = “Not at All Effective.”
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which paid advertising
methods does your
organization use to
promote/distribute content?
Use of each of the paid methods to promote/
distribute content shown on the accompanying
chart increased over last year (last year, the
average number used was three).
Last year, search engine marketing (SEM) and print
or other offline promotion tied for the top spot on
this list (at 54%).
Promoted posts are now being used as often as
SEM, and the use of social ads increased by 10
percentage points.
To summarize the greatest increases:
• SEM increased from 54% to 64%
• Promoted posts increased from 34% to 64%
• Social ads increased from 48% to 58%
UK Paid Advertising Usage
64%
Content
Discovery Tools 24%
Average
Number
Used
4
36%
57%
Print or Other Offline Promotion
44%
Traditional Online
Banner Ads
Social Ads (e.g., Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads)
Native Advertising
(long-form paid content
placement on external sites)
58%
64%
Promoted Posts
(e.g., Facebook promoted posts, promoted Tweets)
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEM AND PROMOTED POSTS
TOP THE LIST
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the paid
advertising methods your
organization uses to
promote/distribute content?
Once again this year, UK marketers say search
engine marketing (SEM) is the most effective paid
method they use to promote/distribute content
(46% last year vs. 56% this year).
Effectiveness ratings increased for all methods
shown here, except for print or other offline
promotion (34% last year vs. 31% this year).
The other methods increased as follows:
• Promoted posts (44% last year vs. 46% this year)
• Social ads (44% last year vs. 50% this year)
• Native advertising (20% last year vs. 24%
this year)
• Traditional online banner ads (23% last year
vs. 33% this year)
50%
Social Ads
(e.g., Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads)
Effectiveness Ratings for UK
Paid Advertising Methods
56%
24%
33%
Traditional Online
Banner Ads
31%
Promoted Posts
(e.g., Facebook promoted posts, promoted Tweets)
Native Advertising
(long-form paid content
placement on external sites)
46%
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Print or Other
Offline Promotion
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
SAY SEM IS
EFFECTIVE
56%
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each paid advertising method as 4
or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Effective” and 1 = “Not at All Effective.”
Note: Content discovery tools does not appear on the paid methods effectiveness
chart due to their low incidence of use.
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which content offers does
your organization ask its
audience to subscribe to?
86% of UK marketers extend at least one
content offer. Nearly all who extend offers
focus primarily on eNewsletters and blogs.
Content Offers UK Marketers
Ask Audience to Subscribe to
5%
12%
8%
Podcasts
Other
Online
Community
Blogs
4%
Print
Magazines
9%
Digital
Magazines
51%
eNewsletters
74%
Video
Series
11%
Do Not
Extend Offers
16%
SAY eNEWSLETTERS
74%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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22
GOALS & METRICS
How important will each
of these content marketing
goals be to your organization
in the next 12 months?
Last year, 91% of UK marketers said engagement
was an important goal. More are focused on sales
this year than they were last year (84% this year
vs. 77% last year).
Organizational Goals for
UK Content Marketing
84%
Sales
Engagement
Brand Awareness
Customer Retention/Loyalty
Lead Nurturing
Lead Generation
Customer Evangelism/
Creating Brand Advocates
Upsell/Cross-sell
83%
81%
78%
75%
75%
66%
58%
SAY SALES IS AN
IMPORTANT GOAL
84%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each
goal a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Important”
and 1 = “Not at All Important.”
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23
GOALS & METRICS
How important are
the following metrics that
your organization uses?
UK marketers rated website traffic, higher
conversion rates, sales, and sales lead quality
most highly in terms of how important they are
to measuring the effectiveness or success of their
organization’s content marketing program.
Important Metrics That
UK Content Marketers Use
81%
Website Traffic
Higher Conversion Rates
Sales
Sales Lead Quantity
Data Capture
Sales Lead Quality
Social Media Sharing
80%
80%
79%
69%
68%
68%
Brand Lift
68%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each goal
a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Important” and
1 = “Not at All Important.”
Note: Additional metrics with importance ratings include:
Subscriber Growth (66%), Customer Renewal Rates (66%),
SEO Ranking (66%), Time Spent on Website (64%), Inbound
Links (64%), Purchase Intent (62%), Qualitative Feedback
from Customers (60%), and Cost Savings (30%).
SAY WEBSITE TRAFFIC
IS AN IMPORTANT
METRIC
81%
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GOALS & METRICS
What is THE MOST
important metric that
your organization uses?
When presented with the same list of metrics
shown on p. 23 of this report—and asked,
“which is the most important metric that
your organization uses”—UK marketers were
equally divided between sales and sales lead
quality.
*Responses with less than 8% include: Sales
Lead Quantity (7%), Brand Lift (6%), SEO Ranking
(3%), Social Media Sharing (3%), Data Capture (3%),
Qualitative Feedback from Customers (3%), Inbound
Links (2%), Purchase Intent (2%), Cost Savings
(1%), Customer Renewal Rates (1%), Time Spent on
Website (1%), and Other (3%).
The Most Important Metric That
UK Content Marketers Use

Sales Lead Quality
Sales
Higher
Conversion
Rates
Website Traffic
Subscriber
Growth
Responses
with less
than 8%*
20%
20%
35%
9%
8%
8%
SAY SALES AND
ANOTHER 20% SAY
SALES LEAD QUALITY
20%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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25
BUDGETS & SPENDING
Approximately what
percentage of your
organization’s total marketing
budget (not including staff) is
spent on content marketing?
UK marketers are spending a higher average
proportion of total marketing budget on content
marketing this year (29% this year vs. 26% last
year). The most effective UK marketers spend 33%
(on average), which is the same percentage they
reported last year.
Percentage of Total Marketing Budget
Spent on UK Content Marketing

Unsure
1%-9%
0%
10%-24%
25%-49%
50%-74%
75%-99%
20%
19%
20%
15%
16%
3%
4%
None
100%
IS THE AVERAGE
29%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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26
BUDGETS & SPENDING
How do you expect
your organization’s content
marketing budget to change
in the next 12 months?
Last year, 64% of UK marketers said they
would increase spending vs. 66% this year.
27%
Remain
the Same
Decrease
Unsure
Increase
66%
1%
4%
UK Content Marketing Spending
(Over Next 12 Months)

SAY THEY WILL
INCREASE SPENDING
66%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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27
CHALLENGES & PRIORITIES
What are your organization’s
top five content marketing
challenges this year?
In terms of producing engaging content, the most
effective UK marketers are less challenged than
the overall sample (49% vs. 61%). The most
effective UK marketers say measuring content
effectiveness is their greatest challenge (61%).
58%
Measuring Content Effectiveness








Top Five Challenges for
UK Content Marketers
61%
49%
40%




Producing Engaging Content
58%
Producing Content Consistently
Measuring the ROI of Content Marketing Program
Producing a Variety of Content
SAY PRODUCING
ENGAGING CONTENT
61%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Other challenges include: Gaps in Knowledge and Skills of Internal
Team (32%), Lack of Budget (26%), Finding/Training Skilled Content Marketing
Professionals/Content Creators (24%), Lack of Integration Across Marketing
(22%), Lack of Buy-In/Vision from Higher-Ups Inside Our Organization (19%),
Understanding/Choosing Technologies Needed (18%), Implementing the
Technology Already in Place (10%), and Other Challenges (4%).
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28
CHALLENGES & PRIORITIES
What are the top five
priorities that your
organization’s internal
content creators will
focus on this year?
When compared with the overall sample, the most
effective UK marketers put creating more engaging
content fourth on their list of priorities (54%).
Their top priority is developing a better
understanding of what content is effective—and
what isn’t (68%), followed by creating visual
content (63%) and finding more/better ways to
repurpose content (61%).
Additionally, when compared with the overall
sample, the most effective UK marketers put more
emphasis on becoming better storytellers, which
is their fifth priority (46%), than on developing a
better understanding of their audience (39%).








Top Five Priorities for
UK Content Creators
67%
46%
70%
Creating More Engaging Content
Better Understanding of What Content
Is Effective — and What Isn’t
Better Understanding
of Audience
53%
Finding More/Better
Ways to Repurpose Content
58%

Creating Visual Content
SAY CREATING MORE
ENGAGING CONTENT
70%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Other priorities include: Becoming Better Storytellers (42%), Content
Optimization (35%), Becoming Stronger Writers (27%), Content Curation (20%),
Content Personalization (20%), and Other Priorities (3%).
COMPARISON CHART
Profile of a Best-in-Class
UK Content Marketer
Chart term definitions: A “best-in-class” content marketer (aka “most effective”) is one who rates his or her organization a 4 or 5 in effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being
“Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at All Effective.” Those who rate their organization a 1 or 2 are “least effective.” The numbers under “average/overall” represent total respondents.
Most
Effective
Average/
Overall
Organization is clear on what an effective or successful content marketing program looks like
88%
54%
Describes organization as sophisticated/mature
78%
32%
Meets daily or weekly to discuss content marketing program
56%
41%
Finds meetings extremely or very valuable
78%
59%
Has a documented content marketing strategy
46%
37%
Has a documented editorial mission statement
49%
32%
Average number of tactics used
14
13
Average number of social media platforms used
7
6
Average number of paid advertising methods used
4
4
Average percentage of total marketing budget spent on content marketing
33%
29%
Plans to increase content marketing budget in next 12 months
63%
66%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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DEMOGRAPHICS
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends was produced by Content Marketing Institute and sponsored by Lionbridge.
The sixth annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers
using lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA), the Business Marketing
Association (BMA), Blackbaud, Industry Week, New Equipment Digest, and WTWH Media.
A total of 3,714 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—completed the survey
during July and August 2015. This report presents the findings from the 133 respondents who said they were for-profit marketers in the UK (65% B2B,
11% B2C, and 24% both B2B+B2C).
Any for-profit North America and Australia data referred to in this report also derive from the sixth annual content marketing survey.
Additional reports based on the annual survey are available at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research. Special thanks to MarketingProfs
for their assistance with the annual survey and the B2B North America and B2C North America reports.
UK Industry
Classification


33%
14%
14%
5%
3%
5%
25%
■
■
Education
Publishing/Media
Other
■

Advertising/Communications/
Marketing/Promotions/PR

Manufacturing
Consulting
■ Technology/IT/Software/
Hardware
■
■
■
Size of UK Company
(by Employees)
UK Content Marketing Roles

31%
39%
12%
18%
■ Small (10-99 Employees)
■ Micro (Fewer than 10 Employees)
■ Midsize (100-999 Employees)
■ Large (1,000+ Employees)
58%
Content Marketing Leader for Overall Program
Writer
Editorial Lead
Website/Technology
Traditional Marketing/
Paid Media
46%
39%
29%
Internal Content Curator
33%
22%
14%
Community
Management
Influencer
Relations
16%
13%
Agency/Freelance
Relations
11%
Audience
Development
8%
Sales
Other
9%
14%
Designer
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Multiple responses permitted.
SPONSORED BY
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ABOUT
Thanks to all the survey respondents and survey distribution partners who made this study possible.
About Content Marketing Institute (CMI)
Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how
to attract and retain customers through compelling, multi-channel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content
marketing-focused event, is held every September in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and the Intelligent Content Conference event is held every spring.
CMI publishes the bi-monthly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of
the best-known brands in the world. CMI is a 2012-2015 Inc. 500/5000 company. Watch this video to learn more about CMI. View all CMI research
at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research.
About Lionbridge
As the world’s largest marketing localization firm, Lionbridge combines language expertise and operational capabilities to enable more than 800
world-leading brands to engage their global customers with the greatest impact. We provide industry-leading translation and localization services, as
well as highly scalable global marketing solutions to fuel customer loyalty, enhance client service, ensure brand messaging, and drive global growth.
By leveraging our global operating model, flexible approach to technology, and deep language and cultural expertise to support global marketing
execution, brands are able to deliver local relevance on a global scale.
SPONSORED BY
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