As more and more people continue to realize that having original content for their sites, social media accounts and all other marketing platforms; a growing percentage of marketing budgets is being spent on content. According to a new survey, the estimated budgets for new, original content has gone from about 12.6% of all marketing investment just two years ago to 23.3% today. This is expected to continue to climb, with some experts predicting that one third of marketing money will go toward content by 2017.
Andy Seibert, who is a managing partner at Imprint and chairman of The Content Council, commented on this in a report where he said, “With new social media channels, the rise of video and an ever evolving digital landscape, we’re excited to see the world of content adapting and growing.”
This makes a good point that when people are talking about original content creation, it is far more than just written information. Content creation also involves video creation, animations, infographics and much more. Of course, written content is still a major factor and is expected to continue to be one of the primary methods used by marketers.
Despite the increased budgets for content, the actual content creators are reporting that it is difficult to produce the high level work that is needed. About 64% of those surveyed said that ‘engaging consumers’ with the content they produce is the biggest problem. This may be because many content creators work in a variety of industries rather than specializing in one where they could build the experience needed to relate well with the actual consumers.
Whatever the case, it is important that marketers are able to get the high quality content that they need on a regular basis, and they will need to plan their budgets around this fact. If they don’t spend in this area, they will almost certainly be left with sub-par content that their customers won’t respond to.
