UK marketers rate themselves more highly in terms of effectiveness when compared with North American and Australian marketers, according to new research.
The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and the Direct Marketing Association UK (DMA) have released the findings from a survey that shows how for-profit companies in the UK use content marketing.
Of the 88 percent of respondents who said they use content marketing, 48 percent say they are effective at content marketing, compared with 41 percent of North American marketers and 33 percent of Australian marketers.
In addition, 76 percent of UK marketers are producing more content than they did one year ago. UK marketers say social media content (other than blogs) is the content marketing tactic they use most frequently and that Twitter is the social media platform they use most often.
Furthermore, they rate in-person events as the most effective tactic they use and LinkedIn the most effective social media platform they use.
“UK marketers embraced content marketing early on, so we are pleased to see that the years of experience have yielded confidence in how they are executing,” says Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute and author of Epic Content Marketing. “On the other hand, only 42% of UK marketers have a documented content strategy, with another 10% saying they are unsure whether they have a strategy. We encourage those marketers to meet with others in their companies to address the issue, as those who have a documented content strategy are, in most cases, more effective in all areas of content marketing.”
“The proliferation of online channels means that marketers must focus on developing new ways of connecting with consumers via these platforms that capture and hold their attention,” says Chris Combemale, executive director, UK DMA. “Content marketing is proving to be an effective strategy for brands to raise their profile, engage with people, and create a meaningful and rewarding customer experience in this multi-channel environment. Confidence among UK marketers in the value of content marketing is growing stronger and it looks set for this trend to continue.”
was produced by Content Marketing Institute in partnership with the Direct Marketing Association UK (DMA). The survey was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers from lists provided by Content Marketing Institute, Direct Marketing Association UK, MarketingProfs, and Brightcove. A total of 198 UK organizations responded in July and August 2013, representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and organization sizes.
The full report can be downloaded here.