The pandemic caused B2C content marketers to greatly change tactics last year, according to B2C Content Marketing: Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends,” a study by the Content Marketing Institute and MarketigProfs.  

Almost all the respondents made quick shifts. And 80% say they made effective changes, with 38% strongly agreeing with that sentiment.  

Moreover, 84% say some of the changes they made will remain in effect for the foreseeable future, and 36% strongly assent. 

Of the companies polled, 63% changed their targeting and messaging strategy, 56% adjusted their editorial calendar, 37% changed their website and 34% reexamined their customer journey.  

In addition, 26% increased time talking with customers, 20% altered their products/services and 23% adjusted their key performance indicators. Another 18% revisited customer/buyer personas and 13% changed their content marketing metrics.  

While 50% did not change their content spending in 2020, 33% reduced it. Only 17% increased their spend. 

What’s more, 30% shifted advertising dollars to content marketing.  

The types of content they created in the last 12 months include: 

• Blog posts/short articles—83% 

• Email newsletter—74% 

• Video (pre-produced)—62% 

• Infographics/charts/photos—39% 

• In-person tweets—37%  

• Video (livestreaming content)—35% 

• E-book/guides—29% 

• Case studies—24%  

• Long-form text (e.g., articles 3,00-words—22%  

The top three content distribution channels are social media platforms (82%), their company website/blog (79%) and email (76%).  

Among the tools they use in their content marketing:  

• Keyword research for search engine optimization—73% 

• Shared docs to collect/track ideas (e.g., Google Docs, Excel)—60% 

• Editorial calendar—58% 

• Persons (e.g., buyer, customer, audience—48% 

• Writing readability tools (e.g., Grammarly, Hemingway Editor)—37% 

• Ideation/collaboration/project management platforms—34% 

• Fact-checking procedures/tools—22% 

• Other—8% 

This year, content marketers expect to invest in: 

• Content creation—61% 

• Social media management/community building—54% 

• Website enhancements—53% 

• Content distribution (organic, nonpaid)—43% 

• Customer experience—40% 

• Getting to know audiences better (e.g., personas, social listening, research)—36% 

• Content distribution—paid—31% 

• Events (digital, n-person, hybrid)—30% 

• Earned media (PR/media/influencer relations)—27% 

• Content marketing-related technologies—25% 

• Staffing/human resources—18% 

• Other—2%

In terms of content marketing maturity, 24% rate as young, 28% as adolescent, 28% as mature and only 11% as sophisticated. Another are making their first steps.

The Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs surveyed 1,707 marketers worldwide.