Content Marketing Statistics for 2026: ROI Benchmarks, Budget Trends, Content Formats, AI Adoption, B2B Performance, and Channel Effectiveness

In 2026, content marketing has arrived at a defining inflection point. The channel is simultaneously more proven and more pressured than at any prior period. Ninety-three percent of marketers using content marketing say it performs notably better than traditional outbound advertising. Content marketing costs 62% less than outbound and generates leads six times more likely to convert. Businesses that blog consistently see thirteen times more positive ROI than those that do not. And website, blog, and SEO remains the single highest-ROI marketing channel for B2B brands according to the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026, cited by more marketers than paid social, email, or events combined.

Yet confidence is fragile. The CMI and MarketingProfs 16th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey, fielded June to August 2025 with 1,015 B2B marketers sponsored by Storyblok, found that teams winning in 2026 are not primarily competing on AI tool adoption or volume. They are building stronger muscles in marketing fundamentals — audience understanding, content quality, measurement discipline — and then using AI to amplify those foundations. The headlining finding: 58% of B2B marketers still rate their content strategy as only moderately effective. Half cite a lack of clear goals. Only one in three has a scalable content creation model.

The investment picture is nonetheless strongly positive. 88.2% of businesses expect content marketing budgets to grow or stay the same in 2025, up from 54.5% in 2024. 11.4% of content marketers now plan to spend over USD 45,000 per month, nearly triple the 4.1% who planned that level of investment in 2024. AI for content optimization and AI for content creation both entered CMI’s budget investment list in 2025, with 40% and 39% of B2B marketers respectively planning increased investment in each. And 68% of marketing leaders report positive ROI from their investment in AI tools, according to CMI December 2024 research.

This article compiles more than 60 content marketing statistics drawn from the CMI and MarketingProfs 16th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey: Insights for 2026 (1,015 B2B marketers, June–August 2025, sponsored by Storyblok), the CMI and MarketingProfs 15th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey: Outlook for 2025 (980 B2B marketers, June–August 2024, sponsored by The MX Group), the CMI Enterprise Research Report: Outlook for 2025 (310 enterprise marketers, 1,000-plus employees), the Siege Media and Wynter 2025 State of Content Marketing Report, the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026, the Wyzowl State of Video Marketing 2026, the Semrush Content Marketing Statistics 2025, and Orbit Media 2024 Annual Blogging Survey, all published within the last two years.

Scope and Methodology

Includes only publicly available content marketing statistics relevant for 2026.
Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry reports.
Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.

Key Content Marketing Statistics for 2026

93% of marketers using content marketing report that it performs notably better than traditional branded content and outbound advertising, based on Billo research cited in a 2025 content marketing statistics analysis at Taboola.
Content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing and generates leads that are six times more likely to convert, based on DemandMetric research cited across multiple 2025 content marketing statistics compilations including Semrush.
Website, blog, and SEO was the top marketing channel driving ROI for B2B brands in 2024 and 2025, followed by paid social media content and social media shopping tools, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026 published at HubSpot.
Businesses that blog consistently see 13 times more positive ROI than those that do not, based on HubSpot research cited in a 2025 content marketing ROI statistics compilation at Genesys Growth.
88.2% of businesses expect content marketing budgets to grow or stay the same in 2025, up from 54.5% in 2024, based on the Siege Media and Wynter 2025 State of Content Marketing Report published at Siege Media.
11.4% of content marketers plan to spend over USD 45,000 per month on content marketing in 2025, up from 4.1% in 2024, representing a 178% increase in the share of high-spending content marketers, based on the Siege Media and Wynter 2025 State of Content Marketing Report published at Siege Media.
58% of B2B marketers rate their content marketing strategy as only moderately effective, and only 28% rate it as extremely or very effective, based on the CMI and MarketingProfs 15th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey: Outlook for 2025, fielded June–August 2024 with 980 B2B respondents and sponsored by The MX Group, published at Content Marketing Institute.
The top challenge for B2B content marketers in 2025 shifted from generating leads and measuring ROI in 2024 to getting content to rank and meeting user search intent, based on the Siege Media and Wynter 2025 State of Content Marketing Report published at Siege Media.
68% of marketing leaders report a positive ROI on their investment in AI tools for content marketing, based on Content Marketing Institute research published December 2024, cited at Taboola.
90% of top-performing marketing organizations consistently measure their content performance, compared to significantly lower rates among average and below-average performers, based on Clearscope research cited in a 2025 content marketing ROI compilation at Genesys Growth.
76% of content marketers use AI to draft content copy, and 77% of marketers agree that AI helps them create better, more personalized content, based on Insider Intelligence and HubSpot data cited at Semrush.
51% of small businesses report no additional content creation costs because they use AI tools, making AI the primary cost-reduction mechanism for content marketing at small-business scale, based on Semrush data cited in a 2025 content marketing statistics analysis at SeoProfy.

B2B Content Marketing Statistics

The CMI and MarketingProfs 16th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey: Insights for 2026 was fielded June 24 to August 14, 2025, drawing 1,229 global responses with 1,015 B2B marketers analyzed, sponsored by Storyblok, representing the most current annual B2B content marketing study available, published at Content Marketing Institute.
Teams winning in B2B content marketing in 2026 are building stronger muscles in marketing fundamentals and then letting AI amplify those efforts, rather than primarily competing on AI tool adoption or publishing volume, based on the CMI and MarketingProfs 16th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey published at Content Marketing Institute.
46% of B2B marketers anticipate their content marketing budgets to increase in 2025 compared with 2024, while 41% expect budgets to stay the same and 8% expect them to decrease, based on the CMI and MarketingProfs 15th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey published at Content Marketing Institute.
61% of B2B marketers think their organization will increase investment in video content in 2025, making video the most cited planned investment area, followed by thought leadership content at 52%, AI for content optimization at 40%, and AI for content creation at 39%, based on the CMI and MarketingProfs 15th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey published at Content Marketing Institute.
76% of B2B companies have a dedicated content marketing team, but 54% of those teams are small, comprising just two to five people, based on the CMI and MarketingProfs 15th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey published at Content Marketing Institute.
Only one-third of B2B marketers report having a scalable model for content creation, and 42% of those who do not have one cite vague objectives as a major barrier, based on the CMI and MarketingProfs 15th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey cited at School of Marketing.
73% of B2B marketers say content marketing, particularly blogs and white papers, is the most effective strategy for boosting leads and sales, based on Firework data cited in a 2025 content marketing statistics overview at Siege Media.
58% of B2B marketers reported an increase in sales and revenue attributable to content marketing, and 29% rate their overall content marketing efforts as extremely or very successful, based on Content Marketing Institute research cited at Taboola.
The most popular non-creation challenge for enterprise marketers is communicating across organizational silos at 61%, followed by lack of resources at 56%, measuring results at 54%, and aligning content with the buyer’s journey at 50%, based on the CMI Enterprise Research Report: Outlook for 2025 covering 310 enterprise marketers with 1,000-plus employees, published at Content Marketing Institute.
Only 28% of enterprise marketers say their content strategy is extremely or very effective, with 61% calling it moderately effective, based on the CMI Enterprise Research Report: Outlook for 2025 covering 310 enterprise marketers, published at Content Marketing Institute.

Content Format Performance Statistics

Short-form video is the most popular content format used by marketers in 2025 at 60%, followed by long-form video at 38% and blog posts at 38%, with blog posts rising from fourth to third most popular format year-over-year, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026 published at HubSpot.
Short-form video is the highest-ROI content format overall, and blog posts are among the top five highest-ROI content formats cited by 22.26% of marketers in 2025, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026 published at HubSpot.
Blog posts are among the top five content formats marketers plan to invest most in for 2026, following short-form video, live video, long-form video, and user-generated content, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026 published at HubSpot.
Small businesses are 23% more likely than average to see ROI from blog posts, and businesses that publish blog posts average 55% more visitors than those that do not, based on the HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026 and HubSpot blogging data published at HubSpot.
How-to articles are the most popular type of content published by 74% of marketers, followed by roundups at 28%, infographics at 25%, original research at 25%, and interviews at 24%, based on the Orbit Media 2024 Annual Blogging Survey data cited at SeoProfy.
Interactive content such as polls, quizzes, and interactive infographics generates 53% more engagement than static content, and 44.4% of those leveraging interactive content report a mildly or very successful strategy compared to 39.9% of those who do not use interactives, based on Siege Media and Wynter data and Kapost research cited at Siege Media and Intero Digital.
The most popular B2B content types in 2024 were short articles at 94% adoption, videos at 84%, and case studies at 78%, with case studies and videos tied as the formats producing the best results for B2B marketers at 53% each, based on CMI and MarketingProfs data cited at Intero Digital.
29% of marketers incorporated audio content in their strategy in 2024, while only 3% of content marketers leverage podcasts despite approximately 505 million worldwide podcast listeners, and 61% of Gen Z report visiting a company’s website after hearing a podcast advertisement, based on Backlinko and Edison Research data cited at Semrush.

Video Content Marketing Statistics

84% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, 95% of marketers highlight the importance of video in their overall content marketing strategy, and 91% of content marketers use video as a marketing tool in 2025, based on Wyzowl and Semrush data cited at SeoProfy and Taboola.
92% of video marketers report that video has helped them improve users’ understanding of their products or services, and 89% of customers say they want to see more video content from brands, based on Wyzowl State of Video Marketing 2026 data cited at Intero Digital and Semrush.
48% of marketers reported creating video for ads in 2025, up from 43% in 2024, and 41% have spent money on video ads in 2025, up 5% from 2024, based on Wyzowl State of Video Marketing 2026 data cited at HubSpot.
Global video advertising exceeded USD 190 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed USD 200 billion in 2025, while video ad spending is projected to reach over USD 236 billion in 2026 and more than USD 268 billion by 2029, based on Wix Blog and Statista data cited at HubSpot.
54% of enterprise marketers expect their organization to increase investment in video in 2025, down from 67% the prior year, while 39% plan increased investment in AI for content optimization and 37% in AI for content creation, based on the CMI Enterprise Research Report: Outlook for 2025 published at Content Marketing Institute.
Short-form video drives the highest ROI for B2B video marketers at 41%, followed by brand storytelling at 38% and testimonials at 34%, based on Sprout Social 2025 social media statistics cited at Sprout Social.

AI Adoption in Content Marketing Statistics

72% of B2B marketers say they use generative AI tools in their content marketing, but 61% say their organization lacks guidelines for its use, with the most common AI applications being ideation at 51%, headline and keyword research at 45%, and drafting content at 45%, based on the CMI and MarketingProfs 14th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey: Outlook for 2024 fielded July 2023, published at Content Marketing Institute.
68% of businesses see an increase in content marketing ROI thanks to using AI tools, and for 66% of businesses using AI, traffic is one of the key performance metrics confirming improvement, based on Semrush data cited at Semrush.
Marketers who use AI for content creation spend less than one hour writing a long-form blog post, compared to two to three hours for non-AI users, with 76% of content marketers using AI to draft content copy, based on Semrush research cited at Semrush.
36% of marketers use AI chatbots for various day-to-day content marketing tasks, 31% use AI to create short-form videos, and 18% use it to produce long-form videos, based on HubSpot and Semrush data cited at Semrush.
49% of marketers use AI to generate email copy, and email marketing teams that use AI reduce their campaign build time from two weeks to under one week on average, based on HubSpot and Litmus data cited at Semrush.
AI-generated content takes approximately one to two months to begin ranking in search engines, reflecting that Google’s quality signals evaluate patterns across a period rather than assessing individual pieces at publication, based on data cited in a 2025 content marketing statistics analysis at SeoProfy.
52% of businesses plan to try AI video generators and 53% want to try AI image generators as part of their 2025 content production workflows, reflecting AI’s rapid expansion beyond text into visual content creation, based on Semrush data cited at Semrush.

Lead Generation and Conversion Statistics

Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing per dollar spent, making it the highest lead-generation ROI channel on a cost-adjusted basis, based on DemandMetric research cited at Semrush.
70% of marketers would rate their content-generated leads as high quality, and over 41% of marketers measure the success of their content marketing strategy primarily through sales outcomes, based on data cited at Taboola.
Email marketing for B2C brands achieves a 2.8% conversion rate and a 2.4% conversion rate for B2B brands, and 66% of B2B marketers used email marketing in 2024, with 73% using email newsletters specifically, based on FirstPageSage and CMI data cited at HubSpot.
44% of marketers say email produces the best results as a content distribution channel, and 71% of marketers rely on email engagement as a key metric to evaluate content performance, second only to conversions at 73%, based on CMI data cited at Taboola.
Companies that blog attract 55% more website visitors than those that do not, and companies with 51 to 100 blog posts see 77% more organic traffic than those with 25 or fewer posts, based on HubSpot blogging data cited at HubSpot and SeoProfy.
94% of personalization efforts lead to increased sales, and 26% of marketers report that segmentation and personalization are the most effective strategies in paid social media content, based on HubSpot and Salesforce research cited at Taboola and HubSpot.

Budget and Investment Statistics

The average business invests between 25% and 30% of its total marketing budget in content marketing, with B2B companies allocating 8.4% of revenue to marketing overall and B2C companies allocating 5.7%, based on WebFX and Cloud Analysts data cited at Taboola and Genesys Growth.
58% of companies from different industries invest between USD 5,000 and USD 10,000 per month in content marketing, and 66.5% of content marketing specialists say they are unsure how to properly allocate their resources, based on SeoProfy 2025 content marketing statistics published at SeoProfy.
39% of enterprise marketers expect content marketing budgets to increase in 2025, while 41% expect them to stay the same and 14% expect a decrease, with thought leadership investment increases cited by 47% of enterprises, based on the CMI Enterprise Research Report: Outlook for 2025 published at Content Marketing Institute.
Mid-market companies should allocate around 16% of their revenue to marketing according to the Keen Decision Systems 2025 Marketing Report analyzing USD 7.5 billion in media spend across 350-plus brands, published at Keen Decision Systems.
A 13% year-over-year drop in high-spending content marketers investing USD 35,000 or more per month in high-competition industries indicates that industry competition is less of a factor in content marketing investment decisions in 2025 than in prior years, based on the Siege Media and Wynter 2025 State of Content Marketing Report published at Siege Media.
62.8% of content marketers reported organic traffic growth between 2024 and 2025, with overall confidence in content marketing strategy down 2.3% year-over-year despite increased budgets, reflecting a gap between investment and strategic clarity, based on the Siege Media and Wynter 2025 State of Content Marketing Report published at Siege Media.

Regional or Geographic Statistics

North America accounts for the majority of CMI and MarketingProfs survey respondents, with the 16th Annual B2B Content Marketing Survey drawing 1,229 global responses with the majority from North America, and the 15th annual survey drawing 1,186 global responses with 980 B2B respondents predominantly from North America, based on methodology published at Content Marketing Institute.
63% of consumers prefer to find information about brands and products on mobile devices, and over 60% of all global web traffic comes from mobile, making mobile-first content optimization the default requirement for all global content strategies, based on HubSpot State of Consumer Trends 2024 and Statista data published at HubSpot.
Social media and community building is the primary area of B2C content marketing investment globally, while B2B marketers prioritize thought leadership and becoming a trusted industry resource, based on the Semrush 2024 Content Marketing Statistics report published at Semrush.
Nearly 80% of small business owners and marketers write content themselves, while 17% hire in-house writers and 14% work with freelancers, with this self-production model concentrated in North America and Western Europe where individual operator businesses form a large share of the market, based on Semrush data cited at SeoProfy.
Global video advertising is the fastest-growing content marketing investment category across all major markets, with video ad spend exceeding USD 190 billion in 2024 and projected to surpass USD 236 billion in 2026, based on Wix Blog and Statista data cited at HubSpot.

References

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