New Research Shows UK Marketers Confident About Their Content Marketing Effectiveness

CLEVELAND, Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

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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."

Content Marketing in the UK: 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends 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.

About Content Marketing Institute:
Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization. CMI teaches 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 the USA, and Content Marketing World Sydney, every March. CMI also produces the quarterly 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 and 2013 Inc. 500 company.

About the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) UK:
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is Europe's largest professional body representing the direct marketing industry. We have a large in-house team of specialists offering everything from free legal advice and government lobbying on direct marketing issues to research papers and best practices.

As well as being at the forefront of developments in digital and direct marketing, we continue to lead the way in traditional direct channels. That's why the DMA is such a great platform for sharing expertise and DMA membership is synonymous with better business.
http://www.dma.org.uk/content/welcome-direct-marketing-association

SOURCE Content Marketing Institute