60 Content Marketing Statistics You Can’t Ignore in 2026

Picture this: It’s Monday morning, coffee in hand, and your team’s staring at a blank content calendar. The pressure’s on—your competitors are everywhere, the algorithms are changing (again), and your CEO wants to know why last quarter’s blog posts didn’t “go viral.” Sound familiar? Welcome to content marketing in 2026, where the only thing moving faster than the news cycle is the evolution of digital marketing itself.

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to rely on gut instinct or last year’s best guesses. The latest content marketing statistics are packed with insights that can help you outsmart the competition, justify your budget, and finally answer the age-old question, “Is this even working?” In fact, global content marketing revenue is projected to hit a staggering , and companies that leverage customer data and content insights are . So, if you’re ready to swap guesswork for growth, let’s dive into the 60 most important content marketing statistics for 2026.

The Top 10 Content Marketing Statistics for 2026

If you’re in a hurry (or just want some quotable ammo for your next strategy meeting), here are the ten stats that every marketer, business leader, and content creator should know:

Global content marketing revenue is projected to hit by 2026.
say content marketing is now a core business strategy.
Content marketing generates about .
Short-form video is the #1 content format in 2024, delivering the best ROI among marketing trends (), and ).
, and 57% of businesses plan to invest more in online video.
, and 66% of data-driven businesses outperform competitors in profitability.
, and 85% say generative AI will change how they produce content.
Over a third of marketing leaders (33%+) say .
.
, with North America leading at 94% adoption.

These numbers aren’t just impressive—they’re a wake-up call. Content marketing isn’t a “nice to have” anymore; it’s the backbone of modern marketing strategy.

Content Marketing Industry: Growth and Investment Trends

Let’s talk about the money. Content marketing isn’t just growing—it’s exploding. Marketers across every industry are doubling down, and the numbers show why.

Content Marketing Spend and ROI

Global content marketing revenue is on track to exceed .
54% of businesses planned to increase their content marketing budget in 2024 ().
58% of B2B marketers say their content marketing efforts directly increased sales/revenue in 2023 ().
41% of marketers report content marketing now delivers higher ROI than any other channel ().
Content marketing produces ).
The average ROI for content marketing in 2025 was about .
Average cost per lead via content has dropped ~19% year-over-year ().

I’ve seen this firsthand: when you invest in content that’s actually useful, it keeps working for you long after the ad budget runs out.

Adoption Rates Across Industries

91% of companies globally use content marketing in some form ().
81% of marketers consider it a core strategy ().
North America leads with 94% adoption; Asia-Pacific is catching up at 83% (up 13% in the last year) ().
Enterprise-level organizations (1,000+ employees) have a 97% content marketing adoption rate ().
B2B: 93% adoption; B2C: 87% adoption ().
78% of small businesses utilize content marketing ().

The bottom line? No matter your industry or company size, content marketing is now table stakes.

Content Formats: What’s Working in 2026

Content marketing is no longer just about blogs and whitepapers. The formats that win in 2026 are visual, interactive, and—let’s be honest—sometimes just plain fun.

Video Content Marketing Statistics

Short-form video is the top-performing content format for marketers ().
50% of marketers now leverage video in their strategy ().
24% planned to invest more in video than any other format in 2023–24 ().
89–91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool ().
93% of video marketers say video gives them a positive ROI ().
Short-form videos (TikTok, YouTube Shorts) boast ~5.8% engagement rates ().
90% of marketers using short-form video plan to increase or maintain their investment next year ().
Optimal length for marketing videos: under 3 minutes; 96% agree videos should stay under 10 minutes ().
Webinars and live streams have seen 11,000% growth over the past decade in B2B ().

I’ve noticed that even in the SaaS and automation space, a quick, punchy video often outperforms a 2,000-word product update. (And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good cat cameo in a product demo?)

Blogging and Written Content

53% of marketers still say blogging is their top content marketing priority ().
Companies with blogs produce 67% more leads per month than non-blogging companies ().
Active blogs get 434% more indexed pages in search and 97% more inbound links ().
Average blog post length: 1,416 words (up from ~1,000 a few years ago) ().
Only 27% of readers consume blog content thoroughly—73% admit to skimming ().
Blogs with at least one image get 94% more views than text-only posts ().
Articles that incorporate video generate 70% more organic traffic ().
44% of bloggers publish new content 3–6 times per month ().
83% of marketers say it’s better to post less often but with higher-quality content ().

And yes, AI is shaking up the written word:

19% of businesses said AI content-generation tools have helped their content strategy ().
44% of marketers report using AI to draft articles or summarize content ().
Only ~4% of marketers fully trust AI’s output without review ().

Visual and Interactive Content

Visual content is 43% more persuasive than content that’s purely text ().
People following instructions with text and illustrations do 323% better than those following text-only instructions ().
30% of marketers regularly share infographics as part of their content mix ().
Interactive content generates 2× the engagement of static content ().
User-generated content sees on average 20% higher engagement on social posts ().

The lesson? If you want your content to stick, make it visual, interactive, and—when in doubt—add a meme.

Content Distribution and Promotion: Maximizing Reach

Great content is wasted if nobody sees it. In 2026, distribution is as strategic as creation.

84% of B2B marketers and even more B2C marketers use social media to share and promote content ().
Short-form video dominates social content, delivering the highest ROI ().
Average TikTok user spends 23.6 hours per month on the app ().
51% of marketers worked with influencers or creators on social media in the last year ().
Micro-influencers (10k–100k followers) deliver ~$6.40 per $1 ROI, the highest among influencer tiers ().
78% of content marketers use paid channels to distribute content ().
LinkedIn articles get 7× more views than short social posts on the platform ().
Facebook is used by 64% of marketers and is rated the platform with the best social media ROI overall ().
WhatsApp is emerging as a marketing channel, with 50 million businesses using it and an open rate of ~58% ().
26% of marketers planned to use TikTok for the first time in 2023 ().

Email and Newsletter Content

Email marketing delivers an average .
Over 4.5 billion people worldwide use email in 2025 ().
60% of consumers prefer to be contacted by brands through email above other channels ().
88% of users check their inbox at least daily ().
Segmented campaigns see 30% higher open rates and 50% higher click rates ().
Personalized emails deliver 6x higher transaction rates ().
Automated emails generate 320% more revenue than standard one-off emails ().

I’ve always loved email for its directness—there’s no algorithm standing between you and your audience. Plus, who doesn’t like a good newsletter pun?

Content Marketing Strategy: Planning, Measurement, and Success

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. In 2026, the best marketers are obsessed with KPIs, repurposing, and multichannel distribution.

Content Repurposing and Multichannel Strategies

Marketers who actively repurpose content report a 32% improvement in content ROI ().
37–48% of content marketers say "not enough content repurposing" is a challenge ().
Almost 70% of B2C marketers use at least 3 or more channels to distribute each piece of content ().
70% of B2C marketers used paid content promotion in 2024, up from 63% in 2023 ().

Pro tip: Plan for repurposing at the ideation stage. That way, your next webinar can become a blog post, a dozen LinkedIn posts, and a TikTok dance (okay, maybe not the dance—unless your brand is really fun).

AI and Automation in Content Marketing

AI isn’t coming for your job—it’s coming for your repetitive tasks. In 2026, the most effective content marketers are using AI and automation to scale, personalize, and analyze their content.

AI Content Creation and Personalization

95% of B2B marketers say their organizations now use AI-powered tools in some capacity ().
85% of marketers agreed that generative AI would change how they create content ().
62% of marketers use AI to brainstorm topics or generate ideas ().
40%+ use AI to write initial drafts or sections of content ().
53% rely on AI to summarize or repurpose content ().
77% of marketers agree AI helps personalize content and results in better outcomes ().
78% of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that personalize content ().
87% of marketers say productivity has improved due to AI, and 58% say content quality improved ().

I’ll admit, I use AI for brainstorming and outlining all the time—it’s like having a super-fast, slightly nerdy intern who never needs coffee breaks.

Marketing Automation and Content Workflows

Automated email campaigns produce 320% more revenue than one-off, manual campaigns ().
38% of marketers use social media automation tools for content scheduling, posting, and analysis ().
80% of marketers say operational efficiency has improved thanks to AI and automation ().
Only about 26% of B2B marketers feel they have the right technology to manage content across the organization ().

Automation is your friend—unless you’re trying to automate your way out of writing thank-you notes. (Trust me, AI still can’t fake your signature.)

Content Marketing Challenges and Opportunities

It’s not all sunshine and viral videos. Here’s what’s keeping marketers up at night—and where the biggest opportunities lie.

Common Content Marketing Challenges

Creating content that truly engages and prompts action is the #1 challenge, cited by 55% of B2B marketers ().
42% say creating content consistently is a top challenge ().
33% struggle with measuring content effectiveness and ROI ().
39% point to resource constraints (time, people, budget) as a key challenge ().
23% of marketers find aligning content with the buyer’s journey a challenge ().
Only 26% of B2B marketers strongly feel they have the right technology to manage content across the organization ().

Emerging Opportunities in Content Marketing

Podcasts and audio content: Only 3% of content marketers currently leverage podcasts regularly, but 64% of podcast listeners pay full attention to podcast ads ().
Personalization: 94% of marketers believe personalization of content is critical to success ().
Community-based content marketing: 60% of non-profits now use content to drive awareness/donations, an all-time high ().
Interactive content: Not many brands are doing it well yet, so those who create truly engaging interactive experiences can stand out.
Refreshing old content: When marketers systematically updated old content, 53% saw an increase in engagement ().
Co-marketing and collaborative content: Partnering with other brands or influencers can expand reach and credibility.

Content Marketing and the Customer Journey

Content marketing isn’t just about getting clicks—it’s about guiding your audience from “Who are you?” to “Take my money!” (and then, ideally, “I’m telling all my friends about you.”)

Lead Generation and Nurturing

87% of B2B marketers say content marketing has increased brand awareness in the past year ().
Companies that blog get 67% more leads monthly than those that don’t ().
74% of marketers said content marketing helped generate not just leads, but also demand among those who weren’t actively looking ().
62% of marketers say content marketing has helped nurture subscribers/audiences or leads ().
67% of B2B buyers consume at least 5 pieces of content before engaging sales ().

Customer Retention and Loyalty

52% of marketers say content marketing has helped grow loyalty with existing clients/customers ().
Brands that consistently educate their customers see higher retention—a 5% increase in retention can boost profits 25–95% (Bain & Co.).
49% of marketers say content marketing helped generate sales/revenue from existing customers ().
66% of the most successful content marketers say content has helped increase loyalty among customers ().
9% of marketers noted content marketing reduced customer support costs in the last year ().

Content Marketing Tools for 2026

If you want to supercharge your content marketing with data-driven insights, try , the easiest AI web scraper for marketers. Thunderbit lets you extract data from any website, analyze trends, and fuel your content strategy with real numbers—no coding required. Export to Excel, Google Sheets, Airtable, or Notion in just a few clicks.

Global and Demographic Content Marketing Statistics

Content marketing is global, but it’s not one-size-fits-all. Here’s how adoption and preferences break down by region and demographic.

Regional Content Marketing Trends

North America: 94% of marketers use content marketing in their strategy ().
Europe: Content hub strategies have grown by 38% ().
Asia-Pacific: 13% year-over-year increase in content marketing adoption, now at 83% ().
APAC content spend growing ~15% YoY, faster than NA or EU ().
42% of global brands now create region-specific content as part of their strategy ().

Generational and Demographic Insights

Gen Z: 59% use short-form video apps to discover things, then watch longer versions if interested (). 95% of American teens use YouTube regularly.
Millennials: 75% regularly watch online video content for how-to tutorials ().
Gen X: Facebook is very popular; content targeting Gen X does well there ().
Boomers: 73% of U.S. adults 65+ use the internet now ().
Gender and platform: Pinterest skews female, Reddit skews male; tailor content accordingly.

Key Takeaways: What the 2026 Content Marketing Data Means for You

Whew, that’s a lot of numbers. Here’s what it all boils down to (and what I’d tell any marketer, founder, or content creator over coffee):

Content marketing is essential, not optional. If you’re not investing, you’re falling behind.
Video and short-form content are ROI superstars. If you haven’t started, now’s the time.
Data-driven decisions outperform guesswork. Track what matters, double down on what works, and don’t be afraid to pivot.
Quality > quantity. Publish less, but make it count.
Personalization is the new standard. Use segmentation and AI to deliver content that feels tailor-made.
AI and automation are force multipliers. Use them to scale, but keep the human touch.
Distribution is as important as creation. Spend as much time promoting as you do producing.
Trust and audience experience are everything. Help, don’t just sell.
Stay agile. The only constant is change—keep learning, experimenting, and iterating.

And remember: Behind every stat is a real person. If you keep their needs at the center of your strategy, you’ll be in great shape for 2026 and beyond.

Sources and Further Reading

Want to dig deeper? Here are some of the best resources for content marketing statistics, trends, and strategy:

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For ongoing insights, I recommend following , ), and the annual “State of Content Marketing” reports from Semrush and others.

Ready to put these stats to work? Share this post with your team, bookmark it for your next strategy session, and let’s make 2026 the year your content doesn’t just compete—it leads.

Try Thunderbit AI Web Scraper for Data-Driven Content Marketing