Content marketing is the top tactic for the majority of brands, and 24% are planning to increase digital spend in 2019, according to a new study published by Ascend2.
With just two months of the calendar year left, marketers are now evaluating their current budgets, strategies and campaigns. Content marketing has been incredibly successful for brands in 2018 as 58% said that it was their best tactic, putting it ahead of SEO (50%), email marketing (47%) and social and search ads (34%).
It is no surprise then that the vast majority of marketers are ready to double down on content creation and other digital activities next year. Almost two-thirds say that they will increase their spend in this area to a certain degree, while 24% will pump significantly more into digital to boost engagement, brand awareness and sales.
Various recent studies have highlighted struggles with data and metrics, and this trend was evident again as almost half admitted that they are still struggling to measure results effectively. It follows findings from the CMO Report 2018, which showed that just a quarter are confident about determining ROI.
To improve these efforts, marketers will invest in cutting-edge tech, including new attribution tools, in 2019. While challenges remain, marketers believe that high-quality editorial content will play a central role in serving up the personalised and relevant materials that consumers crave while driving business value.
A separate report from Accenture noted that brands are rewarded when they get to know their audience and provide content that is tailored for them.
