BY Rachel Cagle
Last year, about 67% of local businesses engaged in content marketing, according to the 2022 Content Marketing Study by Borrell Associates. What began for many as a way to promote their businesses amid the pandemic has become a marketing tactic they believe in and plan on sticking with in the future. Why should you care? Well, first of all, this gives you a chance to promote your content marketing services to your local business clients. Second, did you know that local businesses that utilize content marketing advertise across more media channels than those that don’t? Opportunities abound!
Local Businesses and Content Marketing
In 2022, 42% of local businesses plan on prioritizing content marketing, according to Borrell. And that’s in addition to the 38% who declared the same thing in 2021. These businesses believe that content marketing helps them:
- Better tell their organization’s story and connect with consumers using more meaningful content: 34%
- Stay competitive and grow their business: 24%
The best part: “Local businesses told us they needed help with creation and distribution,” says Borrell. “They are mainly focused on getting their stories in front of the right people – and that is working. However, seeing as ad spending on creation and distribution has increased by nearly $20 billion in two years, one would need to assume it is working just fine.”
The Ad Media These Businesses are Using
According to Borrell, 54% of local businesses that use content marketing say that their mix of digital and non-digital ads is appropriate for their goals. The average number of advertising media they buy is:
- Digital: 4.8
- Non-Digital: 4
Overall, that’s almost twice as much as the 4.5 average media types non-content marketers buy.
So, what types of digital and non-digital ad media are local businesses buying?
Digital
The top digital content marketing media types that local businesses use are:
- Newsletters: 23%
- Informative Online Videos: 16%
- Blogs: 14%
- Sponsored Content/Segments: 12%
- Case Studies and Testimonials: 9%
Keep in mind that their spending includes the money they invested to develop, design and distribute each media type.
Along with digital ads, local businesses that use content marketing are also more likely to purchase several digital services than non-content marketers, including:
- Search Engine Optimization
- Online Video Production
- Email Marketing
- Customer Retention Marketing
- Social Media Management
- Reputation Management
- Listings Claiming
- Mobile App Development
Traditional
The top traditional content marketing media types that local businesses purchase are:
- Brochures and Flyers: 36%
- Articles/Business Profiles: 21%
- Infomercials: 1%
Keep in mind that their spending includes the money they invested to develop, design and distribute each media type.
The range of traditional media types expands when paired with digital. According to Borrell, local businesses are more likely to purchase online elements when offered:
- Magazine: 31%
- Print (other): 28%
- Cable TV: 28%
- Broadcast TV: 22%
- Radio: 22%
- Newspaper: 7%
Social
Local businesses that utilize content marketing are also more likely to be active on a wider range of social media channels. Borrell says they’re more active on:
- YouTube
- Yelp
- Snapchat
- TikTok
Which Content Marketing Ad Media Types Should Your Client be Using?
While knowing the average media uses among local businesses is useful, it’s not always as effective for everyone. So, how do you know which content marketing and ad media types your client should be using? Easy: Check out their target audience’s profile on AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel. There, you’ll see which types of advertising caused the largest percentages of these consumers to take action within the last year, as well as their attitudes toward different types of content marketing. Once you know that, you can set up a strategy meeting with confidence.
Photo by Tim Mossholder