Content Marketing in the UK 2016 Benchmarks, budgets and trends

Among the many interesting findings this year, we noted that UK marketers are using more content marketing tactics—and 66% say they expect their firm to increase its content marketing budget within the next 12 months; however, overall effectiveness has decreased, and fewer than 40% have a documented content marketing strategy or editorial mission statement. Even though many UK content marketers are seeing great results, others could benefit by taking a “back to basics” approach.
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<p>CONTENT MARKETING 
IN THE
UK 2016
BENCHMARKS, BUDGETS, AND TRENDS
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Welcome .................................................................................................................................................................3
Key Takeaways .....................................................................................................................................................4
■ Section 1: Usage & Effectiveness ................................................................................................................6
■ Section 2: Strategy & Organization ........................................................................................................ 10
■ Section 3: Content Creation & Distribution ......................................................................................... 14
■ Section 4: Goals & Metrics .......................................................................................................................... 22
■ Section 5: Budgets & Spending ................................................................................................................ 25
■ Section 6: Challenges & Priorities ........................................................................................................... 27
■ Comparison Chart: Profile of a Best-in-Class UK Content Marketer .......................................... 29
■ Demographics ................................................................................................................................................ 30
■ About ................................................................................................................................................................. 31
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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WELCOME
Greetings, Content Marketers,
Welcome to Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. This year, 
we look at how UK for-profit marketers (both B2B and B2C) approach content marketing 
compared with last year.
We added questions to the survey this year, which yielded new insights on factors such 
as content marketing maturity levels, frequency and value of content marketing-related 
meetings, and organizational clarity around content marketing effectiveness.
Among the many interesting findings this year, we noted that UK marketers are using 
more content marketing tactics—and 66% say they expect their firm to increase its 
content marketing budget within the next 12 months; however, overall effectiveness 
has decreased, and fewer than 40% have a documented content marketing strategy or 
editorial mission statement. Even though many UK content marketers are seeing great 
results, others could benefit by taking a “back to basics” approach.
For resources to help you with your content marketing, see the last page of this report. 
We’re happy to help.
Yours in content,
Joe
Joe Pulizzi
Founder
Content Marketing Institute
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
The use of many content marketing tactics, social media platforms, and paid methods to 
promote/distribute content increased over last year.
Illustrations/Photos
YouTube
Infographics
Videos
Promoted Posts
12 PERCENTAGE  
POINTS
13 PERCENTAGE  
POINTS
10PERCENTAGE  
POINTS
10PERCENTAGE  
POINTS
30 PERCENTAGE  
POINTS
U
SA
GE
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■  The use of nearly all content marketing tactics increased over last year. The greatest increase was for illustrations/photos, 
which jumped from 63% last year to 75% this year. Videos and infographics both increased by 10 percentage points.
■  The use of nearly all social media platforms increased over last year. The greatest increase was for YouTube, which jumped 
from 68% last year to 81% this year.
■  The use of all paid methods to promote/distribute content increased over last year. The greatest increase was for promoted 
posts, which jumped from 34% last year to 64% this year. 
KEY TAKEAWAYS
■  When asked to identify the most important metric they use to measure content marketing effectiveness or success,  
20% of UK marketers say sales and another 20% say sales lead quality. 
■  UK marketers are spending a higher average proportion of total marketing budget on content marketing this year 
(29% vs. 26% last year). The most effective UK marketers spend 33% (on average), which is the same percentage they 
reported last year.
■ 66% of UK marketers say they expect their organization’s content marketing budget to increase in the next 12 months.
■  The most effective UK marketers say measuring content effectiveness is their top challenge (61%), whereas the overall 
sample says producing engaging content is their top challenge (61%).
■  The most effective UK marketers say the top priority for internal content creators over the next 12 months is developing 
a better understanding of what content is effective—and what isn’t (68%), whereas the overall sample says creating 
more engaging content is their top priority (70%).
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Content Marketing in Australia 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute/ADMA
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USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
Does your organization
use content marketing?
Last year, 85% of respondents said they use 
content marketing.
Content marketing is defined as “a strategic 
marketing approach focused on creating and 
distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent 
content to attract and retain a clearly defined 
audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable 
customer action.” 
89%
Yes
11%
No
Percentage of UK Respondents 
Using Content Marketing
 
SAY YES
89% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
How would you describe  
your organization’s content  
marketing maturity level?
This was a new question this year. In general, 
effectiveness levels are greater among marketers 
with higher levels of content marketing maturity.
Among those who reported being the  
most effective:
• 78% were in the sophisticated/mature phase
• 22% were in the adolescent phase
• 0% were in the young/first steps phase
SAY SOPHISTICATED  
OR MATURE
32% 
SOPHISTICATED
MATURE
ADOLESCENT
FIRST STEPS
YOUNG
Providing accurate measurement to the
business, scaling across the organization
Finding success, yet
challenged with integration
across the organization
Have developed a business case,
seeing early success, becoming more 
sophisticated with measurement and scaling
Growing pains, challenged
with creating a cohesive strategy
and a measurement plan
Doing some aspects of content,
but have not yet begun to make
content marketing a process
9%
14%
23%
30%
23%
How UK Marketers Assess Their  
Content Marketing Maturity Level
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
Overall, how effective  
is your organization  
at content marketing?
Last year, 42% of UK marketers said their 
organizations were effective at content marketing. 
Having a documented content marketing strategy 
helps in this regard: 46% of UK marketers who have 
one say their organizations are effective at content 
marketing.
How UK Marketers Rate the 
Eﬀectiveness of Their Organization’s 
Use of Content Marketing
Very Eﬀective
3%
5
19%
2
Not at All Eﬀective
3%
1
31%
4
39%
3
SAY THEY ARE  
EFFECTIVE
34% 
Note: For this survey, we define effectiveness as “accomplishing your overall 
objectives.” We refer to those who rate their organizations as a 4 or 5 (on a scale of 
1 to 5, with 5 being “Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at All Effective”) as the “most 
effective” or “best-in-class” marketers. The 1s and 2s are considered the “least 
effective,” while the 3s are neutral.
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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Content Marketing in Australia 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute/ADMA
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9
USAGE & EFFECTIVENESS
In your organization,  
is it clear what an effective  
or successful content marketing 
program looks like? 
This was a new question this year. 84% of UK 
marketers whose organizations are in the 
sophisticated/mature phase of content marketing 
say they have clarity (vs. 57% of those in the 
adolescent phase and 27% of those in the  
young/first steps phase).
Percentage of UK Marketers 
Whose Organizations Have Clarity 
on Content Marketing Success
Unsure
15%
No
30%
Yes
54%
SAY YES
54% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization have a 
content marketing strategy?
Last year, 36% of UK marketers said they had a 
documented content marketing strategy, 51% had a 
verbal-only strategy, and 11% had no strategy.
When compared with the overall sample, UK 
marketers who have a documented content 
marketing strategy report higher levels of 
effectiveness with many of the content marketing 
tactics, social media platforms, and paid methods of 
content promotion/distribution that they use.
42%
Yes, but 
it is not 
documented
Unsure
No
Yes,
and it is 
documented
37%
18%
3%
Percentage of UK Marketers Who
Have a Content Marketing Strategy
 
HAVE A DOCUMENTED 
CONTENT MARKETING 
STRATEGY
37% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
Does your organization  
have an editorial mission  
statement for the primary  
audience you target?
This was a new question this year.
Nearly half (49%) of the most effective UK 
marketers have a documented editorial mission 
statement.
61% of those who have a documented content 
marketing strategy also have a documented 
editorial mission statement.
Yes, and it is  
documented
No
Yes, but 
it is not 
documented
27%
32%
36%
Unsure
5%
Percentage of UK Marketers Who
Have an Editorial Mission Statement
 
HAVE A DOCUMENTED 
EDITORIAL MISSION 
STATEMENT
32% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
How often does your  
team meet (either in person  
or virtually) to discuss the  
progress/results of your  
content marketing program?
When compared with the overall sample, 
the most effective UK marketers meet more 
frequently (56% of the most effective UK 
marketers meet daily or weekly).
SAY DAILY  
OR WEEKLY
41% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
How Often UK Marketers 
Meet to Discuss Their 
Content Marketing Program
7%
9%
19%
7%
9%
16%
34%
Monthly
Only when it is necessary
Other
Biweekly
Daily
Weekly
Quarterly
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STRATEGY & ORGANIZATION
How valuable are  
team meetings in helping  
your organization to be  
more effective at  
content marketing?
When compared with the overall sample,  
the most effective UK marketers are extracting 
more value from their content marketing 
meetings (78% of the most effective say 
meetings are valuable).
SAY MEETINGS  
ARE VALUABLE
59% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
How UK Marketers Perceive 
the Value of Internal 
Content Marketing Meetings
24%
30%
35%
5%
7%
Extremely Valuable
Very Valuable
Somewhat Valuable
Not Very Valuable
Not at All  Valuable
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14
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Compared with 2015,  
how much content  
will your organization  
produce in 2016?
Nearly all UK marketers plan to produce more 
content in 2016 vs. 2015, regardless of company 
size, effectiveness, maturity level, or presence  
of a content marketing strategy.
Less
Same Amount
More
88%
11%
1%
Unsure
None
Expected Change in 
UK Content Creation
(2015 vs. 2016)
 
SAY THEY WILL  
PRODUCE MORE
88% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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15
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which content marketing  
tactics does your  
organization use?
Last year, UK marketers used an average of 12 
content marketing tactics. Their use of all the 
tactics shown on the accompanying chart has 
increased over last year, except for eNewsletters 
and articles on your website, which dipped  
very slightly.
Social media content (other than blogs) is once 
again the most often used tactic (89% last year  
vs. 94% this year).
The greatest increases in use over last year  
were for:
•  Illustrations/photos (63% last year vs. 75%  
this year)
• Videos (73% last year vs. 83% this year)
• Infographics (61% last year vs. 71% this year)
Note:  Fewer than 50% of UK marketers said they use the following tactics: Research 
Reports (48%), Webinars/Webcasts (43%), Microsites/Separate Website Hubs (39%), 
Branded Content Tools (38%), eBooks (38%), Print Magazines (35%), Books (32%), Digital 
Magazines (29%), Mobile Apps (27%), Podcasts (25%), Print Newsletters (19%), Virtual 
Conferences (19%), and Games/Gamification (13%).
UK Content Marketing Tactic Usage
Social Media Content – other than blogs
eNewsletters
Videos
Case Studies
Blogs
In-Person Events
Infographics
94%
87%
84%
83%
82%
74%
71%
63%
52%
Average 
Number
Used
13
Illustrations/Photos
75%
Articles on Your Website
79%
Online Presentations
White Papers
USE SOCIAL MEDIA  
CONTENT
94% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the tactics 
your organization uses?
Of the content marketing tactics they use, the 
accompanying chart shows the 10 that UK 
marketers say are most effective.
Two tactics that appeared on this chart last year 
(webinars/webcasts and infographics) have been 
replaced by two tactics whose effectiveness ratings 
have increased (research reports and branded 
content tools). To summarize:
•  Research reports increased from 51% last year  
to 63% this year
•  Branded content tools increased from 44%  
last year to 60% this year
•  Webinars/webcasts decreased from 60% last  
year to 49% this year
•  Infographics decreased from 55% last year to  
52% this year
Each of the other tactics shown on the chart either 
increased slightly or decreased slightly.
Eﬀectiveness Ratings for UK 
Content Marketing Tactics
Blogs
Case Studies
69%
69%
67%
Social Media Content – other than blogs
In-Person Events
66%
Research Reports
63%
Branded Content Tools
60%
Articles on Your Website
58%
White Papers
57%
Videos
56%
eNewsletters
54%
SAY BLOGS AND  
IN-PERSON EVENTS  
ARE EFFECTIVE
69% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each content type as 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale 
where 5 = “Very Effective” and 1 = “Not at All Effective.”
Note: Additional content marketing tactics with effectiveness ratings include the following: 
Infographics (52%), Microsites/Separate Website Hubs (50%), eBooks (49%), Webinars/Webcasts 
(49%), Illustrations/Photos (48%), Online Presentations (45%), and Print Magazines (32%). 
Additional tactics may not appear here due to their low incidence of use.
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17
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which social media platforms 
does your organization  
use to distribute content?
Like last year, UK marketers use an average of 
six social media platforms. LinkedIn is still the 
platform they use the most (96% last year vs.  
93% this year).
Usage of all of the other four platforms shown  
on the accompanying chart increased over last 
year. The greatest increase was for YouTube  
(68% last year vs. 81% this year).
UK Content Marketing 
Social Media Platform Usage
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube
93%
92%
81%
Facebook
78%
Google+
74%
Average 
Number 
Used
6
USE LINKEDIN
93% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Fewer than 50% of UK marketers said they  
use the following social media platforms: SlideShare (49%),  
Instagram (39%), Pinterest (36%), Vimeo (32%), Vine (15%), iTunes (14%), 
Tumblr (12%), SnapChat (6%), Periscope (5%), and Medium (3%). 
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the  
social media platforms  
your organization uses?
This chart shows how UK marketers rate the five 
social media platforms they use most often in 
terms of effectiveness.
Like last year, UK marketers say Twitter is the 
most effective social media platform; however, 
the percentage who said it is effective decreased 
this year (75% last year vs. 69% this year). The 
effectiveness ratings for all of the other platforms 
shown on the chart decreased very slightly over 
last year as well, except for Facebook.
The effectiveness rating for Facebook increased 
from 29% last year to 37% this year.
Eﬀectiveness Ratings for 
UK Content Marketing 
Social Media Platforms
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
69%
58%
47%
Facebook
37%
Google+ 18%
SAY TWITTER 
IS EFFECTIVE
69% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each social media platform  
as 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Effective” and 1 = “Not at All Effective.”
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which paid advertising  
methods does your  
organization use to  
promote/distribute content?
Use of each of the paid methods to promote/
distribute content shown on the accompanying 
chart increased over last year (last year, the 
average number used was three).
Last year, search engine marketing (SEM) and print 
or other offline promotion tied for the top spot on 
this list (at 54%).
Promoted posts are now being used as often as 
SEM, and the use of social ads increased by 10 
percentage points.
To summarize the greatest increases:
• SEM increased from 54% to 64%
• Promoted posts increased from 34% to 64%
• Social ads increased from 48% to 58%
UK Paid Advertising Usage
64%
Content 
Discovery Tools 24%
Average 
Number 
Used
4
36%
57%
Print or Other Oﬀline Promotion
44%
Traditional Online 
Banner Ads
Social Ads (e.g., Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads)
Native Advertising
(long-form paid content 
placement on external sites)
58%
64%
Promoted Posts 
(e.g., Facebook promoted posts, promoted Tweets)
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEM AND PROMOTED POSTS  
TOP THE LIST
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
How effective are the paid  
advertising methods your  
organization uses to  
promote/distribute content?
Once again this year, UK marketers say search 
engine marketing (SEM) is the most effective paid 
method they use to promote/distribute content 
(46% last year vs. 56% this year).
Effectiveness ratings increased for all methods 
shown here, except for print or other offline 
promotion (34% last year vs. 31% this year).  
The other methods increased as follows:
• Promoted posts (44% last year vs. 46% this year)
• Social ads (44% last year vs. 50% this year)
•  Native advertising (20% last year vs. 24%  
this year)
•  Traditional online banner ads (23% last year  
vs. 33% this year)
50%
Social Ads 
(e.g., Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads)
Eﬀectiveness Ratings for UK 
Paid Advertising Methods
56%
24%
33%
Traditional Online
Banner Ads
31%
Promoted Posts 
(e.g., Facebook promoted posts, promoted Tweets)
Native Advertising
(long-form paid content 
placement on external sites)
46%
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Print or Other 
Oﬀline Promotion
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
SAY SEM IS  
EFFECTIVE
56% 
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each paid advertising method as 4 
or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Effective” and 1 = “Not at All Effective.”
Note: Content discovery tools does not appear on the paid methods effectiveness 
chart due to their low incidence of use.
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21
CONTENT CREATION & DISTRIBUTION
Which content offers does  
your organization ask its  
audience to subscribe to?
86% of UK marketers extend at least one 
content offer. Nearly all who extend offers 
focus primarily on eNewsletters and blogs.
Content Oﬀers UK Marketers 
Ask Audience to Subscribe to
5%
12%
8%
Podcasts
Other
Online
Community
Blogs
4%
Print
Magazines
9%
Digital
Magazines
51%
eNewsletters
74%
Video
Series
11%
Do Not
Extend Oﬀers
16%
SAY eNEWSLETTERS
74% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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22
GOALS & METRICS
How important will each  
of these content marketing  
goals be to your organization  
in the next 12 months?
Last year, 91% of UK marketers said engagement 
was an important goal. More are focused on sales 
this year than they were last year (84% this year  
vs. 77% last year).
Organizational Goals for 
UK Content Marketing
84%
Sales
Engagement
Brand Awareness
Customer Retention/Loyalty
Lead Nurturing
Lead Generation
Customer Evangelism/
Creating Brand Advocates
Upsell/Cross-sell
83%
81%
78%
75%
75%
66%
58%
SAY SALES IS AN  
IMPORTANT GOAL
84% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each 
goal a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Important” 
and 1 = “Not at All Important.”
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23
GOALS & METRICS
How important are  
the following metrics that  
your organization uses?
UK marketers rated website traffic, higher 
conversion rates, sales, and sales lead quality 
most highly in terms of how important they are 
to measuring the effectiveness or success of their 
organization’s content marketing program.
Important Metrics That 
UK Content Marketers Use
81%
Website Traﬀic
Higher Conversion Rates
Sales
Sales Lead Quantity
Data Capture
Sales Lead Quality
Social Media Sharing
80%
80%
79%
69%
68%
68%
Brand Lift
68%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Percentages comprise marketers who rated each goal 
a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = “Very Important” and  
1 = “Not at All Important.”
Note: Additional metrics with importance ratings include: 
Subscriber Growth (66%), Customer Renewal Rates (66%), 
SEO Ranking (66%), Time Spent on Website (64%), Inbound 
Links (64%), Purchase Intent (62%), Qualitative Feedback 
from Customers (60%), and Cost Savings (30%).
SAY WEBSITE TRAFFIC  
IS AN IMPORTANT  
METRIC
81% 
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24
GOALS & METRICS
What is THE MOST  
important metric that  
your organization uses?
When presented with the same list of metrics 
shown on p. 23 of this report—and asked, 
“which is the most important metric that 
your organization uses”—UK marketers were 
equally divided between sales and sales lead 
quality.
*Responses with less than 8% include: Sales 
Lead Quantity (7%), Brand Lift (6%), SEO Ranking 
(3%), Social Media Sharing (3%), Data Capture (3%), 
Qualitative Feedback from Customers (3%), Inbound 
Links (2%), Purchase Intent (2%), Cost Savings 
(1%), Customer Renewal Rates (1%), Time Spent on 
Website (1%), and Other (3%).
The Most Important Metric That 
UK Content Marketers Use
 
Sales Lead Quality
Sales
Higher 
Conversion
Rates
Website Traﬀic
Subscriber
Growth
Responses 
with less 
than 8%*
20%
20%
35%
9%
8%
8%
SAY SALES AND  
ANOTHER 20% SAY 
SALES LEAD QUALITY
20% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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25
BUDGETS & SPENDING
Approximately what  
percentage of your  
organization’s total marketing 
budget (not including staff) is 
spent on content marketing?
UK marketers are spending a higher average 
proportion of total marketing budget on content 
marketing this year (29% this year vs. 26% last 
year). The most effective UK marketers spend 33% 
(on average), which is the same percentage they 
reported last year.
Percentage of Total Marketing Budget
Spent on UK Content Marketing
 
Unsure
1%-9%
0%
10%-24%
25%-49%
50%-74%
75%-99%
20%
19%
20%
15%
16%
3%
4%
None
100%
IS THE AVERAGE
29% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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26
BUDGETS & SPENDING
How do you expect  
your organization’s content  
marketing budget to change  
in the next 12 months?
Last year, 64% of UK marketers said they 
would increase spending vs. 66% this year.
27%
Remain
the Same
Decrease
Unsure
Increase
66%
1%
4%
UK Content Marketing Spending 
(Over Next 12 Months)  
 
SAY THEY WILL  
INCREASE SPENDING
66% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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27
CHALLENGES & PRIORITIES
What are your organization’s  
top five content marketing  
challenges this year?
In terms of producing engaging content, the most 
effective UK marketers are less challenged than  
the overall sample (49% vs. 61%). The most  
effective UK marketers say measuring content 
effectiveness is their greatest challenge (61%).
58%
Measuring Content Eﬀectiveness
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Top Five Challenges for 
UK Content Marketers
61%
49%
40%
 
 
 
 
Producing Engaging Content
58%
Producing Content Consistently
Measuring the ROI of Content Marketing Program
Producing a Variety of Content
SAY PRODUCING 
ENGAGING CONTENT
61% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Other challenges include: Gaps in Knowledge and Skills of Internal 
Team (32%), Lack of Budget (26%), Finding/Training Skilled Content Marketing 
Professionals/Content Creators (24%), Lack of Integration Across Marketing 
(22%), Lack of Buy-In/Vision from Higher-Ups Inside Our Organization (19%), 
Understanding/Choosing Technologies Needed (18%), Implementing the 
Technology Already in Place (10%), and Other Challenges (4%).
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28
CHALLENGES & PRIORITIES
What are the top five 
 priorities that your  
organization’s internal  
content creators will  
focus on this year?
When compared with the overall sample, the most 
effective UK marketers put creating more engaging 
content fourth on their list of priorities (54%).  
Their top priority is developing a better 
understanding of what content is effective—and 
what isn’t (68%), followed by creating visual 
content (63%) and finding more/better ways to 
repurpose content (61%).
Additionally, when compared with the overall 
sample, the most effective UK marketers put more 
emphasis on becoming better storytellers, which 
is their fifth priority (46%), than on developing a 
better understanding of their audience (39%).
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Top Five Priorities for
UK Content Creators
67%
46%
70%
Creating More Engaging Content
Better Understanding of What Content 
Is Eﬀective — and What Isn’t
Better Understanding
of Audience
53%
Finding More/Better 
Ways to Repurpose Content
58%
 
Creating Visual Content
SAY CREATING MORE  
ENGAGING CONTENT
70% 
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Other priorities include: Becoming Better Storytellers (42%), Content 
Optimization (35%), Becoming Stronger Writers (27%), Content Curation (20%), 
Content Personalization (20%), and Other Priorities (3%).
COMPARISON CHART
Profile of a Best-in-Class  
UK Content Marketer
Chart term definitions: A “best-in-class” content marketer (aka “most effective”) is one who rates his or her organization a 4 or 5 in effectiveness on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being 
“Very Effective” and 1 being “Not at All Effective.” Those who rate their organization a 1 or 2 are “least effective.” The numbers under “average/overall” represent total respondents.
Most  
Effective
Average/ 
Overall
Organization is clear on what an effective or successful content marketing program looks like
88%
54%
Describes organization as sophisticated/mature
78%
32%
Meets daily or weekly to discuss content marketing program
56%
41%
Finds meetings extremely or very valuable
78%
59%
Has a documented content marketing strategy
46%
37%
Has a documented editorial mission statement
49%
32%
Average number of tactics used
14
13
Average number of social media platforms used
7
6
Average number of paid advertising methods used
4
4
Average percentage of total marketing budget spent on content marketing
33%
29%
Plans to increase content marketing budget in next 12 months
63%
66%
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
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DEMOGRAPHICS
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends was produced by Content Marketing Institute and sponsored by Lionbridge.
The sixth annual content marketing survey, from which the results of this report were generated, was mailed electronically to a sample of marketers 
using lists from Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA), the Business Marketing 
Association (BMA), Blackbaud, Industry Week, New Equipment Digest, and WTWH Media.
A total of 3,714 recipients from around the globe—representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes—completed the survey 
during July and August 2015. This report presents the findings from the 133 respondents who said they were for-profit marketers in the UK (65% B2B, 
11% B2C, and 24% both B2B+B2C).
Any for-profit North America and Australia data referred to in this report also derive from the sixth annual content marketing survey.
Additional reports based on the annual survey are available at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research. Special thanks to MarketingProfs  
for their assistance with the annual survey and the B2B North America and B2C North America reports.
UK Industry 
Classification
 
 
33%
14%
14%
5%
3%
5%
25%
■
■
Education
Publishing/Media
Other
■
 
 Advertising/Communications/
Marketing/Promotions/PR
 
Manufacturing
Consulting
■ Technology/IT/Software/
Hardware
■
■
■
Size of UK Company
(by Employees)
UK Content Marketing Roles 
 
31%
39%
12%
18%
■ Small (10-99 Employees)
■ Micro (Fewer than 10 Employees)
■ Midsize (100-999 Employees)
■ Large (1,000+ Employees)
58%
Content Marketing Leader for Overall Program
Writer
Editorial Lead
Website/Technology
Traditional Marketing/
Paid Media
46%
39%
29%
Internal Content Curator
33%
22%
14%
Community 
Management
Influencer
Relations
16%
13%
Agency/Freelance 
Relations
11%
Audience
Development
8%
Sales
Other
9%
14%
Designer
Content Marketing in the UK 2016: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Content Marketing Institute
Note: Multiple responses permitted.
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ABOUT
Thanks to all the survey respondents and survey distribution partners who made this study possible.
About Content Marketing Institute (CMI)
Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching 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 Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and the Intelligent Content Conference event is held every spring. 
CMI publishes the bi-monthly 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 2012-2015 Inc. 500/5000 company. Watch this video to learn more about CMI. View all CMI research 
at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/research.
About Lionbridge
As the world’s largest marketing localization firm, Lionbridge combines language expertise and operational capabilities to enable more than 800 
world-leading brands to engage their global customers with the greatest impact.  We provide industry-leading translation and localization services, as 
well as highly scalable global marketing solutions to fuel customer loyalty, enhance client service, ensure brand messaging, and drive global growth.  
By leveraging our global operating model, flexible approach to technology, and deep language and cultural expertise to support global marketing 
execution, brands are able to deliver local relevance on a global scale.
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