In-house content creation is set to grow, satisfying the intent to produce even more marketing content, according to new research.
The survey, commissioned by digital asset management specialist Canto and undertaken by Sapio Research, analysed responses of decision-makers spanning marketing departments from SME to enterprise and blue chip.
Content matters
The research identified that content creation will grow in significance in 2020 – up 9% on average – as it increases from 32% to 35% of total annual marketing spend.
In companies with over 100 employees the proportion of budget dedicated to content creation next year is due to rise further from 38% to 42%; an increase of over 10%.
In-house production on the rise
The research also found the gap between in-house and outsourced content creation looks set to widen.
Around a third of respondents (32%) said they currently create more content in-house than they did a year ago, while on the other hand, 23% said they outsource more of their marketing content creation.
But next year 36% of marketing teams plan to create more content in-house with outsourcing only set to rise for 18% of organisations. The remainder plan to insource and outsource content creation at about the same levels.
This trend is magnified in companies with over 100 employees. Of these, about half (49%) of marketing teams plan to insource more of their marketing content creation.
ROI remains a focus
Over half of respondents (51%) said they intend to make better use of market or audience research in order to improve their ROI in 2020.
The other most popular planned improvements to increase the ROI of marketing activity are:
• By using better technology (42% of respondents)
• By repurposing existing content (37%)
• By implementing better measurement (34%)
• By reducing spend on agencies (29%)
However, barriers exist to repurposing content. 71% cited experience of not knowing content already existed within their organisation with teams not being good at sharing content internally. More than three quarters (80%) believe that content is difficult to find and can sometimes be buried within their business.
Mike Paxton, Head of UK Business Development at Canto said: “Our research shows that the need for high quality content is only growing in significance as brands continue to battle to boost awareness and reputation in crowded markets. What is clear is that higher content output must demonstrate value for organisations and this is one of the main reasons for the upward trend of insourced production.
“In order to maximise the value of content, it needs to be stored, shared and discoverable in a user-friendly way that’s instantly accessible to all internal team members and external agency partners.”
The research covered a wide-range of organisations’ marketing plans and a cross-section of budgets. One in five businesses surveyed have an annual marketing budget of more than £250,000, with 8% commanding a budget surpassing £1 million.
Further insights can be found in Canto’s 2020 Content Trends Report, accessible here: https://www.canto.com/info/content-trends-report-2020/