Marketing statistics
Content Marketing Statistics 2026
This page collects current figures on content marketing results, AI use, content formats, distribution channels, challenges and budgets, each linked to the original survey or study. Most data come from 2025 and 2026 surveys of B2B and B2C marketers by Content Marketing Institute, HubSpot and Orbit Media, plus Ahrefs' analysis of new web pages. Survey samples differ, so compare directions rather than exact levels.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 2, 2026 · Next review by December 17, 2026
54 of 54 source quotes re-checked against the original pages on November 3, 2026
- Figures
- 54
- Primary sources
- 5
- Official or research
- 0%
- Charts
- 5
Key takeaways
- 12%Only 12% of B2B marketers said their marketing was highly effective and exceeded goals, and 31% described their results as mixed.Content Marketing Institute
- 14%Only 14% of content marketers said their blog delivers strong results in 2026, six points below the previous low in 12 years of the survey.Orbit Media Studios
- 95%95% of B2B marketers said their organizations use AI-powered applications in 2025.Content Marketing Institute
- 87%87% of B2B marketers said AI improved productivity, but only 39% said it improved content performance.Content Marketing Institute
- 74.2%74.2% of 900,000 newly created web pages analyzed by Ahrefs in April 2025 contained AI-generated content.Ahrefs
- 48.6%48.6% of marketers ranked short-form video among the formats with the highest ROI in 2026, well ahead of long-form video at 28.6%.HubSpot
Research overview
What the numbers say
Content marketing is close to universal, but strong results are not. Content Marketing Institute found 97% of B2B marketers have a content strategy and 59% rate their marketing as at least somewhat effective, yet only 12% say they exceeded their goals. Orbit Media's 2026 blogger survey is starker: just 14% report strong results from their blog, the lowest figure in the survey's history, and 18% cannot say whether their blog works at all.
AI has spread faster than any previous content tool. 95% of B2B marketers say their organizations use AI applications, 86.4% of marketing teams in HubSpot's sample use it in at least a few areas, and Ahrefs found AI text on 74.2% of new web pages. The reported gains are mostly about speed: 87% of CMI's respondents say productivity improved, but only 58% say content quality improved and 39% say performance did. Orbit Media's data show AI users and non-users equally likely to report strong results.
Format and channel data point the same way across sources. Video is rated the most effective B2B content type by CMI respondents, and short-form video tops HubSpot's ROI ranking at 48.6%. LinkedIn is the dominant B2B platform: 68% of B2B marketers increased their use of it, and 76% rate it effective for thought leadership. Meanwhile, blog posts are getting shorter (1,312 words on average) and quicker to write, as many teams cut back on research, collaboration and editing that still correlate with results.
Pressure on content teams is rising. 83.5% of marketers say AI has raised expectations for content volume, 73% say their budgets face more scrutiny, and measuring ROI is the most cited challenge. Budgets are expected to grow, with 79.2% of HubSpot respondents expecting an increase, but CMI's B2B respondents rank AI tools first for new investment and staff training last, at 9%.
01
Content marketing results and effectiveness
Chart
How B2B marketers rate their marketing effectiveness, last 12 months
Share of 1,015 B2B marketers surveyed June to August 2025.
Source Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Highly effective | 12% |
| Somewhat effective | 47% |
| Neutral | 31% |
| Somewhat ineffective | 7% |
| Highly ineffective | 3% |
- 159%59%
59% of B2B marketers rated their marketing as at least somewhat effective over the previous 12 months, while 12% said it was highly effective.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 212%12%
Only 12% of B2B marketers said their marketing was highly effective and exceeded goals, and 31% described their results as mixed.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 365%65%
Among effective B2B teams, 65% credited content relevance and quality for their results, and 53% credited team skills.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 413%13%
Of the 97% of B2B marketers with a content strategy, 13% said its effectiveness improved significantly over the year and 48% said it improved somewhat.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 574%74%
Of B2B marketers whose content strategy improved, 74% pointed to strategy refinement as the driver, compared with 51% who credited new technology.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 614%14%
Only 14% of content marketers said their blog delivers strong results in 2026, six points below the previous low in 12 years of the survey.
IndustryOrbit Media StudiosBlogging Statistics 2026: What 1,042 Content Marketers Told Us About What WorksSep 2026
- 718%18%
18% of content marketers said they do not know whether their blog delivers results, up from a historical range of 9% to 14%.
IndustryOrbit Media StudiosBlogging Statistics 2026: What 1,042 Content Marketers Told Us About What WorksSep 2026
- 887%87%
87% of B2B marketers said content marketing helped them build brand awareness in the prior 12 months, and 74% said it generated demand or leads.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
- 922%22%
22% of B2B marketers described their content marketing as extremely or very successful in 2024, while 54% reported moderate success.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
What these figures suggest
Most B2B marketers say their content programs work at least somewhat, but few describe them as highly effective. CMI found 59% rate their efforts as effective while only 12% exceeded goals, and Orbit Media's blogger survey shows the share reporting strong results at a 13-year low. Measurement is part of the problem: a growing share of content marketers cannot say whether their work delivers results at all.
02
AI adoption among content marketers
Chart
What B2B marketers say AI has improved
Share of B2B marketers using AI who said each area improved.
Source Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Productivity | 87% |
| Operational efficiency | 80% |
| Creative capabilities | 65% |
| Content quality | 58% |
| Content performance | 39% |
- 1095%95%
95% of B2B marketers said their organizations use AI-powered applications in 2025.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 1189%89%
89% of B2B marketers using AI apply it to content creation tools for written copy, and 53% use it for images and video.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 1287%87%
87% of B2B marketers said AI improved productivity, but only 39% said it improved content performance.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 1312%12%
12% of B2B marketers said the quality of their content decreased after using AI, while 58% said quality improved.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 1428%28%
28% of B2B marketers said they experiment with AI agents, and 3% said agents are core to their strategy.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 1586.4%86.4%
86.4% of marketing teams said they use AI in at least a few marketing areas in 2026, and only 1.7% neither use it nor plan to.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 1642.5%42.5%
42.5% of marketers said they use AI extensively for content creation, the most common extensive use in HubSpot's survey.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 1726.5%26.5%
26.5% of marketers said AI significantly increased their productivity, and 66.2% said it raised productivity slightly or moderately.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 1892.4%92.4%
92.4% of bloggers surveyed by Orbit Media used AI for blogging in 2026.
IndustryOrbit Media StudiosBlogging Statistics 2026: What 1,042 Content Marketers Told Us About What WorksSep 2026
- 194%4%
Only 4% of B2B marketers reported a high level of trust in generative AI output, while 67% reported medium trust.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
What these figures suggest
AI use is close to universal among marketers, but most teams are still early in how they apply it. CMI found 95% of B2B organizations use AI applications while 68% describe their approach as exploratory or developing. Productivity gains are widely reported, while improvements in content quality and performance are much less common.
03
AI-generated content on the web
Chart
Share of new web pages by amount of AI-generated content, April 2025
Ahrefs analysis of 900,000 English-language pages, one per domain.
Source Ahrefs, 74% of New Webpages Include AI Content (Study of 900k Pages)
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Pure human | 25.8% |
| Mix of AI and human | 71.7% |
| Pure AI | 2.5% |
- 2074.2%74.2%
74.2% of 900,000 newly created web pages analyzed by Ahrefs in April 2025 contained AI-generated content.
IndustryAhrefs74% of New Webpages Include AI Content (Study of 900k Pages)May 2025
- 212.5%2.5%
Only 2.5% of new web pages were categorized as pure AI content, while 25.8% were pure human and 71.7% were a mix.
IndustryAhrefs74% of New Webpages Include AI Content (Study of 900k Pages)May 2025
- 2287%87%
87% of 879 content marketers surveyed by Ahrefs said they used AI to create or help create content.
IndustryAhrefs74% of New Webpages Include AI Content (Study of 900k Pages)May 2025
- 2362.7%62.7%
62.7% of marketers believe more unique, human-centered content is needed to compete with AI content.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 2483.5%83.5%
83.5% of marketers said they are expected to produce more content because of AI, and 35.7% are expected to produce much more.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
What these figures suggest
Ahrefs' crawl data show AI text is now part of most new web pages, though usually mixed with human writing. Pages written entirely by AI are rare, which matches survey data showing marketers mostly use AI as a drafting aid. Marketers themselves see a need for content that reads as clearly human.
04
Content formats, length and effort
Chart
Content formats marketers rank among their top ROI drivers, 2026
Share of 1,500+ global marketers.
Source HubSpot, 2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global Marketers
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Short-form video | 48.6% |
| Long-form video | 28.6% |
| Live-streaming video | 25.1% |
| User-generated content | 24% |
| Blog posts | 22.3% |
- 2576%76%
76% of B2B marketers used videos in 2024 and 75% used case studies, while short articles or posts remained the most used type at 92%.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
- 2658%58%
B2B marketers rated videos the most effective content type at 58%, ahead of case studies at 53%.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
- 2748.6%48.6%
48.6% of marketers ranked short-form video among the formats with the highest ROI in 2026, well ahead of long-form video at 28.6%.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 281,3121,312
The average blog post was 1,312 words in 2026, down from a peak of 1,427 words in 2023.
IndustryOrbit Media StudiosBlogging Statistics 2026: What 1,042 Content Marketers Told Us About What WorksSep 2026
- 293 hours, 20 minutes3 hours, 20 minutes
Bloggers spent an average of 3 hours and 20 minutes writing a post in 2026, down from a peak of 4 hours 10 minutes in 2022.
IndustryOrbit Media StudiosBlogging Statistics 2026: What 1,042 Content Marketers Told Us About What WorksSep 2026
- 307%7%
Only 7% of bloggers collaborate with influencers, down from 25% in 2017, even though those who do beat the results benchmark by 2.6 times.
IndustryOrbit Media StudiosBlogging Statistics 2026: What 1,042 Content Marketers Told Us About What WorksSep 2026
- 3150 hours50 hours
Orbit Media estimates the average content marketer now spends 50 fewer hours a year writing than in 2022, while strong results fell from 26% to 14%.
IndustryOrbit Media StudiosBlogging Statistics 2026: What 1,042 Content Marketers Told Us About What WorksSep 2026
What these figures suggest
Short articles remain the most used B2B content type, but video is rated the most effective and short-form video leads ROI rankings. Blog posts are getting shorter and faster to write, which coincides with lower reported results. Orbit Media's data suggest the extra effort many teams have cut still correlates with performance.
05
Distribution channels and platforms
- 3284%84%
84% of B2B marketers used blogs on corporate websites to distribute content in 2024, and 71% used email newsletters.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
- 3368%68%
68% of B2B marketers increased their use of LinkedIn over the previous 12 months.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
- 3470%70%
Instagram is used by 70% of brands in 2026, passing Facebook at 69.6% for the first time.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 3549.4%49.4%
49.4% of marketing teams reuse the same content across platforms, while 39.5% tailor content for each platform.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 3621.2%21.2%
Only 21.2% of brands said they use influencer marketing, 23.6% of B2C brands compared with 18.6% of B2B brands.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
What these figures suggest
LinkedIn dominates B2B content distribution, both as the platform marketers value most and the one they rate highest for thought leadership. Across B2B and B2C, HubSpot found Instagram has passed Facebook as the most used platform. Owned channels such as blogs and newsletters stay near universal in B2B.
06
Thought leadership, personalization and search
- 3796%96%
96% of B2B marketers said their organization creates thought leadership content.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 3837%37%
37% of B2B marketers said fewer than 5% of their employees with specialized expertise contribute to thought leadership.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 3976%76%
76% of B2B marketers named LinkedIn as one of the most effective channels for publishing thought leadership, ahead of email newsletters at 54%.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 4059%59%
89% of B2B marketers said their organizations personalize content, but 59% described their personalization as basic.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 4112.6%12.6%
Only 12.6% of brands use hyper-personalization such as behavior-based messaging or product recommendations.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 4240.6%40.6%
40.6% of marketers named updating SEO for search changes as one of the top trends they are acting on in 2026.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 4370.2%70.2%
70.2% of marketers believe they can adapt their strategy to changes in organic search such as AI overviews.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
What these figures suggest
Thought leadership and personalization are nearly universal in name but shallow in practice. Most B2B programs draw on very few internal experts, and most personalization stops at one or two channels. On search, marketers are adjusting to AI overviews, and most feel able to adapt.
07
Challenges and measurement
- 4440%40%
40% of B2B marketers named creating content that prompts a desired action, such as conversion, as a top challenge.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 4533%33%
Measuring marketing ROI was the top challenge for marketers in 2026, cited by 33% of respondents.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 4673%73%
73% of marketers said their budget receives more scrutiny now than in the past.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 4725.7%25.7%
25.7% of marketers said their workload increased significantly over the past year, and 47.4% said it increased moderately.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 4826%26%
Only 26% of B2B marketers said their organization has the right technology to manage content, down from 31% the year before.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
- 4954%54%
Lack of resources was the most cited non-creation challenge for B2B marketers, named by 54%.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
What these figures suggest
Proving results is the most persistent problem in content marketing. Measuring ROI is HubSpot's top reported challenge, and a third of CMI's B2B respondents struggle to measure content effectiveness. Workloads and budget scrutiny are both rising, which raises the cost of weak measurement.
08
Budgets and investment plans
Chart
Where B2B marketers plan to increase investment in 2026
Respondents chose up to three areas; selected categories shown.
Source Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| AI-powered marketing tools | 45% |
| Events and experiential | 33% |
| Owned media | 32% |
| Paid media | 25% |
| Content personalization | 24% |
| Tech infrastructure | 21% |
| Social/earned media | 20% |
| Human resources | 9% |
- 5045%45%
45% of B2B marketers plan to increase investment in AI-powered marketing tools in 2026, the most cited area.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 519%9%
Only 9% of B2B marketers plan to increase investment in human resources such as salaries, training and development in 2026.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026Oct 2025
- 5279.2%79.2%
79.2% of marketing teams expect at least a slight budget increase in 2026, and 21.2% expect a significant increase.
IndustryHubSpot2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global MarketersApr 2026
- 5346%46%
46% of B2B marketers with budget knowledge expected their content marketing budget to rise in 2025, while 8% expected a decrease.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
- 5461%61%
61% of B2B marketers expected their organization to increase investment in video in 2025.
IndustryContent Marketing InstituteB2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and TrendsOct 2024
What these figures suggest
Budgets are expected to grow, and AI is first in line for new money. CMI's B2B respondents put AI tools at the top of 2026 investment plans, while staff and training come last. HubSpot's broader sample shows most teams expect at least a slight budget increase.
About these figures
Figures come from original surveys and studies published by Content Marketing Institute (with MarketingProfs), HubSpot, Orbit Media Studios and Ahrefs, and every quote was checked against the publisher's page. CMI figures cover B2B marketers, mostly in North America, surveyed in mid-2024 and mid-2025; HubSpot surveyed 1,500+ global B2B and B2C marketers; Orbit Media surveyed 1,042 content marketers; Ahrefs analyzed 900,000 new web pages. Samples, questions and definitions differ, so compare trends rather than exact levels across sources.
Every figure was taken from the publisher's own page, together with the sentence it appears in, and that sentence is re-checked against the source before each update. Where a survey covers a specific group, the figure says so. Read the methodology. Spotted a problem? Email editorial@mojolin.com.
Frequently asked questions
+Does content marketing work?
For most teams it works to some degree. CMI found 59% of B2B marketers rate their marketing as at least somewhat effective and 87% said content helped build brand awareness. But only 12% exceeded their goals, and Orbit Media found just 14% of bloggers report strong results in 2026.
+How many marketers use AI for content?
Nearly all. 95% of B2B marketers say their organizations use AI applications, 89% of them for written content. HubSpot found 86.4% of marketing teams use AI in at least a few areas, and Orbit Media found 92.4% of bloggers use AI.
+How much new web content is AI-generated?
Ahrefs analyzed 900,000 new web pages in April 2025 and found 74.2% contained AI-generated content. Only 2.5% were pure AI, 71.7% mixed AI and human writing, and 25.8% were entirely human.
+What type of content performs best?
Video. B2B marketers rated videos the most effective content type at 58% in CMI's research, and 48.6% of marketers in HubSpot's 2026 survey ranked short-form video among the formats with the highest ROI.
+How long is the average blog post?
Orbit Media's 2026 survey put the average blog post at 1,312 words, down from a peak of 1,427 in 2023. The average post took 3 hours and 20 minutes to write.
+Where are content marketing budgets going?
Into AI first. 45% of B2B marketers plan to increase investment in AI-powered marketing tools in 2026, followed by events at 33% and owned media at 32%. Only 9% plan to invest more in salaries, training and development.
Sources
5 primary sources, by publisher
- 01Industry Ahrefs. 74% of New Webpages Include AI Content (Study of 900k Pages) (May 2025)
- 02Industry Content Marketing Institute. B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026 (Oct 2025)
- 03Industry Content Marketing Institute. B2B Content Marketing: 2025 Benchmarks and Trends (Oct 2024)
- 04Industry HubSpot. 2026 State of Marketing: Data from 1,500+ Global Marketers (Apr 2026)
- 05Industry Orbit Media Studios. Blogging Statistics 2026: What 1,042 Content Marketers Told Us About What Works (Sep 2026)