Over the past few years, one thing has become clear – content marketing really works. In fact, brands are turning to content marketing more than ever before as a way to reach their target audience – not only to sell but also to engage, build rapport and create loyal fans. However, a recent survey conducted within the UK’s content marketing sector discovered that whilst budgets for this form of advertising are soaring, many people simply do not know what to spend it on.

It seems as if the content market in Britain is at a crossroads. Though companies are realising the potential that content has to grip and connect with consumers, and are increasing budgets as a result, advertisers still do not understand how to best spend the money. In addition, a lack of skilled professionals in this niche means that much of the money might be going to waste because it’s not being used correctly.

The latest findings have been revealed by The State of Content Marketing report, which was launched to some of the leading senior marketers earlier in 2017. The survey had a number of key aims, one of which was to identify where money is being spent. In addition, researchers want to discover what challenges lay ahead for companies, as well as the current variety of activity being conducted.

The results of the survey showed some surprising findings. For example, though 79per cent of respondents say they feel content marketing results are ‘very effective’ or ‘effective’, 62per cent of decision-makers admitted they did not understand how to effectively measure the Return On Investment (ROI) for campaigns primarily led by content. Meanwhile, just 6per cent of those replying said they were ‘definitely clear’ on how day-to-day activities should be run.

The report did, however, identify just how marketers are currently measuring their content marketing campaign success. For example, 85per cent of people say they watch traffic and that when this increased, it was a sign of success. The second highest measure was based on SEO ranking, with 45per cent of marketers using it as their goal. Finally, and somewhat of a surprise, just 38per cent of marketers placed a priority on sales increases as a way to measure the success of a campaign.

Industry expert Simon Penson said: “It appears a large percentage of marketers are choosing content marketing as their weapon of choice, before thinking about what they want this activity to achieve. Whether it’s traffic, keyword ranking or sales, content marketing has the ability to assist these goals, but it’s important to have this objective in mind from the start. As content marketing experts, it’s important we continue to share performance measurement tools, educational guides and best practice eBooks with marketers, so they have the tools to bridge the gap in knowledge and confidence we have seen in our survey.”

As the use of content marketing increases, strategists will need to focus even more on using the correct ROI measurements so they can hone their strategies to gain the best possible success.