These days there’s a very fine line separating ads and articles. And the blurred line that separates them could become every blurrier next year.
The reason? Digital content (written and visual) has never been more important in marketing in the mobile and electronic age.
From “sponsored posts” on major media outlets, to third-party media articles on popular blogs and leading news sites, marketers are making content creation a centerpiece of their efforts today.
According to eMarketer, a recent survey of marketers in North America from Unisphere Research found that 48% of respondents admitted to devoting at least 10% of their budget to content creation. Nearly 20% of marketers allocated 25% or more (a number expected to explode in 2014).
In terms of the most popular content being produced, articles and videos are the hottest commodities, at 76% and 60%, respectively.
Close to 90% of marketers said they now create digital content internally.
Correspondingly, social media is used by 70% of marketers to promote their content once created in hopes of driving more eyeballs to the subtly-promotional but still engaging and informative material.
