Over 7 in 10 Small and Midsize Businesses Lack a Content Marketing Program or Strategy, Survey Finds

Over 7 in 10 (71%) small and midsize businesses in the U.S. lack a content marketing program or strategy, according to a survey commissioned by HawkStar Press.

Among businesses with up to 100 employees, 28% of decision-makers reported having a content marketing program or strategy, compared with 30% at businesses with 101 to 500 employees. Businesses were much more likely to engage in direct sales (44%) or online or offline advertising, including search engine marketing (40%).

YouGov conducted the online survey Dec. 1-5, 2022, of 508 business decision-makers at small to midsize businesses (SMBs) with 500 or fewer employees.

It’s understandable that 7 in 10 SMBs lack a content marketing program or strategy, given that they’re coping with budget and personnel constraints. But they’re losing ground to the 29% of SMBs that do have a content marketing program or strategy.

Unfortunately, most SMBs are missing out on a cost-effective method for promoting themselves through blog posts, videos and other content marketing vehicles. Content marketing packs a solid punch when it comes to return on investment, yet it doesn’t need to break the bank. A little time and a little money can go a long toward achieving content marketing success.

It’s understandable that 7 in 10 SMBs lack a content marketing program or strategy, given that they’re coping with budget and personnel constraints. But they’re losing ground to the 29% of SMBs that do have a content marketing program or strategy.

Among SMBs with a content marketing program or strategy, 77% reported these efforts had been successful in 2022, and 72% reported they planned to spend more on content marketing in 2023. Meanwhile, 81% indicated their business understands the value of content marketing.

Here are other highlights of the survey findings:

• Employees working on content marketing: Of those businesses that have a content marketing program or strategy, 36% reported having one to five internal employees working on these efforts. The same percentage had six to 20 internal employees assigned to these efforts.
• Contractors working on content marketing: Among SMBs with a content marketing program or strategy, 38% reported having one to five contract workers handling these efforts and 31% reported having six to 20. The rest had no contract workers or more than 20 contract workers assigned to content marketing projects. Eight percent said they didn’t know.
• Content marketing formats: Social media posts were the most common form of content marketing for SMB content marketers (63%), followed by video (50%), testimonials and reviews (46%), and blog posts (41%).
• ROI for content marketing: Social media posts also led the way when it came to content marketing that SMB decision-makers believe deliver the best ROI (40%). Next were video (28%), testimonials and reviews (22%), and user-generated content (20%). Although 41% of SMB content marketers reported using blog posts, just 12% said it was the form of content marketing that produces the best ROI.

Methodology

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 508 business decisionmakers (head of a team, group or small organization and above; age 18+). Fieldwork was undertaken between Dec. 1-5, 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of small to midsize business decision-makers of businesses with 500 or fewer employees.

HawkStar Press, the publishing arm of Austin-based Jayhawk Media, commissioned the survey. HawkStar Press is the publisher of The Stripped-Down Guide to Content Marketing, which I released in November 2022. This book is the foundation of an online course on content marketing released in April 2023.