A new survey from the Content Marketing Institute reveals that marketing with content is also a rising trend for professional service firms.

Brafton has reported that 94 percent of B2B tech marketers use content marketing strategies, and a new survey from the Content Marketing Institute reveals that marketing with content is also a rising trend for professional service firms.

According to the report, 84 percent of B2B professional service firms currently use content marketing. More than half (51 percent) will increase investment in social media content, articles and email newsletters this year. Notably, PSF marketers are also highly likely to use LinkedIn as a content distribution channel, and Brafton recently reported that LinkedIn is gaining ground as a B2B social network.

Businesses in professional service industries should take this as an indication that content marketing is a competitive necessity. PSF marketers are more likely to use marketing blogs (63 percent) than other marketers.

Still, these businesses have a way to go in determining the efficacy of their marketing content. “Only 52 percent of PSFs are measuring whether their content programs are generating sales, and many fewer are looking at key content marketing measurements such as lead quality, SEO ranking or inbound links.”

With this in mind, professional service marketers – and those in other industries – may want to invest in content marketing services that deliver custom reporting. Services that offer high-caliber writing will also be a must in order for companies to rank well in Google.

As Brafton reported, Google recently announced an update to its algorithm that rewards sites for publishing quality content. The update is going to affect 11.8 percent of searches, and sites that offer unique content relevant to Google users may see improvements in their rankings.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.