As global ad spend increases, content marketing plays a greater role in lead generation.

The amount of time and money dedicated to marketing varies during the year. In many cases, brands spend fewer dollars on outreach programs when global economic woes are widely reported by big media outlets. However, Nielsen’s Global AdView Pulse reports that, during the first half of 2012, there was an increase in spending across almost all media types.

Nielsen AdSpendThe report shows marketers increased spending on internet campaigns by 7.2 percent, which complements several reports showing practices like content marketing will garner additional promotional dollars in the near future. Overall, global ad spending increased by 2.7 percent in the first half of 2012.

When delving deeper into industry reports on developments in online marketing, content creation looks to be the preferred method for many brands. A survey from Econsultancy shows that 90 percent of respondents believe content marketing will increase over the next year, but the data also reveals that only 38 percent of companies have a content marketing strategy.

Econsultancy looked at the reasons marketers continue to overlook content marketing, even while a majority (52 percent) of professionals indicate branded content is used to increase consumer engagement. The data notes that 42 percent believe their companies lack the human resources needed to implement a content strategy that resonates with the ideal target audience and 35 percent cite lack of budget toward the practice.

A content strategy doesn’t need to be complex – blog copy simply needs to provide additional value to potential customers. Content writers who want to develop an outreach program that speaks to their prospective customers must put their own tone and voice into the writing, as readers respond most often to advice that feels like it was developed and formulated for them specifically. Econsultancy found that 64 percent of in-house marketers agree that content marketing is ‘becoming its own discipline,’ and brands that struggle to find the manpower might want to outsource the project to professional content creation services instead.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.