2024AI企业内容营销报告.pdf

Transforming Small Business Content MarketingThe 2024 ReportThinkAIBig WithThe State of AI.2024 Report02The challenges of generating organic traffic and leads with content just melting away as your website climbs up the rankings and into the view of your customers.Big brands,multinational corporations,and household names have always had the resources to go big on their content marketing campaigns.But Artificial Intelligence(AI)is now powerful enough to help smaller businesses ramp up their SEO,build better content strategies,and drive bigger results.Imagine,for a second,being able to compete on a level playing field with some of the biggest brands in your industry.Featuring expert and influencer commentary plus an interactive AI Assistant built directly into our report.The State of AI.2024 Report03In this definitive small business report on AI and content marketing in 2024,you will:123456Learn how to grow organic traffic,rank higher,and improve your ROI with AI technologyFind out what consumers actually think about human-written vs.AI-generated copyDiscover the top trends in AI content marketing for 2024 according to industry expertsGet access to the top AI prompts for content writing and SEOSee how 2,600+SMBs are using AI for content marketingExplore revealing industry benchmarks and successful practices from early adopters04Table of Contents05 Part One:Industry Survey Overview59 Part Two:Content Marketing and AI Trends for 202497 Part Three:Humans Go Head to Head Against AI Writers115 Part Four:The AI Prompts Library for Content Marketing and SEOGot questions?Or would you like a summary of this section?Our Al chat is here to help you dive deeper into the report.Ask away!part oneThe State of AI.2024 Report05In 2023,we carried out a survey of more than 2,600 businesses,from all over the world and across many different industries.Our aim was to understand who is using AI in their content marketing and SEO,how they are using it,and how its working out for them.Industry Survey Overview06The State of AI.2024 ReportWho Did We Talk to?47%of our survey respondents were micro-businesses(1-9 employees)and 30%worked in small businesses(10-49 employees).In total,that means 76%of the respondents were from companies that comprise fewer than 50 people.More than half of our respondents(55%)classified themselves as business owners or founders.The next biggest cohort was marketing managers(11%),followed by CEOs(8%).Most other respondents were in other marketing roles,such as content marketing manager,social media manager,marketing director,etc.Micro-business(1 to 9 employees)Small business(10 to 49 employees)30%46%16%7%1%Medium-sized business(50 to 249 employees)Large business(250 employees and more)Agency07The State of AI.2024 ReportCompany sizeBusiness owner/Founder55%Marketing manager11%CEO8%Marketing specialist5%Business director/General manager4%Marketing director3%Content marketing manager2%Copywriter/Content writer2%Social media manager2%SEO specialist1%CMO1%Business development manager1%Content marketing specialist1%Content marketing strategist1%Head of SEO1%Other3%08The State of AI.2024 ReportRespondent roleYesNo67%33%09The State of AI.2024 ReportWhat We UncoveredThe majority of respondents(67%)are using AI tools for content marketing and/or SEO.The rest are not.Are you using any AI tools for content marketing and/or SEO?10The State of AI.2024 ReportFirst,we wanted to know why people have decided NOT to use AI tools in their content marketing or SEO.It turns out that 35%simply didnt know it was an option.But what about the 65%who know about it and havent started using it?For 37%of respondents,it comes down to a lack of training or understanding of how to use these tools in the right way A further 31%are more worried about the originality of the final results,and 30%say the same about quality.Businesses That Dont Use AI for Content:Key InsightsYesNo65%35%11The State of AI.2024 ReportWere you aware that AI can assist in content marketing and SEO prior to this survey?I dont understand how to use them the right way37%I am concerned about the originality of content created by AI31%I am concerned about the quality of content produced by AI30%Im concerned about potential legal issues related to AI-generated content25%I dont have any extra budget for AI tools24%I just dont think I need it20%Im not sure content created by AI can rank in search engines14%Other4%12The State of AI.2024 ReportWhat stops you from using AI tools for content marketing?AverageEffectiveVery effectiveNot effective42%38%11%9%AverageEffectiveVery effectiveNot effective46%32%12%9%13The State of AI.2024 ReportHow Content Marketing Performs Without AINext,lets take a look at some performance metrics for businesses that dont use AI in their content marketing.Just under half(49%)rate their content marketing efforts as being effective or very effective A significant number(43%)feel their content marketing efforts are only average.And 11%think they are ineffective.We can see similar results when our respondents reflect on their efforts to rank and attract organic traffic(SEO).Just 9%consider their work to be very effectiveand most(46%)say their efforts are average.Content marketing performance overallSuccess in attracting organic traffic(SEO)40%50%42%23%37%20%1%TrafficSocial media engagement and sharesConversions and leadsOn-page engagementRevenue generated by content(content ROI)RankingsMedia mentions and backlinksOther55%14The State of AI.2024 ReportHow content performance is measured(metrics used)15The State of AI.2024 ReportHow Content Marketers Produce Content Without AIAs you may have experienced,in smaller marketing teams with smaller budgets,most of the content writing gets done in-house.Nearly 8 in 10 reported that they write the content themselves.Then 17%say they have an in-house writer and 14%work with freelancers.If we drill down and look at the time it takes to write long-form content pieces like blog articles,40%are very speedy,saying they take less than one hour.Then 38%say this kind of writing takes 2-3 hours.79%17%14%2%I write it myselfI have an in-house writerI work with freelance writersOther16The State of AI.2024 ReportHow respondents write content48%15%4%2%Less than 5 hours5-10 hours11-20 hours21-40 hoursMore than 40 hours32%17The State of AI.2024 ReportHow long respondents spend per week on writing content40%12%5%2%1%2%Less than 1 hour2-3 hours4-5 hours6-8 hours8+hoursAt least a few daysOver a week38%18The State of AI.2024 ReportHow long it takes to write along-form content piece(e.g.,a blog post)19The State of AI.2024 ReportOf the one-third of respondents who dont use AI in their content production,71%have a monthly content marketing budget of under$1,000.Just 12%have a budget of$1,000-$2,000.Very few respondents spend more.Budgets and Content Production Costs Without AILess than$1,00071%$1,000-$2,00012%$2,001-$4,0008%$4,001-$6,0004%$6,001-$10,0003%$10,001-$20,0001%Over$20,0001%20The State of AI.2024 ReportIf we drill into the cost of a single item like a long-form content piece,the numbers look like this:The average monthly content marketing budgetI always write them myself61%Less than$10016100-$30010%$300-$5007%$500-$7002%$700-$1,2001%$1,200-$1,5001%$1,500-$2,0001%Over$3,0000%Over$2,0000%21The State of AI.2024 ReportThe average cost of a single long-form content piece(e.g.,a blog post)57%34%9%YesIm not sureNo22The State of AI.2024 ReportThe Future:Might Non-adopters Reconsider Their Use of AI?Just 9%of respondents remain staunchly averse to the idea of using any form of AI in their content marketing or SEO.The rest are open to reconsidering or are still undecided.Are you open to reconsidering the use of AI for content in the future?Real-life proof that AI-generated content is original and can rank46%AI tools becoming easier to use and understand45%Reduction in the cost of AI tools38%Increase in the quality of AI-generated content36%AI content becoming more flexible(e.g.,for writing in my own tone of voice)35%Other6%23The State of AI.2024 ReportSo,what developments in AI technology would change their minds?What developments in AI content tools would prompt you to start using them?24The State of AI.2024 ReportMarketers Who Use AI:Breaking Down the NumbersIn the next section,we look at marketers who DO use AI in their SEO and content marketing efforts.We explore the results they are getting and how this all compares to the work they were doing in the pre-AI world.EffectiveAverageVery effectiveNot effective45%26%26%2%EffectiveAverageVery effectiveNot effective38%32%23%7%25The State of AI.2024 ReportMeasuring Content Marketing PerformanceAn impressive 71%of marketers who use AI rate their content marketing efforts as very effective or effective.Approximately one-quarter say performance is average.Notably,just 2%say their efforts are ineffective.And its a similar story when it comes to SEO effectiveness.In total,61%of marketers say their efforts related to ranking and attracting organic traffic are very effective or effective.Content marketing performance overallHow current content marketing efforts relate to ranking and attracting organic traffic(SEO)Traffic66%Social media engagement and shares58%Conversions and leads50%On-page engagement48%Rankings43%Revenue generated by content(content ROI)38%Media mentions and backlinks29%26The State of AI.2024 ReportHow Do They Measure Content Performance?Metrics businesses use to track their content marketing results27The State of AI.2024 ReportIn this section of the survey,we asked respondents who currently use AI tools to help them with their marketing to think back to before they used these tools.First,we looked at the amount of time spent on content production without AI tools:How Things Used to Be Before AI Content Tools39%24%9%4%5-10 hours11-20 hoursLess than 5 hours21-40 hoursMore than 40 hours24%28The State of AI.2024 ReportWeekly time spent on content production before using AI35%13%8%3%1%2-3 hours4-5 hoursLess than 1 hour6-8 hours8+hoursAt least a few daysOver a week24%16%29The State of AI.2024 ReportThis is how much time people used to spend on writing long-form blog posts:Time spent on long-form blog writing before using AII always write it myself46%$100-$30017%Less than$10015%$300-$50010%$500-$7005%$700-$1,2003%$1,200-$1,5002%$1,500-$2,0001%Over$3,0001%Over$2,0001%30The State of AI.2024 ReportAnd this is how much it would cost:Average cost to produce long-form content before using AI48%9%6%2%2%Less than$1,000$1,000-$2,000$2,001-$4,000$4,001-$6,000$6,001-$10,000$10,001-$20,000Over$20,00020%13%31The State of AI.2024 ReportFinally,we looked at the budgets they were working with before they were using AI tools:Monthly content production budgets without AI40%16%6%2%Less than 5 hours5-10 hours11-20 hours21-40 hoursMore than 40 hours36%32The State of AI.2024 ReportWhat Content Production Looks Like When Using AINow lets look at how its going for marketers who are currently using AI tools in their content marketing and SEOHow long respondents spend on content production with AI per week36%14%8%4%1%2%Less than 1 hour2-3 hours4-5 hours6-8 hours8+hoursAt least a few daysOver a week35%33The State of AI.2024 ReportWeekly content production time when using AI tools$0I dont spend additional money because Im using AI51%$100-$30026%$300-$5009%$500-$7005%$700-$1,2004%$1,200-$1,5002%$1,500-$2,0001%Over$2,0001%34The State of AI.2024 ReportCost to create a single long-form content piece(e.g.,a blog post)using AI toolsLess than$1,00058%$1,000-$2,00017%$2,001-$4,0009%$4,001-$6,0008%$6,001-$10,0004%$10,001-$20,0002%Over$20,0001%35The State of AI.2024 ReportMonthly content production budget using AI toolsSatisfied46%Very satisfied32%Neutral19%Not satisfied2%36The State of AI.2024 ReportHow Companies Use AI Tools for Content Marketing and SEOLets look at how businesses are using AI tools for their content marketing processes A full 78%of respondents are satisfied or very satisfied with their AI tools.Level of satisfaction with AI toolsIts also worth digging into what people are using their AI content marketing tools for.Note that respondents could select as many options as were necessary:Researching content and topic ideas58%Rewriting and paraphrasing text52%Writing content from scratch50%Creating a content marketing strategy47%Expanding textadding more content and ideas40%Creating content outlines39%Optimizing copy for target keywords33%Audience research30%Improving the copys readability29%Creating content briefs27%Improving the copys tone of voice26%Writing meta tags23%Optimizing written content for a specific audience23%Creating visual content(images,video)23%Avoiding plagiarism20%Grouping and clustering keywords16%Content localization and translation9%37The State of AI.2024 ReportWhat AI content tools are used for38The State of AI.2024 ReportWe also looked at the types of content people are creating with AI tools and how they are measuring success.As you might expect,the top 5 results consist of the usual suspects:Blog articles(58%),social posts(55%),short articles(49%),short videos(31%)and email(29%).Blog posts58%Social media posts55%Short articles49%Short videos31%Email/Newsletters29%Images28%Product descriptions25%Landing pages20%Ads18%Long videos18%Creative writing(e.g.,stories)16%Ebooks14%Case studies9%White papers7%Audio7%Quizzes7%Other1%39The State of AI.2024 ReportBusinesses are making the following types of content with AII tend to do multi-step prompts and ask many additional questions when talking to AI(for example,sharing content pieces I wrote myself so that it understands my tone of voice)49%My prompts are usually short(1-2 steps)and simple42%I use different prompting techniques(for example,asking AI to act like a content writer)41%I feed AI different information33%I dont write prompts that much5%Not sure2%Other1%40The State of AI.2024 ReportWe also wanted to know how marketers tend to interact with AI chat tools and structure their prompts.How businesses are building AI promptsI also use analytics tools(e.g.,Google Analytics)50%I also use specialized SEO tools(e.g.,Semrush)42%I also use specialized social media tools36%I also use other specialized(non-AI)content marketing tools28%I dont use other tools13%Other1%41The State of AI.2024 ReportNext,its also interesting to see how marketers are using these tools alongside others in their marketing tech stack.How businesses integrate different tools when using AI for contentI review it myself in terms of the tone of voice,writing style,etc73%I fact-check the information in the AI-generated content48%I have an editor/content specialist who reviews it24%I work with a subject matter expert to fact-check and review the content23%I dont usually do many revisions of AI-generated content7%Other1%42The State of AI.2024 ReportWe also wanted to see how marketers implemented quality control.Heres how they review content:How respondents check the quality of AI-gen