Choose any topic in the world and you can be sure there are some interesting stats behind it. Considering you are here, it seems like brand marketing statistics are what tickles your fancy.
But rather than just finding them interesting, wouldn’t you like to know what can be done with all these cool statistics? It can be super useful to take a look at the wider picture and see some of the facts and figures that are being generated by brand marketing as a whole. How do consumers react? What are other companies investing heavily into? By doing this, you can then put your own brand marketing into the wider context; see how it compares and what you can do to make it even better.
Well, let’s see, shall we? Here are 35 amazing brand marketing statistics you need to know about brand marketing!
B2B Brand Marketing Statistics
According to 77% of B2B marketing leaders, branding is crucial to growth.
Only 4% of B2B marketers measure marketing impact beyond 6 months.
69% of B2B marketers succeed thanks to a well-documented content strategy.
B2B marketing should be split 46% marketing spend and 54% lead generation.
Customers in the B2B sector are twice as likely to go for a brand that favors personal value over business value.
74% of consumers and 91% of B2B buyers identify word-of-mouth as a key factor in their purchasing decision.
Personalization
Personalization is key for brands in 2021. Some big brands have been doing this for years already, and taking inspiration from them is a great way to start. Personalization has become a lot more than using subscribers’ first names in newsletters. Consumers now want companies to share the same values that they uphold in their personal lives. They have to be able to envision themselves using a brand before they will ever consider purchasing it.
Nike does a great job with personalization. Their “Just Do It” campaign is about more than just showing off their products; it is also filled with value. Their campaign material featured both professional and amateur athletes. Regular people watching the adverts could see someone in them that looked just like they did.
You’ll notice that it tends to be high-end brands that opt for more personalized branding. This positions brands as enviable and, as a result, they’re able to charge a premium for their products and services. Consumers pay over the average for Nike sneakers because they’re happy to pay into the brand as a whole. They aren’t just buying shoes; they want the type of active lifestyle that comes with the brand image.
Long-term Marketing Strategies
From the brand marketing statistics above, it looks like the majority of B2B marketing managers already know that branding is crucial to growth; but then why do only 4% measure the impact of their marketing beyond 6 months?
In order to grow a brand successfully, companies need to form a brand identity. And that’s not something that is going to happen overnight. Long-term brand marketing is the best way to fuel loyalty, stand out against competitors, increase brand awareness, and build credibility. It takes plenty of hard work and dedication, that goes well beyond the 6-month mark. Track your brand long term to see if your brand marketing is having a positive impact.
Another long-term task you should stick to is keeping a well-documented content strategy - 69% of B2B marketers can’t be wrong! Once you know how well your content strategy is going, you’ll be able to gain further insights into how this helps to achieve a bigger impact on your brand’s target market.
But why look to move into long-term strategies in the first place?
Going in for the long haul might seem like a bit of a gamble but in the majority of cases, these risks will pay off. For one, customers want to know that the brands they use are going to stick around. If they think you will be around for the long term then there’s a greater chance that they will stick with you.
Long-term strategies can also solidify your overall image in consumers’ minds. You’ll be consistently sending the same message and promoting the same values, so there’ll be little doubt in what you stand for and who you are targeting.
What’s more, a long-term strategy will be easier to scale. When it’s time to start growing the business and looking to increase sales, you’ll be able to grow your strategy smoothly. It’ll only take a few tweaks and subtle changes to ensure the consistent increase of an already long-term strategy.
Believe us, that will be a lot easier than trying to shoot off lots of smaller, short-term efforts while trying to support business growth with marketing. Sure, those numbers of the brand marketing statistics above show that B2Bs feel that their money is better spent on lead generation, but the stats also show that you shouldn’t neglect brand marketing. Brand marketing is what creates an image of a brand and, according to the numbers, that’s going to go down very well with consumers. If your emphasis is on customer over business value, you could gain double the number of customers.
Firstly, customers that feel a strong attachment to a brand can bring a 23% premium over the average customer. That means much bigger profits and revenues once you get consumers on your side.
But becoming more customer-focused isn’t just about the money. That’s just an added bonus.
Consumers have never been so empowered as they are now, and that’s all down to Google. If they have a question or need to solve a problem, a quick Google search can help them figure things out in minutes.
By placing yourself as a source of fantastic knowledge for your industry, you can guarantee that customers will turn to you straight away. You’ll build a rapport with them, and they might cut out Google as the middleman.
If your customers love the service you give them and you’re also able to offer them excellent knowledge and information, then there’s little chance of them turning their back on you!
B2C Brand Marketing Statistics
2018-2019 saw a 69% increase in audio/visual usage for B2C marketers.
81% of B2C marketers are interested in creating content that builds loyalty.
81% of B2C marketers also use paid methods of content distribution to find new customers.
However only 38% of B2C brands have a content marketing strategy.
Content Marketing
Even though plenty of B2C marketers understand the importance of content, it still seems to be only a third of them who are actively creating a strategy around it. This number should be a whole lot higher. Content is the main vessel that you can use to showcase all the key information and knowledge you have to share with consumers. Infographics, blog posts full of wisdom, and educational videos are what people want to see.
And you can be sure these will get shared, too. All those shares push your brand to an even wider audience.
Google loves content as well. The better all your content is, then the greater chance you’re ranked up at the top of the first page of search results. There are many new trends in the world of content for 2021. We’ll cover some, including videos and podcasts, later in this article. For now, let’s mention the fact that most B2C marketers are aware that they need to get their content seen. 81% are pushing forward with paid content distribution. But going hard and heavy on paid distribution isn’t the best way to go about it.
Sponsored posts and other paid methods of driving traffic to your content certainly have short-term benefits: it’s a way of instantly putting targeted ads in front of the people who are most likely to respond to them. Although it shouldn’t be the sole way of getting your content out there.
Paid content distribution is all well and good, but the benefits it brings won’t last forever. Would you repeatedly click on the same sponsored link over and over again? Nope, so there’s no point expecting consumers to.
If B2C marketers start using paid distribution only as a supplement to their long-term marketing plan, they’ll see some major results in their brand strategy.
Video
Before we move on, let’s take a look at video content. Consumers love shiny new things and even though video is nothing revolutionary, it’s still relatively new to the marketing world. Of course, consumers aren’t interested in any old videos. They want to see brands push the boundaries and do what hasn’t been done before.
Like Coca-Cola. Remember their iconic “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” ad back in the 1970s? Even if you weren’t around then, you will still have heard of it. The soda’s adverts are still big hits to this day, such as the example below from 2019. Here, the brand plays on America’s nostalgic love for baseball to unite their target audience.
You don’t always have to pull on the heartstrings or ignite some pride in national sports, but unique and engaging videos can really make a big difference to your 2021 brand strategy.
Let’s not forget about other visual marketing strategies either. Photos are not completely outdated just yet, and brands are doing them justice.
Their colorful graphics perfectly complement their brilliant use of video. What’s more, they’ve turned their branding interactive. They constantly ask their followers to send in their own photos for a variety of themes. This helps to create the feel of “audience participation” which drives an even stronger bond between the brand and its target audience.
Social Media Statistics
3.2 billion users are active on social media. That’s 42% of the world’s population.
Instagram delivers the most engagement as brands in all industries see a median engagement of 1.60% on the platform.
Brands report a median engagement of only 0.09% on Facebook.
53% of consumers would consider buying from a brand if they have a social media presence.
70% of consumers agree that brands should take a public stand on political and social issues.
However, 55% of consumers did say that they would likely boycott a brand if it took a public stand that didn’t align with their own values.
71% of consumers who interact with a brand positively on social media would recommend it to others.
84% of consumers say they either completely or somewhat trust recommendations from family about products and services
Social media is the norm now. There are so many people on various profiles—3.2 billion users daily. Just imagine the reach you could get if you joined a big platform, like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
The best social platform is still up for debate, though. Once the king, Facebook now seems to have lost its shine for brands, as the median engagement appears to have dipped quite a bit.
A post’s organic reach is only 6.4% of a page’s total likes. Even if you have 100,000 followers on the platform, that means only 6,400 users would see a post. That might pale in comparison to the number you had in your head. And it means there are 93,600 followers not seeing your ads at all.
There are ways to improve this, though. Posts that are engaged with will be shown to more people. So give your followers a reason to like, share, and comment on each and every post.
You might also want to try sponsoring important posts to give them a cash boost. Defining specific demographics can help you reach your target audience with your sponsored posts.
Even though a lot of brands will have started out solely on Facebook just a few years ago, it looks like there are better returns to be had on Instagram. So, those of you who are looking to increase brand awareness might want to start snapping some photos!
Here’s a great example of a brand killing it on Instagram. You might think that traditional brands tend to stay away from social media, but Tiffany & Co. is turning that theory on its head. From creating stories and content specifically for the Instagram platform and creating Tiffany Blue—a color used throughout their profile and social branding—they’ve really embraced the online generation.
This unique branding and careful use of Instagram stories to cover fashion, pop culture, and art, means that Tiffany & Co. now get 11-times more interactions on Instagram compared to other jewelry and watch brands.
But why is social media so useful for brands? Well, just look at those numbers above. Over half of all consumers would consider buying from you if you have a presence on social media. There are various reasons why this is, but it’s largely down to the fact that it’s a type of consumer interaction that adds depth to the usual business-consumer relationship.
Not only does this added depth helps you to build trust, but it also gives platform users the chance to feel like they have an insider’s perspective of a brand. If a target audience feels like they are now seeing aspects of your company that were previously kept behind closed doors, then your brand will seem a lot more humanized.
So, the numbers show that using social media as part of your brand strategy would certainly work out in your favor. That is, of course, if you do it well. Say something online that your target audience may not agree with, and you run the risk of being boycotted. An example of a brand messing up from last year is brought to us by SunnyD. The juice company posted a joke pretending to have a mental illness. Obviously, this didn’t land well with its target audience and the brand faced a big backlash.
Content Strategy Statistics
We’ve briefly touched upon content as part of your brand strategy already. Let’s look a bit deeper; there are certainly a few brand marketing statistics in terms of content that will catch your eye.
Podcast listeners are a lot more likely to follow brands on social media.
43% of marketers agree that blogging is their most important form of content.
Each day sees over 4 million blog posts published.
64% of customers will buy a product after watching branded video content on social media
45% of consumers agree that authoritative content makes branded videos feel authentic.
87% of customers want even more video content from brands.
Blogging
Everyone knows that they should be blogging. The brands that have been doing this for years are certainly seeing dividends as it’s a fantastic tool for content and SEO strategies.
Long-term blogging will increase readership. Web users will get to know your publishing schedule and will know when to visit the site for hot new content. As long as you stick with what your target audience wants to read, then they’ll return and will link their friends and colleagues too.
Writing blog posts over a long period of time also means that there’ll be a good spread of keywords peppered throughout your site. These are what Google picks up on when it’s ranking your site for SEO. It will notice all these keywords and, as long as your content is top notch, you’ll take the top spots in relevant Google keyword searches.
Blogging was and always will be important for brands, but there are plenty of new trends to join too.
Video and Podcasting
Two big trends for 2021 are video content and podcasting. These are still relatively new tools in most marketers’ arsenals but if you look at the numbers, it’s clear it’s something that every brand should be doing.
For starters, video is growing in popularity at great speeds. It’s no surprise as it brings some great ROIs; 88% of marketers would agree with this now. In 2015, only 33% agreed.
That last stat in our list is a clear sign—the general public actually wants to see more video content. If that’s not something that gets you and your brand started with video, then we don’t know what will! If the figures are anything to go by, the public’s appetite for video is growing year upon year. In 2019, the average web user watched 84 minutes of video online. By 2021, it’s forecast that that figure will grow to 100 minutes. If your brand doesn’t make any videos, there’s no way you’ll be included in those 100 minutes.
It’s clear that video marketing can bring your brand strategy big results. But that’s no reason to give up blogging in favor of it. A well-rounded content plan that includes written content and video is what you want to aim for.
And why not add podcasts into that mix?
Only 17% of brands currently incorporate podcasts into their content strategy mix. If you start a new series of your own now, you can hopefully acquire a large audience for your podcast before your sector becomes too saturated with them. Podcast users have been shown to also be faithful to social media—targeting podcast listeners could help spread your name as more users share your aurel nuggets of wisdom to their followers.
Buzzfeed is a really good example of how branded podcasts work. Initially, this Millennial brand was known for irreverent listicles and viral content. But since the launch of its Thirst Aid Kit podcast in 2017, the brand has successfully shifted away from its initial image. The brand is no longer known for its hot takes, the podcasts have transformed it into many adults’ go-to place for articulate and funny perspectives on current popular culture.
Email Marketing Statistics
Email marketing is still very much alive and kicking, and here are the brand marketing statistics that show that.
Email is the best form of business communication according to 86% of professionals.
There was 3.9 billion email users in 2019.
A personalized subject line encourages 62% of subscribers to open an email.
Consumers are two-times more likely to sign up for an email newsletter than interact with a brand on Facebook.
For every $1 spent on email marketing, brands can expect a return of $42 on average.
So, what does this all mean for your brand strategy?
It’s a clear yes to including email marketing in your strategy if you want to scale up your brand. As long as you personalize your correspondence then you should see a good number of clicks from subscribers. Email is easy for consumers to share. If you read something you enjoyed or saw a great deal in an email, wouldn’t you pass it on to a friend?
What’s more, email works for both B2B and B2C brands.
Once again, Buzzfeed deserves a shout out here. Since the site was founded, their newsletters have become one of their top sources of traffic. That’s because they’re headed with enticing titles that people want to click, and the content inside is ridiculously engaging. Subscribers want to read it all and then forward it to friends and family. The brand has created various newsletters so that there is something for each of their target audiences. And some of them are quite... niche.
Take a look at This Week in Cats. Buzzfeed realized that web users love cats so they created this addition to BuzzfeedAnimals: a weekly newsletter that sends high numbers of people to their website. Just look at that large number of professionals who see it as the best form of business communication. It’s not just consumers who will click on your mail in their inbox!
It also makes sense to send email marketing from a financial perspective as well. That $42 you get back for each $1 of email investment could be reinvested into other areas of your brand strategy. And that’s a very efficient way to bump up your brand equity.
Google Search Statistics
SEO and brand marketing—have you ever considered how well they work together? Not many brand managers do but here are some brand marketing statistics that can show why it can help.
Google’s share of mobile web traffic is 87.51% worldwide.
Moving up just one spot in Google’s search results can increase CTRs by 30.8%.
Brands spending $1 on Google ads get $8 back on average.
34% of searches that include “near me” lead to store visits, whether carried out on desktop or tablet.
68% of consumers trust online reviews from strangers rather than from a brand marketing
88% of people trust online reviews written by other consumers
Being successful with SEO and appearing higher in the rankings more often will eventually help to get your brand more well-known. You’ll pop up near the top of a lot more searches and consumers will start to remember the name.
Once searchers spot you more frequently, they should start to associate your brand as being trustworthy. Google ranks trustworthy and reputable brands the highest, and consumers will also regard these as ones they can trust with their cash.
That’s why more traffic means more conversions and sales.
Don’t neglect your local SEO either, especially if you have a bricks-and-mortar store. All of those local searches can turn even more people into customers. Combine this with excellent customer service, and you should see word-of-mouth referrals flourish.
Sure, local SEO can bring in some major leads. It can bring 300% more leads than social media can (but don’t delete your Twitter account just yet)! It also brings a higher ROI, too. That’s because higher leads equal a higher conversion rate.
These brand marketing statistics are more than just interesting numbers and figures. It’s all information that you can use to make your brand strategy even stronger in the future.
And a stronger brand strategy can help improve your brand’s longevity.
Go ahead and use these brand marketing statistics to back up your own brand strategy decisions—we guarantee you won’t be disappointed with the results!
