New research released by the Content Marketing Institute today shows Australian marketers are perfectly positioned to tell better stories and improve the effectiveness of their marketing investment. Dig a little deeper and a clear opportunity emerges for brands to move ahead of their competition.

Content Marketing in Australia: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends reports the Australian findings from a global survey conducted by the Content Marketing Institute and ADMA. Most of the 251 respondents from Australia say they use content marketing.

In addition, the commitment to the discipline is growing, with 74% of the respondents saying they’ll increase the amount of content they’re producing next year even though only 29% say their efforts are effective. We have a higher percentage of documented content marketing strategies than North America, an indicator of effectiveness as described by Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute,

“There are two critical factors that differentiate effective content marketers over the rest of the pack - having a documented content marketing strategy and following it very closely. Those two things make all the difference.”

For a burgeoning market, this says Australian marketers know content marketing works, they just haven’t figured it all out yet. Importantly, they’re learning from their overseas counterparts.

Australians experimenting with content marketing tactics

“The initiatives they’re working on demonstrate that Australian marketers are focused on better understanding their audiences so that they can provide valuable content. They’re also experimenting with how they use specific tactics to reach those audiences. In particular, we saw a decrease in blog usage this year and increases with infographics, in-person events, and microsites,” adds Pulizzi.

This is where Australia is lucky. The American results from the same survey give us a road map for improvement. It’s the closest thing to a crystal ball we’re likely to see, so it makes sense to evaluate the results of both markets together.

Engaging content a goal and a challenge

The number one organisational goal for Australian content marketing is engaging the audience (87%); but producing engaging content was also identified as the most challenging part of content marketing (50%).  If you want to engage an audience, you need to tell better stories – stories focused on the audience.

One of the best ways to do this is through video. We reported B2B survey results showing video trumps blogs, case studies, and white papers for content marketing effectiveness in the USA. Australian content marketers haven’t discovered this yet, but it’s only a matter of time. A well-made video telling a great story becomes a long-term asset to your company and improves the ROI of your investment – something social media can’t achieve.

Here’s a great example of how you can use a video to communicate directly with your audience. Joe Pulizzi speaks about the annual research from the Content Marketing Institute.

It’s exciting to see Australia making strides in content marketing and benefitting from the experiences and lessons of overseas brands. Next March is the third annual Content Marketing World in Sydney and this one promises to be the best yet. I encourage anyone to attend as it’s simply the best way to learn more about content marketing and what makes for a truly effective strategy. Registration is open and early-bird prices are in effect.

In the meantime, give me a call if you’d like to know more about creating engaging content. We have a whole team of storytelling professionals from every medium ready to help you out.

-James Lush