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AI adoption is no longer the challenge—trusted context is. Most organizations have AI tools, but many still rely on disconnected, stale, or unverified data, limiting the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs. Meltwater MCP brings trusted, real-time intelligence into AI assistants.

Your Best Context is Already in the Room

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Media monitoring helps organizations stay informed about what’s being said across online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, and other media channels. Whether you're tracking brand mentions, measuring PR performance, monitoring competitors, or identifying emerging trends, our expert guides, best practices, and industry insights will help you build a smarter media monitoring strategy and make more informed communications decisions.

Discover expert media monitoring guides, best practices, and industry insights to track brand mentions, monitor competitors, and stay ahead of the news.

Media Monitoring: Guides, Best Practices & Industry Insights

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics?
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.
Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.
Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

As a marketer, using social media strategically offers great opportunities for rapid growth. Because these platforms reach so many consumers today, marketers can use them to generate leads, create brand awareness, gather useful data about their audience and industry, share news, create content, and engage with their community. There are over 5 billion social media users today, and the number is growing fast.

What does all this mean? Well, with the number of people using social media, it's clear marketers need to rely on data they trust in order to plan campaigns, budget, and activate social media marketing efforts, and secure stakeholder buy-in. 

And as marketers ourselves, we know it can be overwhelming to search for the accurate and up to date social media statistics. So we created a source of truth with the essential facts and statistics that you need to know about social media in 2026.

Want to see more market-specific social media stats? Check out the social media statistics for Australia, see social media statistics for Malaysia, learn more about social media statistics in the Philippines, check UK social media statistics, see Swedish social media statistics, social media statistics for Hong Kong, South African social media statistics and take a look at UAE social media statistics.

70+ Social Media Stats You Should Know Right Now

Did you know that Facebook is still the top social media platform by usage? And that in 2021, digital ad spending increased by 38.3% from 2020? Or that consumers trust brands more if they have interacted with them on social media?

These are things you need to know, so here are 70+ social media statistics to keep in mind as you create your social media plan for 2025 and beyond!

Top social media networks by session duration: YouTube (14 minutes), TikTok (9 minutes), Facebook (7 minutes) (Global Digital Report)

People spend roughly 18 hours and 36 minutes a week on social media sites (Global Digital Report) 

Additionally, the average user accesses at least 6.75 social media channels daily (Global Digital Report)

60% of GenZ logs on to social media for 3 hours or more per day. (Later)

Total active social media users around the world: 5.6B. (Total internet users: 6.4B) (Statista)

There is a 4.8% increase in unique social media identities, year over year (between 2024 and 2025) (Global Digital Report)

78% of brands want to build brand awareness through social media. 47% use it to increase brand engagement, while 46% use it to connect with customers (State of Social Media 2026)

+22% of organizations are operating with Advanced social programs, compared to 2025 (State of Social Media 2026)

B2C companies have the highest number of Advanced social programs (State of Social Media 2026)

89% of marketers say that they use social videos for marketing (SproutSocial)

73% of them say that explainer videos are a preferred format (SproutSocial)

85% of B2B organizations say LinkedIn drives the most ROI. (Hootsuite) 

Team bandwidth is one of the biggest challenges for managing a social media program according to 59% of marketers (State of Social Media 2026)

28% of American consumers say they anticipate making more purchases in 2025 after seeing related posts on Instagram. (SproutSocial) 

80% of social media users log on to TikTok for funny or entertaining content, over other platforms (2026 Global Digital Trends Report)

Social media is a primary brand research tool for 80% of female users between the ages of 16-24 (2026 Global Digital Trends Report)

71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family (Lyfemarketing)

YouTube is the second-largest search engine globally. (HubSpot)

Global Reddit usage is predominantly male (60%). (DemandSage)

17% of marketers repurpose the same content across various social media channels, with no alterations. 48% repurpose content with minor changes to suit different platforms. (HubSpot)

A majority of companies employ between 0-2 people for social media (State of Social Media 2026) 

Paid social content is a top driver of ROI for B2B organizations (HubSpot)

The top reason for using social media for all age groups is "keeping in touch with friends and family" (2026 Global Digital Trends Report)

Reading news stories is the 2nd most popular reason for using social media for users between the ages of 45-65. For users between the ages of 16-44 the second most popular reason is filling up spare time. (2026 Global Digital Trends Report)

31% of social media users, age 16-24, say they are following social media influencers, the highest percentage among all age groups. (2026 Global Digital Trends Report)

Carousel posts are 24% more popular for marketers in 2026 compared to 2025 (State of Social Media 2026)

There are approximately 1.2 billion monthly active users on LinkedIn. (DemandSage)

Men between the ages of 25-34 occupy the largest percentage of LinkedIn's advertising audience (19%). (2026 Global Digital Trends Report)

Only 6% of B2C companies plan to spend more time on LinkedIn in 2026, compared to 15% of B2B companies (State of Social Media 2026)

Bill Gates is the most followed profile on LinkedIn. His page has 38.7M followers (2026 Global Digital Trends Report)

LinkedIn is the 3rd most popular channel for social media marketers (State of Social Media 2026) 

158 job applications are submitted through LinkedIn every second (DemandSage)

LinkedIn is highly effective for marketing and lead generation. 40% of B2B marketings rate the channel as the best for driving high quality leads. (SproutSocial)

Businesses that hold LinkedIn livestreams generate 24 times more comments than regular videos (DemandSage)

There are 3 billion worldwide monthly active users on Facebook (DemandSage)

28% of marketers say Facebook ads drive the best ROI (SocialPilot)

There is a +5.7% increase in Facebook's global ad reach (2025-2025) (Global Digital Report)

Women who are aged 65+ use Facebook the most. (Global Digital Report)

There are over 140 billion Reels posted on Facebook each day (DemandSage)

85% of users prefer to watch videos on Facebook without sound (DemandSage)

The largest advertising potential geographically is in India: 403 Million (Global Digital Report)

Active Facebook pages see an average engagement rate of .06% (SocialPilot)

Ad reach potential on Facebook in 2025 is 2.35 billion (Global Digital Report).

35% of companies say they plan to invest less time on Facebook in 2026 (State of Social Media 2026)

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed Facebook page (Global Digital Report)

X reports 611 Million monthly active users (Search Logistics)

63% of X users identify as male and 36% as female. (DemandSage)

American users spend about 31 minutes a day on X (Social Shepherd)

😭 was the most popular emoji on X in 2025. (Meltwater blog)

Elon Musk is the most followed account. He has 225.1 million followers. (Global Digital Report)

59% of users say they use X for news. (DemandSage)

Twitter is the 11th most popular social platform by active users. (Global Digital Report)

Instagram has 2B monthly active users (DemandSage)

On average, users spend an average of 33 minutes on Instagram daily. (DemandSage)

Ads on Instagram have a potential reach of 1.9B (Global Digital Report)

Business accounts on Instagram see a .45% engagement rate (Global Digital Report)

63% of GenZ users engage with brands on Instagram (Hootsuite)

Instagram is the most popular platform for photo and video sharing (Global Digital Report)

61% of Instagram users use the platform for product discovery. (SproutSocial)

Instagram is the 3rd most popular platform for making purchases (SproutSocial)

The average engagement rate on business Instagram accounts with 10,000 followers or fewer is .65% (Global Digital Report)

#Love is the most popular Instagram hashtag (2.15B) (Global Digital Report)

Carousel posts receive the highest engagement on business profiles, at .5%. (Global Digital Report)

Tip: Learn more about the most important Instagram statistics and about Instagram impressions and reach

As of Q3 2025, Pinterest has reported 600 million monthly active users (Statista)

Pinterest is the 9th most popular social network by active users (Global Digital Report)

The annual "Pinterest Predicts" report has an 85% success rate (SproutSocial)

Pinterest is the place to go when starting a new project, according to 85% of users. This is a helpful tidbit when crafting your Pin copy! (SproutSocial)

A majority of searches on Pinterest (96%) are unbranded. (SproutSocial)

Wattpad is the most popular Pinterest account by followers (32.2M). (Global Digital Report)

Pinterest ads have a total potential reach of 351.4 million. (Global Digital Report)

GenZ consumers wish more brands were on Pinterest. (SproutSocial)

Women between the ages of 25-34 occupy the largest advertising audience on Pinterest (Global Digital Report)

As of Q2, 2025, Snapchat at 469M daily active users (Global Digital Report)

Keep up with new social media features by following our social media news blog, updated weekly! 

70+ Social Media Stats for 2026

Bill Gates wrote these famous words in a 1996 essay: "Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting."

This was back when the internet was still in its infancy. Businesses and consumers alike were still testing the digital media waters. The internet wasn’t yet on our phones, much less in nearly every household. So much has changed since 1996, but Gates’ prediction remains truer than ever — content is the king of digital marketing.

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online (DemandSage, 2025), it’s no surprise that many marketers embrace a content-first perspective.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever.

What do content marketers and content managers do?

What are the different types of content marketing?

What are the benefits of content marketing?

What should be in your content marketing toolkit?

Digital content creation and content marketing examples

How Meltwater can help with content marketing

Tip: Stay on top of content marketing trends and make sure you learn about the most important content marketing metrics to measure.

Content marketing is the intentional approach to creating valuable, useful, relevant content for online audiences that encourages a specific action from the viewer.

The idea is that when brands can promote value to the user above anything else, users will be more informed, and sales will naturally follow.

Don’t BS your audience. Content marketing is supposed to be all about answering the audience’s questions. Giving them what they’re looking for.

Truth be told, the whole internet could technically be considered “content.” What sets regular content apart from digital content marketing is intention.

A hallmark of content for marketing purposes is that it steers away from traditional marketing messages. Rather than promote an item or brand in a sales-y way, content marketing focuses more on providing and proving value to audiences and less on immediate sales.  

Marketers have a goal in mind, whether it’s to build brand awareness, improve lead generation, drive sales and other conversions, gather audience feedback, or similar goals. From there, a content marketing manager, also known as a content marketer, decides which type of content will help them achieve that goal.

Tip: Every content marketer should perform a content audit every once in a while to make sure their content is always up-to-date.

Regardless of how you market to your online audience, content plays a key role in your strategy. It’s the images, videos, and posts you share on social media. It’s the landing page people see after they click on your pay-per-click (PPC) ad. It’s the variety of links that show up on search engine results pages to match a user’s query and guide them to your brand.

The good news is that you don’t always have to start from scratch. 82% of marketers repurpose content across various social media channels (Meltwater, 2025). Repurposing content helps you get more mileage out of your best-performing assets, saving time and effort while keeping your messaging consistent across every platform and touchpoint so your brand shows up with the same story, no matter where buyers find you.

From SEO to inbound marketing, social media to PPC ads, brands rely on quality digital content creation to get seen and boost conversions. Here are some of the different types of content marketing you’ll want to explore:

<table class="table-primary">
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Content type</th>
      <th>What it is</th>
      <th>What it’s used for</th>
      <th>Why it works</th>
      <th>Examples</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Blog posts</strong></td>
      <td>Written articles published on a brand’s website</td>
      <td>Education, SEO, thought leadership</td>
      <td>Builds authority over time and attracts organic traffic</td>
      <td>How-to articles, explainers, opinion pieces</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Infographics</strong></td>
      <td>Visual representations of information or data</td>
      <td>Simplifying complex topics, increasing shareability</td>
      <td>Easy to scan and understand, highly shareable</td>
      <td>Data visualisations, process diagrams</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Videos</strong></td>
      <td>Visual and audio content designed to inform or engage</td>
      <td>Awareness, engagement, education</td>
      <td>High engagement and strong storytelling potential</td>
      <td>Explainer videos, tutorials</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Ebooks</strong></td>
      <td>Long-form, in-depth written content</td>
      <td>Deep education, lead generation</td>
      <td>Provides high-value insights that justify sign-ups</td>
      <td>Topic deep dives, practical guides</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>White papers</strong></td>
      <td>Research-driven, authoritative documents</td>
      <td>B2B education, credibility building</td>
      <td>Positions brands as experts using data and analysis</td>
      <td>Industry research, solution-focused papers</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Case studies</strong></td>
      <td>Real-world examples of customer success</td>
      <td>Consideration and decision-making</td>
      <td>Builds trust through proof and results</td>
      <td>Customer success stories</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>User-generated content (UGC)</strong></td>
      <td>Content created by customers or users</td>
      <td>Trust-building, community engagement</td>
      <td>Seen as more authentic than brand content</td>
      <td>Social posts, testimonials</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Influencer content</strong></td>
      <td>Content created with or by influencers</td>
      <td>Reach, credibility with niche audiences</td>
      <td>Leverages existing trust and influence</td>
      <td>Sponsored posts, collaborations</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Reviews</strong></td>
      <td>Customer opinions and feedback</td>
      <td>Purchase influence, social proof</td>
      <td>Helps audiences make informed decisions</td>
      <td>Product or service reviews</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Checklists</strong></td>
      <td>Step-by-step actionable content</td>
      <td>Practical guidance, task completion</td>
      <td>Simple, useful, and easy to apply</td>
      <td>Planning checklists, process lists</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><strong>Slide decks</strong></td>
      <td>Presentation-style visual content</td>
      <td>Education, storytelling, idea sharing</td>
      <td>Clear structure and visual clarity</td>
      <td>Strategy presentations, educational decks</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

A content marketing blog is among the lowest-hanging fruit for brands. Blog articles provide customers and potential customers with relevant and useful information, and as a bonus, they provide a natural way to promote your products or services. For example, if you sell a software product, your blog might include articles about its unique features, tips on how to use it, or answers to common questions.

Blogs also boost your brand’s search engine optimization (SEO), which is essential for helping people find you via search engines like Google. Your articles help you reach people who are searching for what you offer. Do some keyword research to come up with content ideas that will resonate with your users. Build each blog around a unique keyword to keep your ideas focused and relevant.

To get even more mileage from blogs for your content marketing strategy, you can share posts to social media and in your emails. Sharing your articles with those audiences gets more exposure for your blog.

Tip: You can also leverage videos for SEO on YouTube

Infographics are like blog posts but more visual. Instead of sharing information in an article format, you can turn your ideas into graphics. These are light on text since the images do most of the talking. They’re ideal for turning complex or boring topics into engaging content.

These are especially helpful for tough subjects because the human brain processes images much faster than text. Information that might take a person several minutes to read and understand can be presented in an infographic and understood in a fraction of the time.

Infographics are 30 times more likely to be viewed compared to text-based content (DemandSage, 2026), plus colorful graphics can increase conversions by up to 80%. Finally, infographics are super shareable!

It's no secret that video content has taken the online world by storm. Video now accounts for 82% of all internet traffic and is one of the most popular content types (Synthesia, 2025). 

Videos help bring ideas to life, are easy to digest, and turn complex concepts into easy-to-understand topics. For instance, you might offer a step-by-step look at how to perform a specific task with your product.

Because of their widespread appeal and ability to share lots of details quickly, videos are a great way to bring more value to your audience.

Tip: When creating videos, make sure to follow the correct social media video sizes and specs! Get inspiration from 50 ideas for video content.

Ebooks are excellent tools in any content marketing strategy focused on generating qualified leads. Pick a topic that relates to your brand and requires a more in-depth explanation than the average blog post can offer. Then let your audience download the ebook in exchange for a small fee or their email address. That way, you’ll generate leads who are truly interested in the topic, and you can continue helping them learn more about your brand and product or service.

For middle and lower funnel leads, case studies can pack a powerful punch. Case studies give an in-depth look at a customer who has used your product or service and the results they gained. They rely on real stats and figures to illustrate the story and usually contain quotes from the customer about their experience.

Similar to ebooks, white papers offer another way to build trust with your audience. The difference between a white paper and an ebook is that white papers tend to be more data-driven. They’re filled with research and present information factually. They are a great way to highlight original research you have that other brands don't. Because the data does the talking, you can use white papers to promote your brand in a non-salesy way.

User-generated content (UGC), is content created for your brand by real users or customers. It might be a video or photo of them using your product or a tutorial showing others how something works. UGC carries a lot of weight because it’s made by real people, not your brand. Users trust UGC and see it as raw, honest, and unbiased.

Tip: Check out these user-generated content examples, learn more about the UGC LLM citation layer, and understand why UGC is the new visibility engine.

Influencer content is similar to UGC. The difference is that influencer content is usually commissioned by the company or brand, whereas UGC happens organically.

You can hire influencers to promote your product or service to their audience. This helps you expand your reach and adds a layer of authenticity to the process because you’re not creating the content yourself. It's one of the most effective content formats because it's like getting a personal word-of-mouth recommendation rather than a typical marketing message. 49% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations, and 69% trust what influencers say and recommend (Meltwater, 2024).

Another form of UGC, online reviews and customer testimonials, is an example of high-converting content. They give direct insights into your product or service, are created by your customers, and shed light on their personal experiences.

For instance, someone might leave a star rating and review on your Google Business or Facebook pages. Or, you might ask a customer to record a video testimonial that you can post to your brand’s home page.

Online reviews and testimonials are like getting celebrity endorsements for your brand, but from your customers instead of celebrities. People don’t want to attach their name to a recommendation if they don’t fully support a product. That’s one reason why most people trust online reviews as much as they trust referrals from family members or friends.

Another opportunity to collect qualified leads, checklists are easy to make and offer lots of value to your users. Instead of putting together the nuts and bolts of a particular topic or task, you can save them the trouble by making a checklist. They have something concrete to follow since you’ve taken the guesswork out of the equation for them. And similar to an ebook, you can require your audience to sign up for your email list to access the downloadable checklist.

Another growing type of content asset is online presentations. Using tools like SlideShare, brands can create on-demand slide decks to share information in a presentation format. This is a great way to break topics down into bite-sized chunks and let the user go at their own pace.

To understand the full role of content marketing campaigns, look no further than the declining value of traditional marketing. Billboards, direct mail, and print publications just don’t have the same appeal or impact that they once did.

People learn to ignore ads — we’ve had to, given that the average person sees thousands of ads per day. When we get overwhelmed by companies competing for our attention, we learn how to tune them out.

That’s what makes content marketing different. Its primary goal isn’t to sell or promote, but rather to offer real value to the viewer. This helps remove some of the internal ad-block reactions consumers have developed and helps brands get noticed. Once you earn some visibility through your online content, you have a chance to make a lasting impression on your audience.

There’s also been a shift in the buying process that marketers should note. In the past, buyers would follow a fairly predictable path: discover an issue, explore various products, and then make a buying decision. Today, that process isn’t as linear as it once was.

Buyers are doing more and more research on their own. They’re using Google to find information about different solutions to their problem. They’re reading online reviews of companies before they buy. More than half of internet users research brands and products online before buying (Meltwater, 2026).

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