Content marketing has long been hailed as one of the most effective strategies for building brand awareness, generating leads, and driving customer loyalty. But in 2025, as economic pressures tighten and competition rises, marketers are under more scrutiny than ever to prove the return on investment (ROI) of their content efforts, and to justify how every dollar is spent.
This article draws on secondary research from top reports released in the past year, offering a data-backed look at how content marketing budgets are evolving, where companies are allocating resources, and what trends are shaping ROI measurement today. We’ll also explore best practices for maximizing impact and navigating the challenges of a rapidly changing marketing landscape.
We’ve done the research, so you don’t have to. Let’s dive into what content marketing budgets are looking like in 2025 and the latest ROI trends.
The Current State of Content Marketing Budgets
According to the Content Marketing Institute’s 2025 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks Report, 72% of B2B marketers report that their content marketing budget has either stayed the same or increased over the past year, despite broader economic uncertainty. On average, companies are dedicating 27% of their total marketing budget to content, a figure that has steadily risen over the past five years.
Interestingly, Semrush’s State of Content Marketing Global Report 2025 reveals that mid-sized companies ($10M–$100M in annual revenue) are allocating the largest share of their marketing budget to content averaging 32% spend. Meanwhile, small businesses (under $10M) spend closer to 20%. Larger enterprises often lag slightly behind, spending around 25%, possibly due to their reliance on multi-channel strategies and heavier investment in paid media.
Marketers are increasingly aware that content is not just a top-of-funnel tool but also a key driver of customer engagement, loyalty, and even upsell opportunities. As a result, the scope of content investment is broadening, with budgets covering everything from blog posts, video, and podcasts to eBooks, webinars, and interactive tools.
Where the Budget Is Going: Top Content Investments
A closer look at spending breakdowns reveals clear priorities. HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing Report notes that 47% of marketers rank video content as their top budget priority, driven by the continued rise of short-form and live video across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Meanwhile, SEO remains a key area of focus, with 36% of marketers increasing their investment in search-optimized content. The importance of organic discovery has never been greater, especially as the cost of paid media rises and cookie deprecation limits targeting options. Blogs, long-form guides, and research reports continue to attract budget support, as they provide durable, evergreen assets that deliver value over time.
Notably, there’s been a sharp uptick in investment toward content repurposing and distribution. According to Content Marketing Institute, 64% of marketers now prioritize maximizing the lifespan of their content by adapting core pieces into multiple formats — for example, turning a white paper into a series of social posts, infographics, and short videos. This focus on efficiency not only stretches budgets further but also improves audience reach.
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Measuring ROI: What’s Working (and What’s Not)
Despite rising investment, many marketers still struggle to quantify the true impact of their content efforts. Semrush reports that 54% of content marketers say proving ROI remains their top challenge.
One reason for this is the complexity of attribution. Content often plays an assistive role in customer journeys, influencing awareness or consideration long before a conversion occurs. As a result, many organizations still default to using surface-level metrics such as page views, social shares, and email open rates — useful signals, but insufficient for capturing long-term business impact.
However, the best-performing teams are moving beyond vanity metrics. According to HubSpot, top content marketers increasingly focus on metrics such as lead quality, customer retention rates, sales pipeline influence, and customer lifetime value (CLTV). These metrics require more sophisticated tracking setups, often involving CRM integrations and multi-touch attribution models, but they provide a clearer picture of how content contributes to overall business success.
Read more here on how data-clean rooms can help solve the difficulties in attribution.
Budget Trends Shaped by AI and Automation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how marketers allocate time and money. Gartner’s 2025 Marketing Technology Survey finds that 68% of marketing leaders have increased their investment in AI tools, particularly in areas like content generation, personalization, and performance analysis.
AI-powered platforms such as Jasper, Writesonic, and Copy.ai are reducing the time and cost of producing basic content drafts, freeing human teams to focus on strategy, creativity, and optimization. Meanwhile, automation tools are helping streamline content distribution, from email marketing sequences to social media scheduling.
Importantly, this doesn’t mean AI is replacing human marketers. Instead, it’s shifting the balance of budget allocation — reducing production costs while increasing investment in areas such as creative direction, brand storytelling, and data analysis.
Marketers should be cautious not to over-automate; audiences continue to value authentic, human-driven narratives that AI cannot fully replicate.
Ask about our AI/Human content solutions.
Challenges Ahead: Justifying Every Dollar
While content marketing budgets are generally holding steady or increasing, they are also under greater scrutiny. CFOs and leadership teams are demanding more detailed justifications for marketing spend, especially in light of tighter economic conditions.
According to The CMO Survey 2025, 58% of marketers report that budget approval processes have become more rigorous over the past 12 months. This has pushed marketing leaders to become more data-driven, aligning content KPIs directly with business objectives such as revenue growth, customer acquisition cost (CAC), and retention.
Another challenge is market saturation. As more brands invest in content, audience attention becomes a scarce resource. To stand out, marketers must not only invest in producing more content but also in creating better content — differentiated by quality, relevance, and value.
Best Practices for Maximizing Content ROI
To thrive in this environment, marketers should adopt a few key best practices.
First, focus on quality over quantity. Rather than flooding channels with mediocre posts, invest in fewer, higher-quality pieces designed to meet specific audience needs and mapped to clear stages of the customer journey.
Second, embrace experimentation. Content marketing is not static; it’s a continuous learning process. By regularly testing new formats, headlines, CTAs, and distribution channels — and rigorously measuring performance — teams can identify what works and optimize their strategy over time.
Third, ensure that content is fully integrated into the sales and customer success process. According to Content Marketing Institute, organizations that align marketing and sales teams around shared content goals see a 23% higher conversion rate compared to those that operate in silos.
Finally, invest in long-term assets. While it’s tempting to chase short-term social trends, evergreen content such as comprehensive guides, research reports, and cornerstone blog posts can deliver compound ROI over months or even years.
The Road Ahead: Content as a Core Business Asset
In 2025, content marketing is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s a core business asset. Companies that approach content strategically, invest wisely, and rigorously track ROI will not only justify their budgets but also outperform competitors.
Marketers must continue refining their approach, balancing creativity with data, and integrating AI tools thoughtfully, in order to boost efficiency. At the same time, they should never lose sight of what makes content powerful: the ability to educate, inspire, and build genuine human connections.
For personalized advice on optimizing your content marketing, ask our team about creating and executing a strategy that suits your investment.
