Asian marketers are becoming more strategic about the content they’re producing, according to our Content Marketing in Asia survey.

In 2016, twice as many companies have developed a documented content strategy compared to the year before, while only 27% of companies do not have any content strategy.

71% of marketers are budgeting at least a 10% increase in their content marketing budget. This indicates that more companies will grow in their content approach in the next 12-18 months.

The survey also found that content platforms with visually-led interfaces and formats have increased in popularity in the past year.

In 2015, Instagram usage amongst Asian marketers was a mere 26%; in 2016, that number doubled to 52%.

Interestingly, a significant number of marketers who rated Instagram as a preferred social tool came from business-to-business (B2B) industries, which indicate that Instagram usage is growing beyond consumer marketing.

Infographics also made its debut as one of the top 5 tools that helped Asian marketers with lead generation in 2016, with 2 out of 5 marketers giving it credit for providing the best results to their companies. The other top marketing tools in 2016 were 3^rd party articles, social media, in-person events and email newsletters.

These statistics show that Asian marketers and their respective audiences are using visually-led content to grab attention in an age of multi-tasking and content overload. Unique, original content can drive a range of marketing activities from better, more thoughtful events to a more authentic and engaging social media presence.

Regardless of format, marketers may need to take a step back and recognise that it’s better to reach out with meaningful, useful content over time instead of reverting to interruption-style, me-first marketing of yore.

The Content Marketing in Asia survey was carried out in December 2016 among marketers across multiple industries in the region. The survey aims to explore trends, developments and the outlook on content marketing in Asia.

For more information about the findings of the 2016 Content Marketing in Asia survey, send us an email at hello@3degrees.asia and ask for your copy.