Custom content spending in U.S. a $44 billion industry in 2012, up 9.2% from 2011

Annual spending for custom content in the U.S. reached $43.9 billion in 2012, a rise of 9.2 percent of 2011′s 40.2 billion, according to a new report.

The study, published by the Custom Content Council (CCC), also found of the average overall marketing, advertising and communications budget, 39 percent of the funds were dedicated to content marketing.

Titled “Characteristics Study: A Look at the Volume and Type of Content Marketing in America for 2013,” the report analyzed all forms of content marketing, including print, web, email, video, virtual events, white papers, podcasts and e-Zines.

Below are some other noteworthy stats from the report (now in its 13th year):

• 81 percent of survey respondents creat content specifically for social media

• 62 percent of respondents report using video in their content marketing initiatives

• Average marketer updates company website over three times per week

• 73 percent of printed custom publications are targeting external audiences, of either B2B or B2C

• Average page count per issue rose to 30.2 pages, the largest in the history of the survey

• Average annual frequency rose slightly to 6.1 times per year—or roughly speaking, a bi-monthly frequency

• Ads seeing an 8 percent increase since last year, and doubled from the last decade, in 2012

For more info on how brands are embracing content marketing, check out this infographic.