As Google and other search engines have increased their reliance on content to drive search results, savvy marketers have made adjustments to their marketing strategies. According to a 2012 study, the most effective marketers continue to shift more of their budget to content marketing— especially online.

CMI reports in its latest B2B Content Marketing Study that best-in-class marketers devoted 31% of their overall budget for this purpose. Conversely, the least effective marketers averaged only 18% allocated to this tactic.

The numbers surely suggest a correlation between content marketing and success. Clearly, business owners and marketing executives are taking notice, too.

CMI also found in its survey that 60% of businesses plan to increase content marketing over the next 12 months. This is a trend that continues to accelerate as evidenced by last year’s survey results that pegged the same measure at 51%.

The biggest increases in content marketing methods have been blogs and white papers. Blogging jumped from 51% to 65% year-over-year, while white paper usage increased from 43% to 51%.

Beyond the search engine algorithm changes, this migration is also being fueled by another phenomenon. Specifically, marketers know that prospects are increasingly researching online to identify potential providers and narrow their choices before even engaging a sales representative.

Simply put, much of the prospecting and sales process is occurring prior to initial contact. No matter how talented your sales staff, lack of attention to building a highly credible online presence might mean never getting the opportunity for them to sell. Additionally, content marketingis proven to boost sales conversion even after contact.

The CMI study provides further evidence of the importance and value of content marketing. Smart marketers are simply following the money (aka, higher returns) and shifting their marketing plan tactics accordingly.