How much content is on the web and how has it grown over the years?

In March 1989, the World Wide Web turned 26. What was once a thing of sci-fi, the web has grown from Star Trek fiction to an everyday survival tool during its 26 years of life. As newspapers become scarcer and books slowly move towards electronic versions, the web has quickly become the hub for a variety of content from all around the world. Now it’s more than just what content is on the internet, it’s also about how users are engaging the content and what they are using to get to it. Let’s take a look at how the web and its content have grown over the years by looking at when programs and other milestones that encourage content marketing came to be:

1895 – 1987 Magazines take off starting the industry for published and print advertising.

1995 Personal homepage service, Geocities, launches.

1996 Placeware starts offering web conferencing services.

1999 Blogger launches.

2001 $20 billion. The amount spent on custom content.

2003 MySpace launches. As does LinkedIn.

2004 a blog is born. Microsoft launches Channel 9, the first ever corporate blog from a big wig company.

• Also, Facebook is launched.

2006 Twitter is born.

2009 Revised FTC endorsements and testimonials guidelines go into effect impacting endorsers and bloggers.

2010 Content Marketing Institute is born.

• 25% of marketing budgets spent on content marketing.
• 88% of all brands use content marketing

2011 Importance of content is starting to take lead. Chief Content Officer Magazine launches in print and digital.

2013 33% of total budget spent by B2B marketers on content marketing initiatives.

• The most popular content marketing tactics include social media, articles, enewsletters and blogs.

2015 70% of B2B marketers are creating more content than they did one year ago, even those who say they are least effective (58%) and those without any type of strategy (56%). (Content Marketing Institute)

We’ve quickly shifted from worrying about prices and promotions to creating a true connection with consumers through content. If marketing used to be about the 4Ps (Product, Place, Price, Promotion) Socialnomics author Erik Qualman claims it’s increasingly about the 4Cs (Creating, Curating, Connecting and Culture).

As content continues to grow, evolve and take over the web, three things are certain. With content you should:

1. Always provide value. It’s about building lasting relationships with brand ambassadors excited to spread the word about your product or service.
2. It won’t be read because it exists. Use the content to find your audience by making targeted distribution a key component to your overall content marketing strategy—approach owned media, paid media and earned media channels for a strong three-pronged approach.
3. Set specific goals. Set clear objectives and measure your success metrics so you can track, measure and optimize against branding campaigns. Instead of being a jack of all trades, create a niche for your brand and lead the way.

How has your practice evolved alongside content and it’s growth over the years?