Marketers are increasingly creating more content but are receiving less engagement from consumers with each piece, according to a recent report from TrackMaven.
The report was based on an analysis of the content pieces posted by 22,957 brands between January and December 2015 on blogs and five major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn). The sample included 75.7 billion interactions across 50 million pieces of brand-generated content.
The output of content per brand, per channel, increased 35% from its highest to lowest points last year, the analysis found. However, engagement with branded content fell, on average, 17% in 2015, to 2.19 interactions per post, per brand, per 1,000 followers.
In other words, as marketers ramped up content production through the year, they began to receive less engagement per piece of content.
Below, additional key findings from the report.
Engagement by Social Channel
Facebook had the highest average engagement ratio per post per 1,000 followers in 2015.
Average engagement per post dropped 49% on Pinterest from the beginning of 2015 to the end.
LinkedIn's average engagement ratio was the most consistent of the major networks last year, hovering between 2.0 and 2.3 interactions per post.
Post Volume by Social Channel
The average number of posts per brand per channel increased on every major social network in 2015.
Brands posted the highest volume of content on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook last year; LinkedIn was the lowest-volume network.
Blog Volume and Engagement
The average number of blog posts per brand per month decreased 16% in 2015 to a low of 58. Engagement with brand blogs, however, held steady, even climbing slightly from 2014 levels to a peak of 190.7 average interactions per post in July 2015.
About the research: The report was based on an analysis of the content pieces posted by 22,957 brands between January and December 2015 on blogs and five major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn). The sample included 75.7 billion interactions across 50 million pieces of brand-generated content.