The 2026 State of the Industry Report – InContent Marketing
How Top CMOs Can Turn Multilingual Content into Measurable ROI
31 global marketing leaders reveal where multilingual content spend is wasted, and what high-performing teams do differently.
InContent Marketing = inbound marketing for multilingual content.
Most content strategies were built for one language.
Most revenue today is not.
This report reveals where global marketing breaks—and how leaders are fixing it.
Survey Scope
Based on a 2025 survey of 31 enterprise marketers across the US, UK, and EU
Industries
Industries represented: SaaS, Consumer Goods, Finance, Healthcare, Advertising
Roles
Global Heads of Marketing, Digital Strategy Directors, Analytics & Communications Leaders
why this report exists
Multilingual Content is Scaling.
Performance is Not.
Search engines and AI platforms are now rewriting how brands appear in local markets—often without brand input, approval, or safeguards.
When content doesn’t exist in-language, platforms fill the gap automatically.
This report answers a question most global marketing teams avoid:
Are we actually in control of our multilingual presence—or just funding it?
Key Data Teasers
What the Numbers Reveal
High Budgets. Low Confidence.
- 11 of 31 companies spend over $1M per year on content
- 20 of 31 still struggle to prove ROI
- Agencies consume x80–90% of content budgets, limiting scalability
If your content budget were questioned tomorrow, could you defend it?
Global Revenue Doesn’t Mean Global Visibility
- Half of respondents operate in 11+ markets
- 6 operate in 50+ countries
- Many support fewer than 10 languages
Several organizations manage dozens of markets with only a handful of supported languages—leaving revenue unrealized and visibility unmanaged.
Everyone Is Hitting the Same Wall
- Scaling content with limited resources (20 of 31)
- Proving ROI of content investments (20 of 31)
- Balancing global brand consistency with local relevance (19 of 31)
- Managing fragmented workflows and tools (19 of 31)
Different companies. Same constraints.
AI Is Accelerating Output—Not Trust
- 12 respondents hesitate to use AI due to brand and quality concerns
- Many teams approve content in languages they cannot read
- Manual workflows still dominate global content operations
AI increased speed. Governance didn’t keep up.
The strategic shift
Translation Is No Longer the Strategy.
InContent Marketing is.
The data reveals a clear shift away from linear “create → translate” workflows toward intentional, performance-driven adaptation.
InContent Marketing treats multilingual content as a strategic growth system—designed for discoverability, cultural relevance, and measurable outcomes across markets.
What you’ll learn
Inside the Report
Data & Benchmarks
- Enterprise content budget ranges and allocation patterns
- In-house vs outsourced resourcing models
- Content production velocity benchmarks
Global Market Reality
- Revenue exposure vs language coverage gaps
- Markets served vs markets truly supported
- Multilingual channel adoption trends
Why ROI Breaks Down
- Where linear workflows fail at scale
- How governance slows execution
- Why English-centric inbound models underperform globally
The InContent Marketing Framework
- InLanguage: accurate understanding
- InCulture: local relevance and resonance
- InMarket: search and AI discoverability by market
Executive-Level Guidance
- KPI models for multilingual performance
- Governance structures that scale
- A practical roadmap for enterprise adoption
Who this is for
Who Should Download This Report
If you manage multilingual content and are responsible for outcomes, this report will feel familiar.
- Global and regional marketing leaders
- Enterprise content, SEO, and digital owners
- Multilingual brand and growth teams
- Anyone accountable for content performance across markets
Download the 2026 InContent Marketing State of the Industry Report
Most teams won’t read this report.
They’ll keep translating. Keep guessing. Keep explaining ROI later.
The teams who do will recognize themselves in the data—and fix the problem before it becomes visible to everyone else.
Get the report