Unleash the Power in your Content People

Content marketing is getting big. In fact, it’s predicted to be a $421 billion industry by 2021 . But no matter how on-trend it is, it still needs to generate legitimate, quality leads for you and your business. All too often businesses jump on a bandwagon without first exploring how to use it effectively or derive the right kind of value from it.

So what is keeping content marketing from reaching its full potential? According to B2B Marketers Speak‚ a report forming part of Digital Clarity Group’s (DCG) “Voice of the Marketer” research program sponsored by censhare, marketing professionals say that even content experts lack the right skills to fully leverage content for effective marketing.

The reason for this, the report finds, is that content managers are being over-burdened by new processes as marketing strategies grow and evolve over time. It’s not enough to simply be able to write strong copy, content managers must also understand SEO, audience analytics and blog production. They’ve also got to get on board with creating compelling video content as well.

It’s a lot for any one person or team to manage, and trying to stay ahead of the curve can distract from underlying goals. But, you can create conditions where content producers thrive, even in an evolving marketing environment:

Assign Tasks Based on Skill and Value

Experimenting with who does what task can help to unlock your content team’s potential, revealing hidden talents and resolving struggles. Then, by putting monetary numbers next to the tasks involved in content production, you can discover where the most value lies. For example, writing blog posts is a task that can be easily outsourced to independent contractors at a cheaper rate that of your in-house staff. Your content experts should be using their high level skills and have the time to keep them honed and fresh.

Push Beyond the Comfort Zone

The B2B Marketers Speak report found that 89% of content professionals tend to be mostly or entirely in the same business unit. DCG recommends shifting your experts so they’re more directly aligned with the business units they’re creating the content for. This makes sure your content strategy is linked to business objectives and puts your content professionals squarely in the day-to-day of others working towards the same goals, allowing them to pick up on the nuances and insights they could miss in a ‘writers’ huddle’.

Get Experts In

DCG also recommends looking at outsourcing to firms that specialize in content creation and digital marketing. These agencies can provide tailored recommendation for your content marketing needs, allowing you to focus on other tasks.

In summary, leveraging content for effective marketing is still relatively new, despite its rapid growth. Experimenting with how your content team is organized and which tasks are being assigned to whom will help you stay on top of content marketing while allowing your content experts to reach their full potential.

Leverage content more effectively for your marketing strategy - download the full B2B Marketers Speak report from DCG for more pointers on getting the most from content management.