According to Forrester, 87% of B2B marketers say that they struggle to produce content that truly engages their buyers. I’d argue that could very well be because they are still thinking like marketers—not like editors.
As an effective content marketer, you have put the time into understanding the characteristics of your audience. You’ve developed and validated personas. You or your strategist has created an editorial calendar that will knock clients’ socks off. You’ve produced exceptional content. You’ve written targeted messaging to introduce that content. You’ve got a plan to get it out to the masses.
But are you sure your team can effectively execute on your strategy?
Have you closed the reporting gap?
Digital marketing remains one of the best ways for both B2C and B2B companies to reach customers. A recent We Are Social study showed that 71% of internet users in the US searched online for a product or service in the last 30 days, and 66% made an online purchase (source). With so many consumers moving online for their buying journey, marketers realize the time for digital marketing is now.
At the close of 2015, B2B and B2C businesses had differing digital marketing objectives, but similar methods.
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Creating strong content is not the ultimate element in Content Marketing. Creating and maintaining effective marketing data to target the best possible audience for your campaign is of equal importance. One of the most important tools in a modern marketer’s tool belt is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to help you manage this data.
Your CRM is not only your database of record, but it is the place where marketing and sales connect to create actionable data for both the sales and marketing organizations.
Here are different ways that CRM can help you produce a strong campaign:
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From ancient times to modern day, scholars, businessmen, sports celebrities, and regular folk have expounded the virtues of planning.
“A man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble at his door.” – Confucius
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.”- H. Stanley Judd
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra
Yet, if the annual Content Marketing Institute survey is to be believed, many marketers, at least those in the digital content marketing realm, fall short when it comes to planning and strategy. This could be due to lack of bandwidth, or understanding – or it could be because today’s marketing environment is evolving so rapidly, it’s hard to keep up.
*Full disclaimer: this post is shoe-horned with Star Wars allusions, puns, and enthusiasm. Reader be warned.
In a galaxy far, far away, Han Solo and Chewbacca, co-workers and best friends, worked together to save Princess Leia and destroy the Death Star.
It could be argued that these successes would not have been possible if they worked separately. That their individual abilities could not compare to their strength as a team.
In this way, sales and marketing teams are better together than they are apart. Unfortunately, much like the dynamic duo of Han and Chewbacca, we only see truly aligned sales and marketing teams once every other galaxy or so.
Everyone is doing content marketing, and most are doing it badly. Just two statistics tell the whole story:
Why is so much content ineffective?
Relevant, effective content needs to answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” Good content delivers obvious value to its audience. It gives them a reason to devote their time and attention—even just a few minutes of it.
Fortunately, creating content that answers the WIIFM question isn’t too difficult. Marketers who take the time to follow a structured process can consistently create messages that make an impact.
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Recent statistics show that 82% of all product research begins with a web search, 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine and 60% off all clicks go to the top three results. Read More
NuGrowth Solutions today announced the release of the latest addition to its extensive online library: “Six Steps to a Winning Content Strategy.”
Geared toward companies that want to improve their lead generation efforts through content marketing, the guide builds on the concepts and strategies laid out in NuGrowth Solutions’ last e-guide, “B2B Content Marketing 101: What’s in it for Me?” and touts the benefits of planning ahead and continuing to improve strategies.
By many accounts, content strategy is something that is often overlooked. A recent report by the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs titled “2014 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America” indicates that 56% of marketers do not have a well-documented strategy for their content marketing campaigns. Only 42% feel that their strategy is effective.
