Content marketing certainly seems to be undergoing a revival as many B2B companies begin to realise that such strategies really can be successful. It was only in September that the ‘B2B Content Marketing 2017 – Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends – North America’ report was released. In this report, it was revealed that 62 per cent of companies believe their content marketing efforts for this year have already been more successful than in 2015. However, firms also continue to feel they’re stuck in a rut, largely because they simply do not have the time to prioritise.
Developing a successful content marketing strategy can take time. In fact, of those who said their strategy fared worse in 2016 than last year, 57 per cent admitted it was due to time constraints. Curating content can be extremely time-intensive, and most brands need to dedicate time to both writing content and developing fundamental strategy elements before campaigns begin. For those starting out on their marketing journey, or companies wanting to boost their efforts, there are some important questions to ask.
Brands must initially identify whether content marketing has become an organisational priority. The previously mentioned benchmark report said that 80 per cent of respondents want to generate leads from their content strategies. Growing a business can rely heavily upon lead generation, and if a firm’s aim for its content is to boost these leads, it is vital for content marketing to be seen as a priority. Content marketing is also much cheaper than attending trade shows and can generate leads just as well. Therefore, business priorities might need to be switched around so that enough time can be found for content creation and strategy.
B2B firms also need to ask themselves if they have foundational content marketing apps in place. For example, only 47 per cent of survey respondents are using buyer personas. Meanwhile, 43 per cent use social media calendars, and 62 per cent utilise an editorial calendar. Far higher efficiency can be found when using timesaving tools, helping firms carve out more time for content creation itself. However, foundational elements go beyond physical software aids to the development of new processes, such as a content approval system. These all boost time management and help strategies get the time resources they demand.
Finally, it’s important to recognise whether content is actually being created in an efficient way. All marketing teams need to evolve with the times, and if individuals are not equipped with the skills required for 2016, content creation strategies may well be outdated. Once the strategy for content development has been created, it’s vital for firms to realise that marketers have to be excellent writers with journalistic curiosity and the expertise to tell a story. Writers also need to be well versed in digital marketing, as well as having the ability to adapt their writing to suit various situations and platforms. For those unable to do this in-house, it’s well worth outsourcing content creation.
Overall, businesses must increasingly prioritise the carving out of time for content creation. Abandoning older practices that do not generate enough leads, along with optimising the foundational elements of a strategy, and ensuring that content creation itself is swift and efficient can make this happen.
