The Future of Content Marketing is Here

Below are highlights from Paul Roetzer’s article in the November 2013 issue of Chief Content Officer, “Mapping the Next Frontier in Brand Storytelling.” Read the full article on the CMI blog.

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Consumers Crave Content 

Now more than ever, consumers tap into the wealth of data and information around them before making decisions, especially when it comes to spending their 

money. Both Google and the Marketing Leadership Council have found that consumers are in the driver’s seat of the purchasing process, and they want compelling content to guide them to the best vendor.

Metrics Matter

Marketers face increasing pressure to measure the ROI of campaigns and connect actions to outcomes. But while content marketing gives brands the ability to produce meaningful, measurable results, many teams lack the fundamental skills, marketing technology utilization, and integrated strategies to connect their efforts to the bottom line. And key performance indicator (KPI) weaknesses throughout the marketing funnel may be inhibiting organizations from achieving their performance goals.

The Next Generation of Content Marketers

A new generation of content marketers is rising, and they’re far more than writers and strategists. They are hybrids—tech-savvy A players able to execute across analytics, automation, content, search, web and more.

• They devise content calendar strategies to match historical and predictive search patterns.
• They use contextual content on their websites to adapt copy and calls to action at an individual visitor level.
• They analyze data to turn information into intelligence, and intelligence into action.
• Most importantly, they never stop seeking better talent, enhanced technology, and more intelligent and integrated content strategies.

And those that can overcome gaps in talent, technology and strategy are succeeding in far more than content. In The 2014 Marketing Score Report, released last week, we found that high performers in blogging dominated all others in a number of critical marketing performance metrics, as well as overall Marketing Score.

What’s Next?

As digital and traditional channels become flooded with brand content, does content marketing regress into a battle of budgets?

Or has marketing technology changed the game, giving organizations of all sizes access to the tools and knowledge to succeed by outthinking, rather than outspending, their peers?

Read the full article on the Content Marketing Institute blog.