According to the LinkedIn Marketing Community, seventy-two percent of marketers have a content strategy. According to Content Marketing Institute, 88% of North American B2B marketers use content marketing in their overall strategy. This is excellent news.
Even though we appear to be accepted, there are still significant obstacles. According to Forrester, LinkedIn, and Content Marketing Institute:
Sixty percent ( CMI ) of marketers consider creating engaging content a key challenge.
Five-seven percent need help to produce consistent content ( CMI).
Fifty percent of respondents cite lack of time or bandwidth as their primary obstacle ( CMI).
72% of B2B marketers believe less than 50% of their marketing staff are involved in content marketing ( Forrester).
It is estimated that only 30% of marketing professionals believe their company is proficient in content marketing ( Content Marketing Institute, Marketing Profs). Yikes. This has been going on for over a decade. It’s true; Seth Godin said it ten years ago: Content Marketing is the Only Marketing Left. So why are we only 30 percent efficient and so much struggling? These statistics suggest that the tactical and not the strategic efforts work. Marketers need more resources to properly resource programs. Even so, while we appear to be very committed and thriving in the complicated stuff (strategic), we cannot solve the superficial stuff (putting enough resources and time into it).
Are we bought in?
Content Generation Is Harkwork
You need to hustle and put in a lot of effort when creating content for your program. It’s more difficult in B2B when you consider complicated stories and participation by many subject matter experts. Creating content takes diplomacy, influence, and a lot of effort.
These options can help you increase your content creation if you have the strategy down. These tips assume you have a plan with goals, program objectives, a target audience, and guidelines for editorial support.
Seven ways to feed the Content Engine
Start with what you already have. Many organizations have a lot of timeless knowledge that has been created. Start by looking for previously published materials that can be used in your program. In a moment, I will show you how to repurpose.
Make a Content Calendar
A content marketing program that is well-managed will have many new ideas. You can recruit sales, marketing, product management, engineering, and customer success representatives to discuss company developments, customer success, industry trends, internal experts, influencers, and any other information that could support your strategy. A topic map should be created that covers six to twelve months. It should include identifying the top contributors, defining the formats you want to make, and identifying distribution channels.
Recruit Expert Contributors
A group of people willing to help you is essential. Content marketing is often tricky because it’s not well-resourced. Your budget won’t get much help soon. Your diplomatic skills are necessary. Many people are involved in content marketing programs that produce excellent results. There is only work for some if there are more people involved. Recognize the stars of your company. Tell them what topics you want their help on and when you need it so they can be an example to the team and get leaders to participate first. Please don’t ask them for a complete piece. Ask for a short interview. To create a unique piece, you can use your marketing team’s or agency’s writing skills.
