Content marketing became an imperative investment for B2B and B2C companies alike in 2015. But I think we can all admit that within that time, marketers were being more experimental than strategic with their efforts.
Fresh for the New Year, an increasing number of experts say marketers will try to take a more data-driven approach to content marketing. For example, marketers can refer to data about their buyers to make smarter decisions while selecting content formats and building their messaging. When campaigns launch, marketers are measuring the reach and impact in order to improve their strategies moving forward.
In case you need more validation, here are some articles that show why it’s important for content marketers to embrace data:
- Data helps you suck less at content: According to this article from Leadnomics, “your company sucks a content marketing.” Sound a little bit harsh? Check out this research from the CMO Council and the Content ROI Center, which shows that only 12% of marketing leaders say their current content approach is “high performing.” The key differentiator is data. Organizations can use two kinds to improve the relevancy and impact of their content: proprietary data and “open” data. This article defines each in great detail, and shows examples from OkCupid and Priceonomics.
- Content marketing finally grows up: As I noted earlier, 2015 was an interesting year for content marketing. A lot of new formats and examples cropped up, and needless to say, marketers were excited to try new things and sharpen their content skills. But as this ClickZ article notes, 2016 is the year for marketers to become more strategic in their efforts. Up to 25% of marketers say content marketing is a key trend for their organization this year, according to ClickZ. The next most popular trend: data and analytics (13%). This article highlights some other content marketing studies and statistics, but also confirms that marketers will stop creating content “for content’s sake” and instead will focus on measuring the impact and reach of their efforts.
- Millennials offer 3 ways to use data: What do Netflix recommendations and personalized emails have in common? Both use data to ensure companies send the right content to the right person at the right time. This article shows how everyday B2B marketers can use A/B testing, consumption information and insights about your buyers to create more impactful content.
- Are you data savvy?: This article from Adobe touches on two important topics: who owns your company’s content marketing strategy and why data is important to improving the strategy. Whether you have an in-house content team or are working with an agency, all team members need to have a holistic view of content and where it is published. Only then can teams track content delivery and performance, including what buyers are engaging with and why.
I hope these articles inspire you to dive deeper into data and see how it can help you improve your content creation and promotion!
