Marketers need digital asset creation to be collaborative so that assets can be reused and repurposed efficiently across multiple channels. That collaboration is only possible with a process that is powered by the marketers themselves. This new, agile process must be focused on the creation, publishing, re-use, and measurement of rich media, as opposed to finding, limiting, governing, and archiving assets. Discover how agile teams, assets, and processes can create collaborative content, better brands, and faster content marketing.
Pharma Marketing: Get Started on Creating Great Customer Experiences with Jou...run_frictionless
A well-defined customer journey strategy is critical to customer experience management (CEM) initiatives.1 Yet most pharmaceutical companies have not followed the lead of industries like consumer packaged goods, retail, or travel and hospitality, which pioneered and mastered the art and science of personalized, cross-channel customer journeys. While recognizing that customer journeys are often more complex for pharma than for other sectors, it’s imperative for life sciences to develop and apply journey strategies similar to those of other industries when transforming customer experiences.
https://runfrictionless.com/b2b-white-paper-service/
HubSpot partnered with innovative executives from Forrester Research, Mindjet, Rue La La, Zendesk, Atlassian, and GitHub to bring you this look into modern-day marketing org structure. As inbound and digital change the way we market, we need to stay ahead in the way we organize our teams. In this report, each executive details their org chart and looks ahead to the future. You can also download each job description found in the report for your company to use!
Download the PDF: https://www.demandmetric.com/content/digital-marketing-best-practices-report
It has been said that “All Marketing is Digital Marketing.” And with good reason! In the last decade (or less), the marketing environment has been transformed.
Marketing has moved from an environment in which traditional marketing, brick and mortar storefronts and Digital Marketing options all competed for the time, attention and resources of the marketing department to one in which Digital Marketing reigns supreme – with an occasional nod in the direction of the storefront, or traditional marketing (direct mail, print advertising, etc.)
One of the biggest challenges of Digital Marketing is the speed of which it has taken over the marketing organization, often in an ad hoc, uncoordinated fashion.
Demand Metric’s research has consistently shown that Digital Marketing has a very significant and positive impact on the organizations that are employing it when they do so by following best practices and processes in a coordinated, holistic approach.
In this Best Practices Report on Digital Marketing we will cover the Digital Marketing landscape in five distinct categories - Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Video Marketing and Public Relations
Our Email Marketing Maturity Model was designed to help organizations with a roadmap for improving their Email Marketing capabilities. The model provides 4 stages of organizational maturity, which are:
- Undefined
- Progressive
- Mature
- World-Class
Additionally, it evaluates 8 components of Email Marketing, as follows:
- Orientation
- Leadership
- Tools & Platforms
- Lead Generation
- Content Marketing
- Cross-Channel Marketing
- Budget & Staff
- Metrics
Pharma Marketing: Get Started on Creating Great Customer Experiences with Jou...run_frictionless
A well-defined customer journey strategy is critical to customer experience management (CEM) initiatives.1 Yet most pharmaceutical companies have not followed the lead of industries like consumer packaged goods, retail, or travel and hospitality, which pioneered and mastered the art and science of personalized, cross-channel customer journeys. While recognizing that customer journeys are often more complex for pharma than for other sectors, it’s imperative for life sciences to develop and apply journey strategies similar to those of other industries when transforming customer experiences.
https://runfrictionless.com/b2b-white-paper-service/
HubSpot partnered with innovative executives from Forrester Research, Mindjet, Rue La La, Zendesk, Atlassian, and GitHub to bring you this look into modern-day marketing org structure. As inbound and digital change the way we market, we need to stay ahead in the way we organize our teams. In this report, each executive details their org chart and looks ahead to the future. You can also download each job description found in the report for your company to use!
Download the PDF: https://www.demandmetric.com/content/digital-marketing-best-practices-report
It has been said that “All Marketing is Digital Marketing.” And with good reason! In the last decade (or less), the marketing environment has been transformed.
Marketing has moved from an environment in which traditional marketing, brick and mortar storefronts and Digital Marketing options all competed for the time, attention and resources of the marketing department to one in which Digital Marketing reigns supreme – with an occasional nod in the direction of the storefront, or traditional marketing (direct mail, print advertising, etc.)
One of the biggest challenges of Digital Marketing is the speed of which it has taken over the marketing organization, often in an ad hoc, uncoordinated fashion.
Demand Metric’s research has consistently shown that Digital Marketing has a very significant and positive impact on the organizations that are employing it when they do so by following best practices and processes in a coordinated, holistic approach.
In this Best Practices Report on Digital Marketing we will cover the Digital Marketing landscape in five distinct categories - Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Video Marketing and Public Relations
Our Email Marketing Maturity Model was designed to help organizations with a roadmap for improving their Email Marketing capabilities. The model provides 4 stages of organizational maturity, which are:
- Undefined
- Progressive
- Mature
- World-Class
Additionally, it evaluates 8 components of Email Marketing, as follows:
- Orientation
- Leadership
- Tools & Platforms
- Lead Generation
- Content Marketing
- Cross-Channel Marketing
- Budget & Staff
- Metrics
Modern marketing organizational structure @kaykas - jascha kaykas-wolffJascha Kaykas-Wolff
Organizational design and restructuring is not new. But, with the requirement to create data-driven marketing organizations and support marketers who show bottom line results more emphasis is being placed on marketing leaders to structure their teams and business in a way that is agile and impactful.
Reflecting on this, and doing some additional research of my own, I was struck by the lack of published material describing how one might go about building a marketing organization that addresses business challenges happening right now and most importantly that can drive results right now.
Over the past several years as I’ve been fortunate to lead marketing organizations for enterprise and mid-market businesses. During this time I’ve developed an organizational playbook that can scale to virtually any size of business, is highly adaptable, and has a proven track record for success.
Enclosed is the core framework for what I believe is an ideal composition for the modern marketing organization. I’m looking forward to your feedback. - Jascha
The purpose of this deck is two-fold:
1. provide key insights on how to build a highly effective and predictable demand gen engine
2. provide a template for a monthly demand gen dashboard that tracks the value/ROI of your actions
There are numerous other key metrics that are essential for marketing to track but are not represented in this template such as customer experience [NPS, CSAT, etc.], brand recognition & affinity, website analytics, email analytics, PR share of voice, ad campaign effectiveness, and so on and so on.
Additionally, this dashboard is not intended to replace a full sales pipeline dashboard but rather to provide insights on how marketing is contributing to sales effectiveness and revenue.
Process to create a best digital marketing strategy.
4 Step Process - To Create Best Digital Marketing Strategy for 2018.
Read More: http://www.growthsecrets.in/digital-marketing-strategy/
Step 1 : Define your Goals and Objective of strategy
Step 2:Analyse every area of the business
Step 3:Creating Effective Plan
Step 4:Measure every actions
Read More: http://www.growthsecrets.in/digital-marketing-strategy/
Our Demand Generation Maturity Model was designed to help organizations with a roadmap for improving their Demand Generation capabilities. The model provides 4 stages of organizational maturity, which are:
- Undefined
- Progressive
- Mature
- World-Class
Additionally, it evaluates 6 components of Demand Generation, as follows:
- Orientation
- Leadership
- Tools & Platforms
- Demand Generation
- Budget & Staff
- Metrics
B2B Content Marketing 2018 - Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends - North America MarketingProfs
Our annual content marketing research with new insights useful for 2018 budget planning and benchmarketing. This new report focuses on business-to-business (B2B) marketers and their content marketing benchmarks, budgets, and trends.
Corresponding article on http://blog.jayare.eu/articles/social-media-marketing.
A presentation about the possibilities of social media, how to use it to generate traffic and increase your online visibility.
You can find the corresponding article on http://blog.jayare.eu/articles/social-media-marketing
Tactical to Transformational: The Evolution of Marketing OperationsAllocadia Software
How the Marketing Operations function can lead transformational change across the organization.
While some Marketing Operations teams are operating at a tactical level, often disconnected from marketing leadership, best-in-class organizations are empowering their marketing operations teams to drive transformational change in the way marketing aligns with the product and sales.
With the increasingly essential role of planning, measuring and reporting marketing’s contribution to the corporate bottom line, marketing operations is uniquely positioned to enable better alignment, efficiency and transformation across marketing, sales and product organizations.
What you'll learn:
1. The evolving role of marketing operations in strategy, infrastructure, enablement and accountability
2. How to align marketing strategy and investments to business goals and revenue performance
3. An overview of key financial planning perspectives that provide the basis for aligned measurement and performance
Fundamentals of ABM: Preparing your Organization for ABM SuccessDemandbase
Featuring Jessica Fewless
Director, Field and Partner Marketing, Demandbase
Ready to get started with your own ABM strategy? Join Demandbase for a 1-hour workshop that will walk you through the fundamental elements and considerations for your organization in building your ABM strategy. No matter what part of the marketing organization you sit in, ABM can help focus your efforts and more efficiently attract and engage the accounts your sales team cares about most. In this session you will learn the basics of:
Organizational alignment between sales and marketing
Metrics to track quality over quantity
Building a target account list and focus segments
ABM considerations and applications throughout the funnel
Media Planning Process / Workflow
Deliverables for Client
Media Buying Types
Digital Targeting Types
Digital Ad Types
Digital Creative Specifications
Staying Current / Industry Shifts
In this e-book, you'll see over 50 predictions from thought leaders who share their views on brand strategy, organizational structure, emerging technology and platforms, and other big developments that may be on the horizon for content marketing.
Promoting Your Content Marketing: Time to Orchestrate THE Concert of Paid Media
Content Marketing Institute research shows that new, creative approaches to paid content promotion are paying dividends to content marketers.
By Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Officer, Content Marketing Institute
Modern marketing organizational structure @kaykas - jascha kaykas-wolffJascha Kaykas-Wolff
Organizational design and restructuring is not new. But, with the requirement to create data-driven marketing organizations and support marketers who show bottom line results more emphasis is being placed on marketing leaders to structure their teams and business in a way that is agile and impactful.
Reflecting on this, and doing some additional research of my own, I was struck by the lack of published material describing how one might go about building a marketing organization that addresses business challenges happening right now and most importantly that can drive results right now.
Over the past several years as I’ve been fortunate to lead marketing organizations for enterprise and mid-market businesses. During this time I’ve developed an organizational playbook that can scale to virtually any size of business, is highly adaptable, and has a proven track record for success.
Enclosed is the core framework for what I believe is an ideal composition for the modern marketing organization. I’m looking forward to your feedback. - Jascha
The purpose of this deck is two-fold:
1. provide key insights on how to build a highly effective and predictable demand gen engine
2. provide a template for a monthly demand gen dashboard that tracks the value/ROI of your actions
There are numerous other key metrics that are essential for marketing to track but are not represented in this template such as customer experience [NPS, CSAT, etc.], brand recognition & affinity, website analytics, email analytics, PR share of voice, ad campaign effectiveness, and so on and so on.
Additionally, this dashboard is not intended to replace a full sales pipeline dashboard but rather to provide insights on how marketing is contributing to sales effectiveness and revenue.
Process to create a best digital marketing strategy.
4 Step Process - To Create Best Digital Marketing Strategy for 2018.
Read More: http://www.growthsecrets.in/digital-marketing-strategy/
Step 1 : Define your Goals and Objective of strategy
Step 2:Analyse every area of the business
Step 3:Creating Effective Plan
Step 4:Measure every actions
Read More: http://www.growthsecrets.in/digital-marketing-strategy/
Our Demand Generation Maturity Model was designed to help organizations with a roadmap for improving their Demand Generation capabilities. The model provides 4 stages of organizational maturity, which are:
- Undefined
- Progressive
- Mature
- World-Class
Additionally, it evaluates 6 components of Demand Generation, as follows:
- Orientation
- Leadership
- Tools & Platforms
- Demand Generation
- Budget & Staff
- Metrics
B2B Content Marketing 2018 - Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends - North America MarketingProfs
Our annual content marketing research with new insights useful for 2018 budget planning and benchmarketing. This new report focuses on business-to-business (B2B) marketers and their content marketing benchmarks, budgets, and trends.
Corresponding article on http://blog.jayare.eu/articles/social-media-marketing.
A presentation about the possibilities of social media, how to use it to generate traffic and increase your online visibility.
You can find the corresponding article on http://blog.jayare.eu/articles/social-media-marketing
Tactical to Transformational: The Evolution of Marketing OperationsAllocadia Software
How the Marketing Operations function can lead transformational change across the organization.
While some Marketing Operations teams are operating at a tactical level, often disconnected from marketing leadership, best-in-class organizations are empowering their marketing operations teams to drive transformational change in the way marketing aligns with the product and sales.
With the increasingly essential role of planning, measuring and reporting marketing’s contribution to the corporate bottom line, marketing operations is uniquely positioned to enable better alignment, efficiency and transformation across marketing, sales and product organizations.
What you'll learn:
1. The evolving role of marketing operations in strategy, infrastructure, enablement and accountability
2. How to align marketing strategy and investments to business goals and revenue performance
3. An overview of key financial planning perspectives that provide the basis for aligned measurement and performance
Fundamentals of ABM: Preparing your Organization for ABM SuccessDemandbase
Featuring Jessica Fewless
Director, Field and Partner Marketing, Demandbase
Ready to get started with your own ABM strategy? Join Demandbase for a 1-hour workshop that will walk you through the fundamental elements and considerations for your organization in building your ABM strategy. No matter what part of the marketing organization you sit in, ABM can help focus your efforts and more efficiently attract and engage the accounts your sales team cares about most. In this session you will learn the basics of:
Organizational alignment between sales and marketing
Metrics to track quality over quantity
Building a target account list and focus segments
ABM considerations and applications throughout the funnel
Media Planning Process / Workflow
Deliverables for Client
Media Buying Types
Digital Targeting Types
Digital Ad Types
Digital Creative Specifications
Staying Current / Industry Shifts
In this e-book, you'll see over 50 predictions from thought leaders who share their views on brand strategy, organizational structure, emerging technology and platforms, and other big developments that may be on the horizon for content marketing.
Promoting Your Content Marketing: Time to Orchestrate THE Concert of Paid Media
Content Marketing Institute research shows that new, creative approaches to paid content promotion are paying dividends to content marketers.
By Robert Rose, Chief Strategy Officer, Content Marketing Institute
Research shows that marketers are finding new ways to use webinars to drive customer engagement at numerous phases of the buyer’s journey. Webinars present myriad opportunities for marketers to change and interact in experimental ways. You just have to think beyond the traditional uses and find new ways to use webinars to build and engage audiences to ultimately drive marketing success.
Content Marketing: The Approach and OpportunityJoe Pulizzi
A full #contentmarketing presentation on what content marketing is, why organizations decide to take a content marketing approach, some research behind content marketing success rates, and six steps on how to build a content marketing platform.
It's back! The annual Content Marketing Institute/Content Marketing research returns again to dissect content marketing benchmarks, budgets and trends for B2B marketers in North America.
Content Marketing as a Profit Center #MPB2B 2016Joe Pulizzi
Joe Pulizzi's presentation at the MarketingProfs B2B conference in Boston. Presentation covers how to build a subscriber base that a marketing department can actually drive direct revenues from.
This Social Media Survival Guide will give you the tools you need to make smart content marketing decisions as your brand explores the diverse social media landscape. This collection of expert insights, advice, and brand examples outlines the unique characteristics of each channel, helps you identify which platforms and practices are likely to work best for your particular business goals, and offers creative inspiration to ignite more successful and sustainable conversations with your target audience. Read on for an in-depth discussion on 12 of the top social media platforms content marketers are using right now.
The number of platforms for video consumption is growing as well, with mobile video becoming huge. Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2015 found that video accounts for 55% of all mobile traffic. That’s up almost 10% in just three years.
CMI’s own research found that nearly 80% of B2B companies are using some form of video in their content marketing. This percentage has been steadily increasing over the last three years (70% in 2013, 73% in 2014, and 76% in 2015).
So, how do today’s marketers rise above the noise? As we started to explore this question, three overarching challenges emerged:
How do businesses empower themselves to create videos (cost effectively) in the first place?
Once businesses are creating videos, how do they scale this ability across the business?
Once businesses have a functional process for creating videos, how do they use this new skill to differentiate the content they’re producing?
In short, how do marketers start smart, scale up, and stand out by using video as an intelligent piece of a content marketing approach?
In 2013, Content Marketing Institute released its first Content Marketing Framework. At the time, its purpose was to serve as a high-level view of the principles that govern the world of brand storytelling. Since then, CMI has worked with more than 100 brands, helping them put these core principles into practice. These partnerships have taught us a lot about which parts of the framework worked, which didn’t, and where we still needed to provide greater clarity and transparency. To reflect the insights we gained – as well as the many shifts that have occurred across the entire digital ecosystem – we’ve streamlined our original discussion, and have added a distinct new process model to each node. What follows is our redesigned Content Marketing Framework.
While every brand brings a unique set of goals, values, assets, and circumstances to the content marketing table, at least one thing is universal: We can all learn from the experiences of those who faced the same challenges and came out on top. Fortunately, when it comes to content marketing, there are plenty of amazing brands we can look to for guidance.
Companies of various sizes, locations, and industries created these efforts and delivered them in a wide variety of formats. We hope they will give you a feel for the tremendous things brands can accomplish with content marketing — and inspire you to explore some new content marketing ideas of your own.
This overview is informed greatly by the discussion at our Executive Forum in March 2015, but it also is
the culmination of our observations from Content Marketing World 2014 and our advisory client work in
the past year.
Our objective is to report on the key challenges faced by marketers, the vital insights being realized, and
the general health of content marketing as a strategic business approach. As was the case last year, this overview ultimately asks more questions than it answers; our goal is not to settle debates or provide trite answers to complex business challenges, but to update and inform.
At the two-day Executive Forum, CMI leaders and senior marketing executives from more than 30 enterprise brands came together to collaborate and to discuss and report on their own organizations’ efforts in integrating content marketing as a strategic approach.
The extraordinary insights and the identification of challenges could not have been possible without the
generous contributions of this forum class, as well as last year’s forum participants. Their input doesn’t represent their tacit endorsement of the ideas, but as a collective group they are responsible for the value contained in this report.
Content marketing careers are constantly evolving, but one thing is certain: The power of LinkedIn for personal branding and career advancement is here to stay. Of course, because so many people rely on LinkedIn for professional networking these days, it’s essential to create a profile that will help you stand out and get noticed by the people who make hiring decisions in your industry. It’s not an easy task, but it can be
done – with the help of some pro-level tips for strengthening your LinkedIn presence and gaining an edge over the competition. If your “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” chart is flatlining week after week, the advice below will help breathe new life into your profile, improve your visibility in search results, generate more views, and impress your audience.
We've been waiting all year for this! Our annual content marketing predictions compilation from some of the smartest content marketers on the planet. Whose prediction do you like? Whose do you see coming true? And which prediction do you see not coming to fruition? And lastly, what is YOUR prediction? Leave a note in the comments here, or tweet us at @CMIContent. Big thanks to our friends at Marketing.AI for sponsoring our annual predictions post!
Our annual content marketing research, with this report focusing on B2C marketers and their content marketing budgets and trends. New questions, an interesting twist to our research, and valuable budgets and trends as we head into 2017 planning season.
Business-to-Business manufacturing marketers have made great progress over the last year with content marketing. That’s one of the key findings in the Manufacturing Content Marketing: 2017 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America report released by Content Marketing Institute, a UBM company, along with MarketingProfs. The report is sponsored by IEEE Engineering360 Media Solutions.
The production and management of large volumes of content is fast becoming an expected part of a marketers role. This paper highlights the importance of having the right foundations in place, like a digital asset management solution, to ensure your content marketing succeeds.
Marketing has changed and the number of channels and touch points deployed to reach customers is evolving and expanding at a fast pace. This paper showcases how with Digital Asset Management at the heart of the content marketing process,
organizations can keep up with the demand for “real-time” blockbuster content.
Electronics social marketing_digital strategyMarcel Baron
Two-thirds of electronics companies either have a
limited strategy, or no strategy at all, for integrating
digital in their businesses – despite the fact that the
number of social network users around the world is
now rapidly approaching the two billion mark.1
To make the most of the digital opportunity,
marketing organisations urgently need to embrace
new approaches, new processes, new skills, new
technologies and agile organisation structures.
Is your business ready to engage?
Visual content assets can be a significant contributor to the content marketing process and customer experience. Learn how four Cs — collaborate, customize, communicate, and connect — can help the community of the business manage digital assets.
Revitalizing Marketing’s Digital Content ChainCognizant
For large global organizations, digital asset management (DAM) as a service means greater efficiency. Organizations are increasingly using the service-model approach to rethink their digital assets
There’s one question on every marketer’s mind: “How do I connect?”
We’ve all been seeking connection since the pandemic struck. Stuck at home, working from kitchen tables and converted closets, marketers have been fighting to create and maintain connections with their audiences.
Despite all the upheaval, content remains a tried-and-true way to generate demand. After all, it’s content-driven experiences that build those precious connections, no matter what’s going on in the world outside.
Connection is more important than ever. And as you’ll find out in this report, successful marketers are beginning to make it easier for prospects to purchase at any stage of the buyer’s journey — messages are shifting from why to buy to how to buy.
This has been another tough year. One negative headline after another has drained audiences’ emotional reserves. They need an escape. Marketing content can offer that empathetic, emotionally stirring olive branch they’re searching for.
As you read on, you’ll discover that blogs, podcasts, and videos are the content types that are most effective at the early stages of the buyer’s journey, where brands are fighting to establish customer awareness and audience interest.
The reason is simple: These content types foster connection. They tell a story, they evoke emotion, and they present a face that the audience can relate to. And the strength of the connections that these content types create helps carry buyers through the rest of their journey on a wave of engagement and investment.
In conclusion: Connection lies in content. The last Content Marketing for Demand Generation survey report (2020) talked about creating desire and holding attention. This year, we talk about making it easier for customers to purchase across all stages of the buyer’s journey.
By providing audiences with earnest and engaging content, you can build lasting connections in 2022 and beyond that drive demand to new heights.
Welcome to the Technology Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2022 report. This report looks back on the last 12 months and includes expectations for 2022.
The research suggested that due to lockdowns and work-from-home mandates, content marketing piqued the interest of many who were previously unaware of its power. With more people than ever spending time online, content marketing presented a prime opportunity to get and stay in front of audiences.
As in the previous year, nearly one in three technology marketers said their organization was extremely or very successful with content marketing. These marketers, our “top performers,” have certain characteristics that set them apart from their peers (see page 4). Some of the biggest things they do differently than their peers:
◾ Document their content marketing strategy
◾ Do an excellent/very good job demonstrating the ROI of their content marketing initiatives
◾ Prioritize their audience’s informational needs over their organization’s sales message
◾ Differentiate their content from the competition
◾ Nurture subscribers/audiences/leads
No matter how successful they are at content marketing, most respondents plan to invest in video in 2022: 72% of all technology respondents forecast investment in this area followed by investment in events (69%), paid media (65%), and owned-media assets (63%).
And, yes, challenges remain. The top challenges are:
◾ Creating content that appeals to multi-level roles within the target audience
◾ Accessing subject matter experts to create content
◾ Internal communication among teams/silos
These internal challenges point to a greater need for technology marketers to formalize content operations within their organizations.
Welcome to the Enterprise Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2022 report. This report looks back on the last 12 months and includes expectations for 2022.
The research suggested that, due to lockdowns and work-from-home mandates, content marketing piqued the interest of many who were previously unaware of its power. With more people than ever spending time online, content marketing presented a prime opportunity to get and stay in front of audiences.
As in the previous year, nearly one in three enterprise marketers said their organization was extremely or very successful with content marketing. These marketers, our “top performers,” have certain characteristics that set them apart from their peers (see page 4). A few of the biggest things they do are to differentiate their content and use content collaboration/calendaring/workflow tools.
No matter how successful they are at content marketing, most respondents plan to invest in video in 2022: 72% of all enterprise respondents forecast investment in this area followed by investment in events (62%), paid media (59%), and owned-media assets (55%).
And, yes, challenges remain. The top challenge, which is the same as it was two years ago, is internal communication between teams/silos (57%). It indicates a pressing need to formalize content operations in enterprises that have not yet done so.
Welcome to the B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2022 report. This report looks back on the last 12 months and includes expectations for 2022.
Our research suggested that, due to work-from-home requirements, content marketing piqued the interest of many who were previously unaware of its power. With more people than ever spending time online, content marketing presented a prime opportunity for businesses to get and stay in front of audiences. Some B2C marketers discovered new audiences altogether.
Short articles and videos were big over the last 12 months with the B2C marketers we surveyed. In addition, expect a lot of B2C investment in video in 2022: 72% forecast investment in this area. Paid media came in a distant second.
Although most B2C marketers reported success with content marketing in the last 12 months, there are still challenges. Respondents said their top two content marketing challenges were creating content that appeals to multi-level roles within the target audience (42%) and internal communication between teams/silos (41%).
If B2C marketers can overcome these challenges, they’ll improve their odds of achieving greater content marketing success in 2022.
Welcome to the Manufacturing Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends with Insights for 2022 report. This report looks back on the last 12 months and includes expectations for 2022.
This year’s research suggested that the pandemic awoke a sleeping giant – content marketing, that is. Without in-person events and face-to-face selling, many who had previously paid little attention to content marketing suddenly became aware of its power. More content marketers got a seat at the table and helped keep many businesses on their audiences’ radar. Some discovered new audiences altogether.
Videos and virtual events/webinars were big over the last 12 months with the manufacturing marketers we surveyed. In addition, 85% expect continued investment in video in 2022, making it the top area of predicted investment.
Yet manufacturing marketers continue to face content marketing challenges within their organizations: 51% said they are challenged with creating valuable content instead of sales-oriented content as well as with overcoming the traditional marketing and sales mindset. Fifty percent said they are challenged with accessing subject matter experts to create content. If manufacturing marketers can overcome these challenges, they’ll improve their odds of achieving greater content marketing success in the coming year.
Welcome to Content Marketing Institute’s first Video & Visual Storytelling Survey. In this report, you’ll learn how content marketers are using videos, how they’re getting them produced, where they’re seeing results, and more.
Are you using video strategically? Are you paying as much attention to your video distribution plan as you are to video creation? Are you measuring results to see what works? All are important to overall video marketing success. Here’s to yours!
Welcome to the 12th Annual Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2022 report. What a year it has been.
This edition of our report looks back on the last 12 months and includes expectations for 2022. Throughout, you will see quotes from the many rich, qualitative responses we received to the question, “What did the pandemic change most about your organization’s content marketing strategy/approach?” In all, 75% of respondents took the time to answer this question and we are ever so grateful. What amazing insights it yielded!
The key theme that emerged was this: The pandemic awoke a sleeping giant – content marketing, that is. Without in-person events and face-to-face selling, many who had previously paid little attention to content marketing suddenly became aware of its power. More content marketers got a seat at the table and helped keep many businesses on their audiences’ radar. Some discovered new audiences altogether.
The research also confirmed what many of us already knew: Content marketers are some of the fiercest business pros around. In the most difficult of times, they get the job done – and many come through more creative and stronger than before.
Congratulations, content marketers, for a job well done in the most difficult of times. Our entire team salutes you!
By day, you’re in the office, cooking up content. By night, you’re in the kitchen, preparing a satisfying meal. But what if we combined the two?
Developing a content marketing strategy is like creating a dinner menu. You start with the basic ingredients and build upon them. You perfect your technique, exercising balance while adding a dash of flavor. And don’t forget, presentation is key. You must distribute and plate your meal beautifully.
So, what are people making and how are they making it? We asked the Content Marketing Institute team to share their favorite content-inspired dishes. Whether you are a first-time cook or a seasoned chef, these recipes will give you new perspective on processes, measurement and ROI, technology, and more. They are definitely ones you want in your repertoire.
We’ve put together the ultimate cookbook for content marketers, filled with tasty (and mildly entertaining) recipes. We hope you enjoy it. Bon appétit!
The 2021 Content Management & Strategy survey gives a snapshot of how marketers use tech to help create, manage, deliver, and scale enterprise content and marketing.
Welcome to our annual Technology Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report, based on our latest annual content marketing survey conducted in July 2020.
The study showed that technology marketers, in the throes of adjusting to business changes presented by a global pandemic, put more emphasis on using content marketing to generate demand and leads than they had the previous year. They also were looking more closely at conversion and marketing qualified lead (MQL) metrics to track the performance of their content.
These insights suggest that tech marketers were increasingly called upon to use content marketing for demand and lead generation. It makes sense, then, that their use of virtual events (83%) increased by nine percentage points over the previous year, as virtual relationship-building and selling took a front seat. In addition, livestreaming video finally took off (one-third of all tech respondents—and 53% of those working in large companies—reported using it).
It’s too soon to tell if these will be lasting shifts. Priorities are likely to change again as restrictions caused by the pandemic ease up. We look forward to exploring these topics in our next round of annual content marketing research.
Welcome to our annual Enterprise Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report. Here we present the findings from enterprise marketers (those who work in organizations with 1,000+ employees) who replied to our 11th Annual Content Marketing Survey.
At the time of the survey, content marketers had just made it through the first half of 2020. Most reported that their organization made quick changes when the pandemic hit, most notably by changing their targeting/messaging strategy, adjusting their editorial calendar, and changing their content distribution/promotion strategy. The majority (57%) expected to spend about the same on content marketing during the second half of 2020 as they spent in the first half (17% expected a decrease).
Team size hadn’t changed drastically compared with the previous year (48% said it stayed the same); yet, another 35% reported an increase.
Overall, one-third of the enterprise respondents reported high levels of content marketing success. These top performers said the top two factors contributing to that success in the last 12 months were “the value our content provides” (79%) and “website changes” (62%).
Looking forward, 74% of respondents felt the pandemic would have a major or moderate long- term impact on their organization’s overall content marketing success. It will be interesting to see how enterprise marketers rise to the challenges in 2021.
Welcome to our annual B2C Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report. Here we present the results from B2C marketers who replied to our 11th Annual Content Marketing Survey. The events of 2020 have certainly reshaped how organizations conduct their marketing. At the time of this survey, content marketers were still reeling from the events that took place during the first half of 2020. As we usher in 2021, we are still facing constant change and uncertainty.
Many B2C marketers reported adjusting quickly when the pandemic hit; perhaps their companies were doubling down on digital, heavily engaging in virtual events, or trying to keep on top of rapidly changing analytics resulting from more people being at home and online. All these scenarios created the need for new content, formats, and strategies.
As we move into 2021 in a world where most gatherings are still limited, direct-to-consumer will continue to drive B2C. Successful B2C marketers will focus on creating content experiences and building relationships in the digital world.
What makes CMWorld special? The people. Our speakers, attendees, and sponsors are smart, witty, and fun to be around. Networking is something we all are wanting right now, and CMWorld Bingo gives you a way to have those conversations that make CMWorld great.
Welcome to the 11th Annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report. You may notice this year’s report feels different than past years and that’s by design. A year like no other required an approach like no other.
As in past years, we fielded the survey during the summer. We asked many of the same questions as last year but added new ones to see how content marketers were faring several months into the pandemic.
Although the data did not reveal drastic reductions in content marketing resources, many respondents shared in the fill-in comments their challenges of having to do more with less. Others shared their concerns about trying to reach audiences in an overcrowded virtual world.
Nevertheless, one thing stood out: Content marketers are resilient. Most have met the challenges of the pandemic head-on: They’re adapting quickly—and they believe in the value their content provides.
Virtual conferences and events provide new opportunities for you
to showcase your product or service, meet 1:1 with your current
and potential customers, and listen to the needs of the industry. With such a large investment of time, money, and human resources, it’s no surprise that management expects great returns on each event that your company sponsors.
On behalf of the Content Marketing Institute team, we’re all here to help you. We’re ready for exciting experiences, great ROI for sponsors, and new ways for customers to advance the practice of content marketing because of partner relationships built at our events.
Welcome to Technology Content Marketing 2020: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. This report is based on the findings from our 10th annual content marketing survey. Technology marketers continue to make progress with content marketing. Approximately one-third rate their organization’s overall content marketing as extremely or very successful, and 76% report they are much more or somewhat more successful compared with one year ago. What makes them successful? When we look at the top performers, we see they treat content marketing as a strategic business function, craft content thoughtfully, experiment with distribution, and measure their results. They use content marketing not only to create brand awareness and generate leads, but also to build loyalty and subscribed audiences.
When Content Marketing Institute (CMI) first reported on manufacturing in 2014, we noted that manufacturers were later to adopt content marketing than other industries we studied. They’ve certainly come a long way since then.
As you’ll see in this report—based on the results of our 10th annual content marketing survey—manufacturing marketers have become more strategic with their content marketing and are feeling less challenged with communicating complex content. Many are reporting success with their overall approach to content marketing. The ability to craft content for different audiences across various stages of the buyer’s journey—and distribute that content with precision—will be important to continued success in 2020.
Welcome to our annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America report. We’re excited to present you with the findings from our latest content marketing survey.
Content marketing has changed a lot since we launched this research nearly a decade ago. We marketers are still focused on content creation, but our thinking about the audiences for whom we create that content has evolved. So, too, have the ways we distribute, measure, and improve upon our content marketing. Technology has played a big role, along with the knowledge we’ve gained through our content marketing experiences.
As you’ll see in this report, some organizations are more developed than others with their content marketing. But you’ll also recognize your own practices reflected in many of the findings. Where does your company stand? What do you need to get to where you want to be? If you need help, let us know!
Unpredictable algorithm shifts. Falling reach and lower engagement rates. Growing consumer mistrust from fake news and data breaches.
Despite woes like these, people still use social media platforms – and marketers are still drawn to their relationship-building powers. In fact, in 2019 research from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, 61% of B2B marketers and 69% of B2C marketers say they’ve increased their use of social media for content marketing compared with one year ago.
However, navigating the social media landscape is like entering a dark forest without a map. If you aren’t familiar with the terrain and don’t have a solid plan, you can’t expect to reach your destination, let alone make it out of the woods unscathed.
This guide is full of tools that will help you find the best path to success, from planning your social media explorations, to growing legions of brand fans, to engaging them in meaningful ways.
We’ll cover the top content marketing opportunities in the social sphere, including:
- Landmark locations like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
- Video viewing-centric channels like YouTube and Twitch
- Streaming media sites like Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories
- Emerging social platforms like Vero True Social and WeGather Online
Welcome to B2C Content Marketing 2019—Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends. This report presents the results from the B2C marketers who took our ninth annual content marketing survey.
Our research has consistently shown that creating brand awareness is a top goal for B2C content marketing. However, many of this year’s survey respondents also reported strong concern for using content to solidify existing relationships (see page 13).
Content that can be effective at building loyalty takes many shapes and forms today, for example:
- Videos and social media stories that entertain
- In-person events that create a sense of community and belonging
- Podcasts that inspire
- Live or virtual experiences that evoke emotion
- Articles, guides, newsletters, etc., that provide information
Obviously, the list goes on. The point is, that while driving people to content is critical, giving them reasons to keep coming back will grow long-term success!
In this presentation, Danny Leibrandt explains the impact of AI on SEO and what Google has been doing about it. Learn how to take your SEO game to the next level and win over Google with his new strategy anyone can use. Get actionable steps to rank your name, your business, and your clients on Google - the right way.
Key Takeaways:
1. Real content is king
2. Find ways to show EEAT
3. Repurpose across all platforms
Most small businesses struggle to see marketing results. In this session, we will eliminate any confusion about what to do next, solving your marketing problems so your business can thrive. You’ll learn how to create a foundational marketing OS (operating system) based on neuroscience and backed by real-world results. You’ll be taught how to develop deep customer connections, and how to have your CRM dynamically segment and sell at any stage in the customer’s journey. By the end of the session, you’ll remove confusion and chaos and replace it with clarity and confidence for long-term marketing success.
Key Takeaways:
• Uncover the power of a foundational marketing system that dynamically communicates with prospects and customers on autopilot.
• Harness neuroscience and Tribal Alignment to transform your communication strategies, turning potential clients into fans and those fans into loyal customers.
• Discover the art of automated segmentation, pinpointing your most lucrative customers and identifying the optimal moments for successful conversions.
• Streamline your business with a content production plan that eliminates guesswork, wasted time, and money.
How to Run Landing Page Tests On and Off Paid Social PlatformsVWO
Join us for an exclusive webinar featuring Mariate, Alexandra and Nima where we will unveil a comprehensive blueprint for crafting a successful paid media strategy focused on landing page testing.With escalating costs in paid advertising, understanding how to maximize each visitor’s experience is crucial for retention and conversion.
This session will dive into the methodologies for executing and analyzing landing page tests within paid social channels, offering a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical insights.
The Pearmill team will guide you through the nuances of setting up and managing landing page experiments on paid social platforms. You will learn about the critical rules to follow, the structure of effective tests, optimal conversion duration and budget allocation.
The session will also cover data analysis techniques and criteria for graduating landing pages.
In the second part of the webinar, Pearmill will explore the use of A/B testing platforms. Discover common pitfalls to avoid in A/B testing and gain insights into analyzing A/B tests results effectively.
The digital marketing industry is changing faster than ever and those who don’t adapt with the times are losing market share. Where should marketers be focusing their efforts? What strategies are the experts seeing get the best results? Get up-to-speed with the latest industry insights, trends and predictions for the future in this panel discussion with some leading digital marketing experts.
Videos are more engaging, more memorable, and more popular than any other type of content out there. That’s why it’s estimated that 82% of consumer traffic will come from videos by 2025.
And with videos evolving from landscape to portrait and experts promoting shorter clips, one thing remains constant – our brains LOVE videos.
So is there science behind what makes people absolutely irresistible on camera?
The answer: definitely yes.
In this jam-packed session with Stephanie Garcia, you’ll get your hands on a steal-worthy guide that uncovers the art and science to being irresistible on camera. From body language to words that convert, she’ll show you how to captivate on command so that viewers are excited and ready to take action.
Come learn how YOU can Animate and Illuminate the World with Generative AI's Explosive Power. Come sit in the driver's seat and learn to harness this great technology.
Top 3 Ways to Align Sales and Marketing Teams for Rapid GrowthDemandbase
In this session, Demandbase’s Stephanie Quinn, Sr. Director of Integrated and Digital Marketing, Devin Rosenberg, Director of Sales, and Kevin Rooney, Senior Director of Sales Development will share how sales and marketing shapes their day-to-day and what key areas are needed for true alignment.
When most people in the industry talk about online or digital reputation management, what they're really saying is Google search and PPC. And it's usually reactive, left dealing with the aftermath of negative information published somewhere online. That's outdated. It leaves executives, organizations and other high-profile individuals at a high risk of a digital reputation attack that spans channels and tactics. But the tools needed to safeguard against an attack are more cybersecurity-oriented than most marketing and communications professionals can manage. Business leaders Leaders grasp the importance; 83% of executives place reputation in their top five areas of risk, yet only 23% are confident in their ability to address it. To succeed in 2024 and beyond, you need to turn online reputation on its axis and think like an attacker.\
Key Takeaways:
- New framework for examining and safeguarding an online reputation
- Tools and techniques to keep you a step ahead
- Practical examples that demonstrate when to act, how to act and how to recover
Digital marketing is the art and science of promoting products or services using digital channels to reach and engage with potential customers. It encompasses a wide range of online tactics and strategies aimed at increasing brand visibility, driving website traffic, generating leads, and ultimately, converting those leads into customers.
https://nidmindia.com/
Short video marketing has sweeped the nation and is the fastest way to build an online brand on social media in 2024. In this session you will learn:- What is short video marketing- Which platforms work best for your business- Content strategies that are on brand for your business- How to sell organically without paying for ads.
Mastering Local SEO for Service Businesses in the AI Era is tailored specifically for local service providers like plumbers, dentists, and others seeking to dominate their local search landscape. This session delves into leveraging AI advancements to enhance your online visibility and search rankings through the Content Factory model, designed for creating high-impact, SEO-driven content. Discover the Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy, a cost-effective approach to boost your local SEO efforts and attract more customers with minimal investment. Gain practical insights on optimizing your online presence to meet the specific needs of local service seekers, ensuring your business not only appears but stands out in local searches. This concise, action-oriented workshop is your roadmap to navigating the complexities of digital marketing in the AI age, driving more leads, conversions, and ultimately, success for your local service business.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace AI for Local SEO: Learn to harness the power of AI technologies to optimize your website and content for local search. Understand the pivotal role AI plays in analyzing search trends and consumer behavior, enabling you to tailor your SEO strategies to meet the specific demands of your target local audience. Leverage the Content Factory Model: Discover the step-by-step process of creating SEO-optimized content at scale. This approach ensures a steady stream of high-quality content that engages local customers and boosts your search rankings. Get an action guide on implementing this model, complete with templates and scheduling strategies to maintain a consistent online presence. Maximize ROI with Dollar-a-Day Advertising: Dive into the cost-effective Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy that amplifies your visibility in local searches without breaking the bank. Learn how to strategically allocate your budget across platforms to target potential local customers effectively. The session includes an action guide on setting up, monitoring, and optimizing your ad campaigns to ensure maximum impact with minimal investment.
1. How agile teams, assets, and processes create collaborative content,
better brands, and faster content marketing
By ROBERT ROSE, Chief Strategy Officer, Content Marketing Institute
Digital Assets Should
Be Agile, Not Fast
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Welcome
Widen is excited to offer two great articles in association with esteemed content marketing strategist
Robert Rose and the Content Marketing Institute (CMI).
Great Visual Storytelling Takes A Village
How four Cs—Collaborate, Customize, Communicate, and Connect—help the community of the business
manage digital assets
-AND-
Digital Assets Should Be Agile, Not Fast
How agile teams, assets, and processes create collaborative content, better brands, and faster content
marketing
Today’s marketing and creative leaders consistently seek ways to create more engaging customer
experiences, while also assembling the right combination of tools and processes to make their performance
as agile as possible.
At Widen, we view digital asset management as a core component to the marketing technology ecosystem,
just as visual content assets are a significant contributor to the content marketing process and customer
experience.
These articles explore how smartly deployed digital asset management systems empower the modern
creative and marketing operation to serve as the center for strategic differentiation within the enterprise.
We think you’ll enjoy learning more about how Widen and CMI look at digital asset management today and
we welcome your thoughts and feedback.
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Introduction
Instead Of The Need For Speed, Marketers Need The Ability For Agility
Agile is a term that all the marketing kids are dancing to these days. But what often gets lost in translation
is the distinction between being fast—and being truly agile.
Undoubtedly, the digital disruption has left many marketers struggling to rediscover the joy in the practice of
marketing more broadly. An IBM C-suite study found that 66% of CMOs feel pressure from their CEO or board
to prove that marketing has value, and 60% said that CEOs are “turning up the heat.” 1
As content marketing becomes an increasingly important part of the overall strategic mix, marketers are
feeling their chairs warm up as they have to learn how to become mass producers of rich, digital media
experiences. In a study that surveyed the Global 1000 businesses on how they were re-orienting their
operations to manage the “modern, always-on and mobile shopper,” 96% said that integrating digital media
components has fundamentally affected their business. Sadly, a third of the marketers in these companies
said that these shifts have “left them feeling ‘under pressure and vulnerable’.” 2
These are keen observations. At Content Marketing Institute (CMI), we’ve also seen this frustration in
businesses looking to develop more creative management processes while scaling their content marketing.
The fear of moving too slowly is causing marketers to do foolish things and to develop more media and more
experiences and more digital content at a faster and faster rate, rather than optimize a set of well-defined
digital experiences in an agile way.
So, what’s the answer? Well, high-performing brands are reorienting their digital media creation and
management. They’re finding that “more and faster” is the wrong focus and that they must step away from it.
These marketers understand the difference between quick and fast—and have developed a better process
for creating rich digital content experiences. Their new asset creation and management methodologies help
their teams create and manage more impactful customer-centric experiences. As they evolve beyond old,
stale hierarchies and “governance-oriented” digital asset management (DAM) processes, these companies are
infusing these experiences intelligently into every part of the customer journey. Put simply, they are reorienting
to agile asset management strategies, not fast strategies.
1 From Stretched To Strengthened - Insights from the Global Chief Marketing Officer Study Executive Summary http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/
ssialias?infotype=PM&subtype=XB&htmlfid=GBE03433USEN
2 https://econsultancy.com/blog/65351-96-of-enterprise-businesses-feeling-the-pressure-of-digital-transformation#i.19dz5w915ufdfu
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Organize For Agility, Not Speed
Quick is a measure of time; fast is a measure of speed.
One of the key challenges we see during our content marketing consulting engagements is that many
marketing organizations are inheriting, and thus trying to modify, existing DAM processes and tools
to manage today’s new, disruptive environment. Many companies mistake today’s DAM needs as just
enhanced Web Content Management (WCM). Or, many companies will try to modify an existing Enterprise
Content Management System (ECMS) that was implemented at a time when high levels of governance,
rights management, and archival capabilities were needed.
To be clear, this has less to do (most of the time) with the capabilities of software, and more to do
with what processes that software is meant to facilitate. However, in both of the examples above the
companies are mistaking “fast” for “quick.” In the former example (using a WCM or shared folder to do the
job), the marketing department confuses expedience with capability. In other words, the marketing team
may conclude that a “DAM Light” solution is the fastest way to help create a more collaborative workflow
process for digital content marketing projects; therefore, the team works to simply use the WCM system
or some shared network folder to get the work done.
In the latter example (modifying an existing ECMS/process), the team confuses capability with flexibility.
In this case, the business looks at its existing investment in a big system that has helped it capably
govern enterprise digital assets as a sunk cost. The team tries to do everything it can to modify this
system for today’s near real-time content marketing needs.
Both of these approaches often result in frustration and an inability for marketers to collaborate
effectively to create impactful customer-centric, rich-media experiences.
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Agile Assets, Teams, and Processes
Marketers need digital asset creation to be collaborative so that assets can be reused and repurposed
efficiently across multiple channels. That collaboration is only possible with a process that is powered by
the marketers themselves. This new, agile process must be focused on the creation, publishing, re-use,
and measurement of rich media, as opposed to finding, limiting, governing, and archiving assets.
At CMI, we’ve identified three emerging trends among organizations looking to replace existing DAM
processes and become more agile.
1. Agile Teams = Collaborative Content
Certainly it’s not only content marketing that is driving the need for more collaborative DAM; it’s
the entire paid, owned, and earned media spectrum that is creating the need for a much more fluid
approach. In fact, research has shown that as much as 62% of digital spending will now focus on
rich-media creation across both paid sponsorships and digital advertising.3
Interestingly and ironically, though, even as businesses are creating more and more content, marketers
consistently cite, year-over-year, “creating engaging content” and “creating enough content” as top
challenges on the CMI annual content marketing survey. Is it any wonder, then, that on our most
recent annual survey, 72% of B2B marketers cited “better internal communications, collaboration,
operationalizing” as a priority over the next 12 months?
Many businesses still rely on their teams to create (and recreate) creative assets on their desktops. Most
of these teams are still using email and shared network servers to collaborate on digital assets.
Successful businesses are starting to look beyond the classic functional silos, and more toward teams
focused on customer experience. In other words, instead of looking at “brand” vs. “product marketing,”
these businesses are forming “awareness,” “sales enablement,” or “loyalty” teams that may be made up
of many cross-functional members. These groups are using accessible and centralized platforms that can
create a collaborative workspace for assets—from their first creative inception, all the way through to a
multi-channel expression and measurement.
3 Emarketer – Retail Industry Maintains Digital Ad Spend Lead. http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Retail-Industry-Maintains-Digital-Ad-Spend-Lead/1009942
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Some of the benefits of this approach include:
One Version of the Truth: Using one platform for the process of digital asset collaboration means
that, instead of some teams using email, others using Dropbox, and yet others using the WCM system,
all of the customer-facing teams use a centralized platform.
Elimination of Duplication: Establishing one platform for collaboration means that all
contributors—be they external agencies or internal cross-functional teams—can depend on assets
being available. This removes the inclination for marketers to create derivative assets on their own
desktops or shared servers.
Encouraging Collaboration and Insight: Because there is “one version of the truth” that tracks the
asset from inception to archival (across its entire lifecycle), the team can see which assets are
resonating and identify what is most important at each stage of the customer lifecycle.
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2. Agile Assets = Better Brand Management
CMI’s latest research on B2B marketers found that businesses are using, on average, 13 different communication
channels including blogs, video platforms, articles, social media, mobile, microsites, and even print. 4
One of the biggest challenges that brands have is that as assets are used, reused, and repurposed for all
those channels, any one asset can go through that classic game of “telephone,” where the real meaning
(or power) of it can get lost as it continues from version to version. For example, that amazing ebook gets
copied and cropped into a pretty good SlideShare presentation, which gets cropped and edited into a less
meaningful infographic, which gets cropped and repurposed as a relatively boring banner ad. The creative
connection gets lost, and each piece is treated as a separate digital asset.
Today, instant access to the latest and greatest asset is more than a “nice-to-have,” it’s a must in an agile
content marketing organization. Digital assets need to be connected so that all their requisite parts can
be managed, especially where more than one content type is used to assemble the ultimate asset. Within
this set-up, marketers can always look to a multi-part digital asset and have access to the “original” parts
that make up its totality.
This enables a much more connected set of content experiences with:
Insight into Assets: By understanding all the different parts, and the usage of all assets, marketers
can understand not only which assets provide the best results, but which PARTS of the assets are
truly resonating. For example, maybe it’s the animation of the infographic in a video that brings the
idea to life and makes it perform well.
Optimized Display by Channel: A great asset management tool provides automation for asset
display across devices to create more efficient management and publishing. It can surface content
that is optimized for a specific interface, without necessarily having to create different versions of that
same asset. For example, a lower-resolution video can be made available for mobile or online display,
vs. a high-definition version for desktops.
Better Brand Creative Management: Marketers can focus on execution of content marketing
programs, without having to constantly worry about and manage against stylebooks and brand guidelines.
4 http://www.slideshare.net/CMI/2015-b2b-content-marketing-benchmarks-budgets-and-trends-north-america-by-content-marketing-institute-and-
marketingprofs?ref=http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/10/2015-b2b-content-marketing-research/
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3. Agile Processes = Faster Marketing
Moving faster doesn’t mean you’re agile. But, being more agile can absolutely help a marketer move faster.
One of the biggest opportunities in content marketing and social media strategies is having the ability
to act and respond in near real-time to engage customers. In fact, 40% of consumer packaged goods
companies believe that real-time marketing campaigns are the future.5
But this huge opportunity comes
with a challenge that is just as big. From tactics such as “newsjacking” to real-time social marketing
opportunities, the most successful brands take advantage of these fast-moving opportunities in a
thoughtful and considered way. What separates a huge #Fail from a viral hit in real-time marketing is
not how fast the company can move, but rather the thought process that goes into each opportunity
presented and how the company quickly and readily reacts to it.
For example, cosmetics company L’Oreal recently launched an enormous real-time effort during the 2015
Golden Globe Awards. The company set up a digital content hub, which featured a “shoppable social
commerce center,” and along with its agency published social content live during the show’s broadcast.
As Megan Trinidad, the creative director at R/GA (the agency working with L’Oreal) said, “We have a huge
amount of work that we’ve already done, but our primary thing is that we want to be flexible and capture
those special moments throughout the night.” 6
It’s the first part of that quote—about the huge amount of work already completed—that is most
important. Successful real-time marketers are creating an agile process with teams that utilize a
centralized, capable, and well thought-out method of managing digital assets, enabling speed as a side
benefit. A good process can help in a number of ways:
Assets are Easier to Find: Empowering a dispersed team to create and find assets in near real-time is
an essential piece of this strategy. This means that there needs to be a very fast indexing of assets
across a large organization.
Assets can be Automatically Delivered in Numerous Formats: Teams need to be able to capture
assets in native formats (e.g., on a mobile device, or from a specific social channel) and then quickly
migrate them to other formats and platforms. A “reporter” can catch a red-carpet moment (photo,
video, audio interview) on a phone, but then needs the capability to transform and publish it
quickly to a microsite or content news hub.
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Metadata is Automatically Assigned: In order to make assets findable and enable real-time
collaboration, it’s crucial to automate as much of the metadata around the asset as possible. Rights
usage, format, and even automated tagging structures help teams move quickly to get assets to their
optimal destination.
But the key is that each of the benefits described above must be planned and established in a system that
is “battle tested” well before any real-time opportunities are exploited.
The “social conversations” and “real-time” experiences being created today should not be an unrelenting
“have you heard us yet?” and then three seconds later, “we SAID, have you heard us yet?” Rather, the goal
for high-performing organizations should be a permanent state of agility … of “we’ll be there when YOU
need/want us to be.” In other words, it’s not how fast the push notification can be sent during the live
event. It’s more about having the ability to quickly send that perfect piece of media WHEN the time is right.
A great agile process is like the difference between two guests at a party. Your business can be the person
who’s really fast with a comment, but who often insults the other guests. Or, your business can be the
whip-smart friend who always has a good anecdote or story, but saves it for just the right moment.
5 http://m.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-stats-cgs-forty-percent-cps-cmos-think-real-time-marketing.aspx
6 http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/loreal-plans-paint-golden-globes-red-carpet-real-time-gifs-162240
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Conclusion
This new focus on agility over speed requires that management of digital assets be made real in the
organization. Creation of rich media can no longer be everyone’s job and no one’s job. The creation,
collaboration, management, publishing, and promotion of content-driven experiences must be an
actual strategic function in the business.
To accomplish this, new processes must be created and new technologies considered. And then,
possibly, new roles should be created to facilitate those processes. This is an approach or methodology
that focuses on the creation of content-driven experiences as a separate asset. It has as much potential
value as a product and could potentially even have revenue possibilities.
And it’s, candidly, how we’re seeing marketers rediscover the joy in marketing more broadly and cool off
that hot seat.
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About Content Marketing Institute
Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is the leading global content marketing education and training
organization. CMI teaches enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling,
multi-channel storytelling. CMI’s Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused
event, is held every September, and Content Marketing World Sydney, every March. CMI also produces
the quarterly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing
research for some of the best-known brands in the world. CMI is a 2012, 2013, and 2014 Inc. 500 company.
To learn more about CMI, go to www.contentmarketinginstitute.com.
About Widen
Widen is a marketing technology company that powers the content that builds your brand. Widen
delivers software services that help capture, organize, share, and analyze marketing content. One of
those services is a cloud-based digital asset management solution helping marketing and creative teams
easily store, search, distribute, share, track, and archive popular marketing content, such as images,
logos, videos, graphics, brochures, and other marketing collateral.
Organizations of all sizes use the Widen Media Collective to streamline their workflows and make their
content work harder. Widen is relied upon by hundreds of thousands of users worldwide across various
industries. Organizations leveraging existing brand equity alongside organizations beginning to build
brand equity trust Widen to help connect their marketing content. These include organizations such as
the United Nations, Bain, Army National Guard, Mayo, Remington, LG, Roche, Trek, Cornell University,
New Orleans Tourism Marketing, Atlanta Falcons, Spotify, Red Gold Tomatoes, GE Aviation, Kohler, and
Yankee Candle.
To learn more about Widen, go to www.widen.com.