How to think like a top content marketer

Q: There is heartening news in the research, in that organizations are investing in content marketing, and those initiatives are maturing. What is driving that change? 

Michele Linn: We asked marketers who said their organization’s overall content marketing approach is more successful now than it was one year ago – 62% of respondents – why they feel this way. The two primary reasons cited are higher quality and more efficient content creation, as well as their content marketing strategies. In short, successful marketers are working on their strategies and getting better at creating the content required to support their strategy.

Q: In your view, what has been the most positive development over the past year?

Linn: I was very encouraged to see that, of those marketers who have a content marketing strategy, 70% of them consider their strategy to be much more or somewhat more effective than it was a year ago.  We have been talking about the importance of a documented content marketing strategy for the past two years since we first asked if marketers have a strategy, and it’s wonderful to see that those who are taking this advice are creating strategies that are working for their organizations.

As a side note, this focus on strategy plays a role in the 62% of marketers who consider their organization’s content marketing to be more successful compared with one year ago.

Q: Do you see gaps between best practices and real-world implementation?

Linn: I do see a lot of gaps. For example, only 54% of respondents say they have business goals tied to their content marketing strategy. And it’s difficult to have a strategy without having clearly defined goals. 

We have 75 data points like this to consider and explore from an editorial perspective. And we’ll absolutely be using data like this to shape our own editorial strategy.

Q: What is the No. 1 thing content marketers can do to move the needle toward more effective strategy?

Linn: The most prescriptive findings this year are focused on what top-performing marketers are doing differently than their peers. We found that people who are most successful have a few traits: They are committed to developing a content marketing program. They have created differentiated stories that set their work apart. They are realistic and understand that content marketing isn’t a quick-win strategy, and they understand that they have to be very consistent. These mindsets are essential.