The Content Marketing Revolution

Don't get me wrong: Content marketing can be extremely complex. But in my opinion, there should be no doubt that marketers themselves are to blame for most of the problems they encounter.Here are five issues that I've noticed have been bubbling to the top recently - and a few solutions that can keep them from hindering your ability to create epic content.

The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) has released benchmark research projects in North America, Australia, and the United Kingdom. One overwhelming consistency across all the marketers we've surveyed relates to content marketing effectiveness. Across the board, only 33% of marketers deem their efforts as effective. Now, if that was a batting average, we'd be all-stars, but...

Right now, the content marketing industry, well over 100 years old, is going through as much change as we have ever seen. The biggest reason for this, outside of the fragmentation of media, is that the barriers to entry have been obliterated. There were three major barriers that used to exist as a gate to corporate publishing. Though they are no longer a concern today, I did discuss them in detail in Get Content Get Customers (published in 2008).

At almost every event I've attended over the past few months, content marketing sessions are standing-room only. Marketing professionals are hungry for any way that they can continue their content marketing journey and attract and retain customers with compelling content. To help, I've dissected my last few presentations and put together seven critical strategies that I believe all marketers need to consider as they head into next year.

The content marketing industry is moving faster than I ever anticipated. Back in the early 2000s, the major goal was only to get senior marketing professionals to start thinking about and integrating the importance of storytelling into their overall marketing programs. Today, we see content marketing at the center of everything we do in marketing.

Why are we leveraging that particular channel? Why are we developing the content in the first place? What are the informational pain points of our customers? How will helping customers with these challenges help our business (do we have a higher purpose)? What are reasonable expectations? What behaviors are we wishing to maintain or change? What metrics can we assign to those behaviors?Successful content marketing programs focus on creating a thoughtful strategy that answers these exact questions.

According to a recent study from the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, although 90% of all companies employ some form of content marketing, the majority are still struggling with creating content that truly engages their customers and delivers results for the company. So, what separates the good from the great when it comes to content marketing? Well, that's not an easy question to answer. That said, through all the research (both quantitative and qualitative), there are six differences that are separating the Have's from the Have Not's.

Coca-Cola and Google are both making big commitments to content marketing, and are marking a new era in the way global brands advertise.

Whether you are an experienced digital publishing machine or a novice brand looking for the benefits of content marketing, you most likely need the help of freelance writers to help tell your story. You may find that you need help developing ongoing content - or that you need additional content producers to keep up with the velocity.