- July 31, 2014
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Brands Shift Budgets to Content Marketing
Content marketing has matured from a tactical maneuver to a strategic initiative, and brands are increasing their financial investments to support demand, according to a recent survey conducted by Curata.
As published in Curata’s fourth-annual benchmark report, 2014 Content Marketing Tactics Planner: Creation, Curation and Syndication, 71 percent of the 500 marketing professionals surveyed are increasing their content marketing investment this year, and 39 percent are increasing spend on curation.
However, many companies are learning that it takes more than big bucks to succeed as a content marketer.
“Although marketers have been practicing content marketing for decades, digital marketing coupled with a new, buyer 2.0 environment, has created a whole new set of opportunities and challenges in the content marketing realm,” said Michael Gerard, Curata’s chief marketing officer, in a written statement.
Are companies set up to fail?
Many businesses owners and marketers are jumping into content marketing without establishing the strategy or infrastructure to achieve a return on investment. As evidence, Curata found that more than half of marketing organizations do not have a point person to lead content marketing. Plus, few companies have created an internal process or invested in technology to support content marketing.
Yet the results can be impressive
Among the companies in Curata’s study, 85 percent have seen an increase in awareness-building as a result of their content marketing initiatives. In addition, 62 percent of companies responded that content marketing has increased the quality and quantity of leads in their sales pipeline.
“Content marketing should be considered a mandatory part of every company’s nurturing process,” Gerard advised, “and not just part of the early stages of awareness-building.”
Content marketing done right
Despite the hurdles, businesses of any size can become successful content marketers. The lead lesson derived from the study urges integrated marketers to plan a content marketing mix to include externally sourced content along with your own content. Although there is no magic ratio, Curata calculated that marketers with the best ROI create 65 percent of their own content, curate another 25 percent from other sources and pick up 10 percent through syndicated services.
To learn ways to evaluate your own content marketing efforts, pick up formulas from “Measuring the Success of Your Content Marketing,” and if you’ve already identified that you require assistance in creation, curation and syndication, learn what options are available in our post, “Creative Services Outsourcing Helps You Get Content Marketing Right.”
