Content marketing quickly ascended as a key comms strategy, and communicators are still struggling to get a full handle on how to make it work—from the best overall strategies and how to measure impact to implementing key components like personalization, storytelling, and social integration, new research reveals.
A new report from B2B technology and healthcare integrated marketing and PR firm PAN Communications finds the ability to transform content and impact customers continues to be a difficult challenge for marketers across the board.
Each year, the firm sets out to evaluate where marketers are experiencing the best content impact and how they are addressing the struggles to keep up with the pace of marketing. This year’s 2017 Content Fitness Report identifies key trends and best practices from more than 100 marketers around topics like integration, personalization and measurement.
“As brands continue to battle through the creation and execution of content, this report serves as a guide to point them in the right direction,” said Mark Nardone, executive vice president of PAN Communications, in a news release. “It’s crucial that brands address these content pain points and other inbound marketing concerns in order to stay on top in their respective markets.”
While many brands already have a content marketing program in place, 57 percent are not integrating the execution, distribution and optimization of their content to maximize potential. This statistic from the report emphasizes the importance of evaluating your content and highlighting areas of necessary improvement as you continue to look for better engagement and connectivity across your program.
Key findings include:
Social and content integration is undervalued
Only 21 percent of marketers responding were concerned with their own influencer marketing strategies and understand the value of taking content and social integration one step further.
Various roadblocks make visual storytelling difficult for marketers
Only 5 percent of survey respondents declared that they were at an “Advanced Level” when it comes to offering creative deliverables as part of their storytelling and messaging.
Personalization proves difficult for brands
Only 65 percent of respondents are feeling confident in their personalization efforts, a number that remains down from 2014.
Content measurement needs improvement
76 percent of marketers are lacking the confidence to measure the success of their content programs.
As marketers continue to evolve their departments, integration of content across all forms of media remains top-of-mind for impactful awareness and lead-gen efforts. This report is meant to help marketers navigate through the evolving role of their customers by deploying content strategies and sharing best practices shared by their peers.
