As the new year approaches and you finalize your 2016 content marketing strategy, you’re likely wondering how it stacks up against other B2B companies’ plans. Are you spending enough? Producing enough content? Hiring the right people? Tracking the right metrics?
It’s a lot to consider, but fortunately, MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute have teamed up for the sixth year in a row to produce a detailed report that can help. The report is full of information about North American B2B companies’ content marketing budgets and goals, as well as emerging (and declining) trends. Basically, it can answer any question you have about the current state of content in the B2B sphere.
Want to give your content marketing strategy a boost? We’ve pulled three insightful, data-backed takeaways from the report that will help your team rise to the top in 2016.
1. Put your strategy on paper.
A whopping 77% of the least effective marketers don’t know what a successful content marketing program would like for their organization, so it’s no wonder they struggle with their strategy. The solution? Agreeing on and documenting a plan.
Just like writing down your personal new year’s resolutions can motivate you to follow through, putting your content strategy on paper is an effective way to keep your entire team on track. Need more convincing? 53% of the most effective teams have a documented content marketing strategy, while only 13% of the least effective teams do. Time to create some content about your content!
2. Schedule regular check-ins with your content team.
61% of the most effective content marketing teams meet daily or weekly, versus just 25% of the least effective teams. Scheduling regular meetings is a simple but effective way to stay on top of your goals and make sure everyone is on the same page.
But if the word meeting makes you cringe, you’re not alone. According to Clarizen, 35% of employees consider status meetings a waste of their time. Make your meetings more productive and even — gasp! — fun with suggestions from this article by Pardot’s own Jenna Hanington. (Ping-pong marketing meetings, anyone?)
3. Increase your content marketing budget.
Data shows that the average B2B company allocates 28% of their total marketing budgets to content, while the most effective organizations allocate an impressive 42%. It follows, then, that the logical step for improvement would be to ask for more money.
Easier said than done, right?
I’m not suggesting you simply roll up to a budget meeting with the C-suite, read them that statistic, and walk out victorious. You’ll need more than that, but it is a good jumping off point for stating your case. To prove that you’ll use the money wisely, dig into the data from your marketing automation tool. Show that you’re already seeing serious ROI from your content marketing efforts and present a plan to increase ROI even more in 2016. Not sure what you should be measuring to prove effectiveness? Check out the 14 content marketing KPIs you should be tracking to get started.
Want more tips and findings?
Click through the SlideShare below for detailed findings from MarketingProf and CMI’s report.
Were you surprised by any of these findings? Do you plan on trying any new content marketing tactics in 2016? Let us know in the comments!