4 Paths to Better Content Management and Strategy [New Research]

Delivering content in such a personalized, context-dependent way requires a strategic content management approach and a sophisticated tech platform most likely fueled by artificial intelligence. Yet 72% of respondents to our 2018 Content Management & Strategy Survey say their organization is challenged with managing their content strategically. As Robert Rose said at this year’s Intelligent Content Conference, “Technology is outpacing our ability to comprehend what we can do with it.” If you’re struggling to manage content in a responsive, automated, scalable way, you’re hardly alone. Identify the right technology – and use it to full advantage Fifty-one percent of respondents say their companies have not acquired the right technology to manage content across the organization. Treat content as a business asset As we found in the 2017 survey, most organizations (93%) view content as a business asset – an asset or process where there is direct investment and increasing value over time. While 42% say “to a strong degree,” another 51% say “somewhat.” Given this finding, it makes sense that only 43% of respondents have a documented strategy for managing content as a business asset. “Content professionals need to do this as well.” Prepare for a rapidly changing future Would companies become more successful with managing content if they: Hired more staff skilled in content strategy? Automated more content management processes? Documented a strategy for managing content as an asset? Marketers must build more agile processes and teams because the way audiences discover and consume content is changing dramatically.

Author: Lisa Murton Beets / Source: Content Marketing Institute

2018-content-management-strategy-research

I’ve been in the content marketing space long enough to be familiar with the saying, “If you create all this great content and yet no one sees it, what’s the point?”

This simple question helps those starting in content marketing stay focused on the big picture.

Today, though, that saying should go something like this:

If you create all this great content and yet you’re not putting it in front of the right person at the right time on the right platform on the right device in the right format in the right language, what’s the point?

(I could make the question longer, but I’ll just leave it there for now.)

Delivering content in such a personalized, context-dependent way requires a strategic content management approach and a sophisticated tech platform most likely fueled by artificial intelligence.

In other words, it requires systems and repeatable processes for creating and managing content in a way that can scale.

Yet 72% of respondents to our 2018 Content Management & Strategy Survey say their organization is challenged with managing their content strategically.

And only 12% say they’re extremely/very successful at managing content. The fact that 85% say they’re moderately or minimally successful shows how much work needs to be done.

The content management struggle is real

It’s not hard to see why marketers grapple with content management. The explosion of AI and other technologies is astounding. As Robert Rose said at this year’s Intelligent Content Conference, “Technology is outpacing our ability to comprehend what we can do with it.”

If you’re struggling to manage content in a responsive, automated, scalable way, you’re hardly alone. And the findings from this year’s study, sponsored by Contentful and Publicis.Sapient, provide some clues about where to focus your efforts.