Altimeter Study: How To Know When You Have a Mature Content Operation. According to Altimeter’s new report, “The 2016 State of Digital Content,” there several key factors go into creating a well-oiled content machine. And yet, Altimeter reported that less than half of marketers can confidently point to a unified strategy within their company. With these points clearly documented, each department can understand how content feeds the company’s big-picture goals, and how different employees can contribute. As Sam Slaughter, Contently’s VP of content, wrote of the clash between creative and business teams: “The larger challenge isn’t just marketing against content marketing, it’s how marketing and content support the front-line teams in general.” However, only 39 percent of content marketers reported having full support from executive leaders. Integration with multiple departments When you’re running a mature content operation, the creative process is about more than just one person or even one team. Capturing this data is crucial, not just because it can show value to executives, but also because it will help the company as a whole understand the importance of content. For instance, you can’t get executive support without a solid content strategy, and you can’t measure true ROI without integrated data sources. If you’re running a mature content operation, all the parts work together to serve a cohesive unit. It may take some time to reach that point, but eventually, if you put the work in and take the necessary steps, your content operation should start running smoothly and delivering results for your brand.
At this point, most marketers know they should be investing in high-quality content. Now, they’re leveling up and trying to figure out how to run a mature content operation.
The question is: What does content maturation actually look like?
According to Altimeter’s new report, “The 2016 State of Digital Content,” there several key factors go into creating a well-oiled content machine. Let’s take a look at a few of the most important components.
A unified content strategy
This might seem intuitive, but it’s crucial to have a clear and documented content strategy—especially if you want to get other departments on board with content marketing.
As the Content Marketing Institute found in its annual study, those who document their strategy are more effective in nearly all facets of their content marketing operation. And yet, Altimeter reported that less than half of marketers can confidently point to a unified strategy within their company.
Your content plan should outline your objectives, target audiences, market research, and key resources needed to carry out your operation. With these points clearly documented, each department can understand how content feeds the company’s big-picture goals, and how different employees can contribute.
Support from leadership
In order to get backing from the C-suite, content marketers have to prove how their strategies will impact the bottom line. As Sam Slaughter, Contently’s VP of content, wrote of the clash between creative and business teams: “The larger challenge isn’t just marketing against content marketing, it’s how marketing and content support the front-line teams in general.”
However, only 39 percent of content marketers reported having full support from executive leaders. Unsurprisingly, 35 percent said that their biggest content challenge is winning that support.
If marketers can gain executives’ trust, they will have opportunities to propose budget increases, bring other departments into the mix, make new hires, and take risks on ambitious projects in order to reach their...
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