![Beyond the Build – What Content Marketers in Australia Must Do Next [New Research]](http://www.marketinghub.today/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/beyond-the-build-what-content-marketers-in-australia-must-do-next-new-research.jpg "Beyond the Build – What Content Marketers in Australia Must Do Next [New Research]")
As reported in Content Marketing in Australia 2018: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends, 85% of Australian respondents agree that their organization is focused on building an audience versus 69% last year. However, long-term value is created by providing your target audience with valuable content they want to receive, and building trust over time – not just gathering email addresses. While the increased focus on building audiences is great news, the data revealed additional opportunities for marketers to address for even better results. Fifty-eight percent of Australian content marketers surveyed always or frequently focus on creating content for their audience over their brands compared with 72% last year – a 19% year-over-year decrease. Deliver content consistently Fewer Australian marketers are delivering content consistently. Forty-eight percent of respondents always or frequently deliver content consistently (e.g., on a defined, regularly scheduled basis) compared with 60% last year – a 20% year-over-year decrease. How often should your company send emails? Focus on fact-based, credible content Eighty-four percent of marketers say they always or frequently ensure that their content is fact-based and/or credible. The importance of commitment While covering the 2017 content marketing research findings, CMI founder Joe Pulizzi stressed the importance of being “all in” – being fully committed – with your content marketing. More survey respondents are focusing on building audiences this year than last, which is a great sign.
Like their peers in North America, Australian content marketers say their organizations are concentrating more on building audiences than they were a year ago.
As reported in Content Marketing in Australia 2018: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends, 85% of Australian respondents agree that their organization is focused on building an audience versus 69% last year. That’s a 23% year-over-year increase, which is higher than the 18% year-over-year increase reported by North American B2B content marketers.
Growing your subscriber base is an important content marketing goal. However, long-term value is created by providing your target audience with valuable content they want to receive, and building trust over time – not just gathering email addresses.
While the increased focus on building audiences is great news, the data revealed additional opportunities for marketers to address for even better results.
Focus first on audience information needs
Fewer marketers are creating content for their audience versus for their brand. Fifty-eight percent of Australian content marketers surveyed always or frequently focus on creating content for their audience over their brands compared with 72% last year – a 19% year-over-year decrease.
Our take: How can you build an engaged audience if you’re not addressing its wants and needs? Focusing on your company (its products, services, people) rather than providing your audience with valuable information gives people few reasons to care or even stick around.
Here are some tools to help you take or grow an audience-first approach: 4 Ways to Shift Your Thinking to Truly Focus on Your Audience and How to Take an Audience-First Approach to Your Content.
Deliver content consistently
Fewer Australian marketers are delivering content consistently. Forty-eight percent of respondents always or frequently deliver content consistently (e.g., on a defined, regularly scheduled basis) compared with 60% last year – a 20% year-over-year decrease.
Our take: Organizations struggle to deliver content on a regular, predictable basis for a variety of reasons. But consistency builds expectation and anticipation for the audience. If you can commit to nothing more than three blog posts a quarter, then commit to publishing one post per month. Just be sure to release it at the same time every month, (e.g., the first Wednesday) so your audience becomes conditioned to expect it. Schedule it, put it in writing, and commit to it. An editorial calendar helps.
For guidance on how to set up an editorial calendar and/or get maximum value from one,…
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