How well did you meet your content marketing requirements this year? Did you execute strategically, consistently, and on time? Did you provide content that captured new leads? Or were you constantly scrambling to put out the next campaign or the next sales promotion?
How will you do things differently next year? Have you already set up your editorial calendar? If you’re focused on your website’s eye-catching design, capturing leads, or selling selling selling—but aren’t just as concerned with the quality, consistency, and value of the information you’re providing—you’re missing out on the greatest benefits of your content marketing program.
If you’re looking at your content marketing needs for the coming year and wondering how you’ll get it all done, Refactored’s Managed Content Services can alleviate your stress.
Take a look at how we can help.
Marketing Content or Content Marketing?
Content marketing has long ceased to be a buzzword and is now recognized as essential to any marketing playbook. Of course, every marketing endeavor involves content. So, what’s the difference between content marketing and marketing content?
The words and images on your website are content. Your branding, logo, and messaging: content. And it needs to be good. Your branding and website should tell your unique story and illustrate your core values. But that content, while certainly part of your overall marketing strategy, isn’t part of your content marketing strategy.
Content marketing is the strategic creation of content that’s valuable to your ideal customer—without being directly about you or your products. This means you’re creating content that your ideal customers want and need to improve their own businesses and lives.
Take an Honest Look at Your Content Marketing Strategy
Not sure whether your content marketing strategy is sound? Ask yourself:
Does your marketing strategy include a specific plan for regularly creating, using, and promoting content that does more than flog your brand?
Do you whip up content in response to last-minute needs more often than you create it according to a set schedule and editorial calendar?
Do you post so-so pieces to your blog daily, just so that you can say you did—or do you post four times in a week and then not at all for four months?
Does every social media post point to one of your products or push a sale?
Do you know what you’ll be writing and publishing three weeks from now?
Do you know which white paper, eBook, or video will help prospects from a specific industry, in a specific role, or with a specific need at each stage of their buying journey?
If the answers to those questions have you rethinking your content marketing approach, you’re not alone. But how do you take a fresh approach?
See Where You Stand with a Content Gap Analysis
You need to be sure you already have a clear view of your ideal audience and have established guidelines to direct the tone of your content.
Then, do a quick content gap analysis.
Do you have existing content that—
educates your ideal audience on causes of and solutions to the issues that most likely plague them;
relates vital industry news or provides insights into industry trends;
notifies them of useful events or opportunities, including but not limited to those sponsored by your company; and is specific to various roles, needs, and buying-cycle stages?
Additionally—
Does your available content span multiple media, including blogs, data sheets, white papers, video, podcasts, eBooks, and webinars?
Do you have multiple channels for delivering content, including email, landing pages, social media accounts, and newsletters?
Do you have a documented schedule for who receives each piece of content, when they receive it, and via what channel they receive it?
Do you have an editorial calendar that governs creation of blog and social media posts?
Do you have assigned content creators and a process for content approval?
Do you have a process in place for reviewing (copy editing and proofing) content?
Do you have a process for optimizing content (SEO) and measuring its results?
With these answers, you will be able to see where you have content gaps that need to be filled. Once you identify the types of content and content channels to focus on, the next step is to create a strategy for how you will develop and maintain that content.
Get a Grip with Managed Content Services
As you’re listing your answers to all these questions, you might get a little overwhelmed. Content planning and creation take time—a lot of time if you’re focusing on creating relevant, high-quality pieces.
Take a deep breath. A managed content services program can help you simplify your strategy.
Refactored’s managed content service is an integrated partnership between your internal marketing team and our senior-level team of content marketers to produce high-quality, purposeful content.
This partnership is based on a deep understanding of your business goals, which informs content strategy and content creation that drives momentum toward achieving your goals.
And best of all, managed content services cover the whole package when it comes to content marketing: Content ideation and planning, creation, promotion, and reporting.
Our team approaches your content marketing program with the bigger picture in mind. That integrated, strategic approach creates huge efficiencies. We incorporate best practices such as:
Don’t reinvent the wheel: As we collaborate with you on your editorial calendar, we’ll consider upcoming campaigns and dovetail blogs, social posts, and webinars to support your upcoming themes.
Repurpose and reconfigure: Producing a white paper? We’ll help you work up a blog series covering its main points. Have a great sales presentation? We’ll help you turn it into an on-demand webinar.
Emphasize consistency and quality over volume: By leveraging our deep familiarity with your customers, your solutions, and your initiatives, we can produce truly outstanding content that’s campaign-ready—on your required schedule.
Revitalize your content marketing—download our free ebook
Want more details on how managed content services can transform your content marketing and deliver the results you’re looking for?
Download our free eBook, Revitalize Marketing Momentum with Managed Content Services.
Then, contact us to see what a customized Managed Content Services program looks like for your company. By scheduling a conversation, you’ll learn about our:
Managed program structure, including retainer options
Transparent, detailed estimates and invoicing approach
Proven process for full content program management
If you’re ready to elevate your content and drive true, lasting content marketing momentum, let’s get started.