As a technology marketer, you should understand that content is the core of your integrated marketing activities. Tech buyers continue to consume information during their search and selection activities. Without having relevant information for these tech buyers, you’re risking your relationship and credibility among this target audience.
Just a reminder: Smart content marketing is a marketing technique for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined target audience. Instead of pitching your products or services with constant self-referential brand messages, content marketing offers the promise of information, making your buyers more informed. And if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their loyalty and business.
Your organization should have a content development plan in place and if you don’t, you should create the process quickly as many other business and technology marketing teams are already realizing the benefits of well planned content development. In fact, a recent article in B2B Magazine details a January 2010 study of business marketers and found that 59% of respondents plan to increase their content marketing budgets this year, up from 56% last year and 42% in 2008.
The share of total marketing budgets going to content marketing will increase to an average of 33% this year, up from 29% two years ago.
Regarding which channels companies are using for content marketing, the top platform is social media, which 72% of marketers are using. Other top channels are: e-newsletters (63%), blogs (63%), white papers (48%), article marketing (48%), case studies (46%), online video (42%), custom in-person events (31%) and microsites (31%).
Well planned content can enhance an integrated marketing effort ensuring your messages are delivered with trusted vehicles (in a few different ways) and over time, this consistent messaging will allow for better audience comprehension.
