Dive Brief:
- Only 12% of marketers think their content marketing programs are reaching the right audiences with relevant content, per a new study from The CMO Council and NetLine.
- Only 21% of the marketers surveyed in the "Making Content Marketing Convert" research say they are working closely with their sales departments to develop and measure demand-generation programs driven by content.
- Additionally, 88% of business buyers believe online content influences their vendor selection but, only 9% view vendors as trusted sources for content.
Dive Insight:
The research shows that most marketers view their content marketing process as ad hoc, decentralized and driven by internal stakeholders rather than customer interests. This could present a challenge for marketers as digital content is likely to play a larger role in demand generation in the months ahead now that trade shows and industry events are being canceled in response to the novel coronavirus, according to the authors.
"Marketers must act quickly and decisively to increase the impact, scope, reach and return of their content marketing investments in 2020," said Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council and author of the report, in a statement.
The report recommends that marketers act quickly to expand the scope of their content marketing output in order to address the quickly changing needs of the marketplace.
Coronavirus and COVID-19 have been transforming how people do business and how companies communicate, exposing weaknesses and the need to be agile. Some companies are prioritizing their employee and client health at this point. However, once best practices like working from home and video events and meetings are in place, many are trying to maintain some elements of business as usual to avoid economic disaster.
Many aspects of the marketing industry are likely to face fallout from the pandemic. Sports TV networks are now facing drops in ad revenue and viewership as leagues cancel games over the pandemic. Brands like KFC, Hershey and Coors have had to pull ads due to the content being inappropriate in the current climate. As the spread of coronavirus is shutting down in-person events and meetings, marketers may spend more time wooing customers via online content.
