There are plenty of things weighing on the minds of marketers. Driving sales, connecting engagement to demand, and building a unique customer journey are just a few. At the center of all these? Content. And for 97% of people who work in marketing, according to Salesforce, content is their biggest concern.
The inability to produce enough quality content fast enough to keep up with the demands of the modern consumer is impacting almost all marketers. About 74% of senior marketers say they can’t produce the variety of content required for a personalized journey. It’s clear that most organizations are struggling with content, but what can be done?
Embracing omnichannel marketing and breaking down content silos is a great first step, but 34% of senior marketers report struggling to scale multi-channel content.
“There is a better way to take content out of individual channels and streamline it to deliver a tailored, personalized experience,” said Jill Grozalsky, Product Marketing Director at Sitecore, in an interview with Retail Technology Insider. She explained that this allows brands to engage with customers where it counts. “It’s really about making that true connection with customers.”
To make these meaningful connections, brands should focus on quality, personalized content that is on a variety of channels to engage today’s pampered consumer. “Your company must start seeing content and channel as separate entities. This requires all teams that live inside siloed channels to look beyond them,” said Tim Pashuysen, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Sitecore Content Hub. “Each channel is a consumer of content, and your content should be created before it hits the channel or channels for which it’s intended.”
Well-written, high-quality content will differentiate your brand from others in the market. Leveraging this content in an omnichannel environment enables brands to connect to the pampered consumer on their preferred channel with a unique experience. More than 84% of customers say they want to be treated like a person, not a number, which tailored content can achieve.
As brands identify more channels and targets, it becomes even more important to overcome these content challenges.
“Working harder isn’t enough. You need a strategy and the technology to support your efforts,” said Pashuysen. “Introducing high-level milestones in your content creation process can remove a lot of the drama associated with content creation, making the entire process more effective and efficient. Establishing milestones will also help your organization overcome operational issues.”
Lastly, organizations must invest in tools that streamline the content process. “From a software perspective, it makes sense to give you tools that provide direction, while at the same time providing enough flexibility to very easily accommodate the way you run your business,” Pashuysen added.
Are you struggling with content? Join us at an upcoming Sitecore World Tour digital event on April 7th or April 9th.
*Commentary from Tim Pashuyen was originally published here – Solving the content crisis.