If you’re struggling to find employee buy-in to support your content marketing plan, fighting for every content marketing budget dollar, and disappointed with content marketing performance measurement options, you’re not alone. According to The State of Enterprise Content Marketing 2014 report from the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), many senior-level marketers feel the same way.
The data came from the CMI Executive Form held in San Francisco, California in May with 40 senior-level marketers discussing the present and future state of enterprise content marketing. The final report offers a number of key challenges and insights that are common among all or most of the executives in attendance, including:
Marketing Silos Impede Progress and Success
Marketing silos exist everywhere, not just in big companies and not just in content marketing. Having worked in marketing departments for some of the largest companies in the world during my career, I can attest to the rampant existence of silos. Today, marketing needs to be integrated across the enterprise, and that includes content marketing. However, the challenge to overcome marketing’s reputation as the department that only likes to spend money is one that has evolved over many decades and is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. It’s up to leadership to build and support a company culture that values marketing, including content marketing. And that brings us to the next item…
Company Cultures Don’t Support Content Marketing
Prioritizing content marketing has to come from the top down. Leaders and employees need to be trained on why content marketing is important to the company and the brand as a whole. The State of Enterprise Content Marketing 2014 report explains the challenges identified by executives related to company culture:
It can be difficult to get employee buy-in for content marketing. In addition, education is needed around social media governance, especially in companies where the C-suite is still “afraid” of what might get out. Training, as well as a flexible line of communication about content that can be shared across networks, can be invaluable.
Human Capital Resources are Hard to Come By
Where should the content marketing team sit on the organizational chart? Who should be on the team? Should team members be dedicated to content marketing or should content marketing be just one part of their job responsibilities? Should content marketing be outsourced? These are the questions that enterprise executives are still struggling with. In the meantime, progress slows and success is limited. “Hurry up and wait” is the norm when it comes to content marketing because decision-making isn’t happening efficiently or confidently.
Content is Created but Not Promoted
Companies invest in content creation, but not as many invest in content promotion. The days of “if you publish it, they will come” are over. For the enterprise, content promotion is an important part of a comprehensive plan. Without it, content has very little chance to survive and thrive.
View the SlideShare presentation below for the complete The State of Enterprise Marketing 2014 report from the Content Marketing Institute.
What challenges are you experiencing with your brand’s content marketing? Leave a comment and share your insights.
Image: Ahmed Al-Shukaili
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
