Are You Ready for the Content Marketing Commitment?

Posted February 19, 2016

There’s really no reason to sugar coat this. When kicking off new content marketing initiatives, do not expect to see results for at least 3 months (or more). Sorry folks… It takes time to break through the noise, build trust and nurture consumers. In most situations, you’re going to have to touch consumers multiple times before they engage with your brand in any sort of meaningful way. Hence the reason why a long-term, consistent content marketing effort is such an effective strategy in today’s digital world.

The Problem

Unfortunately, many companies are still stuck in an advertising-campaign mentality, and new “content marketing initiatives” are not being planned or executed with long-term sustainability in mind. Expectations haven’t been set properly, so a lack of immediate results often sends marketers into an unwarranted emoji tail spin, and the content initiative is abandoned before it has a chance to gain any traction.

When planning a new content initiative, you should have this discussion with your team. Will it be a short-term experiment, just a campaign, or a never-ending channel? Certainly the type of content or medium often dictates this answer, but if you’re starting something like a new email initiative, social channel or website property, it’s pretty important that you think this through.

While you’re noodling on that, you should also consider the behavior and needs of the primary audience to which you are targeting. While digging into that persona, asking the following questions can help define the length and effort you should put behind a content initiative:

How much content is currently available to my audience on the topics we want to cover? Is there an over-abundance, or are we the first in the space?
How are they consuming this content and what do they want to do with it?
Does my persona actively engage with the content that’s out there (sharing/reposting/etc.) or is there an opportunity to get them something they can be more engaged with?
How long do you need to give your audience to interact with your content before you adjust your approach based on the goals you have set forth?

Deeper Dive

In our new ebook, The Definitive Guide to Planning a New Content Initiative , we discuss these questions and walk through a real-life example. If you have a new content initiative in the works, we highly recommend setting proper expectations on it’s lifespan and planning for the commitment that may be needed to see real results. Download our ebook today to help you nail down your plan.

Brandi Dreiling

Brandi Dreiling is a creative, results driven thinker experienced in media strategy and investment, communications planning, content marketing and demand generation for global brands. She has held various roles in marketing and digital media at companies such as Northwestern Mutual, Adaptly, Sprint, DivvyHQ & VML. Brandi is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism.