It’s no secret that B2B marketing is likely to see a variety of changes during 2017, including new techniques, technology, and methodology. These developments are also likely to include changes to B2B content marketing, as it looks to become less static and more interactive. With the inclusion of quizzes, polls, calculators, and a variety of other tools, the ebooks and tipsheets that we know today are likely to become less of a go-to manoeuvre. However, even with the newer forms of content, there will still be aspects which marketers will need to consider, especially if they hope to succeed…

Distribution

With new communication channels and social media networks becoming available on a monthly basis, marketers have a variety of ways to introduce their latest content to prospects. In addition to this, blogs are an excellent way to make content more widely available to users of search engines, and potential buyers in the research stage of their journey. So, even as the content itself develops, it’s vitally important that marketers still consider the ways in which they will distribute and generate demand for the piece. The golden rule as always, is to ensure that prospects are active on the social network or communication channels which are used in the distribution process. If they are not, then it’s simply a waste of marketers’ time, energy, and budget.

Measurement

Whether new content takes the form of videos, quizzes, polls, or even interactive ebooks, it’s still vitally important to capture leads’ data and measure a variety of metrics. For this reason, landing page forms will still be necessary, although they may feature after the content has been received as opposed to before. In addition, metrics such as views and clickthroughs will still simply be indicative, and of no ‘real’ value. So, it’s important that video and interactive content technologies are chosen for their ability to capture individual behavioural data and integrate with existing marketing automation software. Only by reaching this level of measurement will it be possible to determine the success of the content and the activity in general.

ROI and future budget

By choosing the right tech solutions, and measuring the metrics mentioned previously, organisations will be able to effectively determine the revenue generated from their activity. By subtracting marketing costs from the revenue generated, it’ll be possible to identify the ROI which has been achieved. And of course, with positive ROI comes the ability to justify increased marketing budgets in future. This process of measuring spend/revenue, and calculating ROI has been in place for many years. However, as technology develops, it should help make the procedure a great deal easier for marketers and their teams.

As you can see, although content formats and levels of interactivity are likely to see a change in 2017, the key aspects of distribution, measurement, and ROI will still require close attention.

So, to find out more about creating unique content in a busy marketplace…