Bite size content marketing insights to spark further investigation.
Easy consumable information that sparks further investigation.
The idea of a Spark tweet is to get you as the reader to do further research about the insight shared in a Spark tweet. The Spark Tweet’s goal is to start the learning process and fill your tool box with new insights to Content marketing. See it as the mechanism of a lighter. The spark is needed to provide a flame. The lighter fluid is the research out there in the wonderful world we as Digital marketers know as the internet. The higher the quality of the fluid the longer the lighter will bring value to the user.
Terminology Booster
Boost your Digital Marketing jargon. Lets start talking the same language.
| Content Maturity | How relevant the content is to today’s standards based on the growth and direction of the strategy and business. |
| Digital Media | Is any form of media distributed electronically. |
| Paid Media | Is the digital version of a billboard. Whereby you pay an external company to broadcast a message. |
| Owned Media | Is any entity you can control. One of the most well-known entities are the brand website. |
| Earned Media | Is the online version of word of mouth. Think about it as a vehicle to get the brand exposure without needing to pay for it. |
| Content distribution | Is the process whereby content is being shared in multiple media formats on various channels. |
| Brand differentiator | The unique aspect, experience or offering of your brand that allows it to set themselves apart from the competitors and stand out in the market. |
| Content processes and Workflow | The sequencing of the creation, ideation, production and distribution of content on the media channels in different formats. |
| Lightweight metrics | Measures of quantitative assessment that are used for comparison, tracking performance and production that are not fully aligned to the content strategy and do not provide a clear indication of the position, performance and production process. |
Spark Tweets
(Bite size insights to spark investigation)
#1 Spark Tweet
Selecting the right types of content for the right content distribution channel is key to a great content strategy in 2022. Content should create a unified consumption experience leveraging the channel’s strengths.
Online Distribution Channel
| Digital Media | Paid media | Owned Media | Earned Media |
| Search Media | Pay-Per-Click | Organic Search (SEO) | Backlinks |
| Social Media Marketing | Paid Social | Organic Social | Earned Mentions |
| Digital Advertising | Programmatic display | Native advertising | Sponsorships |
| Digital PR | Online Advertising | Guest Blogging | Influencer engagement |
| Digital Messaging | Publisher | In-house email | Partner email |
#2 Spark Tweet
Content maturity is more about the process and company’s attitude towards content as a strategic asset than it is about pure content quality. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves “To what extent are our content decisions at every stage of content development based on established processes and data?”
#3 Spark Tweet (NB)
It is good practice to benchmark the previous year’s content maturity to identify the next steps. Fast tracking growth potential for content quality, maturity and relevancy opens up new opportunities for innovation and yields higher return on investment.
5 Level Content Benchmark Maturity Model
As brands increasingly look to content marketing to build trust and relationships with audiences, measuring content performance is critical to ensuring effective campaigns, determining ROI, and justifying content marketing spend.
- Experimental Level
- Strategy may be non existent
- Limited resource commitment
- Content creation and sourcing is haphazard
- Tactical Level
- Lightweight metrics gauge performance but don’t link to sales
- Content workflow and publishing is manual and inefficient
- Operational Level
- Customer personas and journey maps drive content
- Siloed data and lack of content insights hinder growth
- Content published in multiple formats across channels
- Amplified Level
- Promotions via paid earned and owned channels deliver predictable results
- Planning and workflow tools yield speed and process improvements
- Customer insights and content key performance indicators shape two-speed editorial strategy.
- Differentiated Level
- Content is recognised as an asset and brand differentiator
- Content is integral to a frictionless personalised customer journey
- Data driven innovation is central to the content ecosystem
The model helps marketers to understand how to benchmark the maturity of the content, related systems and workflows, by defining what each level of maturity means to the content being produced.
#4 Spark Tweet
Measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of keeping on brand in strategic content processes should be included in the content strategy as we move deeper into 2022. The demand for content is increasing at a rapid rate, thus keeping up with the demand requires a more proactive view on how one thinks about content and maintaining communications on brand.
Content snapshot
Content is more than just an image with copy. Content is a strategic asset that should be managed maintained and evaluated. The impact of content represents the emotional attachment of the consumer on your brand. Therefore, managing the strategic assets (Content) and regularly benchmarking them to determine the maturity and relevancy to the current consumer would fast track growth in the environment where the demand for content is increasing at a rapid rate.