3 Keys of Content Development Success

November 21, 2010

Are you having trouble mapping out your content development process?

Content marketing has hit the B2B world by storm. According to the report, B2B Content Marketing: 2010 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends, 9 out of 10 B2B marketers use some form of content marketing.

So how can you easily kick off your content development efforts?
If you are new to content marketing, it may seem daunting to think about where or how to start. These 3 keys should help clarify:

  1. Goals
  2. Ideas
  3. Resources

First, start by mapping out your goals. What do you hope to achieve with your content development efforts? Drive more traffic to your site? Get more inbound leads? Build your company’s thought leadership? It is imperative to understand your goals prior to kicking off any content development initiatives so that you are FOCUSED on what matters to your company! Be sure to keep your target audience in mind when creating your goals. That is the only way you can ensure high levels of customer engagement.

Second, start brainstorming some ideas. Document a long list of different content types. If you need a good place to start, review Joe Pulizzi and Jonathan Kranz’s Content Marketing Playbook for 42 content types.

Third, examine your resources – people, time and money. Taking a hard look at your resources will help you determine exactly what you can do as a company. It will also help to identify gaps within your internal capabilities, making it clear when and how you can use freelancers.

I hope these three steps make your content development efforts seem a little easier.

Content Marketing Director

<strong>Amanda Maksymiw</strong> worked at OpenView from 2008 until 2012, where she focused on developing marketing and PR strategies for both OpenView and its portfolio companies. Today she is the Content Marketing Director at <a href="https://www.fuze.com/">Fuze</a>.