Overcoming Four Barriers to Data-Driven Marketing Content

We recently discussed why data is the backbone of a robust content strategy. However, leveraging data for lead generation is not always as easy as companies would like it to be.

The following is a look at some of the most common barriers to building and executing a data-driven marketing content strategy, with insights and tips on overcoming them.

Acquiring High-Quality Data

It makes sense that if the quality of the data you collect is weak, any plan spawned from it will be poor as well.

Your business needs a well-developed infrastructure, including an efficient database and processes, to gather the right types of data for your content strategy.

A primary purpose of using data in your content strategy is to achieve strong personalization, but 64 percent of marketers say data quality is a top concern on the path to success.

One of the best ways to amplify the power of your data is to integrate intent data. This type of data centers on actual behaviors of your targeted prospects so you can eliminate much of the guesswork involved.

You can determine the types of online searches appropriate business decision-makers execute when looking to resolve a problem, for instance.

Effectively Identifying the Target Audience

In some cases, marketers take an overly product-centric focus into content strategy. Thus, they put too much emphasis on how particular solutions and topics have succeeded historically.

Instead, concentrate on defining your target market profile and gathering data that points to prospect interests, motives, and behaviors.

By taking a customer-centric perspective, you get a better sense of the types of content that could achieve the best response.

Defining Goals and KPIs

You shouldn’t create a strategy or piece of content without knowing what you plan to accomplish. Unfortunately, a lot of marketers neglect goals and key performance indicators in the crafting a strategy.

However, collecting and analyzing the right types of data is challenging if you aren’t sure what you want to achieve and what you need to measure.

In addition to lead generation objectives, common content goals include increased website traffic, better return on investment, higher engagement and efficient conversions.

By collecting data to evaluate these KPIs, marketers can continue to modify their content strategy over time.

Creating On-Point Content

Data only gives you access to insight opportunities; it does not guarantee that you can get customers to behave in the way you anticipate or desire.

You still need to create content that is relevant to tightly-defined buyer profiles, and presented at the right time within the buyer’s journey.

Develop topics and trustworthy content that delivers an in-depth resource for the targeted persona.

Wrap Up

High-quality data is vital to creating and implementing a great content strategy.

However, marketers need to stick to convention in defining the target audience and objectives and then creating quality messages that resonate.

These steps allow you to generate the levels of success you expect with a contemporary data-driven content strategy.

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