Working with inbound and content marketing can be a challenge when you are not experienced in those strategies. The biggest concerns typically center around the question, “How do I know when it’s working”?
Personas and content mapping are key ways to develop a strong content strategy. However, when you haven’t worked with these strategies before, it is difficult to know which ones will give you the most success. This is where content intelligence comes into play.
Understanding the Value of Content Intelligence
Content intelligence is the data and analytic metrics that help marketers understand how content is performing. In turn, these metrics help marketers develop actionable insights to improve the performance of their content. Content intelligence goes beyond just tracking the views on a blog. Instead, it also looks at acquisition source, SEO value, user behavior, etc. According to a 2016 study, 47% of buyers viewed 3 to 5 pieces of content on average before talking to a salesperson. Knowing that content can have that kind of influence on a sales decision shows that content intelligence is one of the most valuable processes in marketing.
While standard marketing analytics is able to provide sufficient insights to marketers, content intelligence offers a more comprehensive value. Content intelligence trumps standard marketing analytics because it provides more in-depth information. Much marketing analysis is a pure look at the numbers of a single blog or piece of content. Content intelligence looks at the whole strategy. This helps to analyze which pieces speak directly to the audience and how to further use content to fill gaps in strategy. Content intelligence can give commercial real estate knowledge on the types of renters most interested in an apartment. It can also give knowledge on the kind of retail stores interested in a mixed-use space and offer information to enhance the content provided to these groups.
Utilizing Content to Develop High-Performing Results
Have you ever received an email with your name in the subject line, or a newsletter closely tied to a topic you’d been researching? That’s a form of content intelligence. The ability to take names or other information gathered about prospects and use that information to enhance content is the epitome of content intelligence. Imagine being a resident with interest in a new apartment community. Wouldn’t that level of personalization, paired with an email that answers your questions, sway your leasing decision?
Studies show that personalizing messages can increase open rates on emails (17.6% open rate v. 11.4% without personalization). This allows for more information to be gathered and improves your results. It’s a cyclical and powerful process. The most important thing is to make sure you’re utilizing all the right tools to inform your content. This is where big data and marketing automation comes into play.
Artificial Intelligence
The growing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) has caused mixed feelings among the general populous. But the fact of the matter is that the capabilities of technology are already well embedded throughout marketing automation tools. Tools like HubSpot track a user’s every action on a website to determine how qualified a lead is.
Workflows can be implemented based on certain actions, and all interaction with the brand can be documented in a lead’s profile. This is why inbound marketing is so successful. And with the addition of AI initiatives to data and analytics platforms, content intelligence will be able to offer stronger insights. For example, content intelligence allows you to look at patterns of specific audience types and ultimately optimize your work.
This movement toward automation has people across many industries fearful for their jobs. However, there’s no cause for that level of concern yet. While AI is indeed making great strides, it is not heavily prevalent yet. And there are many things AI can’t do that still rely on humans. For example, while AI is capable of producing short and quick news headlines, it is not to par with humans in writing strong content. This is because AI is unable to add the right context, elements of interest, or nuance to a story. The takeaway? AI and intelligence tools are growing fast, but they have not overtaken the abilities that humans have when it comes to certain tasks.
The Future of Content Intelligence
Much like the shift to digital marketing in recent years, the rise of content intelligence has been slow, but steady. There are still a number of industries coming aboard the realm of inbound marketing, but not quite utilizing content intelligence. However, the use of content intelligence will be key to standing out as the inbound marketing methods become more status quo. The key will be to develop processes and utilize tools that inform the performance of your content. Effective content will help you embrace the feedback loop that allows your content to grow and develop. Only then will your content reach your targeting goals and give you the results you’re aiming for.
