You’d think with content marketing now fully recognized as a valuable function within the enterprise that the reams of content being churned out would be anything but average. But despite growing interest and the number of content channels available, the state of the content marketing function is stalled.

Lacking in any formal vision or strategy, many content marketing initiatives are lackluster, resulting in average content and results.

On Day 1 of the Content Marketing World Conference in Cleveland, Robert Rose (@Robert_Rose), Chief Strategy Advisor with Content Marketing Institute and author of “Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing,” led a workshop on “Content Creation Management for the Enterprise” in which he suggested that content marketing today is stuck in “average” gear.

He noted that recent CMI research revealed some interesting insights about the state of the content marketing function. Specifically, only 36% of those enterprises surveyed have a formal content marketing strategy while 71% admit to just beginning to take first steps into formulating a strategy. In addition, more than half (57%) are unsure of how success in content marketing should be defined.

How can you ensure that your content marketing program doesn’t stay stuck? Here are a few insights to help you get beyond average:

1. Recognize that owned media requires a different investment model than paid, earned or shared media.
   “Brands think owned media isn’t working media,” Rose explained. “We have to make it working media by building and maintaining an audience over time.”
2. Create owned media assets that effectively subscribe an audience, win customers or engage evangelists.
   What is the goal and focus for each content initiative? Engage an audience and inspire conversation? Nurture leads and enhance value? Or grow an audience and expand their experiences?
3. Build a business case by defining the purpose and goals of content marketing.
   Rather than jump into a content marketing program by focusing on what you should start doing, instead identify what you need to stop doing.
4. Think strategically.
   What is the content mission and creative vision? What are the primary goals of the business and areas of differentiation? How will the operating model be sustained?
5. Spend the majority of your time and effort on creating strategic content experiences.
   In too many enterprises, content marketers spend the bulk of their time on ad hoc tasks or supporting campaigns, leaving very little time to create those content experiences that will demonstrate real value to audiences and customers.
6. Create a big idea around which to build a content strategy.
   What is the big content idea that will result in reaching and engaging audiences? Develop the big idea strategically as well as smaller content assets to support it.
7. Develop a content strategy that demonstrates real value to audiences and customers.
   Get to know your audience so well that you can become their “trusted advisor”, providing relevant experiences to their needs and desires. Through the development of detailed content personas, define the “personal unique value proposition” of targeted audiences and seek to fill that need through content that may or may not be tied to the business’ products and services.
8. Craft engaging content assets around those “jobs to be done” of targeted audiences. Determine who your audience is outside of your service or product. Ask open-ended questions and observe their behavior. How do they discover new solutions to meet their needs and wants (those jobs to be done)? What is missing from their current solutions? Where is it on their priority list? “Solving the `Jobs to be Done’ question is our advantage,” Rose noted. “Intent is our advantage as content marketers over media companies.”
9. Tell meaningful stories, not forgettable tales to engage audiences.
   “A story is simply an argument that is well crafted, entertaining, engaging and thoroughly convincing,” Rose suggested. “An argument’s goal is to tell the truth, not to relay facts.” In order to tell meaningful stories, businesses need to identify what excites them about solving the audience’s problem, what they believe about it and what is at the heart of their brand.
10. Measure the effectiveness of content, not teams.
    Focus on measuring progress to achievement of identified primary goals followed by secondary goals and key performance indicators. Recognize that progress and improvements in process must be measured across time as audiences are built and maintained.

Average just doesn’t cut it in today’s content marketing environment. To get beyond average, content marketers need to be committed to making progress against strategic business goals and creating engaging content experiences that not only entertain but also demonstrate true value for targeted audiences and customers.

As Henry Ford noted, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

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