Content creation is a complex, strategic process. The right tool can be like the TweetDeck to your Twitter, the Google Alert to your monitoring. And, the content software landscape is more crowded than ever. The question on our minds: does the perfect tool even exist yet?
The content to marketer relationship is probably a lot like the one you have with your iPhone. You can’t go anywhere without it.
Content drives marketing activities. It’s the eloquent middleman between your brand and your consumers. So, why are marketers behind the ball on strategy and execution?
Earlier this month, Altimeter Group released a report showcasing The Content Marketing Software Landscape. The report found that 70% don’t have a “consistent or integrated content strategy.”
To make matters worse, choosing the right content software to guide the process is like “blind men describing an elephant,” says Altimeter. That sounds about right.
Altimeter presents a strategic guide to make more intelligent decisions when it comes to content tools. Below is a recap of report highlights, including tips on selecting the right vendor. Download the full report for more on the content software landscape.
Why The Content Maze Is More Complicated Than Ever
The right tool can truly reinvent your content machine. But, in today’s landscape, choosing just one isn’t easy.
Altimeter lists three trends that are “making this decision even more confusing.”
- Marketers are faced with a long list of choices. Altimeter recognized 110 content vendors to be exact. Some specialize based on activity (i.e. optimization, creation, analytics, etc.); others assist with tasks in several areas of production.
- Vendors are split. Most are small companies. On the flip side, you have big name corporations that try to encompass the full range of content tasks in their offerings.
- Paid, owned and earned media are colliding. Marketers are looking to content “stacks” for a holistic tool that will direct the content process from start to finish.From Altimeter:
“While fragmented today, Altimeter believes that the content marketing tool landscape will begin to consolidate in earnest. By 2016, there will be ‘content stack’ offerings in the marketplace – end-to-end solutions akin to ad stacks.”
How To Select the Right Vendor
The right tech decision requires attention to detail. Organizations must first evaluate internal needs and use cases, then plan for integration across activities before identifying potential vendors. From there, it’s easier to rate and prioritize content marketing vendors against organizational goals, use cases and legacy integrations.
Altimeter provides a three-step process to guide your journey-and rates more than 50 content marketing vendors
The Future of the “Marketing Cloud”
The content landscape is undergoing an accelerated growth spurt. While there may not yet be a perfect solution on the market today, it seems that experts predict big changes in the years to come.
New solutions specializing in specific areas will likely continue to materialize, while investments and acquisitions will continue to consolidate niche tools. But, as Altimeter notes, it will be a few years before the true content “stack” enters the scene.
Nominations open for the British Small Business Awards 2018!
Nominations are now open for the third annual British Small Business Awards, the leading SME event from SmallBusiness.co.uk – and the deadline for entries is May 26th. Click here to nominate your business today for free, and click here for a full list of our categories and criteria.
The British Small Business Awards is a leading event bringing together the whole of the SME community
The 2017 event welcomed 500 of the UK’s leading small businesses, together with the vendors that help them start, run, grow and succeed
Rewarding the highest achievers in the small business space
This prestigious dinner event, held on November 1st in central London, will reward the highest achievers in the SME space, and there really is an award for everyone.
This is because the British Small Business Awards has categories that recognise not only the small businesses that form the backbone of the economy, but also the vendors and advisers that help them to grow and flourish.
We bring together all players in the SME ecosystem under one roof, recognising the sector in its entirety. Whether your business is a high street butcher, a 15-person tech company with scale plans, or a larger enterprise with products or services aimed at the SME sector, this event is for you.
This year, we have made some changes to many of our categories.
Vendor categories
For these categories, we welcome nominations from businesses of any size that have a targeted offering for SMEs (SMEs defined as businesses with under 50 staff).
Accountancy Software Provider of the Year
Accounts and Tax Adviser of the Year
Alternative Finance Provider of the Year
Business Bank Account of the Year
Business Lender of the Year
Insurance Provider of the Year
Technology Provider of the Year
Workspace Provider of the Year
Small business categories
These categories are for businesses of under 50 staff.
Disruptor of the Year
E-commerce Platform of the Year
Exporter of the Year
*Micro Business of the Year
Small Business Advocate of the Year
**Small Business of the Year
***Sole Trader of the Year
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
*for businesses of 2-9 total staff
**for businesses of 10-49 total staff
***for businesses set up as a Sole Trader (No Limited companies).
For more information on the category criteria, to book places and for commercial enquiries, please visit the British Small Business Awards website.
