Marketing Professionals Struggling to Manage Dramatic Rise in Content Production

Organizations continue to invest in content marketing, and research indicates that the generation of digital assets will only grow in the coming years.

The “Content: The H2O of Marketing” report from Accenture has discovered that 92 percent of marketers now have more digital content than they did two years ago. Furthermore, 83 percent believe that this amount will rise over the next two years.

“Content fuels virtually everything a marketer touches – all roads lead there,” said Donna Tuths, global managing director, content services at Accenture Interactive. “Content is marketing’s most vital asset – literally the currency of communication powering engagement and driving sales.”

However, not all marketers are confident in how they’re handling the influx of content. Less than 1 in 5 respondents think they manage their content well. A lack of skilled talent, technology deficiencies and process issues were named the top issues for marketers who find content difficult to handle.

“Organizations need to recognize content as an enterprise issue that does not belong purely to marketing, IT, or any other stakeholder,” Tuths concluded.

The authors of the report believe organizations could benefit from developing and managing content under a centralized model. Currently, just 58 percent of respondents admit to having a content strategy in place that addresses current and future needs.

Content Marketing Grows in Value to B2B Companies

The value of content marketing has been growing since 2015, and previous research shows that B2B companies have been some of the largest investors. The “Capturing Current Thinking on Content Marketing and Thought Leadership” report from Euromoney Institutional Investor found that B2B marketers expected to put $100 billion toward content marketing and thought leadership by the end of 2015.

Furthermore, 80 percent projected a dramatic increase in spend over the next three years. At the time of the report, one quarter of respondents said they weren’t sure if their existing content marketing efforts were hitting the mark.