We like to practice what we preach at Forrester — when you’ve got valuable content, share it in as many audience-centric ways as you can muster. In this case, the core content is our just-published report, The Forrester Campaign Content Strategy. In addition to this overview, Craig and I also want to invite you to our session on this topic at next week’s Forrester B2B Summit in Austin, “Strategic Content Planning For Integrated Campaigns.”
Why this research? In B2B marketing, the creation and execution of content strategies often fall short of their potential. Typically nestled within broader marketing initiatives, content strategies frequently appear as mere lists of content items, schedules, and distribution methods. This approach overlooks a crucial element: a cohesive strategy that underpins the entire content framework. But organizations adopting an integrated campaign methodology and the Forrester Campaign Content Strategy will gain the advantages of a comprehensive, audience-centric digital engagement approach, thanks to the structure and guiding principles that such campaigns provide.
Integrated campaigns lay the groundwork for effective content strategy in several key ways:
- Audience framework and persona dynamics. At the heart of any successful campaign is a deep understanding of the market opportunity, reflecting both the organization’s goals and the needs of its buyers. This understanding is achieved by identifying and prioritizing target audiences and comprehending their needs both as individuals and as part of buying groups. A thorough audience analysis forms the roadmap for content strategy, ensuring that content resonates with and engages the intended audience.
- Program families and objectives. The Forrester Campaign Framework categorizes campaigns into four program families — reputation, demand, engagement, and enablement. These align with the different stages of the buyer’s journey and customer lifecycle, each carrying distinct objectives. This classification ensures a diverse yet coherent body of content that spans the entire spectrum of customer interaction, from shaping perceptions to fostering advocacy.
- Content adaptation and budget efficiency. A fundamental aspect of best-practice campaigns is the development of themes and subthemes tailored to various audience segments. This preparatory work facilitates efficient content adaptation and extension, allowing content teams to employ a primary and derivatives approach to content creation. By leveraging this method, content can be repurposed across different audiences, program types, and channels, maximizing the content budget and enhancing value for all stakeholders.
Marketing leaders should promote methodologies that ensure consistent engagement with audiences throughout the customer lifecycle by enhancing cohesion across revenue operations functions. The Forrester Campaign Implementation Process, designed to complement the Forrester Campaign Framework, outlines the essential responsibilities, steps, and considerations for executing a campaign architecture. Within this framework, content strategy is not an afterthought but a core element aligned with each phase of the campaign implementation process. This alignment introduces a level of rigor, guaranteeing that content effectively supports the campaign’s objectives.
If you’re coming to B2B Summit, please attend our session on Wednesday, May 8. We’re also holding a roundtable session on the topic on Tuesday, May 7.
