2017CONTENT MANAGEMENT & STRATEGY SURVEY2TABLE OF CONTENTSnullIntroduction . 3nullKey Takeaways .4nullSurvey Methodology/Demographics .5nullContent Marketing Usage .6nullContent Strategy . 7nullContent Management .9nullDigital Content Management Technologies . 12nullContent Management Educational Needs . 14nullAbout . 153INTRODUCTIONThere is a huge opportunity for marketers to get more from the content theyre developing.Thats the conclusion the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) research team came to after conducting its first-ever content management and strategy survey.Our team surveyed 411 marketers from the CMI audience to learn how they manage content within their organizations. We wanted to know:n How many view content as an asset;n How many have a documented strategy for managing content as an asset;n What structures they have in place to manage content;n Whether they have the right technologies to manage content;n Whether they can distribute and repurpose content without a great deal of human intervention; and more.Read on to see the results. While numerous marketers are already strategically managing content, many appear to be in the early phases, as the survey findings demonstrate. This is a prime time to learn how to extract maximum value out of your content. Resources such as the Intelligent Content Conference can help.4KEY TAKEAWAYSn Most marketers say their organization values content as an assetbut it isnt treated as such.92% of content marketers surveyed say their organization views content as a business asset (i.e., an asset or process where there is direct investment and a goal of increasing value over time), yet fewer than half (46%) have a documented strategy for managing content as a business asset.n Many of the structures needed to manage content as an asset are not in place.For example, only 29% of respondents have established a message architecture/messaging framework. Twenty-one percent are engaged in content governance; 19% have content audits and inventories; and 14% have taxonomies.n Too much human intervention is needed to repurpose content.Fewer than one in four (24%) respondents say they can always or frequently repurpose content without a great deal of human intervention.n Technology is underutilizedor is lacking altogether.Only 18% of respondents feel their organization has the right technology in place to manage their content marketing efforts. Another 45% say they have technology tools, but arent using them to their potential.n Education is needed.When respondents were asked about their greatest educational needs regarding managing content, 66% indicated “how to better use technology to manage content as a business asset” and 64% indicated “how to build a scalable content strategy,” making these the top-tier responses.5To better understand how content marketers are managing content strategy, Content Marketing Institute (CMI) surveyed all subscribers of the CMI Content Strategy Newsletter, as well as a portion of the broader CMI subscriber list, representing primarily North American organizations. The CMI Content Strategy Newsletter recipients represented all organizational size classifications. The random names from the broader CMI list consisted of subscribers in the enterprise (1,000+ employees) and SMB (100 to 999 employees) organizational size classifications.CMIs research team designed and programmed the online survey and performed the data analysis. The invitations to participate were emailed on February 9, 2017. By February 14, 2017, 411 usable surveys had been returned by respondents.To encourage prompt response and optimize the response rate overall, CMI used the following marketing research techniques: A random drawing was held for one $50 Amazon gift card; a live link was included in the email invitation to route respondents directly to the online survey; and the invitation and survey were branded with the CMI name and logo to capitalize on the affinity for the brand.METHODOLOGY/DEMOGRAPHICSNature of Organization For-Profit B2B Organization For-Profit B2C Organization For-Profit B2B+B2C Organization Nonprofit Organization59%21%10%10%Size of Organization(by Employee Size) Enterprise (1,000+ employees) Midsize (100-999 employees) Small (10-99 employees) Micro (1-9 employees)24%30%26%20%Nature of Organization For-Profit B2B Organization For-Profit B2C Organization Fo -Profit B2B+B2C Organization Nonprofit Organization59%21%10%10%Size of Organization(by Employee Size) Enterprise (1,000+ employees) Midsize (100-999 employees) Small (10-99 employees) Micro (1-9 employees)24%30%26%20%6CONTENT MARKETING USAGEDoes your organization use content marketing to market its products, services, or support to prospectsor existing customers?Use of Content Marketing YES NO91%9%Base = Marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy SurveyContent marketing is defined as a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audienceand, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.7CONTENT STRATEGYDoes your organization view content as a business asset (i.e., an asset or process where there is direct investment and a goal of increasing value over time)?Ninety-two percent of respondents said their organization views content as a business asset (50% indicated to “a strong degree” and 42% indicated “somewhat”).By size, small (55%) and micro (80%) organizations appear to be more likely to view content as a business asset (to a strong degree) than enterprise (42%) and midsize (33%) organizations.Content is Viewed asa Business Asset Yes, to a strong degree Yes, somewhat No Unsure59%9%Base = Content marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations; aided list.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy Survey50%42%5%3%8CONTENT STRATEGYDoes your organization have a documented strategy for managing content as a business asset?While 46% of all respondents indicated their organization has a documented strategy for managing content as a business asset, this documentation is more prevalent in micro and small organizations (58% and 46% respectively), followed by midsize at 42% and enterprise at 40%.Documented Strategyfor Managing Contentas a Business Asset Yes No Unsure10%Base = Content marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations; aided list.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy Survey46%44%9CONTENT MANAGEMENTWhich of the following does your organization have in place?0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80Style and brand guidelinesContent team(s)A formal workflow process for planning,creating, and delivering contentCustomer personasContent performance analyticsCustomer journey mapsStructured contentMessage architecture/messaging framework70%60%53%51%50%33%32%29%Content ManagementStructures in PlaceBase = Content marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations.Aided list; multiple responses permitted.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy SurveyRegardless of company size, the majority of respondents have style and brand guidelines.Additional content management structures in place: content governance process (21%); content audit reports (19%); content inventory report(s) (19%); taxonomies (14%); story maps (10%); or none of the above (4%).10CONTENT MANAGEMENTHow would you describe the scalability of your organizations content-related efforts?The majority of respondents (69%) reported, “some systems in place, but there is a lot of manual work.”Thirteen percent of small organizations indicated they “have developed a completely systematic approach to producing, managing, and distributing content,” followed by enterprise (12%), micro (7%), and midsize (6%).Scalability ofContent-Related Ef_forts We have some systems in place, but there is a lot of manual work We do things ad-hoc We have developed a completely systematic approach to producing, managing, and distributing content9%Base = Content marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations; aided list.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy Survey69%22%11CONTENT MANAGEMENTHow often do your organizations content-related processes meet each of the following conditions?Frequency in Which Content-RelatedProcesses Meet Various Conditions46% 35% 19%44% 33% 23%39% 37%We prioritize providing the right content tothe right person at the right time.We have the ability to set standard processesaround managing content.Anyone across our organization can easilyaccess/use/reuse content.We can publish our content to multiple channelsin the appropriate format without having to handcrafteach piece of content separately.Our content can be repurposed without a greatdeal of human intervention. Always/Frequently Sometimes Rarely/Never 24%35% 31% 34%24% 35% 41%Base = Content marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations; aided list.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy SurveyNearly 1 out of 2 respondents (46%) indicated their organizations always or frequently prioritize providing the right content to the right person at the right time.Approximately 1 out of 3 respondents (34%) rarely or never are able to publish their content to multiple channels in the appropriate format without having to handcraft each piece of content separately. The high level of time and labor is also mirrored in another process: 41% rarely or never are able to repurpose content without a great deal of human intervention.12DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIESWhich type(s) of digital content marketing technologies does your organization use to manage its content marketing efforts?0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80Email marketing technology Content management systemContent collaboration/workflow softwareMarketing automation softwareDigital asset management (DAM) system/file storageContent optimization software76%57%44%42%26%18%Digital Content Marketing TechnologiesUsed to Manage Content Marketing Ef_fortsBase = Content marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations.Aided list; multiple responses permitted.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy SurveyThree of out of four (76%) respondents use email marketing technology to manage content marketing efforts. About two out of five (42%) use marketing automation software. Additional digital content marketing technologies used: content promotion/distribution software (15%); product information management system (7%); artificial intelligence (2%); or none of the above (7%).13CONTENT MANAGEMENTDo you feel your organization has the right technology in place to manage its content marketing efforts?Only 18% of respondents feel their organization has the right technology in place to manage their content marketing efforts, while 45% have tools, but arent using them to their potential. Almost two out of five (37%) reported their organizations have not acquired the right tools.The Right Technology in Place toManage Content Marketing Ef_forts Yes No, we have tools, but arent using them to their potential No, we havent acquired the right toolsBase = Content marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations; aided list.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy Survey18%37%45%14CONTENT MANAGEMENT EDUCATIONAL NEEDSWhat are your greatest educational needs regarding managing content?0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80How to better use technology to managecontent as a business assetHow to build a scalable content strategyHow to map the customer journey How to use artificial intelligenceHow to develop workflowsHow to communicate our visionto upper managementHow to set-up andmanage a content teamOther educational needs66%64%46%37%36%33%31%6%Greatest Educational NeedsRegarding Content ManagementBase = Content marketers in for-profit and nonprofit organizations.Aided list; multiple responses permitted.Content Marketing Institute 2017 Content Management & Strategy SurveyThe top tier of the greatest educational needs regarding managing content are:n How to better use technology to manage content as a business assetn How to build a scalable content strategyHow to set-up and manage a content team scored lowest on educational needs among all employee size groups except the micro grouplowest for this group was how to communicate vision to upper management.15ABOUTAbout Content Marketing Institute (CMI)Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. CMIs Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every September in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and the Intelligent Content Conference event is held every spring. CMI publishes the bi-monthly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. Watch this video to learn more about CMI, a UBM company. To view all research and to subscribe to our emails, visit contentmarketinginstitute/research.To learn more about content strategy for marketing professionals, attend the Intelligent Content Conference being held March 20-22, 2018 in Las Vegas, USA. Check the Intelligent Content Conference blog and Content Marketing Institute for more educational resources.REPORT TEAMLisa Murton BeetsResearch DirectorLisa Murton Beets & Nancy ReeseSurvey Content & DesignNancy ReeseSurvey Programming, Execution & Data AnalysisJoseph KalinowskiCreative DirectorCathy McPhillips, John Hanson & Angela VannucciMarketing and List ManagementSpecial thanks to Joe Pulizzi, Stephanie Stahl, Robert Rose, and Michele Linn for survey content input.