Get an edge with “always on” agile content marketing 

A decade ago, content marketing was still earning its stripes in the B2B space. Its value was hotly debated in hard-fought battles between sales and marketing departments. Today, we know it works, and everyone’s doing it. But not everyone’s doing it well. And most aren’t reaping the benefits of taking an agile approach.

[/intro]

Waterfall content marketing barely scratches the surface

The formula seems simple enough — deliver relevant quality content on a regular basis. You’ve got a content production schedule, your team hits their deadlines (most of the time), and each piece is promoted on social to get in front of the right eyeballs. Check, check, check.

In the world of checklist marketing, success is based on output more than outcome. Each content piece dies when it’s predetermined amplification budget is exhausted and it’s campaign lifespan comes to an end. Your audience sees what you planned for them to see. The problem with all this? Your outcomes are only as good as your guesses.

Guess less with agile content

Going agile takes more than slotting your existing content schedule into sprints. Yes, sprints can help you stay on track with production, but they also force analysis and iteration. At the end of each sprint, dive into consumption metrics and explore what hit and what missed. Take these findings and apply them to your next sprint.

Letting the data talk brings ultimate flexibility to delivering what your audience is craving. A few sprints later, if you find your production output looks different from your original plan, you’re doing it right.

Put your audience in charge of consumption

Instead of attaching a predetermined budget and lifespan to each piece of promoted content, try an amplification strategy that puts the audience in control.

First, set up an always-running campaign with a pooled budget. Then, add all your content to the campaign and let the battle begin. Ad platform algorithms are designed to spend budget on what’s resonating. These algorithms will determine budget shares across your content, funding the heavy-hitters while weaker content takes a back seat.

Leverage the hell out of new insight

An agile “always on” setup does more than just magnify the impact of your content. It gives your organization better data to work with. You’ll always have a pulse on the challenges and interests of your audience. These insights can inform business decisions far beyond your approach to content, so don’t forget to create a feedback loop with Product and Sales teams too.

You can’t make this shit up

You didn’t think I’d write a whole blog post on a hunch, did you? After a successful pilot with our own content, we started testing this agile always-on content with our client, Syngenta Canada, last year.

Soy Masters is Syngenta’s national program built to help their customers grow their best soybean crop. Built on Uberflip and amplified via PPC and email, we’ve seen huge success connecting with soy growers across the country. Curious about that success? You can read more about how it won an award.