A full decade into Digital Marketing as an accepted discipline with universally sound techniques, I still see companies large and small pushing ’content’ that does not truly resonate, nurture and build brand trust.

We all know that top-of-funnel outreach must speak broadly about products and features when prospect data is thin. We also know that prospects have been self-educating through a vast number of online channels for years. 

As MarTech specialists, our ‘digital tool box’ can provide industry specific search trends to reveal common pain points amongst other data – so why aren’t most campaigns ready to deliver relevant outreach by the second or third touch?

Simply put marketing automation requires content. Strong, specific content that is aligned to a single buying cycle, persona and need.

A recent survey cited ‘lack of relevant content’ as a significant barrier to prospects converting into MQLs. That’s a sobering reality given the amount of content being developed each year.

To fully realize the promise of marketing automation, your lists and data are only half the story. Meaningful, timely and targeted content should be developed and staged well before launch.