B2B companies will create content centers of excellence. As companies embrace content marketing, the many departments in marketing are creating content in isolation from each other. Different takes on the brand message fragments the brand across channels, limiting the potential of the relationships you can build. By centralizing the content function, companies have the ability to share a unified story that results in high relevance no matter where your audiences encounter it. Instead of a collection of parts, your brand must be seen as a cohesive whole that’s on point at every encounter. A content center of excellence also increases efficiency and can reduce costs by cross-purposing content resulting in more effective distribution. Those outcomes are a tremendous bonus for making content marketing credible with the executive team. Personas will become a priority. Whether buyer, influencer, customer or end user, intimate knowledge of the audiences your company engages with will be recognized as the foundation for relevance. You can’t engage people you don’t know in a compelling way. If you don’t understand why they should care about solving the problem your company addresses, they won’t care either. Moving the needle with content requires that you become so damn relevant that your audiences can’t help but engage. Personas help you get beyond the “read and leave” syndrome by helping you to create content that prompts them to ask “what’s next?” after every interaction. The right Personas can help you orchestrate progression toward the decision to buy and that’s what moves the needle. B2B Marketers will embrace the Continuum Experience. Quite simply, campaigns must die. Content with a use-by date is based on your priorities, not those of your buyers and customers. Instead, marketers must address the story across the entirety of the buying to customer to advocacy cycle. It’s a continuum with no start and stop dates, a continuous story. At any given time, people are in different stages of problem solving. A campaign with 3 touches and a sales call is more like a Hail Mary than a strategic plan. Marketers must learn to consistently address audiences across channels with a story that motivates action, connects the dots and provides the context needed for consideration and next steps. Using a continuum approach is also the best way to shift from a broadcast and push mentality to a helpful and credible one. This is what will build confidence in your company’s ability to truly provide value, not just sell to them.

1.  Top 3 Marketing Predictions for 2015
Ardath Albee
CEO and B2B Marketing Strategist of
Marketing Interactions

2. “ B2B companies will create
content centers of excellence.
1

3. B2B companies will create content centers of
excellence
 As companies embrace content marketing, the
many departments in marketing are creating content
in isolation from each other.
 Different takes on the brand message fragments the
brand across channels, limiting the potential of the
relationships you can build.
 By centralizing the content function, companies
have the ability to share a unified story that results
in high relevance no matter where your audiences
encounter it.
 A content center of excellence also increases
efficiency and can reduce costs by cross-purposing
content resulting in more effective distribution.
1

4. “ Personas will become a
priority.
2

5. Personas will become a priority
 Intimate knowledge of the audiences your
company engages with will be recognized
as the foundation for relevance.
 If you don’t understand why they should
care about solving the problem your
company addresses, they won’t care either.
 Moving the needle with content requires that
you become so damn relevant that your
audiences can’t help but engage.
 The right Personas can help you
orchestrate progression toward the decision
to buy and that’s what moves the needle.
2

6. “ B2B Marketers will embrace
the Continuum Experience.
3

7. B2B Marketers will embrace the Continuum
Experience
 Content with a use-by date is based on your
priorities, not those of your buyers and customers.
 Marketers must address the story across the
entirety of the buying to customer to advocacy cycle
– it’s a continuum with no start and stop dates.
 A campaign with 3 touches and a sales call is more
like a Hail Mary than a strategic plan.
 Marketers must consistently address audiences
with a story that motivates action, connects the
dots, and provides the context needed for
consideration and next steps.
3

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