Download Curation: What Does It Mean to Marketers

 CURATION
What Does It Mean To Marketers?
A look at the current state
of curation in content
marketing
www.trapit.com Curation: What Does It Mean to Marketers? A Look at the Current State of Curation in Content Marketing So Much Content, So Little Time In October 2013, Trapit surveyed U.S. marketers to understand their perceptions of content marketing, curation and consumption. The findings show that while marketers are spending over one-­‐quarter of their time on content marketing, they are planning to spend even more in the next fiscal year, which they still believe is less than ideal. All findings point to a general disconnect between what marketers believe they should do in terms of content marketing and what they are pursuing in reality. On average, marketers believe they should share 15 pieces of content per day to properly engage with their customer. However, nearly half admit they are not able to keep up with their content demands. While the report confirms that content marketing is a go-­‐to strategy for marketers, it also points to a disturbing belief among them: many marketers find that content saturation is making content curation less effective. They feel challenged to find original content that peers and/or competitors aren’t also curating. That being said, they agree it is table-­‐stakes to pursue curation in order to stay afloat in a competitive landscape. They point to a general trend of the mobilization of content, suggesting that it may soon replace traditional search engine discovery routes. Likely as a result of this trend, nearly all agree their target audience will be more likely to consume their content if it is formatted in a visually compelling way. Overall, the findings point to a serious need for help in the content curation space. Despite Limitations, Marketers Want to Invest Their Time in Content Marketing • Marketers currently spend more than one-­‐quarter (28%) of their time on content marketing. • They plan to increase the time they spend on content marketing by an average of 33% in the next fiscal year. • If limitations didn’t exist, they’d ideally spend nearly half of their time (43%) on content marketing efforts. 2 www.trapit.com Visual and Mobile Content on the Rise •
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When asked to identify major trends surrounding content marketing, nearly four-­‐fifths (82%) of marketers believe that content is more likely to be consumed if it is visual, signifying the value in photos and video content. Almost 49% of respondents believe that mobile content consumption habits will displace traditional search engine discovery routes. •
About one-­‐third of marketers believe content marketing will take significantly from the traditional marketing budget. That being said, they also believe the world of content marketing is becoming saturated by too much content. 3 www.trapit.com Curation is Key • Three-­‐quarters (74%) of marketers agree that content curation is an important part of their content strategy and nearly the same percentage (73%) disagree with the statement “content curation dilutes our brand” (not shown in chart below). •
54% agree automation is important for effective content curation. •
Originality still reigns with this group, however. Fifty-­‐six percent (not shown in above chart) disagree with the statement: “It is more effective to send or post multiple items of curated content than it is to send or post a few items of original content” (8% neither agree nor disagree). 4 www.trapit.com Less is More ... Except With Content Marketing • When asked how many pieces of content they believed a company needed to share every day to boost customer engagement, respondents suggested numbers ranging from 0 to 135! • On average, marketers believe companies should share 15 pieces of content per day. The majority (19%) suggested 10 pieces of content per day. More than half (57%) suggested 10 pieces of content per day or more. • 45% of marketers admit their companies do not share as much content every day as they believe they should. The World of Content in 2014 The results of this report indicate that not only is content marketing here to stay, curation is a key element in a marketer’s toolkit. Content marketing adoption is growing rapidly among most marketers, but many are having trouble dedicating the time they need to develop effective content. Consequently, the majority depend on content curation to help manage the demands of content marketing today. There is strong evidence that marketers are also looking for content curation solutions that will help them engage customers in a meaningful way that builds brand awareness, loyalty and, ultimately, business. 5