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HomeSalesEpisode 3: Find out how to Navigate 2021 Advertising Challenges

Episode 3: Find out how to Navigate 2021 Advertising Challenges


Marissa Gbenro: Hiya and welcome to the Win-Win podcast by Highspot. Be part of us as we dive into altering developments within the office and focus on the way to navigate them efficiently. I’m your host, Marissa Gbenro.

In the present day, we’ll focus on how COVID-19 and digital work have modified the advertising and marketing panorama. I’ve invited my pal, Robert Rose from The Content material Advisory, to assist us discover these challenges and alternatives. Welcome, Robert, and thanks for becoming a member of us. Are you able to introduce your self and your position to our viewers?

Robert Rose: Oh, I definitely can Marissa. Nicely, to begin with, thanks for having me. I’m so excited to be a visitor in your present, which is admittedly, actually splendidly improbable.

My title is Robert Rose and I’m at the moment — properly, I’ve two roles, actually: the chief technique advisor for a company referred to as the Content material Advertising Institute, which is a media firm the place we evangelize the method of content material advertising and marketing by occasions and blogs and webinars and all these sorts of issues, after which my position as a marketing consultant, the place I work with numerous manufacturers all around the world, largely by Zoom, and assist them operationalize their content material. I work with these manufacturers to determine the folks, the method, and the know-how of how content material will be made right into a practical technique of their enterprise.

In between all of that, I, as , host a podcast or two and I’ve written a few books and maintain myself busy on this splendidly locked-down world that we discover ourselves in.

MG: Thanks a lot, Robert. I’ve been an enormous fan even earlier than I used to be capable of be a part of your podcast. Thanks for letting me be part of the wonderful content material that you simply’re creating on the Content material Advertising Institute as properly.

So, Robert, not too long ago at Highspot we performed a survey throughout totally different advertising and marketing capabilities and the purpose was to uncover advertising and marketing challenges which have emerged on account of the worldwide pandemic and digital work. Each, I believe, convey comparable however totally different challenges to entrepreneurs the world over and the outcomes of the survey felt very relatable. Nothing really stunned me as a result of I’m a content material marketer and skilled the identical issues. However I assumed it was actually attention-grabbing that although they’re comparable challenges that we’ve seen without end with advertising and marketing, it appears these challenges have change into much more heightened.

The three largest challenges that we discovered by the survey have been understanding the way to higher have interaction prospects, uncovering what content material is only, and understanding what content material sellers discover most useful. Once more, this has at all times been a problem for entrepreneurs — I believe everybody has these targets that they’re attempting to unravel — however it appears that evidently they’ve been exquisitely heightened by working nearly and never having sellers subsequent door to you. Everyone seems to be vying for the eyes of patrons which might be additionally working nearly and each marketer solely has digital methods to now have interaction with these patrons. Robert, would you say that these are the largest challenges that you simply’re seeing as properly with the entrepreneurs and organizations that you simply work with?

RR: I believe you mentioned it properly. These aren’t essentially new challenges, however I believe they’ve a brand new wrinkle added to them which is one thing that we’ve been calling “the de-commodification of bodily house.” Type of the overarching new wrinkle to these three challenges is the concept of the way to have interaction prospects and the way to create content material that has an influence. All the issues that we have been challenged to do with content material have been at all times in a world the place the digital expertise or the content material expertise we have been creating was an adjunct to the bodily house. In different phrases, it was the place you went and downloaded the convention presentation after you attended the convention, or it was the place you went to get the expertise after you had the salesperson go to you in your workplace, or it was the web site that you simply did the analysis on earlier than you invited folks into your group. It was form of sitting alongside it. Now the concept of the digital content material expertise isn’t just sitting subsequent to — it’s a alternative. It has to truly act as a proxy of that bodily, intimate relationship constructing that we may do in-person at a convention, at a consumer, wherever it’s.

What I see after I see the identical challenges that we’ve seen without end is that this wrinkle is admittedly simply further emphasis on the necessity to get nice with digital content material and the digital experiences we’re creating as a result of they’re simply that rather more environment friendly.

MG: I completely love that time period “digital expertise” as a result of I believe what additionally has change into profoundly clear by the final 12 months is that buyer expertise is extra essential now than ever earlier than. It’s at all times been actually essential, actually guiding your patrons, potential prospects, or present prospects by a digital expertise that truly convinces them that you’re the correct vendor or accomplice.

I really feel like entrepreneurs have change into a lot extra essential to the funnel for organizations as a result of that is actually the one method to get patrons within the door earlier than sellers are capable of wow them with the product and gross sales pitches. What’s your tackle the way to elevate these digital experiences for purchasers to make sure that entrepreneurs are actually getting that foot within the door and capable of assist fill the funnel and persuade these patrons to maneuver ahead?

RR: Definitely, all of that’s true and I believe the one factor we’re seeing corporations do which might be main this cost is similar issues that make up the wrinkles and the challenges that aren’t totally different. It’s the identical solutions, however they’re extra accelerated now; in different phrases, the solutions to the challenges are the identical, which is to get higher at it.

What I imply by that’s — as a result of that’s an unsatisfying reply for certain — what we’re seeing is the necessity to join these digital experiences. What has occurred as we’ve gotten more adept with digital content material and the creation of digital experiences is we’ve additionally change into simply as siloed. We’ve change into siloed in advertising and marketing, gross sales, buyer expertise, and buyer loyalty. All of these digital experiences that we create have been form of off on their very own island. In lots of instances, and whereas that was okay, all people form of realized that’s an issue and we actually ought to attempt to remedy it.

It’s actually tough and it’s not okay anymore. It must be the strain to get these issues linked. We frequently take a look at our web site and the one perception that we’ve into bettering it or personalizing it or making it extra related is the perception we get from the advert tech, principally no matter report that claims how guests have been amassed there. We don’t have knowledge going backwards and forwards between the experiences to assist enhance them and to attach them in a means that makes them extra private and extra related and extra helpful for purchasers. The reply to that, or the place we’re seeing it get elevated, is the place you may truly begin to join issues to your weblog, the web site, the e-commerce channel, the e-mail channel, the textual content expertise, all of these issues that they find out about one another. They usually’re utilizing the information in a wise, clear, and clever method to ship a greater expertise, as an alternative of the siloed factor that we’ve been coping with for therefore lengthy.

MG: I like that reply a lot, and it makes me pause to consider ways in which we are able to higher present a cohesive expertise from web site to e-mail advertising and marketing from demand gen to content material. A number of different challenges that we discovered within the surveys, as we mentioned earlier: uncovering content material that’s only, higher understanding what content material resonates most together with your sellers, in addition to understanding what patrons are in search of. whether or not it’s topical, what subjects are they most engaged with in addition to what sort of content material. Is it a webinar? Is it a podcast? Is it an infographic? Is it an e book?

What are your greatest practices you could provide or have seen work for a few of the organizations and entrepreneurs that you simply work with to actually higher perceive your content material panorama in addition to what subjects and sorts of content material are patrons participating with now to actually assist transfer that needle?

RR: Yeah, it’s tough. There’s little question about it. These new wrinkles definitely haven’t made it any simpler. The one factor that we are saying that’s useful to consider when beginning is that in lots of organizations and particularly those who have separate subject gross sales, subject advertising and marketing, enterprise gross sales, enterprise advertising and marketing, demand technology, there are siloed groups engaged on numerous components of the client journey.

For a second, don’t take into consideration de-siloing the group. That’s usually above our pay grade. However what we are able to do is begin enthusiastic about how we decipher the client’s expertise, even when we begin with one bridge. Simply one thing so simple as, “Hey, if I subscribed to the weblog, I shouldn’t must put in my e-mail tackle if I wish to subscribe to the useful resource heart on the identical web site.” These varieties of easy, straightforward adjustments that I do know aren’t so easy and never really easy since you want good know-how so as to do all of these issues. However actually discovering the small, straightforward wins the place we are able to begin to join these experiences in a means that one, provides us a greater singular view into the client journey themselves, and two, begins to hitch the content material journey for them in order that they’re not pissed off, that decreases the friction on the issues that they’re attempting to do as they undergo our numerous digital content material and simply begin small after which do the subsequent one. If you can begin to decipher the journey, what occurs is you begin de-siloing the group because of this. Possibly that may be a useful 2021 tip. Don’t take into consideration attempting to de-silo all people. What you are able to do is begin wanting on the buyer’s journey and begin seeing how one can de-silo that, one step at a time.

MG: You bought me enthusiastic about a few of the organizations and distributors that I observe very carefully and also you’re proper; I downloaded an e book and clicked a button that mentioned sure, ship me newsletters and weblog posts and so forth and so forth. That’s how I’ve change into so consumed by these manufacturers with out even realizing it. They swindled me the way in which that you simply’re recommending.

I utterly agree that it’s all about — coming again to your level — protecting patrons inside this digital expertise. It’s about ensuring that they’ve a cohesive expertise from begin to end together with your model, no matter what activation you’re placing forth on the time, whether or not it’s a weblog submit, a brand new e book, podcast, or webinar, it turns into quite a bit simpler to devour that content material once you’ve made it straightforward for me and it’s not taking lots of my time or vitality. I’m going to be extra susceptible to say sure and see what you need to say and point out it to a boss or a colleague as I transfer additional down the funnel and say, “I truly listened to a podcast episode not too long ago that talks about this precise factor.”

This matter has sparked one other query for you. What are some predictions that you’ve got that content material, product, or subject advertising and marketing might even see change over the subsequent 12 months?

RR: I believe it’s a associated factor. I imply, there are many fantastic predictions and I believe a lot of them you and former visitors can have spoken to the concept of the rise of audio as a format — not this podcast withstanding, proper? However then there’s additionally video and multimedia and the supply of that, the resurgence or renaissance, if you’ll, of e-mail advertising and marketing. I believe there are lots of developments for 2021 that can proceed and, definitely, we’re going to nonetheless see the extra direct-to-consumer varieties of efforts each in B2B and B2C due to all the things we simply spent the final 20 minutes speaking about.

However the one prediction that I’ll point out as a result of I believe it’s actually essential for digital entrepreneurs is to hitch up the talent units wanted for what we might generally name “content material” within the enterprise. It was adequate for content material entrepreneurs to have the ability to write properly, create some good content material, perhaps do some design, perhaps have some model journalism of their background, however now we’re seeing companies say, “You realize what, issues like taxonomies, workflow, CMS, measurement, search engine optimization, and content material construction and all of these issues are extremely essential too.” The place we’re seeing content material entrepreneurs actually succeed is once they begin to add a bit to their T-shaped abilities. So, along with being nice storytellers, they need to even be nice content material strategists as properly. Those that we’re seeing actually succeed are these that may broaden out their talent units to a few of these extra technical varieties of approaches.

MG: With the intention to achieve success with the adjustments which have occurred over the past 12 months, and we’re nonetheless ready to see how rather more issues will proceed to alter, you need to put on many hats and you need to have totally different units of abilities and abilities so as to suppose exterior of the field. You’ll be able to’t simply be a content material strategist with out placing collectively what you see this purchaser’s journey wanting like, or a marketing campaign wanting like. I believe that, as a content material marketer myself, that has been an space that I’ve been pressured to develop in over the past 12 months. No extra is it nearly phrases, however after I meet up with our design workforce or our digital workforce, what’s the expertise that I need our patrons to have? What does it seem like? What’s it going to really feel like? What sort of feelings are we hoping to tug at to get them to have an interest within the issues that we’re saying, the story we’re attempting to inform? I believe that’s arduous to do once you’re so siloed in a single perform of the enterprise, it’s arduous so that you can come exterior of your self to say “Hey, regardless that I’m a content material marketer, that is how I see it weaving right into a marketing campaign for product advertising and marketing, buyer advertising and marketing, or demand gen. Listed here are ways in which we are able to thread the needle by a number of totally different capabilities to make it possible for the viewers, our patrons, our prospects, present prospects, are getting the perfect expertise doable as a result of it’s not only one means of viewing this interplay and expertise.”

One different query I did have for you — much like the earlier one about predictions for the 12 months — are there developments that you’ve got taken word of that you simply suppose are a good suggestion to look at for or bounce on board? Are there any insider insights to share from what you’ve seen working with totally different organizations and entrepreneurs?

RR: Nicely, we simply spoke about two, which have been the concept of audio and video for certain. We’ve all seen the rise of Clubhouse and a few of the acquisitions that Twitter has made within the audio house. We are able to see podcasts definitely as a brand new pattern with corporations like Amazon and Spotify making acquisitions very, in a short time on this house. So, as a content material marketer, as a marketer, it actually simply perks up my ears to start out to consider issues like audio. How do I begin to actually benefit from the audio and video that goes together with it?

My considering as of late has actually been round this concept of linear experiences. So, each audio and video — regardless that you edit them in a non-linear means, they change into linear experiences in your client. It’s not the form of factor that individuals simply form of skip round and flick through, proper? Both you’re in otherwise you’re not, proper? You’re both listening otherwise you’re not, otherwise you’re watching otherwise you’re not. It’s an enormous problem for us to get actually good at this, the place we take a look at nice tv, motion pictures, radio, and podcasts and go, “Wow. They actually know the way to create a robust set of narratives there in that linear expertise.”

I believe that’s the place we’ve probably the most development and, fairly frankly, an enormous alternative this 12 months with so many individuals being caught in entrance of their screens. Nicely, we can provide them one thing to have a look at. We simply actually need to push ourselves and push the medium and push our creativity.

So, for me, it’s all about audio and video this 12 months and the way will we as manufacturers and entrepreneurs get actually good at it.

MG: I completely love that and utterly agree that audio and video is the form of content material that I’m consuming and the form of content material that I wish to create for different folks. I respect the advice. Is there a advice that you’ve got for a way to consider that technique and the way to begin to deploy that inside your group?

RR: You realize — and right here’s the humorous factor — it will go proper again to the place we began the present, which is experiences that sit in parallel to those you’ve already created. We talked about this as a problem that we’ve, and that is actually the place we are able to begin to broaden our brains relating to how will we develop content material. Simply easy issues. When you’ve acquired a weblog, one of many issues that I’m engaged on is making all my weblog posts accessible as an audio stream. When you would like to take heed to it somewhat than learn it, there’s that chance. When you’re taking a stroll or no matter, and also you wish to have a five-minute hear as an alternative of a five-minute learn, that’s one factor. Webinars, the concept of on-line content material delivered by video exhibits. Then, in fact, there’s the basic launching a podcast, launching a videocast, getting your YouTube channel all arrange. All of these items I believe are going to play into one facet of the spectrum, launching precise exhibits that we would like folks to subscribe to. All the way in which to actually simply providing up other ways to devour the identical content material we’ve been creating. That interview with our CEO? Sure, it’s good that we’ve it in a beautiful 1,200 phrase weblog submit, however let’s get the audio of that up or let’s get the video or each, the place we are able to begin providing methods to devour the content material based mostly on the ways in which folks actually wish to.

MG: I believe that’s such an important advice as a result of generally I’ll have time and vitality to take heed to one thing, but when it’s a video, it feels for some motive extra consuming for me to look at a video, regardless that I can avert my eyes and proceed to hear. It’s the concept that it’s in video format that makes me really feel like I don’t have the time for it. You say that, “Oh, it’s an audio file,” or, “It’s a podcast,” and one way or the other I’ve time for that.

I actually respect the concept of taking a weblog submit and placing it into an audio format or taking a video and decoupling it and placing it into audio and video. So, no matter your desire is, giving your viewers a number of ways in which they will devour the identical precise factor.

RR: From what I’ve heard from colleagues who’ve performed it, they are saying it has elevated engagement quite a bit, they’re getting rather more elevated engagement on the content material that they’d created. Lots of that, I believe, is as a result of it’s that linear expertise. So you consider a weblog submit and also you go learn it and, let’s be sincere, we stretch that time period “learn” quite a bit. We learn it, however actually we learn the headlines and perhaps we learn one of many little blocks of textual content in there and acquired the primary message of it and went, “OK, I’m performed.”

But when it’s a linear expertise, like audio, you’re going to take heed to it. And to your level, you would possibly take heed to it when you’re multitasking or doing different issues, however you listened to the entire thing, proper? You take heed to all 5 minutes of it or eight minutes of it, or nonetheless lengthy it’s. In order that elevated engagement is one thing I’m listening to that’s actually invaluable. It definitely makes for — going again to our authentic dialogue — a greater buyer expertise.

MG: I’m taking so many notes based mostly on this dialog for issues that I’m planning to stroll away with and new concepts for our content material technique right here at Highspot. So, Robert, thanks a lot. This was simply as informative and academic for me as I believe anybody who could also be listening to this, thanks in your time and for becoming a member of us on the Win-Win podcast. It’s at all times a pleasure.

RR: Completely. My pleasure, thanks a lot for having me on the present. I actually respect it.

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