Are we all Investing in the Wrong Content?

We all know the importance of content marketing, but some recent research would indicate that the spending is not aligned with effectiveness, and that "yes", we are investing too much in the wrong content:

• Up to 60% of deals are not lost to the competition, but to the status quo - more risk adverse and frugal buyers choosing to do nothing, rather than change (SBI)
• 65% of deals go to the solution provider that helps uncover the issue and establishes the business need as a priority, versus 35% that goes to those that win the bake-off (Forrester)

However, when we examine content marketing and sales enablement investments, more than 70% of the spending is currently aimed at the later, competitive shoot-out stages of the decision cycle,  versus addressing the more important earlier stages, where the buyer needs to be convinced as to "Why Change?" and "Why Now?".

Perhaps this is why Content Marketing Institute continues to report that >50% of content marketing programs are perceived as “less than effective”?

Some key questions you may want to ask yourself in light of this new research:

·         Do you see the same challenges, too many non-starters / deals lost to no-decision?

·         Similar issues in your spending alignment, investing too much in later phases and not enough to motivate the prospect as to “Why Change?” and “Why Now?”?