In B2B marketing, a well-optimized content engine handles the complete content lifecycle — phases that include planning, production, promotion, performance, and preparedness. As an analyst, I’ve helped clients across many industries and organizational models determine how to mature their content operations and address issues, such as too much of the wrong content (consider that 65% of organizations experience 26–75% content waste). I’ve found that teams tend to demonstrate the greatest maturity in content creation itself, but their work in other phases lags.
At a time when AI is transforming all phases of the content lifecycle, it’s critical for organizations to perform a status check. To provide a starting point in determining where they are in a maturity framework, we’ve just published the B2B Content Engine Maturity Assessment (subscription required), a self-assessment tool that provides ratings and recommendations. We suggest the assessment to any B2B marketing leader with teams that handle B2B content responsibilities. Here’s a snapshot:
Content Planning: Build A Strategy That Delivers
Questions in this section determine how effectively organizations use content planning defined by a comprehensive strategy that addresses buyer needs across pre- and post-sale journeys.
Content Production: Scale With Efficiency And Accuracy
Content teams must balance quality, speed, and scale in the production process. Questions here help organizations determine where they are and surface opportunities for improvement.
Content Promotion: Maximize Reach And Engagement
Content is only effective when it reaches its target audience. These questions uncover whether an organization is using and continuously refining a comprehensive and diverse distribution channel approach.
Content Performance: Measure And Optimize Results
Audience engagement is the ultimate measure of content success. Questions in this section surface how well organizations understand and optimize content engagement and meet business goals.
Content Preparedness: Align Teams And Resources
A mature content engine requires cross-functional alignment, with content teams equipped with tools, templates, and training to fulfill their roles efficiently. These questions help organizations determine whether they’re on the right track with their content team skills and competencies.
How To Evolve Your Content Engine
Forrester’s B2B Content Engine Maturity Assessment outlines three stages — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — to guide organizations in optimizing their content lifecycle. We provide suggestions for each level to help organizations understand what steps they can take to improve.
Extending Impact Across Your Organization
Everyone in B2B organizations depends on content. We encourage content leaders to engage stakeholders across marketing, sales, customer, and product teams to gauge how well that they feel content is contributing business value.
By advancing your content engine maturity, you’ll create a scalable, efficient system that drives engagement and creates and extends business impact.
If you’re a client, please take the assessment and request time to chat with me about your results. I’d love to help you plan your content engine trajectory!
