Our 2017 Content Operations + Leadership Benchmark Study uncovered no shortage of interesting findings. After thinking about and discussing the implications with the team, I wanted to share a few takeaways that struck me.
1. The More Mature Content Operations Are, the More Likely They Are to Report Success
We found a promising correlation between reported maturity and reported success. Investing in your content capacity likely would not be a wasted effort. That begs the question… what do mature content operations look like?
2. Mature Content Operations Have Leadership, Content Intelligence, and Content Automation
Those elements emerged as essential to modernizing and scaling content operations. Content intelligence requires access to data and tools to analyze and report that data. Mature content teams are curious about their content’s effectiveness or impact. The future of content automation that is quickly becoming now is artificial intelligence.
3. Content Leadership Requires Content Vision
Our study of content teams in 2015 revealed content vision as an important leadership quality. This study confirmed and expanded that finding. Crafting and communicating a vision for content specifically correlates with reporting success.
4. The “Why” of Artificial Intelligence for Content Automation Is Clear But Not the “How”
Our study revealed enthusiastic interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning, but most participants have not progressed much further than enthusiasm. We anticipate figuring out the “how” will be the focus over the next two years. And, if you already have it figured out, you have a significant advantage over most organizations.
5. Content ROI Seems Like a Catch-22
Maturing to the point where you can assess return on investment requires investment in time and resources. The good news is this Catch-22 only seems like one. If you secure that investment and use it wisely, you are likely to report a return.
Combined, these takeaways add to my excitement for 2018 but also remind me of the work we face to overcome challenges. Of course, you might glean different takeaways from our study. My hope is that you find it useful.
The Author
A content expert and Star Wars fan, Colleen Jones is the president of Content Science, an award-winning firm where she and her team have advised or trained hundreds of the world’s leading organizations to become Jedis of content-led transformation. Colleen also served as the fractional head of content at Mailchimp during its high-growth period before its $12 billion acquisition by Intuit.
A passionate entrepreneur, Colleen has led Content Science to develop the content intelligence software ContentWRX, publish the online magazine Content Science Review, and offer online certifications and training through Content Science Academy.
The third edition of her top-rated book The Content Advantage recently launched worldwide. She has earned recognition as a top LinkedIn voice and as a top instructor for LinkedIn Learning, where her courses have reached hundreds of thousands of professionals. Follow Colleen on LinkedIn.
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