For our latest Content Matters report, we surveyed 1,000+ content and media professionals. 

We wanted to find out how they’re using content, analytics, and AI to drive business, retain customers, and prepare for the death of the third-party cookie. 

Let’s dive into takeways and hot takes for senior leadership and other content stakeholders.

TL;DR:

• Effective retention strategies are fundamental to sales success, with 59% of organizations citing it as the primary measure for driving revenue.
• Despite 80% of companies using content analytics, 74% remain uncertain about the performance of their content.
• Content creators expect more pressure to produce more content in 2024, but only 45% expect a corresponding content budget increase.
• AI still can’t do what content and media pros do. For now, orgs prefer human input and content analytics when it comes to deciding content strategy. 
• AI is still seen as a valuable resource for generating content, but budget allocation for AI is restricted, with only 20% of organizations willing to invest $10K+ annually.
• With the end of third-party cookies in sight, orgs need to rely more heavily on their own websites, CMS, and content analytics (rather than social) to foster audience engagement and loyalty.

Retention is the cornerstone of any sales strategy

Effective retention strategies are fundamental to sales success, as shown by six in 10 (59%) organizations citing it as the primary measure for driving revenue. As such, tapping analytics to pinpoint valuable customers and devoted audiences leads to the creation of targeted content that yields optimal ROI. 

However, despite eight in 10 companies reporting using content analytics, a staggering seven in 10 (74%) remain uncertain about the performance of their content. Clearly, investing in training and making sure all employees have a thorough understanding of data-driven approaches to content creation is imperative. 

Managers play a pivotal role in overseeing content ROI, and two in three feel more pressure to drive revenue with content and understand how their content performs. Sadly, we found there’s often a lack of usage of data analytics across key departments and stakeholders. Here, mobilizing middle management, marketing, and editorial staff can effectively support a data-driven sales strategy.

Decreasing budgets, increasing demand

In 2024, content creators expect more pressure to produce more content. However, it’s troubling that only about half (45%) expect a corresponding content budget increase, a considerable 13% decline from our 2023 report. 

To optimize budget allocation, these content creators face mounting pressure to strategically use analytics and AI resources. 

Despite the importance of delivering high-quality content, organizations often prioritize advertising initiatives over investing in analytics. Nevertheless, adopting a data-driven strategy can greatly enhance the effectiveness of advertising efforts. 

As such, content creators are strongly encouraged to thoroughly explore (and understand) the capabilities of their chosen content management system, and the on-board availability of advanced analytics and AI support. Not only will this allow them to efficiently make the most of their budget, but it will also greatly enhance the quality of their content.

AI still can’t do what content and media professionals do

Organizations are deeply intrigued by artificial intelligence and its multifaceted potential for content creation and in-depth analysis. But content analytics remains the most reliable and well-established driving force behind content strategy. 

Yes, AI can be a valuable resource for generating content. But acquiring timely AI-supported recommendations within a CMS is even more valuable. 

Half (52%) of organizations cite AI recommendations as important in decisions on what content to create—in contrast to 80% citing content analytics and intelligence. We found budget allocation for AI restricted as well, with only one in five organizations willing to invest more than $10,000 annually. 

For now, it seems orgs prefer human input and analytics over AI. This hints at why teams aren’t spending much on AI tools, if anything at all.

Prepare for the end of third-party cookies in a post-social world

Google is expected to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome by the end of 2024. Without these identifiers to track web users, content, media, and advertising, organizations will need to rely more heavily on their own websites to interact with audiences and foster audience engagement and loyalty. 

Most orgs spread their content distribution over multiple channels. But tighter budgets and resource constraints mean making more targeted decisions about where to release content for the biggest impact. 

Our advice? Take back ownership of your audience tracking. 

Without third-party cookies, you’ll need to rely more heavily on your own analytics tools to track performance and make data-informed decisions.

X may be struggling, but social media is keepin’ on keepin’ on

Even with the looming death of the third-party cookie, a social media exodus isn’t happening (except for the platform formerly known as Twitter).

Case in point: Of the paid distribution channels identified in the survey, social media comes in at No. 1—used by more than 40% of small to medium-sized organizations and 55% to 70% of larger organizations. 

Yes, using social media can still be an effective marketing strategy. But rather than trying to create authentic relationships with audiences on social, our hot take is use that channel to funnel traffic to your own (first-party) website—where you can better control, build, and track those audience relationships. 

And, as you might guess, leveraging a content management system with onboard tools that can collect and analyze that incoming data across platforms is really mission critical here. 

Join us for a live, deep dive into our Content Matters 2024 Report

Register for our May 2 webinar 2024 Content Trends: AI and Retention to Budgets and the 3rd-Party Cookie with our special guest Robert Rose from The Content Advisory.