• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 10, 2016

According to a new study by Rapt Media, personalization and deeper engagement are both the top priority and greatest challenge for content marketing creatives, and demonstrates that they are not thinking about engagement measurement when creating content.

Despite the fact that most content creators know that personalization is paramount to content today, says the report, and understanding that better content technology is the key to driving deeper engagement, the majority of content marketers plan to invest in content distribution and management technologies instead.

Key findings from the marketing creative surveyed to better understand the challenges, priorities, and technology investments associated with the evolving content marketing ecosystem, show that:

• 83% say developing content that’s personalized enough is their biggest challenge
• 94% say better content tech is key to creating content that’s personalized and engaging
• 81% say increased engagement is key to securing content tech investment
• 77% of creatives said that linking performance data to content was not important
• 86% say they are not held accountable for business metrics from content they produce

And, the Content Marketing Institute, reporting on the study, said that 65% of creatives say their top focus in the next year will be to better understand what makes effective content. Deeper, more precise measurements and analytics, pulled straight from the content, will offer creatives the insights they need to produce better, more personalized content for their target audiences.

Creatives need better technology at the point of content creation, says the report, that can provide choice, increased engagement, and data. But getting approval to invest in that technology requires demonstrating it will yield meaningful audience data that can be optimized to drive increased ROI.

• 81% of creatives say that demonstrating better engagement and personalization to business leaders is the key to seeing better investment in content technology
• 30% say that the key is being able to demonstrate deeper analytics to business leaders and decision makers

But at this time, notes the report, here’s where content investment is going:

• 17% are investing in content creation platforms
• 36% are investing in content distribution platforms
• 69% are investing in marketing automation systems

Erika Trautman, founder and CEO of Rapt Media, concludes the report by insisting that “… personalization has to be prioritized from the moment content is created… must be created with the ability for consumers to navigate, explore and customize it to their personal preferences and interests… emerging content technology is the key to creating a new kind of customer-centric experience… (allowing) marketers to glean deep analytics from the content, understand its effectiveness, and optimize it for better performance… ”

For additional information please sign up for the complete report in PDF format here.