What Makes Up A Successful Content Marketing Program? 10 Influencers Weigh-In

This is one of the most common questions asked.

What does my team need to execute a successful content marketing program?

We wanted to find out, once and for all, what is involved in achieving content marketing success.

So, we went to the best of the best.

Check out what 10 of the top content marketing influencers say makes up a successful content marketing program below!

Looking for actionable insights into building a more effective content marketing strategy?

Kelly Hungerford

Owner and Consultant at CommunityWorks

"My experience stems from the tech industry, so I find organizing content marketing programs in a similar way to how technology projects are structured works really well. Grouping the various elements of strategy into project delivery phases, like Discovery (research, auditing), Envision (strategy, audience definition), Build (content planning and creation), and Sustenance (promotion, measurement, analysis).

Find her on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Michael Brenner

Speaker, Author, and CEO of Marketing Insider Group

"Successful content marketing programs identify the keywords their audience uses. They understand the content that is resonating with that Audience and then commits to creating that type of content consistently.

Frequency and quality is the key.

Successful measurement looks at these factors and optimizes the content that converts."

Find him on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Matt Heinz

President of Heinz Marketing

"Objectives (why we're doing this, how it leads to revenue), Audience (who are we selling to, who do we need to influence and mobilize and why), Creation (i.e. in what format, at what level of depth, with what call to action) - they you get into distribution, amplification, conversion and measurement. Those are the key elements of a successful content marketing program."

Find him on Twitter & LinkedIn.

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Ahava Leibtag

President at Aha Media Group

"Relentless focus on the audience.

Constant feedback between sales and marketing.

Measurement, and 20% of budget to experiment."

Find her on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Jesper Laursen

Founder and CEO of Native Advertising Institute , CEO of Brand Movers

"A solid strategy with clear goals and KPI's. Company-wide buy-in. Efficient distribution - especially paid.

And most important of all, stellar content."

Find him on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Brittany Berger

Founder at Work Brighter

"The main elements a successful content program/strategy needs to have nowadays are an audience targeting plan, an editorial strategy, a content promotion or distribution strategy, and a strong content workflow. The workflow aspect is important and underrated - when you have multiple marketers working together, it won't go smoothly unless you take the time to intentionally make it so."

Find her on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Doug Kessler

Creative Director & Co-Founder at Velocity Partners

"A big, fresh, galvanizing idea that captures a world view and identifies a change in the world. A crystal clear understanding of the audience. Well-crafted content that gets even sceptical readers to lean in, tune out the noise and listen up."

Find him on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Maureen Jann

Founder and Managing Director at SuperDeluxe Marketing

"You absolutely need to start with a deep understanding of who your most profitable and influential customers are. From there, companies need to craft a strategy that revolves around that customer's challenges. Not just the ones that keep them up at night, but also the ones that just annoy them. Every time a company plays the role of hero and problem solver for a potential customer, you build trust and credibility."

Find her on Twitter & LinkedIn.