Ever wondered what goes through the head of a Head of Marketing or CMO when it comes to content marketing? In this episode of the Content Marketing Commute podcast, Romain Doutriaux, Head of Marketing at Pigment, removes the lid and spills the beans!
In this rainy Paris episode, we walked for a little but then had to take cover from the wet in a lovely little bistro. This turned into a lunch recording and it was brilliant - so many great insights on how a marketing leader sees the role of content in 2024.
Is Gated Content Dead?
We've all been there (and many of us still are!): debating the merits of gated content versus freely available content.
Pigment has a unique approach. Their strong outbound sales team means capturing new leads through gated content isn't their top priority. Instead, they focus on what Romain calls "maximizing consumption" – making sure their target audience actually sees and engages with the content they create.
Two Content Buckets for Different Tiers of Targets
Here's a cool strategy from Pigment: Romain explained they categorize their target audience into two buckets. For their "top accounts," they prioritize ungated content.
The goal? To build relationships with these high-value prospects. For less immediate leads, they use gated content to capture contact information and nurture them for future opportunities.
Beyond B2B Cliches: Creating Fresh Content for Today's Audience
In the interview, Romain dives into a common pitfall in B2B content marketing: falling back on tired tropes and generic topics. "We're all familiar with the cliché: B2B is people selling to people, and you should talk about feelings," he says.
But, so few actually do this. So, how can you avoid churning out repetitive content? Romain suggests focusing on originality and audience insights. He references his past experience creating an abundance of white papers on AI, a topic that became oversaturated. "My shame in 2023 was having done too many white papers around AI," he admits.
The key takeaway? Conduct thorough audience research to understand what content resonates and avoid following the herd mentality.
The Creator Economy Meets B2B: Can Influencers Work in B2B Marketing?
The conversation then explores the growing trend of B2B companies collaborating with creators. Romain discusses his experience at his previous company Dataiku, where they launched a YouTube channel featuring a popular YouTuber. While the content was high quality and garnered a following, measuring ROI proved challenging. "It's still an issue to being able to determine the return on investment," says Romain.
This raises the question: can B2B brands leverage creators effectively? Romain acknowledges the potential but highlights the importance of strategic implementation. He emphasizes aligning the creator's content with the brand's message while ensuring a clear path to measure the impact on business goals.
Short-Term Wins vs. Long-Term Vision: A Balancing Act for Marketers
The interview also dives into the age-old challenge for marketers: balancing the need for short-term wins with long-term strategic goals. Romain acknowledges the pressure from stakeholders focused on immediate results.
But here's the thing: effective marketing requires a long-term vision. Building trust and brand awareness takes time. Romain uses the example of PR: "We all know it takes ages to take off...it's true that in the meantime, every month you get to pay a hefty amount of money to get there."
So, how can marketers bridge this gap? Romain emphasizes the importance of communication and transparency. Explain to stakeholders that short-term tactics can contribute to long-term goals, but resources must also be allocated to build brand equity for the future. "Finding this balance between short term and long term... is a huge bet," says Romain.
#19: Content & The CMO: Gated vs. Ungated, Short vs. Long-Term & More