Reach to revenue — it’s not as straightforward |
Content marketers are not okay!
At least, that’s what Yes Optimist’s content marketer survey found. Nearly half (47%) said their burnout levels were “high” or “extreme,” while some even said they were on the verge of quitting. 🤠🫠 |
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36% of content marketers say they’re experiencing “high burnout.” 🫠 (Source: Yes Optimist) |
What’s to blame? More than ever, content marketers are being asked to produce more content with fewer resources.
With AI fueling search, brand discovery is harder than ever. The traditional SEO guidelines that content marketers believed were true just aren’t working anymore. Going from reach to revenue isn’t as straightforward as it used to be.
So how do leaders respond? They downsize teams while pushing for more content and faster pipelines. Content production becomes an assembly line of mediocre, “meh” content just to meet KPIs — passable, but bland and uninteresting.
Content marketers know this isn’t working. It doesn’t build the necessary trust or topic authority to generate high-quality leads. Sales knows a high volume of leads doesn’t automatically equate to high-quality leads. The irony is, AI has made it easier to create content faster, but harder to connect authentically. But it’s the reality we’re working in today.
This week, I want to talk about this new (and kinda scary, let’s be honest) era of content marketing, and how sales and marketing teams can navigate it as cohorts — without pointing the blame at each other. |
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Trust before clicks and conversions |
Content leaders probably already know that a production line of bland content isn’t working. We’re pushing out content to meet productivity outputs while content and lead quality grow stagnant. Maybe it’s time to change that. Instead of measuring content solely by output volume, it’s also time to measure it by resonance and relevance. Add “resonance metrics” to your KPIs — things like engagement and shares — especially shares in private groups and DMs. These are signals for meaningful, thought-provoking, quality content. |
→ Try it this week: Look at your last major content push. How many meaningful reactions did it prompt? How many people shared your blog with their own thoughts and reactions? How many people gave thoughtful feedback on your webinar or newsletter? |
Secondly, AI. Many content teams have incorporated AI in their processes, but it’s time to set “AI content boundaries.”
Draw the line on where AI can be used in content to keep up quality and thought leadership. AI can generate outlines and do initial research, but humans will take over the writing, branding, and thought leadership. Non-negotiable. AI was never meant to replace human insight — and it’s certainly not building trust with audiences. The priority now is putting brand trust on the same priority as clicks, conversions, and output. |
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Customer insight = content goldmine |
More than ever, marketing needs real insight from people on the ground, aka the customers that sales teams have day-to-day conversations with. That’s the kind of insight that creates trustworthy content that people connect to: customer stories, pain points, problems. Real conversations, not just data.
Customer insight is how sales teams can be the bridge between AI and authenticity that marketing desperately needs. Anchor marketing’s content on real-world, real-time insight from the customers you speak with regularly. Sales doesn’t just close deals — you’re also sitting on a gold mine of original, authentic content points that no other business has. |
Don’t wait for the next alignment meeting to share your insights. Keeping a live Google Sheet or Slack Canvas of messaging points that marketing can pull from is already super helpful.
Capture real customer language. For instance, if a lead says, “We’ve been drowning in disconnected tools,” marketing can directly echo that language in their copy. If you work with marketing in a CRM, add a “story worth telling” tag on certain contacts. Small actions, big downstream impact. |
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Marketing crafts content super efficiently, hitting output targets with blogs, social media, posts, and email campaigns crafted to fit each customer persona. “Our content is performing great. The data says we’re crushing it.” Meanwhile, sales reps say, “Funny, because in real conversations, prospects keep saying our messaging doesn’t match their challenges. The leads are reading, but they’re not buying.” |
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→ Translation: Marketing’s insights often come from internal metrics (clicks, downloads, impressions), while sales’ insights come from real human reactions. Both teams are listening—but only within their own echo chambers.
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Marketing hears algorithms; sales hears actual people. Without a bridge, everyone thinks they’re “aligned,” but the customer experience tells a different story. Campaigns get more polished, but not more persuasive.
Instead of optimizing for different feedback loops and creating a false sense of success, create one shared “customer truth” that both sales and marketing can reference. Sales provides real-world customer insight, and marketing brings in the data and thought leadership. Together, both teams create meaningful, thought-provoking stories — not just content. |
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Audrey has built marketing strategies for startups, small businesses, and agencies—covering everything from websites to social media. She writes about practical marketing tactics for Fit Small Business, Marketing Interactive, and more, helping brands grow their online presence. |
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