“Content marketing” is everywhere – to some, it’s just another buzzword. But, done right, it can drive awareness, build brands and connect you with your audience in ways that drive real business growth.

To find out just what goes into an effective content marketing program, MMT’s Ryan Schradin talked with David Salati, Strategic Marketer at Booz Allen Hamilton for the ModMarkRadio podcast.

Not all content is created equal. Salati stressed that it starts with a focus on “the challenges that government and military organizations are facing, supported by our understanding of the drivers to those challenges.

But getting the right content in front of the right audience is the crux of the matter. Salati explained that marketers need to understand both who the audience is and where they are getting information from.

He depends on independent research to support this effort, but also explained how he’s found success working with strategic channel partners.

Salati stressed the importance of measurement several times, stressing that, “Effective marketers look at and analyze what the performance data is telling them and transform it into actionable insights.” Yet, despite the importance of data, a surprisingly small percentage of marketers rely on analytics for decision making, as we noted in our coverage of the recent Marketo Marketing Nation Conference.

Digital marketing tools give marketers a huge advantage in this respect. “When you’re in the digital stratosphere, you can make real-time adjustments to make sure you’re not wasting a lot of effort going forward.”

Listen to the complete ModMarkRadio Podcast by clicking on the play button below.

Content marketing, digital marketing and marketing analytics are topics we’ve focused a lot on recently in our coverage of the SiriusDecisions 18 Summit and Marketo’s Marketing Nation.