The pharosIQ team is back from Content Marketing World and from speaking with the team the conversations this year were on a different level.
For years content marketing operated as if more was better – more blogs, more video, more playbooks, more infographics, the list goes on.
However, this year revealed that something has shifted. The smartest marketers in the room weren’t talking about their content calendars or how many pieces of content they have to publish. Rather, they were talking about how to get more mileage and results from what they already have.
This changes everything.
One topic dominated every conversation our team had – atomizing existing content beats creating new content almost every time.
Every company has dozens of marketing content sitting in their archives and many of which probably took weeks to research or cost a lot of money to conduct. But where are these pieces of content now? Most likely gathering dust.
Meanwhile, marketing teams are churning out new pieces of content almost daily trying to stay relevant with fresh material they think will help move the needle.
The winning teams know best. They see existing assets as raw material waiting to be utilized. The webinar in Q1, well that can actually be used for multiple social media posts, 3 new blogs and a sales battlecard. Smart marketers don’t create more content. They multiply what they already have.
Another phrase that kept being mentioned at the conference was about giving content “extra legs” .
Publishing a piece of content once and hoping the right people see it at the right time is a long shot. However, when you give that same content “extra legs”, by reshaping and redistributing it based on what you know of your audience, then your chances of success increase.
This is where first-party data becomes a critical factor in your marketing strategy. Rather than guessing when to bring back a piece of content, you can see which accounts are actively showing interest in that topic and you know who has been researching for solutions in that area. First-party data helps you understand where prospects are on their buying journey and provides insights that you can use to serve them the right content at the right time and in the right places.
Think of Netflix. It works similarly to this in that it shows you what you might like based on what you’ve watched before. But instead of the next hit-series, you’re delivering the key insights buyers need to move forward with a purchase decision.
In addition, the team noted that accountability was a major theme this year. Each piece of content must clearly align to meeting buyer pain points and interests as well as support key business objectives.
Too often content exists just because a spot needs to be filled, therefore it doesn’t drive any specific behaviors or actions. The marketing teams getting the results are being clear about what each piece of content is to achieve.
For example.
Is it meant to capture contact information?When you can approach content with these questions and mindset, then you can stop creating content for the sake of it and start to create, or repurpose, with clear goals in mind.
Content consumption is evolving faster than most marketers can keep up. New channels emerge regularly, format preferences shift often, and what worked last year is no longer working.
Remember when B2B marketing meant white papers and market research reports. Then everyone rushed to “snackable” content. Now, that playbook is obsolete.
Gen Z buyers are scrolling social media for B2B insights, Millennials want interactive demos, and Gen X mixes traditional sources with rising digital (think podcasts) while Boomers still read emails. The problem is as a B2B marketer, you’re supposed to serve them all.
This is the reality check every marketer needs. The personas you create aren’t always correct and the assumptions are mostly wrong. That technical document that was shelved because it was “too long” or “too technical” is your most engaged piece of content while the flashy video you spent a large amount of your budget on, hasn’t got the traction you anticipated.
AI is changing the game entirely. Not just as a content generator, but as an intelligence system that helps you reveal what actually works. AI can show you exactly which formats convert at each stage, and which accounts are researching what topics.
For example, AI can provide insights such as when three stakeholders from the same company engage with your content within a time frame. This isn’t just random browsing, it’s a buying committee in motion. These signals are in your data right now, they just need to be surfaced.
With this level of insight, content delivery becomes Netflix-style precision. Each buyer gets what they need based on their behavior, not just guesswork. And when you allow AI systems to handle the understanding of buyer behavior, you’re freed up to focus on what machines struggle to do.
First-party data is critical for marketing teams in 2025 and if you’re not placing it as a priority then you’re most likely falling behind.
This is the current situation of modern marketing. Third-party cookies are disappearing as privacy regulations continue to expand. The traditional methods of tracking and targeting are changing almost daily.
However, don’t think of first party as a replacement for what is being lost, it’s much more than that. When someone engages with your content, downloads resources or attends webinar / events, they’re telling you exactly what matters to them. They are showing you their position in the buying journey and essentially providing you with a roadmap for how to help them.
Now the question comes down to, are you capturing and utilizing these signals effectively.
Arguably the biggest challenge our team noted at Content Marketing World wasn’t about specific tactics or new tools. It was about a change in how successful marketing teams think.
Marketing leaders have stopped operating like publishing houses just churning out content. Instead, they operate like business intelligence teams, understanding their buyers and what they need and then being able to deliver key messaging at the perfect moment.
They audit existing content looking for new hooks before creating anything new. Then they use AI to discover what is resonating with their prospects. Every content interaction is a signal about where that prospect is heading.
But most importantly, they measure success as how effectively content moves buyers through their journey.
Content calendars can feel daunting and when this is the case, it’s a good time to take a step back and try something different.
The companies that master this shift from content creation to intelligence will dominate the B2B marketing world. Will you be part of it?
Are you ready to explore how pharosIQ can help your content intelligence and first-party data strategy? Let’s discuss what it looks like for your specific market and buyers. Contact us for more information.