5 Signs Your Marketing Program Needs Licensed Content

Licensed content, also referred to as “syndicated content” or “third-party content,” is an effective, strategic tool for your content marketing program. Our Content Marketplace& is a rich, diverse library of articles from authoritative publishers like Fast Company, CIO, Business Insider, FORTUNE, Cleveland Clinic, Forbes, Reuters and thousands more. The content is rights-cleared and ready to be published to your hub.

Here are five signs your marketing program would benefit from licensed content.

1. Your content marketing program needs more… well, content.

If you are only publishing a couple of articles a month, there is little reason for someone to return to your hub and explore. A steady publishing cadence keeps your site fresh and can fuel all your distribution channels: newsletters, social media, and even your sales team’s touchpoints with prospects. Licensed content can be curated, approved and published in hours& —& or even minutes—& which is a welcome contrast to pitching and creating original content.&

2. Your content hub is all about you.

If your content marketing is all “hard sell” and brand push, it will turn consumers at the top of their journey away. The solution is to bring in authoritative, unbiased content from respected publishers in your industry& — whether it’s a trade publication discussing manufacturing trends or a leading site reviewing your product.

The publishers in our licensed content network are experts in what they cover, whether Bloomberg, Cleveland Clinic, FierceMedia, Food & Wine, or Pipeline & Gas Journal. Bringing their reporting into your content experience brings an authoritative, trusted voice with a fresh perspective.&

3. Your engagement rate is sinking.

Across our network of clients, licensed content has a higher article engagement rate than original content (although a fully optimized program relies on both types of content to drive full-funnel conversions). Users who touch licensed content spend more time on the hub and visit more pages per visit.& Licensed content makes your site more sticky.

To test licensed content in action, we launched a two-month pilot with a customer who operated a rich, B2B site that only had original articles. When we introduced licensed content into the mix, users who visited a licensed content article had a dramatically improved experience: bounce rate was 76% (compared to 88% on the rest of the site), new visitors spent 4X on the site, returning visitors spent 9X, and KPIs were between 4X and 6X.&

4. You need more data about what your customers want.

The more you publish, the more data you collect. What article length is most popular? What imagery is most effective? What tone are prospects and customers responding to? What level of expertise is resonating? Use licensed content in combination with a metadata strategy& to learn what your users respond to (and, more importantly, what is driving key conversions) then fold those learnings into your original content production. That way, when you do dedicate resources to creating original content, you will have a clear roadmap of what works and a clearer picture of your customer journey.

5. Your top-of-funnel acquisition strategies are missing the mark.

Savvy marketers know that even in the B2B world, prospects are rarely scrolling social media looking for brand information. The top of the funnel (“awareness”) isn’t necessarily a place where customers already have their wallets in hand or even know they need a solution or product. Licensed content is an efficient, scalable way to join conversations, build authority, and compete for attention in this affinity stage. A strong conversion and nurture strategy then utilizes a combination of licensed and original content to pull potential customers down into your funnel.

Still curious about how licensed content can give your content marketing a boost? Visit& Licensed Content: The Definitive Guide& for everything you need to know about driving marketing efficiency and effectiveness with syndicated content.

John de Guzman is the General Manager of Content Marketplace at NewsCred.

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