Intro: SEO, Distro, Library Unlocks
I recently had a fascinating conversation with Ty Magnin, CEO of Animalz, a content marketing agency known for creating some of the best B2B content on the web. Our chat revolved around the evolving landscape of content marketing, and it got me thinking about the future of our industry.
It was a wide ranging chat. But the nuggets, for me, were about the future of SEO in a GenAI world, the power of distribution, and the immense value sitting in companies' content libraries.
The Changing Face of Content Marketing
The marketing world is in flux. AI tools are flooding the market, and there's a palpable sense of uncertainty among marketers. But here's the kicker: despite all the AI hype, high-quality, human-created content is still king.
I told Ty, "I think everything that's being written [with AI] is garbage." Harsh? Maybe. But it underscores a crucial point: in the rush to produce content, quality often takes a backseat. And that's a mistake.
Don't get me wrong, I used Claude to help me with this blog post. I'm not saying you shouldn't use GenAI. But here's the key, IMO: if you *start* with GenAI, you're going to write a flaming turd. If it's fed by unique insights, then you have a shot of scaling up some great stuff. In this case, I got to leverage a rich conversation with Ty.
The Power of Relevance
At ATC, we're all about relevance. Our approach involves:
• Understanding audience interests through data analysis
• Identifying content gaps in existing libraries
• Creating "Bible" resources - comprehensive, authoritative content that stands the test of time
I firmly believe that if you're not creating content that people will reference months down the line, you're wasting your time. As I said to Ty, "If you finish writing something and you have a deep sense the people who read it 9 months from now would think of it immediately if somebody asked a related question in a Forum and recommend that that person who asked the question read that same resource? Is it that resource? And if it's not, don't f*&%ing write it."
Data-Driven Content Strategy
Our relevancy reporting at ATC allows us to tell you exactly how relevant you are to your audience and where you're lacking. We can pinpoint the subject matter people care about and where you're currently irrelevant from a content perspective.
This data-driven approach allows you to:
• Analyze audience interests and engagement
• Map content to specific audience segments
• Uncover underserved topics
• Prioritize content creation based on audience demand
Distribution-First Approach
Ty introduced me to Animalz's Channel Growth Quadrant, which evaluates potential distribution channels and aligns content creation with distribution opportunities. This resonates with our approach at ATC.
We believe in leveraging existing audiences for content distribution. After all, we know what content is most relevant to each and every marketing contact - that drives better emails, web experiences, and even LinkedIn ads. The key thing is that it works because it's to the people who've earned a place in our marketing database.
The Human Touch in a Tech-Driven World
While AI and data are crucial, they can't replace human expertise. I told Ty, "I continue to believe that content creation is one of those things that is durably enabled by software deeply. Solved in whole? Absolutely not ever."
The key is striking the right balance between automation and human creativity. Something we harp on here is the content library you're building. And it's why we think it's so critical to be immensely diligent about each and every thing you create - from blogs to podcasts. They have to be great. If they are, you can keep sharing and sharing and sharing that content with people rather than writing for the sake of feeding some idea of a content cadence.
The Future of SEO
Now, here's where things get interesting. Ty pointed out that for many mature B2B SaaS businesses, search still accounts for 50% of their traffic and inbound leads. That's huge.
But for startups? I think you should spend nearly zero time on it.
Why? Because if you're good at company building, you know exactly who your prospects are and what they care about. You can guarantee reach through channels like email and custom audience ads.
Earning backlinks, building domain authority, and producing the volume of content necessary to crush your keywords is really difficult. And it's not entirely in your control.
But writing the best piece of content ever on a critical subject for your market and guaranteeing they'll see it? That's 100% in your control.
The impact of a world-class resource directed to your exact buying audience is huge. And that's what you should focus on.
Conclusion
The future of B2B content marketing lies in quality, relevance, and strategic distribution. It's about creating "Bible" resources that provide lasting value to your audience. It's about leveraging data and technology to personalize content delivery. And it's about focusing your efforts where they'll have the most impact.
At ATC, we're committed to helping B2B marketers navigate this evolving landscape. By combining our AI-powered personalization with human expertise, we're enabling marketers to create more relevant, impactful content and get it in front of the right people at the right time.
And if you want to run any of those insights I talked about, you can get started for free right here.
