Crafting an Ideal Content Marketing Stack With Anshul Jain

In today's age, the importance of a marketing stack cannot be overstated. With the rapid advancements in AI technology and the proliferation of digital platforms, marketers face a multitude of challenges in reaching and engaging their target audiences effectively.

A marketing stack provides a consolidated suite of tools and solutions that streamline and automate various marketing processes, enabling marketers to make data-driven decisions, optimize campaigns, and enhance overall efficiency.

In this insightful conversation Prateek Kalra, Associate Director of Sales at Pepper Content is joined by Anshul Jain, Head Of Marketing At SK Finance to discuss all this and more!

Here are some excerpts.

1. Tell us about your journey so far.

My journey in the marketing industry began in 2009, and I've had the privilege of working with renowned brands like the telecom giant Aircel, Times of India, Goldman and BCCL. Over the years I've also been involved in launching bank brands such as AU Bank and have worked with India's unicorn brand, DealShare.

Throughout my career, my focus has primarily been on creating and launching brands in the consumer space, which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

During my formative years, I vividly remember watching ads on Doordarshan and television, like "Hamara Bajaj" and "Thanda matlab Coca Cola aur 5 rupay mein Coca Cola aur Pepsi aha." These ads sparked my interest in the content space, and I actively participated in various internal competitions during my engineering days, representing my college. It was during this time that I realized my true passion lay in creating impactful ads and content for consumers and business partners.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to work with one of India's top leading brands, where I learned invaluable best practices. Now, armed with those learnings, I am applying them to other brands. Looking ahead, I envision myself continuing to contribute to the marketing industry by crafting compelling content and taglines that capture the hearts and minds of consumers, even 20 years from now.

My passion for content creation and the satisfaction of creating something that resonates with people will always be at the core of my journey in the marketing space.

2. How have marketing challenges evolved over the past years, especially with the rise of digital platforms?

The evolution of marketing challenges in the digital era has been a significant and ongoing process. As the head of marketing at SK Finance, I face these challenges daily while working with our partners, teams, and founders. The landscape has undergone a drastic transformation, especially with the advent of digital platforms and the impact of events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the past, building brand loyalty and providing exceptional consumer experiences were the key goals for marketers. Consumers would stay loyal to a brand for years, but today, consumer behavior has changed dramatically across all industries. From food ordering to travel decisions and fashion choices, everything has shifted. As a result, the role of marketers has evolved.

Nowadays, every penny spent on marketing needs to yield measurable results.

Whether it's downloads, clicks, conversions, or reach, marketers are expected to present concrete numbers on a black-and-white canvas. The emphasis has shifted from relying on emotional connections and intuition to data-driven decision-making.

While brand researchers and health scores help gauge the brand's positioning and connection with consumers, it remains challenging to accurately measure the depth of the emotional bond. Marketers need to strike a balance between data-driven performance metrics and emotional resonance with their target audience.

As technology continues to advance, AI and other innovative solutions will undoubtedly aid marketers in achieving better results and optimizing campaigns.

However, the core challenge will always be to strike a balance between data-driven insights and the genuine emotional connection that a brand can create with its consumers.

In the next 20 years, the marketing landscape will keep evolving, presenting both opportunities and challenges for marketers. Adapting to this dynamic environment and staying ahead of the curve will be crucial for those in the content and marketing space.

3. What haunts marketers today when it comes to content marketing?

From a content marketing perspective, marketers today are haunted by several challenges. While performance marketing and growth focus on ROI and specific metrics, content marketing, which leans more towards organic reach, presents its own set of hurdles.

One major concern is delivering content on time. In today's fast-paced and dynamic world, timely communication is crucial. Moment marketing and contextual content demand swift action and engagement, while ensuring the brand's values and ethos remain intact. Striking the right balance between creating viral content and staying true to the brand is a constant worry for marketers.

Another pressing issue is catering to India's diverse linguistic landscape. With over 18 to 22 official languages, marketers must communicate effectively with consumers in different regions. This involves translating content into various vernacular languages, making it both relevant and understandable to diverse audiences.

Additionally, content marketing teams face challenges such as copywriting issues and the risk of plagiarism, which can negatively impact a brand's reputation.

In summary, content marketers grapple with delivering timely, relevant, and linguistically diverse content while upholding the brand's identity and authenticity in a highly competitive and rapidly changing digital landscape.

4. How do you see artificial intelligence impacting content marketing, and what are the expectations?

The impact of artificial intelligence on content marketing is a topic of great interest and expectation among marketers, including myself. Through interactions with fellow marketeers on various platforms, both online and offline, we eagerly discuss how AI and emerging technology platforms can benefit us in our roles. Microsoft and other players are offering AI solutions, and this has heightened our hopes for solving various marketing challenges.

AI tools like GPT (such as GPT-3) are among the technologies we have high expectations for. They hold the potential to address numerous issues we face in content marketing. These tools can streamline tasks, enhance efficiency, and generate high-quality content, potentially reducing concerns about copywriting, plagiarism, and other content-related hurdles.

AI can streamline processes, but the human touch is still vital for crafting emotive and culturally sensitive content.

However, while AI shows great promise in automating certain aspects of content creation and dissemination, we recognize that it may not fully address more complex issues related to regional sensitivities and sentiments. In countries like India, where various cultural and political factors come into play, human expertise and understanding are still crucial to ensure appropriate and culturally sensitive communication.

Despite these considerations, we remain optimistic about AI's contributions to content marketing. We are already exploring and incorporating AI tools in our workflows, even if we haven't fully adopted paid versions. The potential for AI to assist us in providing top-notch, consumer-friendly content keeps us hopeful for the future. As AI technology continues to advance, collaborations like this one may also bring valuable insights to marketers, further enhancing the content creation and marketing process.

5. What would be your ideal content marketing stack?

An ideal content marketing stack for me would revolve around a few key pillars. Firstly, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the problem statement and the needs of our customers. Whether we use technology tools, AI bots, or internal teams, the focus remains on reaching the heart of the problem and addressing it effectively.

The stack would begin with thorough research to understand our customers' requirements and pain points. Armed with this knowledge, we would design communication strategies that resonate with the target audience. The next step would be to deliver these carefully crafted messages through appropriate mediums.

An essential aspect of the content marketing stack is the ability to evaluate and reevaluate the entire process continually.

This includes analyzing campaign performance, identifying areas for improvement, and learning from past experiences.

Considering the budget allocation, an ideal scenario would involve investing around 80 to 90% of the funds in the communication mediums, while reserving 10 to 15% for content creation, including videos and collaboration with artists and agencies.

While the specific tools within the stack may evolve and improve, the core principles of clear communication, understanding customer needs, and continuous evaluation would remain unchanged.

As we move forward, I anticipate that advancements in AI technology, like the solutions offered by your platform, will further enhance our content marketing efforts, making campaigns more effective and efficient. By staying up-to-date with evolving tools and approaches, we can make a significant impact on brand-building and performance marketing campaigns.