The answer to smarter content return on invested capital is so simple . . .
And it involved three mission critical “better ideas.”
1. Project manage – the right way.
2. Re-learn common sense despite the temptation to over-rely on trendy technology because everyone else is doing it.
3. Apply specificity. “Content is king” is like the latest catch-phrase for 
marketers and authors. Sound like a Nike commercial. “Just do it.”
Take content marketing, editorial planning and lead nurturing one step further . . .
Specify your message and product by audience. Target buyers by revenue size, peripheral/complementary products, geography even if that works.
It’s easy to dump various web content tasks/objectives on a third-party service too.
Truth be told, that is not good enough.
Marketing agencies and search engine optimization services know their business. They are supposed to.What in the world does that qualify them to know about your specific product, competitive edge (or disadvantage), opportunities to capture new sales leads and the like?
Zero.
So a marketing vice president or communications director either overseeing lead demand generation in-house or enlisting a third-party agency for such tasks as creation, deployment, testing and refining marketing assets often winds up shooting her/himself in the foot.
They hire for competitive know-how, tactful communications materials used to increase lead demand, et cetera – and they, instead, get “a friend” to have drinks with, “creative meetings and brainstorm sessions,” all billed to that employer’s American Express card.
A generalized example
IBM, Oracle, General Dynamics – they publish white papers downloaded via high-end web sites like Forbes and the Wall Street Journal Business Section to generate leads.
Their materials are good – but they spend tens of millions for decades refining and testing these white papers and building credibility.
And, unfortunately, someone vending some cheap marketing service is telling medium and small businesses to hire them to Tweet, create a responsive web site and tie in Constant Contact’s ™ free version so that medium business can match IBM, Oracle and Gen Dyn.
That misleads organizations.
The smarter and more profitable solution is what was specified above:
Position products and advertise them with fierce specificity instead of p***ing money away on cheap tactics everyone and their brother already uses-hence metaphoric pier fishing for new business sales and lead demand.