The need to address transparency in content marketing today

Since the early days of the modern internet, the creation and consumption of digital content has been steadily rising. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an increased focus on content syndication in the B2B marketing space, as companies seek to maximize the distribution and impact of their content across various channels and platforms to increase awareness, bolster lead generation, and improve ROI.

However, while the growth of content hasn’t slowed, our relationship to the broader digital ecosystem as both consumers and businesses has evolved rapidly, making the development of effective and compliant content syndication strategies significantly more challenging and complex.

More specifically, beyond coping with an overcrowded marketplace, B2B marketers must adapt to address increasing concerns around data privacy from users and regulatory institutions. And this is by no means an easy feat, particularly in 2024, as much of our industry has become distracted by an expanding array of shiny objects, whether it’s the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), Google’s eventual decision on cookie deprecation, or advanced automation and personalization tools.

Put simply, while advancing technologies may be useful towards navigating the current climate, what marketers should really be demanding from their providers is adherence to a new standard of absolute transparency, and one that ensures both constant compliance and the elimination of opaque syndication practices.

Challenges in all directions

To fully appreciate the urgent need for transparency in content syndication, it’s important to understand that it is a multifaceted issue and corresponds to a variety of challenges facing B2B marketers today.

Among the most obvious of these hurdles are those related to the evolving climate around data privacy. In recent years, heightened global concerns have led to the introduction of new laws and requirements. This includes Europe’s General Data Protections Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), both of which have already placed limitations on how businesses collect and utilize audience data and will only continue to drive stricter and more broadly enforced compliance initiatives.

However, regulatory institutions aren’t the only ones cracking down on data privacy. Even in the absence of stricter legal requirements, there is still the need to address consumer expectations, which have already dramatically reshaped how businesses capture and leverage user data at scale.

For example, demands for enhanced data protections have led to the development of Google’s Privacy Sandbox, an initiative focused on preventing the strategic tracking of user activity. Most notably, the company recently intended to eliminate third-party cookies from its Chrome browser, forcing marketers to rely on obtaining explicit consent before collecting data. And even though this move was recently abandoned, Google will move forward with letting users choose whether to accept cookies. It’s worth noting, however, that Chrome currently hosts more than 65% of online activity globally, and research has shown that 70% of users will block tracking when given the choice.

Transparency in content syndication isn’t just about following the rules to protect users or meet compliance requirements. It’s about helping marketers ensure their content is well placed and leads are high quality. This is especially crucial as audiences become harder to reach within an overcrowded digital ecosystem. The reality is, while syndication providers have long operated in a “black box” perpetuating these opaque practices, this is no longer tenable.

Secure advantages in current and future markets

Calling for a new transparency standard and framework for content syndication is so much more than a short-term fix to the immediate challenges facing today’s market; it’s an essential task for any brand or agency looking to bring their capabilities and marketing strategies into alignment with the modern era in a more permanent and sustainable way.

Consider the rising importance of data management and analysis in effective account-based marketing (ABM) strategies. At the end of the day, the main purpose of a multi-channel approach with content syndication is to reach new audiences and improve ROI, which in today’s market requires the ability to access and intelligently evaluate all relevant data. However, to be sure that all information is both accurate and obtained in compliance with regulations, marketers need full transparency from outside content syndication and lead generation providers regarding the tactics they use to capture, process, and evaluate audience data.

On compliance more specifically, businesses across industries continue to struggle with their own processes around data privacy and security, never mind those associated with the providers they rely on to distribute their content. Research published in 2023 reveals that nearly 75% of companies believe they could do better at protecting their data. Ensuring the security of consumer data is no longer an option but a requirement for any business hoping to thrive in today’s increasingly digital ecosystem.

Ensuring transparency in content syndication isn’t just a legal requirement—it’s about ethical responsibility. Brands and agencies alike are calling for it and that is why one of my first actions as CEO is to establish new transparency standards, as respecting the values and preferences of audiences is more crucial than ever before. Frankly, the only alternative would be placing blind trust in whoever promises the most attractive results and putting your brand’s image as well as its regulatory posture at serious risk in the process.

Keith Turco is the CEO of Madison Logic.