Content Strategy That Drives ROI: Key Lessons from Zoe Hawkins
April 8, 2025
One of the most complex yet essential parts of a marketing leader's job is understanding how all marketing functions—whether it's content, SEO, paid advertising, or demand gen—fit into the broader strategy. Too often, we evaluate these functions independently by performance, execution, or strategy rather than as an interconnected driver of growth.
But today, we’re diving specifically into content marketing with Zoe Hawkins, a master of marketing strategy, content execution, and integrated campaigns. Zoe serves as the Director of Content Marketing and Integrated Campaigns at Sumo Logic, where she expertly navigates the intersection of content, product marketing, demand generation, and branding.
During our conversation, we explored several key topics: the evolving role of content marketing within high-growth B2B companies, where content should live in your org chart and why it matters, how to balance creativity and data-driven decision-making in your content strategy, and the pros and cons of outsourcing content versus keeping it in-house.
If you're a marketing leader trying to unlock the full potential of your content team, understand where it fits in your organization, or drive better alignment across marketing functions, this post is packed with insights you won't want to miss. Let's dive in.
According to Zoe, content marketing has expanded far beyond blog posts and whitepapers. In high-growth B2B companies, content must serve multiple purposes—fueling demand generation, enhancing product marketing, and strengthening the brand. Zoe highlighted how content marketing must balance creativity and data-driven decision-making to drive impact.
Content marketing is no longer a siloed function. Zoe emphasized that effective content marketing requires seamless integration across functions like demand gen, product marketing, branding, and even customer success. This insight aligns well with other discussions about marketing's role in broader business strategies, such as CMO-CFO Collaboration for B2B Marketing Growth.
My Take: I couldn’t agree more. I’ve seen firsthand how aligning content with the broader marketing strategy can be a game-changer. One of my favorite strategies is setting up quarterly cross-functional alignment meetings where product marketing, content, and demand gen can map out their initiatives collaboratively. This approach has consistently led to more cohesive campaigns with measurable results.
Tip: Create regular check-ins or joint planning sessions across marketing functions to ensure alignment. When launching new campaigns or developing product content, ensure product marketing, branding, and demand gen are all involved from the start.
One of the most interesting insights from Zoe was her perspective on where content marketing should fit within the organization. At Sumo Logic, content lives under product marketing, which is somewhat unusual but highly effective given their focus on technology.
“Content is the execution arm, the outward projection of everything that product marketing is doing,” Zoe explained.
This unique setup allows Zoe to ensure that content marketing aligns with the company’s broader messaging and positioning efforts. It also keeps content closely tied to product launches, competitive research, and strategic initiatives—a model other marketing leaders might consider adopting.
For further exploration of how marketing leadership integrates with other functions, check out CMO-CTO Alignment for B2B Marketing Growth.
My Take: I’ve always found it fascinating how companies position content within their org structures. Zoe’s approach of housing content under product marketing makes sense, especially for technical industries. For me, ensuring content marketing has a seat at the table during product strategy discussions has proven invaluable for building campaigns that resonate.
Tip: Consider embedding content marketing within product marketing if your business is highly technical or product-focused. This structure ensures that content remains closely aligned with messaging and product evolution.
Zoe described how outsourcing content creation can be valuable when the scope and expectations are clearly defined. However, she also pointed out that establishing a cohesive content strategy is best handled in-house.
“Half the time, it’s easier for me to just do it myself or delegate to my team if I have to put together such a solid brief for an external partner.”
Relatedly, check out Building an Annual Marketing Plan for more insights on integrating internal and external resources.
My Take: I’ve often found that maintaining ownership of strategy in-house leads to the best results. It’s not just about content production; it’s about ensuring that the content is tied to larger business goals. That’s why I always recommend marketing leaders treat agencies as extensions of their team, not replacements.
Tip: When outsourcing, provide agencies or freelancers with detailed briefs, including audience personas, messaging guidelines, and expected outcomes. The clearer the brief, the better the output.
A common struggle for marketing leaders is accurately measuring the impact of their content. Zoe highlighted how using tools like HockeyStack to implement a multi-touch attribution model has been a game-changer at Sumo Logic.
“Blogs contributed X amount of dollars to the pipeline as a whole, and we can now drill into which pieces of content are most valuable.”
Related reading: B2B Marketing and RevOps.
My Take: Measurement is a pain point I hear about all the time from my clients. Implementing robust attribution models has helped me make more informed decisions about what’s working and what’s not. I recommend starting with a simple multi-touch attribution model and iterating as you gather more data.
Tip: Implement a multi-touch attribution model to identify which content assets contribute most to revenue. Regularly review reports to identify top-performing content and replicate successful strategies.
My conversation with Zoe Hawkins was packed with valuable insights that marketing leaders can immediately apply to their own content strategies. From organizational structure to attribution and content updates, her experience offers a practical roadmap for maximizing content’s impact.
For more insights from other marketing leaders, explore our C-Suite Series.
I built the CMO mentorship I wish I had—because too many marketing leaders are figuring it out alone. At Growth Activated, we help B2B marketers bridge the gap between execution and executive leadership, equipping you with the strategic mindset, frameworks, and hands-on guidance to drive impact at every stage of growth. From scaling multi-million-dollar organizations to leading SaaS startups, I’ve been in your shoes—and now, I’m here to help you step into the marketing leader you’re meant to be. Whether you need a strategic marketing plan, expert coaching, or team training, Growth Activated gives you the tools to lead with confidence and deliver measurable results.
