If you’re managing sales content or training materials, you’ve probably heard promises about “next-level engagement” and “AI-driven targeting” more times than you can count. But let’s get real: most content campaigns flop because they’re too generic, too complicated, or just plain ignored. This guide is for anyone who actually has to do the work—whether you’re in sales enablement, marketing, or L&D—and wants to get the most out of Bigtincan without drowning in busywork.
Below, I’ll walk you through the honest, practical steps to create and schedule targeted content campaigns in Bigtincan. You’ll get the straight truth about what parts of the platform are worth your time, what to skip, and a few hard-earned tips that’ll save you headaches later.
1. Know What a Content Campaign Really Is (and Isn’t)
Before you start clicking around, let’s clear up what “content campaign” means in Bigtincan. At its core, a campaign is just a way to push specific content—like onboarding docs, training videos, or product sheets—to a group of users, on a schedule you control.
Forget the marketing hype: a Bigtincan campaign is not some magical engagement machine. It won’t write your content for you or make people care. What it can do is:
- Target the right people (or groups) with the right message
- Schedule when content appears (and optionally, disappears)
- Track who views or interacts with it
If you’re hoping for advanced automation, or if you want to run A/B tests directly inside Bigtincan, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to get organized and make sure the right folks see the right stuff, it’s solid.
2. Get Your Content House in Order
You can’t run a targeted campaign if your content is a mess. Take 10 minutes to get this straight before you touch the campaign tools:
- Name your files clearly. “Q2-pricing-update.pdf” beats “final-final-v2.pdf” every time.
- Use folders or channels that map to real workflows. If your sales team thinks in terms of regions or product lines, your content structure should match.
- Check permissions. If your campaign targets a group that can’t access the content (because of folder rules), your launch will faceplant.
Pro tip: Don’t try to fix your whole content library at once. Focus on the specific files you’ll use in your first campaign.
3. Decide Who You’re Targeting (and Why)
Resist the urge to blast content to everyone. Targeting is where most campaigns go wrong: either by being too broad (“all staff”) or too granular (so many tiny groups, you lose track).
- Use existing user groups. Bigtincan lets you target by team, role, region, or custom group. If you don’t have good groups set up, fix that first—it’ll save you time later.
- Have a clear purpose. Are you onboarding new hires? Rolling out price changes to field reps? Don’t just send stuff “because.”
- Double-check group membership. People move around. Make sure your list is current or you’ll get support tickets from confused users.
What not to do: Don’t manually enter a giant list of individual users unless you like pain.
4. Build Your Campaign Step-by-Step
Now, the nuts and bolts. Here’s how to actually create and schedule a targeted campaign in Bigtincan:
a. Start a New Campaign
- Navigate to the Campaigns module in your Bigtincan dashboard. (Depending on your setup, it might be under “Engage,” “Campaigns,” or another custom label.)
- Click “Create Campaign” or the equivalent button.
b. Set Campaign Details
- Name: Make it clear and specific. “North America Q2 Product Update” beats “Q2 Stuff.”
- Description: Use this for your own sanity—future you will thank you.
- Thumbnail (optional): Sometimes helps with visibility, but don’t overthink it.
c. Pick Your Audience
- Select user groups or roles you want to target. Avoid the “All Users” trap unless it’s truly universal content.
- Exclude groups if needed (e.g., don’t send onboarding stuff to the exec team).
d. Add Content
- Attach files, links, or modules from your library.
- Re-order items if presentation order matters.
- Preview the campaign to make sure everything looks right. (Seriously, do this. You’d be surprised how often the wrong file gets attached.)
e. Set Scheduling
- Choose a launch date and time. If you want the content to go live immediately, set it for now.
- Set an expiration date (optional). Good for time-sensitive materials—just don’t forget that people might need access later.
- Enable notifications if you want users to get an email or in-app alert. But be careful: over-notifying leads to tuning out.
f. Review and Launch
- Double-check everything. It’s boring, but mistakes are easy to make.
- Save as draft if you want a second pair of eyes on it.
- Launch when you’re ready.
5. Keep Tracking Simple (and Honest)
Bigtincan gives you analytics, but don’t expect miracles. Here’s what you can realistically track:
- Views: Who opened the content
- Time spent: Rough idea, but don’t treat it as gospel—users leave tabs open
- Completion (for courses): If you’re using training modules
What not to do: Don’t get obsessed with vanity metrics. If your content is critical and people aren’t looking at it, you need to rethink the message or your targeting—not just chase clicks.
6. Iterate—Don’t Overthink
The first campaign you run won’t be perfect. Here’s how to make your next one better:
- Ask for feedback. A quick Slack poll beats guessing.
- Look for patterns. If one team ignores everything, maybe they need content a different way—or not at all.
- Tweak and repeat. Change up your targeting, timing, or content based on real results.
What to ignore: Fancy dashboards and “insights” that don’t actually help you change anything. Focus on what you can act on.
Pro Tips and Pitfalls
- Don’t create a new campaign for every tiny update. Bundle related content where it makes sense.
- Avoid “set it and forget it.” Scheduled campaigns can become invisible if you never review them.
- Skip overcomplicated tagging. Tags are helpful, but don’t build a taxonomy no one will use.
- Be realistic about adoption. No platform can guarantee engagement. Your message matters more than the tool.
Wrap-up: Keep It Simple, Keep Moving
Bigtincan can make your life easier, but only if you use it to solve real problems—not to chase features for their own sake. Start small, keep your campaigns targeted, and don’t get paralyzed by perfectionism. The best campaign is the one you actually send, learn from, and improve next time.
Now go build your first campaign—and remember, you can always clean up as you go.