As marketing evolves, so must our methods for measuring its success. In the past, we relied largely on clicks and impressions to evaluate how well our content was performing. But with the rise of content marketing, these measures, on their own, are no longer enough.
Below, we'll explore some key metrics to help you measure the effectiveness of your content marketing strategy and identify the best measure of content marketing for you. Stay tuned!
Why Is Measuring Content Marketing Important?
Without content marketing, your website is just a digital ghost town left languishing in the internet's dark corners, gathering digital dust and cobwebs. Search engines want to show relevant results to users who type in keywords related to your business. The only way they can do that is if you have high-quality content on your site that's also relevant to what users are searching for.
That's why content marketing is so valuable. It’s an important tool to grow your business and brand.
By creating great content, you're helping potential customers find your brand and boosting your chances of conversion. Not to mention, content marketing has some pretty impressive ROI. So if you want to generate more leads and sales for your business, focus on creating great content. Measuring content can also help businesses determine what kinds of topics and assets are more likely to drive engagement and conversions. Companies can then tweak their content strategy with these findings.
10 Tips to Get Started with Measuring Content Marketing Performance
If you're like most content marketers, you may be aware that you should be tracking your progress but still need help in figuring out where to begin.
Here are ten tips to help you get started with measuring your efforts to improve content marketing ROI:
1. Set content goals.
Before you can hit a target, you need to know what it is you're aiming for. The same is true of content marketing. With specific content marketing goals in mind, measuring your progress and determining whether your efforts are successful will be easier.
So, what do you want to achieve with your content marketing? More new and returning website visitors? More leads? More sales?
Once you have some content goals in mind, you'll be able to measure your progress better.
2. Identify your target audience.
Who are you trying to reach with your content? Once you know your target audience, you can track which pieces of content resonate with them and which are falling flat. By taking the time to understand your audience and what they're looking for, you can ensure that your content marketing efforts are always on target.
3. Determine the right metrics.
When deciding how to measure content marketing success, there are many different metrics out there, so it's important to choose the ones that will best help you meet your goals. For example, if your goal is to increase website traffic, you'll want to track things like pageviews and unique visitors. But if your goal is to increase conversion rates, you'll want to follow click-through rates and time on site. The key here is to choose metrics you can influence through your content marketing program.
4. A/B test whenever possible.
A/B testing (or split testing) is a great way to compare two pieces of content side-by-side and see which one performs better. By testing different versions of your content, you can better understand what works and what doesn't — and then make changes accordingly.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to start incorporating A/B testing as part of your content marketing strategy. After all, why leave things to chance?
5. Work with an agency.
If this is too high a lift for your team, consider working with an experienced content marketing agency that can handle all aspects of measurement. Not only will they provide valuable insights and recommendations, but they'll also be able to take care of all the legwork so that you can focus on other aspects of running your business.
6. Pay attention to all channels.
In today's ever-changing media landscape, it's important to pay attention to all channels. That means producing great content and understanding how it's performing across channels.
A cross-platform content strategy expands your reach and builds credibility for your company. By staying current with the most recent trends and advancements, you can make sure that your content strategy is always on point.
7. Create a timeline.
You’ll want to decide whether you’ll measure progress on a monthly or quarterly basis. This will help keep you accountable and on track, while also adjusting the content calendar based on real-time results. Next, choose the metrics that are most important to you. This could include website traffic, social media engagement or lead generation. Once you've selected your metrics, it's time to start tracking them! Keep an eye on your progress over time and adjust your content strategy as needed.
8. Experiment with different content formats.
Experiment with different formats if you need help determining what type of content yields the best results. Try various types of content, such as videos, infographics or blog posts. Incorporating visual storytelling will help you find the right mix for your audience. And don't be afraid to experiment. The worst that can happen is that you'll learn something new. So go ahead and give it a try. Who knows? You might create a viral hit!
9. Use marketing tools and software to measure progress.
As any good marketer knows, data is essential for making informed decisions. Knowing what's working and what isn't is critical for achieving success. And when it comes to content marketing, many tools and software programs can help you measure your content marketing success. Google Analytics, for example, is a free and easy-to-use platform that provides detailed insights into website traffic and user behavior.
By tracking key metrics such as page views, bounce rate and time on site, you can see what's working and what needs improvement. Utilizing these tools can help you make data-driven decisions that will ultimately lead to better content and more successful content marketing campaigns.
10. Outsource content and repurpose content.
When it comes to content marketing, quality is more important than quantity. That's why it's a good idea to outsource content development, outsource blog posts or repurpose existing content instead of starting from scratch every time. This will save you time and money in the long run. NYTLicensing is a great way to obtain licensed content. With little effort, you can easily find high-quality content to help you achieve your content marketing goals.
By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to measuring — and improving — your content marketing strategy!
7 Key Content Marketing Goals to Track
If you're like most content marketers, you're always looking for ways to generate leads through your content marketing efforts.. After all, leads are the lifeblood of any business, and the better your leads are, the better your chances of success. Fortunately, a few key metrics can give you a good indication of lead quality and have a better understanding of your content marketing ROI.
Here are seven content marketing metrics that you should pay attention to:
1. Lead Quality
The first metric you should focus on is lead quality. After all, what's the point of generating lots of leads if they're not going to convert? To assess lead quality, look at factors like your leads' sources, demographics and user behavior on your website.
2. Social Media Engagement
Social media is a great way to reach new audiences and promote your content. But it's also important to track your social media followers' engagement. Look at metrics like likes, comments, shares and clicks to get an idea of how well your content performs on social media.
3. Email Open Rates
Email is still one of the most effective ways to reach your audience. When sending out curated content newsletters and emails, pay attention to open rates to gauge how interested people are in your content. A low open rate could mean that your subject lines need work or that your email list needs to be updated.
4. Website Traffic/On-site Engagement
Engagement metrics help gauge how well your target audience interacts with your content. Consider the following questions when investigating success:
- Is your content compelling enough to get people to stick around and read it? Are they sharing it with their friends and colleagues?
- How many people are coming to your website? Once they arrive on the site, how many pages per session are they visiting?
- Are they reading your content, clicking on links, or taking other desired actions?
- Keep an eye on your website traffic and engagement metrics to see how well your content performs and the keyword rankings for each piece of content.
5. Conversions
Ultimately, any marketing campaign aims to generate leads and sales. Content marketing is no different. You can see how well your content drives results by paying attention to conversion rates. Track website conversions (sales, sign-ups, form fills, etc.) and email and social media conversions. Identify trends and adjust your strategy accordingly.
6. Loyalty and Retention
It's easier — and cheaper — to keep customers happy and engaged than it is to bring in new ones constantly. But how can you tell if your marketing efforts resonate with your audience? By paying attention to a few key content marketing metrics, of course! Ideally, editorial content, empathetic marketing, authentic content and long-term relationship building should be priorities if you want to create a loyal customer base.
7. Brand Awareness
This measures how well your target audience knows and recognizes your brand. You can increase brand awareness by creating unique and educational content, leveraging the voice of top leaders in your industry, and getting exposure through curated content, such as newsletters, articles, emails and reports.
Attention to these key metrics will give you a good idea of where your leads are coming from and how they interact with your content. Armed with this information, you can make the necessary adjustments to improve your lead quality and increase your chances of success.
What Are the Best Content Marketing Metrics for Determining Success?
Are you feeling lost when it comes to content marketing metrics? You're not alone — trying to keep track of all the different analytics and identifying the best measure of content marketing can be a daunting task. But don't despair! Below, we'll give you a crash course on content marketing metrics.
Content marketing metrics are simply standards of measurement that highlight how your content is performing. Below are some metrics companies can track:
Social Media Engagement:
Social media engagement measures how much others engage with (think likes and comments) or share your content on social media.
Web Traffic:
Traffic refers to the number of people visiting your website or blog. A successful piece of content marketing will help you increase website traffic.
CTRs:
Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who click on a link after seeing it.
Email Opt-In Rates:
Email opt-in rates refer to the number of people who sign up for your email list after seeing your content. This metric has become even more important as companies are forced to move to a first-party data strategy due to new regulations and consumer concerns about privacy.
Conversion Rates:
A conversion rate is a metric used to measure the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, such as filling out a form, making a purchase, or signing up for a newsletter. Measuring and monitoring conversion rates is particularly significant when using content marketing to generate leads. It helps businesses understand the effectiveness of their marketing strategy to help achieve specific goals.
Web Comments:
Web comments refer to text-based written responses or reactions left by users on websites, and are typically left below blog posts or articles. They offer an interactive space for readers to respond to engaging content, ask questions, provide feedback, and share their opinions.
Time on Page/ Bounce Rate:
Time on Page and Bounce Rate are two web analytics metrics used to better understand user behavior on a site. Time on Page measures the average time site visitors spend on a specific webpage. A longer time spent on a page indicates that visitors are finding the content engaging and valuable.
Bounce rate calculates the percentage of visitors who navigate away from a website after viewing only one page, without clicking through to view other pages. A high bounce rate can suggest that site visitors did not find the page relevant to their query.
Tracking these different content marketing metrics will give you valuable insight into how well your content performs. With this knowledge, you can make adjustments to improve your results.
Choosing the Right Metrics to Measure Performance
It’s critical for businesses and organizations to select which content measurement metrics are appropriate for gauging performance. Each business may choose to focus on a different set of performance metrics, and it’s important to ensure the metrics align with greater brand objectives while providing meaningful insights into the success of various content marketing campaigns. Furthermore, choosing the right content marketing metrics to measure helps companies to create data-driven decisions and strategies in their marketing.
Final Thoughts
There's no denying that content marketing works. But what's the best way to go about it? Should you produce all the content yourself or outsource some (or all) of it?
Here at NYTLicensing, we believe outsourcing your content is the way to go. After all, why tie up your resources when you can use ours? In addition, we have a team of experienced writers who can produce high-quality, engaging content on any topic you need. Plus, we're always updating our library with fresh material, so you'll always have new ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions About Measuring Content Marketing
As any marketer knows, measurement is essential to determine whether or not your content marketing efforts are paying off. But with so many different metrics, it can take time to know where to start. To help you out, we've compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions about measuring content marketing’s effectiveness:
How do you measure content marketing effectiveness?
The answer to this question depends on your goals and objectives. For example, if you're looking to increase brand awareness, you'll want to focus on metrics like web traffic and social media engagement. On the other hand, if you're trying to drive conversions, you'll want to pay attention to things like leads generated and sales attributed to your content. Ultimately, the best way to measure content marketing effectiveness is to align your metrics with your business goals.
What are some common measures of content marketing success?
There are several ways to measure content marketing success. One is engagement, which you can measure by things like the number of social media shares, comments and likes a piece of content receives. Another common measure is website traffic, which you can monitor using Google Analytics or another web analytics tool. Finally, many marketers track leads and sales generated by their content through contact forms or phone calls.
What's the best analytics tool to track my content marketing performance?
The best way to track your content marketing performance is to use a dedicated tracking tool like Google Analytics. With Google Analytics, you can track web traffic, time on page, conversion rates and other important metrics. You can also use analytics tools like BuzzSumo and Hootsuite Insights to track social media engagement and other forms of reach.
How often should I measure my content marketing?
The answer depends on your goals and objectives. Many businesses choose to measure success based on the flight of their campaigns. The key is to find the right balance for your business.
How can I improve my content marketing measurement process?
The first step is to set clear goals and objectives. Once you know what you're trying to achieve, you can select the appropriate metrics. It would be best if you involved stakeholders in the process so that everyone understands the goals and agrees on the metrics used. With clear goals and buy-in from all stakeholders, you can start measuring your content marketing more effectively.
No matter what metric you're tracking, keeping an eye on your progress over time is important. By regularly measuring your content marketing performance, you can make adjustments as needed and ensure that your efforts are paying off.
How do you measure content marketing ROI?
The formula to measure content marketing ROI calculates the cost of content creation, production, strategy management, distribution and the software and tools required,, subtracted from the revenue made over that period. You then divide that number by the total amount invested, and multiply it by 100 to get the percentage. Please find a helpful graphic of the content marketing ROI formula below:
