Content marketing has become so crucial, that it alone can make or break a brand. As consumers go through blogs, websites, and social media before investing in new products and services, organizations need to figure out what people want to know. It is vital to drive content that answers questions, even if they are lurking only in the minds of people.
Good content tells consumers what adds value. It helps understand what you offer and drives your audience toward purchase. Marketers use white papers, infographics, visuals, videos, and slideshows depending on who is likely to use it and when. Such content is distributed on suitable platforms for maximum reach, but you need to check if you are actually getting closer to your goals. Here are 8 ways to do it!
1. Website metrics
The website is one of the first channels that prospects visit to gain more information about a company. Web analytics helps you understand the kind of content that works and pages that need improvement. It helps you understand what fluctuations in Page view, Time on site, Crawl rate, and Bounce rate actually mean for your business
2. Organic traffic
Content is distributed across various platforms for people at large to reach your web assets. Measure the organic traffic from search engines for specific keywords. It will give you an idea about how well users connect with your content. Utilize a healthy mix of SEO and social media to get your content before the right audience.
3. Social media metrics
Social media is one of the largest sources of big data. Analyze social activities to get a pulse of the kind of thoughts users might have. Analyze metrics such as likes, shares, comments, reach, re-tweets, mentions, and views to understand what will make your content click.
4. Email metrics
Organizations regularly send brochures and newsletters through email-marketing platforms. Media technology can help you understand metrics such as email opens, CTRs, and conversions to gauge how relevant your campaigns are proving to be.
5. Qualitative analysis
Combine dry data with qualitative analysis. Incorporate sentiment-analysis tools to scan conversations. Turn your web properties into communities, and foster discussions and brand loyalty by incorporating their feedback. Aim to convert all negatives into positives, thereby becoming a responsive, responsible customer-centric brand.
6. Leads and subscribers
A heavy fan following is not good enough. Users need to be converted into revenue generators, and hence, measuring leads becomes essential. One way to gather leads is using sign-ups on websites, sending emails, and freemium offers. Such information can be part of your CMS and those prospects can be cultivated into paying customers. For example, it is reported that a company enjoyed 35% conversion by combining email with valuable content as a strategy.
7. Thought leadership
A good content marketing strategy can turn a business into thought leaders. Informative case studies, high-quality brochures, and out-of-the-box whitepapers can give businesses an edge. Measuring thought leadership is important. Monitor if other companies reference your content and how often experts wish to contribute to your content base. If you are receiving requests to participate in thought leadership and panel discussions, it is a sign that your content is generating enough traction.
8. Conversions
The ultimate measure of success through content marketing is revenue. Conversions can occur across many touch points in the consumer marketplace and they help drive your brand value. Keeping the strategy in focus will ultimately lead to sales.
Like any other strategy, a content strategy needs to be aligned with its objective. Organizations need to define a string of metrics that can give insights into how well the company’s content is performing. By referring to analytical reports on a frequent basis, the strategy can be altered and redesigned to align with the end goal of revenue.
