Effective measurement of content marketing ROI is still very much in its infancy, if the findings of the Content Marketing Institute’s 2015 study* are anything to go by:
“Measurement is a key area where B2B marketers are struggling: Only 21% say they are tracking ROI; however having a documented strategy helps (35% of those with a strategy say they are successful).“
Strategy
Having a documented strategy is absolutely key, otherwise, how do you know what you’re measuring and why. The CMI concludes:
“If we had to pick one key theme that has emerged from this year’s B2B research, it would be this: if you want to be more effective at content marketing, document your strategy”
Assuming you have invested the thought capital and put the strategy together (perhaps using BlogStar’s five moons methodology) what are the most useful metrics for Content Marketing ROI?
Marketer and author, Jay Baer recently outlined four types of content metrics that can be used as a handy classification guide to four levels of Content Marketing ROI calculation. (My hunch is that even if you’re only using level 1 at the moment – you’re already ahead of the game compared to the market as a whole.)
Measurement
1. Consumption Metrics
This is the information easily attainable by putting some Google Analytics behind your blog. Traffic volumes, their source (organic or social), most popular content, keyword performance etc. You start to get a sense of how effective your content is as a sentinel bringing relevant potential customers to your site.
2. Sharing Metrics
How often is your content being shared on social networks? Adding simple counters to blogs for example enable you to measure the number of times each piece of content is shared. These buttons should be prominent, as they have a social validation value too, adding credibility to your brand.
3. Lead Generation Metrics
If you know anything about inbound/content marketing, you should be offering downloads in return for an email address, in order to build your prospect database and make more sales.
4. Sales Metrics
Ultimately you want to be able to show how much revenue has been generated from content marketing activities. Tracking sales back to individual pieces of content is not easy, but back to the acquisition of an email address is certainly possible.
Download our free guide to devising a Content Marketing Strategy here.
*Content Marketing Institute: B2B Content Marketing Trends 2015
Featured Image courtesy: Frankieleon/flickr cc
