11 years ago
Successful Content Marketing

What gets measured gets managed (Peter Drucker)

We’ve often heard this famous quote by Peter Drucker. And it’s true…If we don’t set goals and objectives, and then frequently measure against them, we may be moving fast, but we’ll never be sure we’re moving in the right direction.

One of today’s challenges – in this high tech, high touch, engagement, “return-on– relationship” world – is to measure the right thing. We hear of successes calculated by the number of likes one’s Facebook page gets, or by the number of retweets one’s twitter status generated, but are those truly the right numbers to be looking at? In the end, we are still in business and the end result must relay some form of return on investment.

Jay Baer, President of Convince and Convert proposed four specific metrics we need to pay attention to when trying to measure the success of our content marketing:

• Consumption metrics: How many people saw your content?
• Sharing metrics: How often do people share your content through their networks?
• Lead generation metrics: How often do people who see your content become leads?
• Sales metrics: How often do people who see your content become a new consumer

It’s important, while measuring these numbers on the surface, to also dive deeper in order to determine how your different types of content are performing to deliver on your objectives. The golden nugget is in understanding which combination of content type and social/communications platform yields the highest results in terms of leads and sales.

Tools like Google Analytics, Cision Point and Squeeze are a few examples of content monitoring and measuring tools, at different price points. These tools empower you to monitor your content through the various communication channels you choose. But, here’s the thing: though these platforms will provide you with numbers to look at, you need to understand what to do with these numbers, and you need to look at the value those numbers provide.

A starting point for content marketing success is to create content that your consumers can relate to. If you can’t start by gaining the interest of your consumer (or potential consumer), the rest of these metrics won’t help you any. The first step is to understand your audience’s context and look for ways to create an authentic emotional connection. Once you ignite that spark, you will see the initial metrics of consumption and sharing grow. And, depending on the depth and intensity of your connection, the latter metrics – critical to business success – lead generation and sales will follow.

A measurement and monitoring tool can help you understand how your audience is engaging with your content (and other content in your industry). It is then up to you to take those insights and translate them into success.

Are you creating engaging content? Are you measuring your content efforts? And, are you improving your approach to more deeply connect with your audience, and achieve results?

By: Judi Samuels, Content Strategist, Our Kids Media, Inc.

For over 14 years, Judi has focused on building relationships between brands and their audiences. From creating compelling destination marketing campaigns; to creating experiential marketing programs launching a gaming console in Canada; to playing an integral role on developing thought leadership for next generation loyalty programs – each role locked in on developing deep, long–lasting engagement.