Ever since we started using the phrase “content marketing,” we’ve struggled with how to measure what it does for us.
It’s not because content marketing is ineffective. Paradoxically, it’s because it has so many benefits that it’s hard to measure any one.
Some activities act like boomerangs. We send them out, and they come right back.
Direct response ads are boomerangs. You spend $1 on Facebook ads, and you’re looking to get more than $1 back.
Other activities create ripples. They cause an effect that spreads out, but it can take some time for the benefits to come back to us. And when they do, it’s not always obvious exactly where they came from.
Today I thought it would be useful to look at some of the measurable ways content can help your project, as well as a few hard-to-measure benefits that can be tremendously meaningful.
What does content do?
Content lets people know you’re there
I’ve talked before about “A” being the first letter of so many copywriting formulas. It stands for either Attention or Awareness — and either way, until someone notices you, there’s no way to have a conversation.
Lots of businesses only use content to generate awareness, but that’s short-sighted.
Simple attention is very measurable. Tracking clicks and views is easy. This can create immediate “boomerang” benefits, and it also creates a longer ripple benefit as awareness converts to purchases over time.
Even more useful is to track sign-ups for more in-depth content . This is usually an email list of some kind, but there are a few other possibilities as well.
Content moves your prospect along a buyer’s path
This is probably my favorite use of content. When you understand the customer journey (to use a bit of marketing jargon), you know what they need in order to keep moving forward.
Content allows your audience to self-educate and make an informed decision without you trying to micromanage the process. (You can always try, but it’s easier said than done.)
This is also one you can measure. When you know what the buyer’s path looks like, you can set up measurement milestones along the way. A milestone could be downloading a white paper or buyer’s guide. Or it can simply be a click on a link in an email message.
Content used to support ads also does this, and it’s included in the “boomerang” category. A smart content sequence will nearly always make an ad perform better and improve conversions, both in the short and the longer term.
Content builds your reputation
When you publish a lot of worthwhile, useful material, you earn your audience’s sustained attention and respect.
That translates to business for you, assuming you’re strategically presenting offers when it’s appropriate. But it also translates to speaking opportunities, business partnerships, interesting projects, word of mouth, referrals, and just … honestly, some really good friendships.
This is where attaching metrics starts to get a little fuzzy, and fall more into the “ripple” category.
Example: In 2019, my blog content led to a juicy speaker invitation. That led to an enduring business (and personal) friendship. Over time, that ended up turning into several projects, and eventually a whole new product — our Creative Fierce community for content professionals.
That’s just one example of a series of ever-widening ripples that started with content.
Content helps people
This sounds super kumbaya, I know. (Hey, that’s how I roll.)
But when people come back to me and tell me a course, program, or even a blog post was truly useful in helping them do something that matters to them — that’s an enduring win for me.
Sometimes this can be measured. 21 percent of the folks who have taken my free Coursera class say that they started a new career after taking it, and 25 percent say they got a “tangible career benefit.”
But the most heart-warming ones, I admit, are the individual stories about a business started or improved, greater professional confidence, or just “I needed to hear this today.”
Content elevates your platform
We talk about developing a “platform” to promote books, businesses, or sponsors.
But having a platform also lets you stand up for what you care about. It could be human rights, refugee relief, or voting access. It could also be color theory, meditation, or the Oxford comma.
I don’t recommend overloading professional content with every single non-work cause you care about. But what you believe and who you are professionally are always intertwined.
Content amplifies your voice to express who you are as a whole human being. And that’s pretty damn cool, actually.
That’s The Fierce for today!
