Okay, if you’re doing content marketing, you need to know if it’s paying off. But figuring out that ROI (return on investment) can be a headache. There’s a million metrics out there…so which ones should you actually be sweating? Let’s break it down.
Wait, What Is Content Marketing ROI, Anyway? It’s tempting to think of content marketing ROI as something like “Did this blog post immediately cause a sale?” But it’s bigger than that. Content marketing ROI means:
- Awareness: Are more people finding your brand?
- Feeling good about you: Do people trust you more after engaging with your stuff?
- Engagement: Are they clicking, sharing, actually reading to the end?
- Leads: Are you getting qualified people interested in what you sell?
- Sales!: This is the ultimate goal, of course!
The trick is, it takes time. Content marketing is a long game.
The Right Metrics: Your BFFs for Understanding ROI Don’t get lost in the data! Here’s what to zero in on:
- Traffic: How many people are landing on your site? Where are they coming from? This shows if your content is reaching folks.
- Engagement: Are people sticking around to read your whole post? Clicking links? Sharing on social media? This tells you if you’re providing value!
- Conversions: This is where the rubber hits the road. Are people signing up for your newsletter, downloading your guides, etc.?
- Feeling the Love: Keeping track of positive comments, reviews, and social media mentions helps you see if people are starting to become brand fans. Hard to measure, but SO important.
- Search Power: Ranking high on Google is huge, right? Track which keywords you’re ranking for, and how that improves over time.
Crunching the Numbers Okay, you’ve got data. Now what? Here’s a simplified way to think of ROI:
- Figure out your $$ spent: This covers creating content, paying people to promote it, any tools you use, etc.
- Figure out the $$ value you gained: New sales are easy to track. But new leads, more brand awareness…that’s trickier! Still, do your best to estimate a dollar value.
- The magic formula: (Value Gained – Money Spent) / Money Spent x 100 = ROI%
Don’t stop there! Use Your Data Wisely The real ROI magic is figuring out what the metrics are telling you:
- What’s crushing it? Double down on those types of content!
- Where’s room to improve? Test different headlines, calls to action, etc., and see if it improves your results.
- Who’s your perfect audience? Look at who engages the most, and tailor more content towards them.
The Wrap-Up Tracking content marketing ROI can be confusing, but don’t overthink it. Focus on the metrics that actually tell you if people are connecting with your brand, and use that data to refine your strategy as you go. It’s a constant learning process – and honestly, that’s part of the fun!
Need more help figuring this out for your specific brand? Hit me up!
