Planning season is in full swing for many content marketers, so the #ContentChat community traded tips on how to best approach reporting and measurement cycles. Read the full conversation below, which explores how to quantify content marketing success, best practices for presenting the data, and the tools you should adopt to support ongoing measurement of your activities.

Q1: Are you working on a 2019 year-in-review content marketing analysis or another reporting project right now? If so, what do you hope to learn? If not, why not?

Many marketers start the new year by analyzing the success of the previous year’s content. Typically, they’re looking to see what types of content performed best, how different channels stacked up, and what topics they should explore next.

A1 That’s on the calendar for tomorrow, actually. I’ve only been in this job for a month and a half, but we’re gonna look at the entire year’s metrics and discuss what worked and didn’t. Good times! #contentchat

— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) January 13, 2020

A1: I am. Most interested to learn what formats performed the best.#ContentChat

— Danielle Bullen Love (@daniellewriter) January 13, 2020

A1 #contentchat We tend to do that as the year closes so in December. We looked at growth metrics and their performance. This gave us insight on where to focus on in 2020 at a holistic level. Then we dove in specific channels and content types to find the growth triggers.

— Bruce Deschamps (@brucedesch) January 13, 2020

A1: I’m reviewing my writing from the past year to see what topics I want to explore this year. It’s exciting! #ContentChat

— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) January 13, 2020

Q1: I’ve been working on the social media report gor Visme and we are looking at switching to bigger and better tools for 2020. #ContentChat

— Orana Velarde (@OranaCreative) January 13, 2020

A1. Definitely doing this. Hope to learn the balance of assets created in 2019 and the value add vs the repurposing we have done. Also it particular subjects were more popular than others. https://t.co/JjCvwWf83L

— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) January 13, 2020

A1. I worked on several 2019 reviews to come up with our 2020 recommendations. I have learned that for my clients, simple additions are easier to implement than huge changes. #ContentChat

— Janette Speyer (@JanetteSpeyer) January 13, 2020

A1: I’m with @MLLNNLmotivator here. I’m looking forward and continuing the goals I put in place in 2019. I reviewed 2019 analytics, but I don’t plan on sharing them. They will just help me move forward.#ContentChat

— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) January 13, 2020

A1: Yup! We waited until the year closed so that we could include December numbers as well. We provide insights and recommendations for optimization. #ContentChat

— Berrak Sarikaya 👩🏻‍💻| B2B Strategist (@BerrakBiz) January 13, 2020

A1. We just presented ours last week! Happily, it provided a lot of affirmations that our current content strategy is taking us in the right direction! It also offered valuable insights on what content was best received. #ContentChat

— GreenRope (@GreenRope) January 13, 2020

That said, annual content audits are not conducted by all marketers, or they are just one piece of the measurement puzzle. We’ll explore some different reporting cadences in Q8.

Yeah, my mantra is #ContinuousImprovement.

Go for singles, not home runs. A home run strategy is a fool’s game.

To figure out how to improve you need to understand where you are now. Every day is a new starting point.
#DontJustDoStuff #ContentChat

— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) January 13, 2020

A1) #contentchat We tend to analyze as we go in order to try new things or repeat successes, but a full year in could be interesting.

— Diana Richardson (@DianaRich013) January 13, 2020

[Read more…] about January 13, 2020 Content Chat Recap: Best Practices for Content Marketing Reporting and Measurement

Basing marketing decisions on your gut and hoping for the best is one approach, but most pros know that using data is the best way to guide a successful strategy. If you’re torn between two approaches, or want to test how different elements on your marketing collateral may impact your audience, A/B testing is the way to go.

In this #ContentChat, community staple Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick), marketing manager at Marcel Digital, gave us the 101 on A/B testing and explained how it can improve your content marketing performance.

Let’s do a quick #contentchat poll. How many of you are currently doing some A/B testing of your content?

— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) March 25, 2019

Q1: What is A/B testing? And why should I be using it as a content marketer?

A/B testing involves testing two versions of some marketing collateral (web page, newsletter headline, email subject line, social content and imagery, etc.) with a segment of your audience. Part of your audience sees version A, part sees version B, and the rest will see the version that performed best (based on your goals for the content).

A1: A/B testing is presenting two versions of the same web page, or specific page elements, to a split audience and measuring which one will ultimately engage your audience at a higher level. Winner becomes the page your audience will ultimately see. #ContentChat

— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) March 25, 2019

A1: An a/b test is essentially an experiment. You should two similar, but slightly varied (maybe different copy or different images, for ex) pages or ads to a user. You’re testing to see which version performs better. #contentchat

— Brafton (@Brafton) March 25, 2019

A1: It’s a bit like going to the optometrist: “#1 or #2” — the goal is to find out which option is clearer or prettier or whatever it is you want. #ContentChat https://t.co/EFmNJiz4TD

— Jen Brass Jenkins (@chrliechaz) March 25, 2019

A/B testing allows you to collect data on different approaches to see which performs better.

A1b. A/B testing allows you test hypotheses on how to make your content, layouts, or calls to action engage your audience more effectively, so you can always be sure you’re providing the best experience to your users. #ContentChat

— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) March 25, 2019

A1: A/B testing is the most scientific way to ensure that your creativity isn’t just a hunch, it’s working to drive results for your organizations. #ContentChat

— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) March 25, 2019

A/B Testing is the perfect way to experiment and see what resonates with your audience! For instance, sending the same newsletter but half with a catchier headline to a segmented list helps determine what your audience is attracted to and actually clicks. #ContentChat https://t.co/sNJb6lH5LJ

— The Karcher Group (@KarcherGroup) March 25, 2019

A1. The core of A/b testing is presenting two options of a web layout (a landing page, a banner, an ad, a piece of content) to a segmented part of audience. This way, there’s no need to rely on hypothesis about the effeciency of either. Data will gove you the answer. #contentchat

— Pitchbox App (@PitchboxApp) March 25, 2019

A1: There will be many technical answers here. For me, I tell clients this:
“You really can’t decide which idea would work better? There’s a way to prove it. Let’s put a little money where everyone’s mouth is and see what happens.” (Used and proven many times.) #ContentChat pic.twitter.com/T0HhwNxGRT

— Shawn Paul Wood (@ShawnPaulWood) March 25, 2019

A1: “A/B testing is essentially an experiment where two or more variants of a page are shown to users at random, and statistical analysis is used to determine which variation performs better for a given conversion goal.” ~ @optimizely #contentchat

— Shelly Lucas (@pisarose) March 25, 2019

[Read more…] about March 25, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Improving Content Marketing Performance Through A/B Testing

Google Analytics is a must-have tool to get the data needed to optimize your content marketing strategy, but many pros may not know where to begin or how to get the most value from the platform.

#ContentChat regular Tod Cordill (@TodCordill), principal at Moderno Strategies, is an expert on the topic, and he took the hot seat to share how you can improve your content marketing attribution with Google Analytics goals and dashboards.

In true Tod fashion, let’s start with a joke:

Q. Why was the SEO expert late for work?

A. Too much traffic#contentchat

— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) March 18, 2019

Q1: What are the benefits of setting up a Google Analytics dashboard? And what should I include in it?

Google Analytics gives you the data you need to measure against your goals. The dashboard can show how your content is performing and whether you are tracking toward your goals.

A1. Google Analytics helps to understand:

High & low performing content
Which content helps achieve goals
Data useful for continuous improvement and determining ROI

A dashboard can provide a performance overview. Your GOALs determine what to include. #ContentChat

— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) March 18, 2019

A1. With Google Analytics, marketers can:
-Get an overview of all channels that are directing traffic to your site.
-Track conversions.
-Track customer engagement.
-Find out what devices your visitors are using to get to your site.
And more..#ContentChathttps://t.co/Fw5sD3eGjm

— Dianna Albanese (@dialbanese) March 18, 2019

Dashboards give a simple look at the KPIs that matter to your company decision makers, and Google Analytics can be the key to communicating your marketing ROI.

A1. Having @GoogleAnalytics is important + fundamental in tracking website performance + tracking marketing ROI – having a dashboard showing metrics / reports that are tied to your job are important. This includes traffic, site KPIs (TOS, BR, etc), + conversions. #ContentChat

— Patrick Delehanty (@fulldelmonte) March 18, 2019

A1 Easy sharing with execs and people you need to influence. Maintain a high-level dashboard, and separate dashboards for deeper dives that influence awareness and revenue goals #contentchat

— Dan Goldberg (@Jonas419) March 18, 2019

The data also provides audience insights, including how people are discovering your content and what content they engage with. This can help guide your content roadmap to reach your goals.

A1: By using Google Analytics, you can see where your content is coming from so you can learn how your audience discovers you.

You can also see which content performs the best on your site, which indicates what you might want to create more of. #ContentChat

— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) March 18, 2019

“which indicates what you might want to create more of”

I totally agree. This allows #marketing to be continually improved. #ContentChat https://t.co/zV9yn2Csgy

— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) March 18, 2019

So true. Otherwise, you are just creating content for yourself, and not to meet your audience needs. #ContentChat

— Erika Heald | Content Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) March 18, 2019

A1. I’m a huge pessimist, so I see the biggest benefit of setting up a dashboard in seeing what’s wrong. What’s up with bounce rate at certain content pages, how much time people spend there —> all that to make assumptions about the tweaks to make. #contentchat

— Pitchbox App (@PitchboxApp) March 18, 2019

[Read more…] about March 18, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Improving Content Marketing Attribution with Google Analytics Goals and Dashboards

Although digital marketing brings with it an unprecedented ability to measure marketing’s effectiveness, it’s not without its challenges. Many marketers struggle with accurately tracking and attributing content’s role in moving leads through the sales funnel. That’s why we brought the #ContentChat community together this week to talk about content marketing attribution.

Q1: Let’s start by getting on the same page. Within the context of digital marketing, what is attribution?

Attribution is how you give credit to the marketing activities that drive to sales.

A1: Google defines attributions as “set of rules, that determines how credit for sales and conversions is assigned to touchpoints in conversion paths.” https://t.co/lZDAISgnBQ #contentchat

— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) July 30, 2018

A1b: What’s really important about attribution is that businesses need take into account all of the interactions a potential customer has with your brand to understand what’s actually working. #contentchat

— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) July 30, 2018

A1: In simple terms, Attribution = Showing who drove what. #ContentChat https://t.co/IgqbopsU3t

— Amy Higgins (@amywhiggins) July 30, 2018

A2c: In my opinion, the heart of attribution is about each interaction with your brand over time creates a cumulative sense of trust that helps a customer take the next step with you. #contentchat

— Maureen Jann (@SuperDeluxeMo) July 30, 2018

Attribution documents the stops along the buyer’s journey.

A1 Think of marketing like a road map and attribution like the turns your customer takes in order to reach the point of purchase. #contentchat

— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) July 30, 2018

Agreed. This is why last touch only attribution makes me so unhappy. The first and last touches are important but so much can happen between those two points! #ContentChat https://t.co/sdHlbN5TmM

— Erika Heald | Marketing Consultant (@SFerika) July 30, 2018

A1: A tricky part of attribution: figuring out how to distribute credit across the customer’s purchase path (across content types, devices, channels & time) for the end result. #contentchat

— Shelly Lucas (@pisarose) July 30, 2018

A1: Attribution – the art of justifying the contribution of a piece of content to the act of moving a customer along the pipeline to conversion. Very often to senior execs who still think cold- calling is the key to closing. 😉#contentchat

— Amy Card (@amy_card89) July 30, 2018

[Read more…] about July 30, 2018 Content Chat Recap: Marketing and Content Attribution